Assessment and instruction are integrated processes. You can't have one with out the other. However, with government funding, assessment seems to be at the core of education right now. This, in turn, has led to many assessments being at the core of most grading systems. The big question in my mind is how does an assessment compare to a students capability? Tomlinson (2013) states that “because assessments are constructed by human beings and taken by human beings, they are always likely to be imperfect measures of a student’s true knowledge of a topic.”
There are 2 main types of assessments: formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are useful in monitoring progress throughout the year, and summative assessments are good measures of how much a student has learned over a longer period of time. In my classroom, I use a lot of projects for summative assessment, and I like to use formative assessments in the form of reflections or questions along the way. I also use warm-ups daily through Google Classroom to quickly assess where my students are at. These are great for a quick formative assessment.
There are 2 main types of assessments: formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are useful in monitoring progress throughout the year, and summative assessments are good measures of how much a student has learned over a longer period of time. In my classroom, I use a lot of projects for summative assessment, and I like to use formative assessments in the form of reflections or questions along the way. I also use warm-ups daily through Google Classroom to quickly assess where my students are at. These are great for a quick formative assessment.
The podcast above provided some great information about grade fairness and on how to make grades more meaningful. Dr. Thomas Guskey posed this question, “Would another professional come up with the same grade?” He suggested that we should not rely on the mathematical algorithm coming from the computer gradebook. We know the students the computer does not. So then how do we grade? His idea is to eliminate percentages and go to categories. For example:
Artifact 1-Online-Students Improve Their Work (online physical science A)
For my personal practice this leads me straight to projects in lieu of multiple choice, or even written response exams. For the first category listed above of "They got it. They did everything that was asked and more," you can't usually do more on an exam, but you can do more on a project. When I created my online physical science A class I knew I wanted to go with projects for the assessments. A big push for this was that a student could do the assessment no matter their ability level, and that if they wanted to try for a better grade they would really have to work to learn how to apply the material. I hate the idea of just giving the same test or even a different test for a student to make up their grade. I want them to learn from mistakes and learn to keep persevering even if something is hard, not just look for a redo.
Artifact 2-Actively Learn
Another reason for projects comes from Middle School Maker Journey: Assessment in an Ungraded Classroom by Kevin Jarrett. He points out that if students are engaged then they will put in the the work. School is no longer about the grade but rather about solving the problem. This is the whole point of education. If students aren't focused on the grade they will be doing their own work according to Kohn (2008). This is why I like Actively Learn. You really have to search for the grade. Otherwise a student just sees a vague marking such as "advanced" all the way down to "zero." Since I, as the teacher, see all student responses to a question at the same time I can easily spot cheating. This leads to a lower grade, and most students will want to fix it. Students are more likely to resort to cheating if they see it can lead to good grades. Kohn also states that "cheating is relatively rare in classrooms where the learning is genuinely engaging and meaningful to students." So the more creative and interesting activities you include in your classroom the more likely students will actually be learning. With actively learn I can also judge where students are at with the content and this leads to better planning on my part. I can add in more activities of a certain skill set if students are struggling, or I can take out activities where students have mastered a skill early. I can also intervene on actively learn by re-wording questions, or even pointing students to the parts that they should re-read.
- They got it. They did everything that was asked and more.
- They pretty much got it.
- There are some major errors
- They haven’t even started.
Artifact 1-Online-Students Improve Their Work (online physical science A)
For my personal practice this leads me straight to projects in lieu of multiple choice, or even written response exams. For the first category listed above of "They got it. They did everything that was asked and more," you can't usually do more on an exam, but you can do more on a project. When I created my online physical science A class I knew I wanted to go with projects for the assessments. A big push for this was that a student could do the assessment no matter their ability level, and that if they wanted to try for a better grade they would really have to work to learn how to apply the material. I hate the idea of just giving the same test or even a different test for a student to make up their grade. I want them to learn from mistakes and learn to keep persevering even if something is hard, not just look for a redo.
Artifact 2-Actively Learn
Another reason for projects comes from Middle School Maker Journey: Assessment in an Ungraded Classroom by Kevin Jarrett. He points out that if students are engaged then they will put in the the work. School is no longer about the grade but rather about solving the problem. This is the whole point of education. If students aren't focused on the grade they will be doing their own work according to Kohn (2008). This is why I like Actively Learn. You really have to search for the grade. Otherwise a student just sees a vague marking such as "advanced" all the way down to "zero." Since I, as the teacher, see all student responses to a question at the same time I can easily spot cheating. This leads to a lower grade, and most students will want to fix it. Students are more likely to resort to cheating if they see it can lead to good grades. Kohn also states that "cheating is relatively rare in classrooms where the learning is genuinely engaging and meaningful to students." So the more creative and interesting activities you include in your classroom the more likely students will actually be learning. With actively learn I can also judge where students are at with the content and this leads to better planning on my part. I can add in more activities of a certain skill set if students are struggling, or I can take out activities where students have mastered a skill early. I can also intervene on actively learn by re-wording questions, or even pointing students to the parts that they should re-read.
References
Jarrett, K. (2016, February 11). Middle School Maker Journey: Assessment in an Ungraded Classroom. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org
Kohn, A. (2008). Who’s Cheating Whom? Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/whos-cheating/
Tomlinson, Carol Ann, and Moon, Tonya R. (2013) Chapter 6: Assessment, Grading and Differentiation. Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD). ProQuest ebrary. Web. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://egandb.uas.alaska.edu:2081/lib/uasoutheast/reader.action?ppg=135&docID=10774725&tm=1428975296051.
Jarrett, K. (2016, February 11). Middle School Maker Journey: Assessment in an Ungraded Classroom. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org
Kohn, A. (2008). Who’s Cheating Whom? Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/whos-cheating/
Tomlinson, Carol Ann, and Moon, Tonya R. (2013) Chapter 6: Assessment, Grading and Differentiation. Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD). ProQuest ebrary. Web. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://egandb.uas.alaska.edu:2081/lib/uasoutheast/reader.action?ppg=135&docID=10774725&tm=1428975296051.