Assessment

Once teachers learn to ask good, meaningful questions, the next step is knowing what to DO with this information. This is what we mean by assessment.

The traditional purpose of assessment is to summarize student knowledge and progress at the conclusion of a unit of study. This is usually done through a standardized test, and is a SUMMATIVE evaluation of student progress. Traditional assessments include: multiple-choice questions, and asking students to respond to prompts with short answers.

When we summarize student progress, we are conducting an assessment OF learning. Students are asked to demonstrate their learning through testing.

An alternative to traditional assessment is PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (also called authentic assessment or alternative assessment). Performance assessments ask students to construct a response, create a product (model, brochure, poster, etc.), and demonstrate their level of understanding or skill level through some other creative means. A performance assessment allows teachers to evaluate the process students go through while creating their product, as well as the product itself. Performance assessments can be used before, during, or after instruction in order to assess changes in student understanding. The chart below summarizes the main differences between traditional assessments and authentic assessments:

As an alternative to assessment OF learning, teachers can also conduct assessment FOR learning. The purpose of this type of assessment is to help guide our teaching based on the ongoing assessment of students. This is known as FORMATIVE evaluation. Conducting formative evaluations involve students in the process, where students help create the criteria in which they will be evaluated. This usually includes the creation of rubrics that outline the expectations and outcomes of an assignment. Assessment FOR learning allows students to self-assess their progress, watch themselves grow, and plan the next steps for their own learning.

Look at the following examples and determine whether they are assessments FOR learning or assessment OF learning:

It's important that teachers understand the differences between assessments FOR learning and assessments OF learning. Assessments should be ongoing and guide our teaching practice. Most teachers are always conducting assessments of their students, both formative and summative. It becomes part of their daily practice. Furthermore, it's important to self-assess our teaching in order to best meet the needs of our students.

Now that you are familiar with how to ask good questions, and how to conduct assessments FOR learning and OF learning, it's time to create some of your OWN questions! CLICK HERE or on the Activities button to start creating your own questions and surveys.