PHILOSOPHY OF ASSESSMENT

Philosophy of Assessment Joe Kolousek North Carolina State University

PHILOSOPHY OF ASSESSMENT

Before I started this class, assessment was one area of teaching in which I felt very inadequate. I was very nervous about how to create tests and other forms of assessment and I had no idea how to modify assessments for diverse groups of students. Now, while still a bit unsure, I feel that I at least have a grasp on what assessment is, the different types of assessment, how to create different types of assessments and, as this paper shows, I am beginning to craft my beliefs and assessment and its importance in education. When I used to think about assessment, the first things that came to my head were tests and quizzes - formal assessments. I had never considered the fact that teachers can almost always be assessing their students. One of the first things about assessment that I learned was the difference between formative assessments and summative assessments. I learned why each are important and how and when to use each kind. Summative assessments are similar to what I thought about assessments before I began this class. They include, but are not limited to, end-ofgrade/year tests, end-of-unit/chapter tests, and district benchmarks. These kinds of assessments are used to measure what students do and do not know at any given time. Formative assessments, on the other hand, are assessments that are integrated into classroom practice. They are ways for teachers to find out if their students are learning and adjust their teaching methods accordingly. One key distinction between formative and summative assessments is that with formative assessments, students are involved in their own assessment processes. This can be done in a variety of ways, one example of which would be to allow the students to self- and peer-edit their work. By doing this, students learn to look critically at the work they have created. They also learn to see their peers as good resources. Another aspect of assessment that I learned about was that assessment happens almost constantly in a classroom. Before a lesson is taught, teachers give a pre-assessment to find out

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what their students know. Typically, this takes place in the form of a summative assessment such as a quiz, but not always. Then, as the lesson is being taught, teachers are constantly assessing and evaluating their students learning as well as their own teaching. This way, they can make adjustments as needed. These are usually more formative assessments. Finally, at the end of a lesson or unit, the students will typically have another summative assessment to see if they have mastered the material. The summative assessment doesnt always have to be in the form of a test or quiz. The students could be assigned to create something, such as a poster or online presentation. All of the assessment in the world is worthless, however, unless teachers do something with it. Throughout this course, we had the opportunity to analyze and evaluate real student data. Doing so is beneficial in a variety of ways. First, in can improve teaching. By analyzing assessments, teachers will be able to know if and how they need to change up their teaching styles. Also, they will be able to tell if they need to modify the way their tests are created. Second, analyzing assessments can improve student learning. Teachers are able to see how students performed on various questions in a test and that will tell the teachers what information the students learned well, and what information they still need to improve their knowledge of. This ties back in to improving teaching. Another thing that I learned was that assessment is a cycle. Just because a unit has ended and the teacher has given the end-of-unit test does not mean that the teacher automatically just ignores that assessment analysis and moves on to the next unit. Students are responsible for knowing the information that is being taught, and the teacher is responsible for making sure that the students know that information. If a majority of students perform poorly on part of an assessment, it is the teachers responsibility to reteach that information in a way that connects with the students. One way to help ensure that students

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perform better on final assessments is to constantly assess as youre teaching. That way youre receiving constant feedback about how the students are doing. I witnesses this during my fieldwork experiences. The lesson I observed was the teacher teaching the students how to write personal narratives. The students first wrote their narratives out, and then they typed them on the computer. During the whole process, the students had ample opportunities to edit their work themselves and also to have their work edited by their teacher. This was beneficial for the students, clearly, because it led to higher quality finished products, but it was also beneficial for the teacher, as she got to see the progression of the students learning. Another element of assessment that I have learned about in this class as well as in other classes is teacher bias. It can be very easy for a teacher to allow their personal feelings and opinions affect their teaching methods and their attitudes about teaching. Even if a teacher feels that they treat all students fairly, students are very sensitive and can pick up and detect subtle differences in the way that teachers act with different students. The first step in addressing bias is for teachers to be aware of it. Teachers know how they feel about certain groups of people, and they need to be very critical of those feelings and emotions while in front of their class. Also, this is another area in which analyzing data can help. If a teacher sees that a certain group in her class, be it a specific ethnic group, or ability level, or gender, for examples, then that teacher has a responsibility to rethink the way that they are teaching and interacting with those students in order to find a way to reach them. Another way to address and deal with bias is for a teacher to truly work very hard, especially at the beginning of the year, to get to know their students on a very personal level. This is one thing that the teacher that I observed did exceptionally well. She made it a point to get to know all of her students. She knew their likes and dislikes, their unique ways of learning,

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and how best to communicate with each student. She truly worked hard to show them that she really cared about them as people and not just caring about if they pass her class or not. The fact that she was successful at this was reflected in the way that her class responded to her. They respected her because she respected them. Also, she was extremely positive in her assessments of her students. Even when they really struggled, she made it a point to pick out and find good things that the students have done and praise those things. Looking at some of the rubrics from the assignment that I observed, they were filled with positive comments and constructive criticism. I feel that this is so critical. In general, students will be more engaged and willing to step and think outside their boxes if they know that they can take those risks safely. However, it is important for a teacher to be culturally sensitive at the same time. There are some cultures in which being praised, publicly or otherwise, is frowned upon. This ties back in to knowing your students. If a teacher really makes it a point to get to know their students and their families, then that teacher will know which students need a little more praise and support and which students dont. An area that I still find challenging is how to modify assessments to meet the needs of diverse learners. I understand the need for it, clearly, but I still struggle with exactly how to best alter the assessments. One thing that I have learned in regards to this topic is that it is most important to measure what students know. This can be done in a variety of ways depending on individual student needs. For example, some students may need to have tests read to them. Others may need to speak their answer and have a scribe write them down. Other students may need tests shortened, or may need extra time to complete the same test that other students take in a shorter amount of time.

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Also, its important to take into account students from different cultures This may be more applicable when doing formative assessments. I like how, in her text, Nancy Sindelar discusses the importance of teachers becoming cultural brokers. She states that assessmentpowered teachers work to develop an awareness of the multiple cultural perspectives that exist within their classrooms and nurture a broadened perspective that allows them to create opportunities for all their students to learn and articulate their views (84). Having a diverse classroom is beneficial in many ways, but it is crucial for a teacher to set up their classroom so that all students feel included and feel that they have equal opportunities to participate. Also, culturally responsive teacherscreate opportunities for students to express how popular culture shapes their views. As teachers we already know the importance of making connections between out students prior knowledge and experiences and our learning targets. As diversity increases, we can further refine this skill through the use of cultural modeling, a successful method for connecting our students out of school knowledge to academics in order to increase their learning (85). I also learned the importance of using assessment data in professional learning teams. By analyzing and sharing data, teachers can benefit from the collective knowledge of the whole group. Sindelar states, Team-powered changes that lead to improvement fall into three basic categories: data-driven changes in curriculum and instruction, data-driven staff development initiatives, and data-driven students interventions. While these categories focus on different types of efforts, they all begin with teams looking at data, identifying areas of strength and weakness, and determining means for building upon the strengths and remedies for reducing or eliminative weaknesses (104). As stated, it all starts with looking at the assessment data. My teacher told me that would frequently look at her tests and see what types of questions were most frequently

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missed by her students. She would then share that information with her PLT so that all the teachers can work together to help the students gain the knowledge that they were missing. Also, in PLTs, teachers can look at the lower achieving students and see if they see any trends, such as race or culture. If they do, they can discuss ways to better meet the needs of those students. I learned more about standardized tests in this course. Whether you like them or not, standardized tests, including the end of grade and end of course tests, are not going away any time soon. Theyre important because students need to be held to a standard. Teachers, parents, and the community want to know how students are progressing, and these summative assessments are ways of showing that. However, because they are so important, teachers can feel pressured to teach to the test, meaning that they can be tempted to rush through certain units in order to stay on target to get through everything on time, and they also dont have the flexibility and freedom that they may like to teach what they want to teach or what is of most interest to their students. Another challenge is that, while students are aware of the importance of standardized tests, they may be learning (or memorizing might be a better term) for the wrong reasons. As teachers, we want to find subjects and teach our students things that are interesting and things that they really want to learn about. However, standardized tests limit that flexibility. I feel that I have a much better grasp on assessment now than I did before I started this course. I understand the difference between formative and summative assessments and I am starting to see ways of diversifying assessments to meet the needs of a variety of learners.

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Works Cited Sindelar, Nancy W. (2011). Assessment Powered Teaching. United States. Corwin.