Assessment

Creating lessons and developing students skills are the first part of teaching, but assessing the value of those lessons and the comprehension of those skills are what matter to the entire classroom and the school community.  I believe that conducting different assessment strategies and putting an importance on self-assessment will make assessment more authentic to my teaching.

There are many different tools that I can use to assess the comprehension of material that I have taught.  Having conversations with students on a regular basis will provide me with informal information that can be used to sort students understanding and where I need to go back and reteach. Discussions with students are something that we take for granted because in some minds it does not provide a definitive result. Also, I believe in little tasks such as checking for understanding traffic lights, two stars and a wish, etc. They are great tools of assessment because they make students really think about their own ability to learn.   I have also found that some programs provide great tools not only for teaching but assessment as well.  Words Their Way is a great program that clearly states the level of word and sound recognition the student is at and tests them on it as well.  I have also had experience with conducting running records and have seen the importance those results have on dividing them into reading groups and developing strategies.  The endless amount of assessment strategies out there can create authentic representations of how my students learn.

For me, self – assessment is the most important form of assessment.  Students need to be responsible for their learning and have to be able to reflect upon the things they have learned.  Having students’ complete small survey –type forms, they must think about what is being asked of them and how they intend to make themselves learn more effectively.  Students learn at different rates and I believe that these self-discovery sessions can be very informative to both the teacher and the student.  A format in which this self-discovery can be presented is through a student portfolio. Portfolios are great for student-led conferences and showcase the students’ growth from the beginning of the year.  Portfolios should include items that the student is proud of, enjoyed and felt challenged by. Each portfolio will be a representation of the individual student but will contain core pieces with the self-reflections among them.  At the end of the school year, portfolios will be a memento that students can reflect upon later in life.

Expectations should be set ahead of time, so that students can draw upon it when completing their own work.  I believe that students should have a say in what they are being assessed on and what it should like. Collaboratively working together gets the kids excited about the project or assignment at hand.  Also providing different options, will allow students to demonstrate what they have learned in a format that is comfortable for them. 

Assessment includes so many things and can take many forms, including tests, self- assessment and option based projects.   I think that the importance of assessment should focus on how the student learns and whether they understand what they are learning, and not on the number.