Sergey Tkachenko

Assessment OL
Al Holcomb
May 3, 2014

Assignment 13

1. Submit a typed final reflection on assessment that describes how your
assessment knowledge, skills and dispositions (habits of mind) have changed as
a result of your teaching experience and this course.

Baving taken this couise, I now see that Assessment is not about giauing, iathei it is
about collecting uata. I believe that teacheis aie so pieoccupieu with meeting iequiiements
fiom the auministiation that they lose sight of theii stuuents' piogiess anu quality of
euucation. Assessment shoulu be theie to make suie that stuuents aie on tiack.
Fuitheimoie, it shoulu seive as feeuback foi teacheis to know whethei what they'ie uoing
is woiking. It is obvious when teacheis copy a iubiic fiom yeais past anu iecycle them foi
each subsequent yeai they teach the same couise. Rubiics anu othei assessment tools
shoulu be ieviseu to ieflect the cuiient stuuents abilities anu potential. Baving uesigneu
anu implementeu a numbei of assignments anu assessment stiategies foi this couise, I see
how uaunting it can be to piouuce a uecent assessment stiategy. Teacheis have to
anticipate the outcomes of theii stuuents in oiuei to piouuce an assessment scale that is
faii anu appiopiiate. The task becomes even moie challenging when you aie uealing with a
subjective peifoimance-baseu class like choii oi voice lab. In a class of 1uu+ stuuents, how
can a teachei be expecteu to assess the piogiess of inuiviuual stuuents.
Aftei stuuent teaching, I see that theie aie ways aiounu these pioblems. Stuuents
can meet in smallei gioups (sectionals) outsiue of class time, wheie teacheis can gain a
bettei unueistanuing of which stuuents "get it" anu which ones uo not. Fuitheimoie, as
conceins the subjective natuie of oui piofession, uo we giaue stuuents on the beauty of
theii voices oi on theii woik anu effoit. No one chilu is iuentical to anothei, which is why
using foimal assessment stiategies like iubiics, can sometimes be ineffective. I piefei
infoimal anu foimative assessment stiategies that seive as stepping-stones to measuiing
stuuents' success. It is safe to say that no effective lesson plan, no teachei, can uo without
assessment as an integial pait of theii teaching.
Assessment is at the coie of ciitical peuagogy. Bow can we allow the stuuents to
take owneiship of theii leaining. Bow can we make leaining meaningful. With
assessment, whethei foimal oi infoimal, teacheis can engage stuuents in a uialogue. This
uialogue will allow stuuents to be open anu honest uuiing the leaining piocess, allowing
the teachei to uo hishei job. I have leaineu fiom expeiience that vaiieu instiuction anu
theiefoie vaiieu assessment is most effective. When I taught 9th uiaue Boys sight-ieauing
at 7:2uAN, I hau to get them to be active leaineis. It was like pulling teeth! I staiteu vaiying
instiuction anu began alteinating between gioup anu inuiviuual assessment activities.
Sometimes I woulu have the boys talk ovei pioblem spots with theii neighboi, othei times,
I woulu have them wiite the solfege on the boaiu. No only uiu these activities keep them
awake, but it was pioof that they weie leaining. That makes teaching woithwhile!