On the surface, the reason teachers assess students and their learning is to evaluate where the students are in regard to what they have absorbed from their classes and assignments. There is an underlying reason why teachers assess students that goes a little deeper than simply seeing what students know. Brown, Race, and Smith offer a list of values, reasons for assessing, a checklist and much more in their book 500 Tips on Assessment from 2004.
Values of Assessment
In their list of values of assessment, the values of assessment being incremental, demanding, and motivate students to learn jumped out the most. In the classroom, assessment should be occurring on a regular basis. Keeping assessment consistent allows students to know what is expected and level at which they should be reviewing the material. Brown, Race, and Smith highlight that making assessment incremental, takes away the surprise out of assessment (p. 4). A consistent assessment creates an atmosphere of consistency in the classroom which also shows the students the importance of reviewing material outside class time on a regular basis rather than cramming everything they can possibly fit in their heads the night before the exam. This practice keeps the teacher accountable for their assessment and teaches student how to study rather than cram. The teacher is kept accountable when assessment is consistent because when assessing students, the teacher is also assessing their teaching.
The idea of assessment being demanding may cause anxiety in students when describing it that way, but what is being demanded is the effort and attention of the students. Assessment should be demanding, meaning it should not be something that does not require attention. Students should not be able to simply brush assignments off and be able to complete them without thinking. There are going to be some students who seem to do this with assignments, but that should not be the case for all the students in the class. Brown, Race and Smith explain that “[p]assing an assessment or test should not be automatic”. Further, “a good assessment system system should permit all students considered capable of undertaking a course of study to have a chance of succeeding in the assessment” (p. 4). In some cases, like a science class or math class, there will be some pieces of information that should be things that do not require thought. For example, the function of the heart in the body being to pump blood to the organs and limbs, should be a ‘no brainer’ for students by the end of the body systems unit.
Although it seems that assessment is to judge the learning that has already occurred, assessment should also create a want to learn in students. Brown, Race, and Smith explain that “Assessment should help them to structure their learning continuously during their studies, not just in a few critical weeks before particular assessment climaxes” (p. 3). This is saying that an assessment should create a foundation for students to build off of and learn more. Assessments are not there to weigh down the learning but rather to help it to fly farther. With motivating assessment, students would be able to assess themselves and see where they are at in their learning as well as understand how they learn best. The goal of teachers is to create lifelong learners and making assignments and assessments that encourage learning aids in this synthesis of learners.
Principles of Assessment
Assessment needs to take these values and the others highlighted by Brown, Race, and Smith into account as well as other principles to guide the teacher in creating effective assessment. Louis Volante suggests such principles in Principles of Effective Classroom Assessment from 2006. Volante highlights student-centered assessment being more important than teacher-centered assessment. Assessment that bring the student into the learning and assessment process gives the students tools to move further into learning when the structure of the classroom is no longer there. Volante argues that “assessment is student-centered, aligned with clear learning targets, based on multiple methods, able to account for a variety of student skills, aimed at reducing bias, reliable and valid, and efficient” (p.144). Students should be able to see the targets of the class and know how to work towards them. Assessment cannot only be in one form, there needs to be variability for students to keep them engaged as well as to create adaptable learners. Students are expected to have many skills so the assessment should be varied to account for those different skills that they require to learn the content. Creating assessment that reduces the bias of the teacher gives all students the opportunity to show their skills and what they have learned without any pre-determining factors that go outside the realm of what is being learned. The creation of assessments in a classroom that take all these things into account takes time and planning on the teacher’s part. Flexibility of the teacher is a necessity for assessments to evolve into good assessments that motivate students to want to learn.
“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don’t listen to their words, but watch their actions”
Amit Kalantri
References
Brown, S., Race, P., & Smith, B. (2004). 500 tips on assessment. Routledge.
Volante, L. Principles for Effective Classroom Assessment Des Lignes Directrices pour Une Évaluation Efficace en Salle de Classe.
Jessica is a student at University of Regina. Her passion for helping others and advocacy for the prevention of bullying in schools has lead her to a career in education. She is a dog lover, photographer, and a food lover.
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