Assessment is one of the trickier areas for us as new teachers to approach. For so long, assessment was done roughly the same way. On the high school level, at least, it was about grades, report cards, taking tests, and fitting oneself into a rank order.
Things have changed drastically over the past fifteen years, so it’s important to realize that our own experiences in this area may not be completely reliable guides for our professional actions in the future.
Take the issue of grades. We spent a bit of time in class trying to disentangle issues of grading from issues of assessment. While the two are no doubt linked, it is important that we do not let the current grading system totally determine our assessment practices.
At the end of the day, we will likely be required to give a student a single grade of either A, B, C, D or F. But that should not prevent us from providing that student and his or her family helpful and targeted information that will lead to a better appreciation for what needs to happen in the future.
It should not prevent us from communicating strengths and areas of needed growth, in the domains of knowledge, skills, interests, disposition, character, and leadership. It should not stop us from telling students whether or not they have met specific state-mandated standards.
Ben is an awesome example of a teacher who is continually refining and examining his assessment practices. He is currently playing around with a version of the “minimum fifty” policy—and he gives students a ton of choices and opportunities to play to their strengths and show what they know.
On the other hand, as we discussed in class, lots of choices comes with a downside: it means we can’t support students as much and that students are not, perhaps, gently nudged outside of their comfort zones.
Assessment can be one of the more inspiring areas for us as educators. It’s where we get to search out the hidden talents and gifts that each human being possesses. It’s where we help children connect what they can do—or what they are interested in doing—to the needs of the world. It’s where we help children discover their passions and help them reach out for them.
But it’s important that we don’t tell easy truths in this search for inspiration. We need to trust that kids can handle the truth. But to get to the truth, we need to be smart. We need to realize that no one instrument can tell us everything we need to know as teachers—even the best written test can’t do that.
So we need multiple forms of assessments, with multiple instruments: some project-based and some objective. With this rounded picture of summative assessment tools (and with the help of a ready stock of formative assessment strategies—something we will continue to talk about throughout the year), we, as teachers, can help take us out of the past of education and into its future.
