While there exists a myriad of teaching strategies, approaches and assessment, the most crucial feature of good assessment is that it is student centered. Additionally I will show that feedback in assessment is the primary means for making assessment student-centered and most effective.
For many years assessment of student progress typically resulted in summative assessment, that is the result of what the student learned and how well they learned- summation of their learning. More people are embracing a different approach to assessing students and thereby how we teach students. Formative assessment is “the informal and formal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving learning.” (Chappui, Stiggins,
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“ What is understood will, of course, change the new experiences as new ideas and skill are presented to help make sense of it(Harlen & James 1997).” The teacher and student need to know the answer to this as this will shape instruction and, if as I am arguing, we use formative assessment as a learning strategy, then our assessment as …show more content…
Identifying purposes, goals, types of targets and assessment methods from the outset allow for student and teacher to be on the same page. Further when using assessment methods, we must “design assessments that align with our targets and serve our purposes (Chappui, Stiggins, Chappuis, & Arter, 2012, p. 87).”
Bibliography
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Jan Chappuis, R. S. (2012). Classroom Assessment for Student Learning . New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
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Formative assessment to inform instruction and guide student learning is being underutilized. Many students are not given feedback that is effective in helping them see where they are in regard to reaching the learning goals or that provides plan for moving them forward to achieve that goal. Students are not always given the opportunity to take an active role in the learning process by regularly assessing themselves and their peers as they work to achieve their learning goals. The purpose of this study is to determine how the use of formative assessment with immediate feedback using student response systems will impact student learning. This study will also investigate the effect that student involvement in self-evaluation has on learning.
The teacher facilitates tracking of student progress on one or more learning goals using a formative approach to assessment.
Assessments have always been a tool for teachers to assess mastery and for a long time it was just to provide a grade and enter it into the grade book or report card. Through resources in and out of the course, there has been a breath of new life into the research on how to use assessments. They take many forms and fall within the summative or formative assessment category. Sloan (2016) addresses how formative assessments has traditionally been used by teachers to modify instruction, but when we focus on a classroom that is learner-centered “it becomes assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning” (slide 4). The fact is, the students are the ones that should be and are the ones using the data we collect through assessments, since it is our way of providing feedback in order
Regular use of formative assessment improves student learning as instruction can be adjusted based on students’ progress and teachers are able to modify instructions to cater to students’ individual needs (Black & Wiliam, 2010; Taylor-Cox, & Oberdorf, 2013). Various forms of informal and formal formative assessment methods are conducted as learning takes place, continuously through teacher observations, questioning through individual interactions, group discussions and open-ended tasks (McMillan, 2011). tests can tell us a lot about students and be used to inform and guide teaching, rather than simply to determine grades. Teachers can learn a lot from test results if they analyse the data generated to inform their teaching and learning programs (Perso, 2009). However, high stakes tests may result in students becoming stressed, leading to misreading questions, careless working and incomplete answers (Booker et al., 2010).
Assessments are an important part of teaching. Assessments are a good way for teachers to monitor students’ learning and understanding. Knowing students’ level of understanding can help teachers improve students’ learning and guide their instructions. In the future, I plan to continue assessing students in multiple ways such as, asking questions, illustrations and writing to adjust my instruction. I also plan to encourage students to assess their own work so they are involved in their own learning as well as look for ways to “employ technology to support assessment
e done well then advise learner on how they can improve, because good news about learners' work highly motivates them (Reed, 2006). Constructive feedback and engaging learners through assessment (Sherman, 1996) Works Cited Black, Paul. (2003). The Nature and Value of Formative Assessment for Learning. Improving Schools.
There is so much research out there on formative assessment. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of empirical evidence that can directly such as the use of many suggest forms of formative assessment to gains on summative assessments (Dunn & Mulvenon, 2009).
There are several different types of assessments; diagnostic, formative, summative, norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and interim/benchmark. Undoubtedly, “there are a range of uses for assessments but arguably, the most important element of an assessment is how it guides the learner and teacher in the next steps of the learning process” (Newman, 2013, p. 11.1). Moreover, assessments affect vital and key decisions in regards to grades, advancement, instructional needs, and the curriculum. Assessments inspire teachers to ask themselves such questions as are the students learning and are there other ways or avenues to teach a particular subject better. These questions along with others help promote better learning.
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a
In spite of the importance of assessment in education, few teachers receive proper training on how to design or analyze assessments. Due to this, when teachers are not provided with suitable assessments from their textbooks or instructional resources, teachers construct their own in an unsystematic manner. They create questions and essay prompts comparable to the ones that their teachers used, and they treat them as evaluations to administer when instructional activities are completed predominantly for allocating students' grades. In order to use assessments to improve instruction and student learning, teachers need to change their approach to assessments by making sure that they create sound assessments. To ensure that their assessments are sound they need include five basic indicators that can be used as steps to follow when creating assessments. The first of these indicators and the first step a teacher must take when creating a sound assessme...
It is my goal to make assessment and grading a positive element to my classroom for both my students and me. I want to give many opportunities for my students to do well and achieve mastery as well as become the best student they can be. Students should not just be measured by the end result. Learning is a process and I believe that it is in this process that true learning occurs. Aside from being graded on the basic facts, students need to be measured on how well they apply their knowledge. Assessment will be a huge part of my classroom; however, I will hold more importance for a student’s performance and progress rather than a factual test. Down the road, these students will need the skills learned during their early years. A multiple choice question isn’t what is going to help them in the long run
Feedback is one form of assessment that teachers think will take long, however, if given orally to the students it allows them to correct what they are misunderstanding or doing wrong. Most teachers feel that feedback is meant to be written down but it is not necessary to do so. Oral feedback as well as written feedback can be very effective and beneficial for a student if done correctly. According to Leahy et al (2005), “To be effective, feedback needs to cause thinking. Grades don 't do that. Scores don 't do that. And comments like “Good job” don 't do that either. What does cause thinking is a comment that addresses what the student needs to do to improve…” (p. 22). I felt that this quote was very fitting to what I did in the classroom while walking around and checking up on the students. Instead of saying “good job” or “looks good,” I found myself watching bits and pieces of several
As I reflect on my past assessment process, I realized how much my assessments have changed over the years. In my early years, I used tests for informational recall as my assessments. I felt these were appropriate guidelines in which I needed to follow in order to substantiate a student’s grade. Every assignment or tests was given a point value and then based on the amount of points, a grade was given. Every student’s assessment was exactly the same, and the assessments did not contain any subjectivity. I felt confident in giving the grade based on a valid point system. However reflecting back, I see that I did not include any performance-based assessments or individual learning styles in my early assessment. I also did not take into consideration the individual needs of my students. My assessment approach was awful. I am embarrassed that I use to assess students in this manner.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.