Assessments in Education

As a teacher, the first thing I think of when I hear the word "assessment" is WORK.  I was once told that the secret for success is work. That means that my success as a teacher is correlated with the amount of work I put into what I do. 
So how could putting extra work into my assessments pay off in my career as a teacher?

Maybe it would be important to start by defining assessments in education. "In education, the term assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students."(1) Therefore assessment is an essential piece of instruction, since it defines if the goals of education are being met. Also, with that definition in mind, it can be said that assessment could potentially influence grades, instructional necessities, educational programs, curriculum and, in some cases, even financing.

As a teacher, there is a variety of assessments that could be implemented and used with students; I chose the three following types of assessments that I think would be beneficial in my classroom: class feedbacks, self-assessments, and student information surveys. I include a brief explanation as well as an example I would use for each.

Class Feedback:
This type of assessment allows parents and students to have input into how the class functions. Their voices are empowered. "The feedback students provide about your teaching at the end-of-semester can be valuable in helping you improve and refine your teaching." (2) By implementing a mid-semester student feedback, teachers can obtain the additional benefit of allowing them to hear their students’ concerns while there is still time in the semester to make appropriate changes.

One example of class feedback assessment is this following handout form:

After administering the assessment, the teacher will need to carefully analyze the results looking for patterns (feedback that was mentioned frequently) to plan accordingly for improvement.  The teacher would also need to look for outliers (individual comments that would need to be addressed one-on-one). 

There are always ways that any teacher can improve, but while they are teaching, it is hard to observe some of the areas in which improvement can be made. The students have the opportunity to see many teachers and teaching styles, and their feedback can be invaluable to recognizing some of the changes that could be made so that the students are more engaged. They also get to take responsibility for their own learning by giving honest and helpful feedback.

Self Assessment: 
Self-assessment goes hand-in-hand with the idea that students can learn and grow since it allows them the opportunity to be a realistic judges of their own performance. Through this kind of assessment, students can discover their learning style and find out how it influences the way they understand information and solve problems. By doing so, students will be able to develop metacognition and peer learning. The focus of this assessment is on the learning process or content mastery or both. In either focus, self-assessment will give ownership and control of learning back to the students.

Through self-assessment, students can:

• identify where their knowledge is weak
• see where to focus their attention
• set realistic goals
• revise their work
• track their own progress (3)

One example of self-assessment is called Exit "Ticket"
Ask students to write their name, what they learned, and any lingering questions on a blank card or "tick1et". They should also indicate whether they “Got It,” “More Practice, Please,” or “I Need Some Help!" - whichever label best represents their relationship to the day’s content. (4)

The information that would be gathered from the assessment should actively shape lessons. For example, if many students are not understanding the material, the teacher will potentially identify the need to re-teach those concepts.

Student Information Surveys:
This assessment does not measure student learning, but rather informs the teacher of important factors that may influence  the students' learning and engagement in class. The information that will be gathered can be used to build relationships with students and also to customize instruction to students' strengths, needs, interests, cultures, etc.

Through Student Surveys, teachers can gather information such as:

• preferred names
• family structure
• friends 
• talents
• language spoken at home
• how do students feel they learn best
• goals for the future

One example of Student Information Surveys can be found in 
http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/management/student-questionnaire/student-questionnaires.html

• From California State University Science Education Professor Norman Herr, this student questionnaire could be adapted for all grades. (5)

After administering the survey, the teacher needs the analyze the results to look for patterns and outliers. These will require reading all of the responses and taking notes; the teacher will need to look for interests and strengths that students have in common so that the teacher can include those in instruction frequently. At the same time, the teacher needs to keep track of individuals interests and strengths to group students appropriately and differentiate instruction for students' needs.

(1)  The Glossary of Education Reform. (2013, October 30). Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/interim-assessment/
(2) Vanderbilt University (Ed.). (n.d.). Gathering Feedback from Students. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/student-feedback/
(3) Standford University. (n.d.). Student Self-Assessment. Retrieved from https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/evaluating-students/assessing-student-learning/student-self-assessment
(4) ACHIEVEMENT AND INNOVATION COORDINATORS. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://louisianassd.weebly.com/exit-tickets.html
(5) Herr, N. (2007). Student First-Day of School Questionnaires. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/management/student-questionnaire/student-questionnaires.html