Improving Student

Perceptions on Assessment
By: Gabriel Hernandez
Appreciating students as a living organism

Kathryn Wentzel confirms that significant number of students who

are favored by teachers portray a large amount of interest in
academia as a result. Forms of positive academic behavior include:
• Studying habits
• Attention
• Participation
Students simply performed as high quality students from being felt
favorable or wanted in classrooms. This correlational finding
composed of 423 students in both 6th and 7th grade levels confirms
that students seek approval, attention, and seek positive student
teacher relationships.
 Classroom Application
As we manage classrooms,
positive or negative responses to
students is our “reap what you
sow”. Do you want your students
to become better students? Become
a better teacher. It makes sense.
Some teachers lack inspiration to
teach and forget they work with
lives. Should students want to
perform satisfactory on state
mandate tests, start a classroom
atmosphere where the students
can feel appreciated, to enhance
his or her academic performance
and motivation.
 Effects of PBL on students and academic
performance

This research study collected perceptions on testing from school

principals who stated testing policy drove instruction more than research
based reform. For this study researchers conducted 12 hours of interview
time to teachers, educational leaders. Six interviewers also spent 131
hours observing students in the program. A conclusion was reached
through:
• Interviews
• Field observations
• Test scores
Findings proved that collaboration was the driving force as both positive
and negative responses resulted from project based learning.
 Classroom Application
The more students feel like they are
involved in the research process, the
more curious, self directed learners
they will become. This improves
their views of school to a more
positive state as they find attending
school is motivating and inspiring.
To get rid of those negative
outcomes, PBL has to be teacher
directed for younger students or
students who need more support. In
general, students felt more freedom
and support from the experiential
program, which is the first step in
creating learners that take charge
and responsibility of their own
learning process.
Principals perceptions of technology

School principals’ view of technology is not always

favorable. Due to these implications, students use of
technology is less. This study includes data stating that 61%
of students cannot operate technology assessments on their
own before receiving instruction. In addition to that,
principals with less experience in schools are more open to
use technology for administrative purposes as opposed to
teaching. Principals view of technology provided a similar
correlation to the students prompting to use technology for
different assignments. It is important to note that more and
more technology programs are being used in classrooms to
help students’ reading lexile numbers. Negative views of
technology could harm students academic potential.
 Classroom Application
This information is valuable as perceptions
usually give a certain amount of insight on
attitudes and how they (principals) feel about
the use of technology in their schools.

If I were to head a school, I would encourage

the use of technology in classrooms, that is
personal phone usage, which would be left for
teacher discretion. However, if teacher/admin
observing teacher feels like it is causing
students more harm for the use of phones in
classrooms, then that method would be
discontinued. I believe before we push for
technology in schools, administration needs to
layout boundaries for such use in a way that
does not limit the student’s learning potential.

You do not want to discourage the use of

technology but teachers should also
understand technology is a tool for learning
and not their replacement or answer for
effective teaching.
 Roles of tier interventions to increase
standardized test scores

From the above article, we see how behavior of the students may
influence how they perform in the classrooms and that includes the
effects on testing. This research discusses the major components that
are critical for functional behavior assessments to be successful. It
states that when the assessment is done correctly, it should give good
indication if academic and function based interventions will be helpful
for the student. Data was collected through observation of various
FBA’s that once analyzed seem to all indicate issues that led to
classroom misbehaviors. It asserts that these misbehaviors can be
reduced if the student is in a
• Proper
• Flexible
• Research taught environment
This has to be done so the teacher can close student achievement gaps.
 Classroom Application
Because content is so important for
students to be taught appropriately,
many times we focus too much on
what students are doing wrong in the
classroom as opposed to redirecting
our focus on what the teacher could
improve to positively affect teacher-
student bonds.

Many times students are simply not

able to get along with their instructor,
thus academia affairs reduce and are
negatively impacted. This research
gives insight into the importance of
pull outs, interventions to help
students achieve higher results both
in the classroom and on high stake
state assessments.
 Take Aways
How you can use these in your practice…

All in all, teaching should be seen as a wonderful opportunity regardless of

circumstance. Effective teaching is able to redirect itself from the focus on
failures to what can be improved and how. Ways we can do that are:

1. Appreciating children and celebrating accomplishments.

2. Teachers should help students metacognition and awareness of the impact

they can have on society once they learn the necessary knowledge and skills.

3. Technology falls on a student’s positive spectrum so we need to shift our focus

to helping students not only see technology as a means for higher level thinking
but help them use it effectively to close educational gaps in their learning.
 References:
Hawkins, Shannon M. (2012). Technical and Applied Features of Functional
Assessments and Behavioral Intervention Plans. Dissertation, Georgia
State University.

Scogin, S. (2017). Learning by Experience in a Standardized Testing

Culture: Investigation of a Middle School Experiential Learning Program.
Journal Of Experiential Education, 40(1), 39-57.

Waxman, H. (2013). Principals' Perceptions of the Importance of

Technology in Schools. Contemporary Educational Technology, 4(3), 187-196.

Wentzel, K. R. (1993). Does being good make the grade? Social behavior and
academic competence in middle school. Journal of Educational Psychology,
85(2), 357-364.