Help talk:Editing

As educators, we know that the real purpose of assessment it so to drive instruction. We are taught, and we have seen in our own classroom, the benefits of using assessment to plan and implement lessons. Yet the majority of assessments given in American classrooms are summative rather than formative.

An example of these summative assessments would be any standardized test such as the SAT or ACT, graduation exams, unit and chapter tests, etc. These instruments measure a student’s recall of facts, but tell us little about true understanding – the application of this knowledge. In addition, these tests often include questions that have only one correct answer. They reward the ability to think superficially and do not require any real thought. They also encourage a narrowed curriculum, outdated methods of instruction, and harmful practices such as retention in grade and tracking (FairTest: National Center for Fair and Open Testing; 12-17-07). Standardized test questions may be culturally biased. Yet tests such as these are easy to grade – machines are used, and so they continue to be prevalent in our education system.

A better way to assess students would be through authentic assessment, which documents a student’s work and involves a direct assessment of the student’s effort s on real learning tasks. These assessments provide teachers with powerful information that will help the teacher plan and implement future lessons.

I favor using rubrics as a measurement tool in my classes. Some, I create myself using one of many available rubric websites. A rubric should be clear and detailed. It should also be shared with students and parents prior to an assignment. In some instances, the children in my classroom take part in the creation of an assessment rubric (with teacher having final say). I find that this motivates the students to work harder.