Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the assessment category.
Assess this!
With the mad rush to cram all kinds of information into our students’ heads before MAP testing, I thought it might be important to think of some other, less threatening ways to assess our students’ learning.
Emmet Rosenfeld wrote a blog post on formative assessment. Like its summative step-brother, it can tell a teacher where a student is in his/her development. However, formative assessment can do so much more and can be a vital part of a student-centered classroom.
Rosenfeld identifies some key characteristics of formative assessment that make its value quite clear…
1. It’s ongoing. Kids don’t always know it’s happening; and teachers aren’t always trying to distill it to a number.
2. It’s dialogic. Evaluation is characterized by dialogue; standards are often negotiated, rather than handed down. The discussion about value is as important as the assigning of value; and even that is a task frequently done by self- and peer-assessment.
3. There is a feedback loop. The teacher often assumes a coaching role. Low-risk practice leads to perfect.
4. It’s metacognitive. Self-reflection is cultivated so that a learner can understand how he learned, not just what was learned. Every student becomes their own teacher.
For more on formative assessment, read Rosenfeld’s blog, Eduholic.
