What is assessment and what makes it good?
What is assessment and what makes it “good?”
Assessment is gathering information to ensure teachers make informed decisions about student progress. Five key components of good assessment are: classroom assessment, authenticity, formative, special needs intervention, and benchmarking. These enhance and improve student learning, and are outlined below.
Good classroom assessment involves ‘of, for and as’ of learning. This practice involves teachers using inference and evidence, while students reflect upon and monitor their progress. Combine this with four essential segments: “purpose, measurement, evaluation and use” (McMillan, 2011, p. 12), and it enables teachers to implement flexibility and choice into their classroom. McMillan (2011) states teachers need to make accurate classroom assessment decisions “reflectively” based on reasoning and experience (p. 4). This point is supported by Phye (1997a), who looks at student ongoing learning, based on pre-existing knowledge and experiences, which are all key aspects of good assessment.
In addition, engaging students with real-life experiences, or authenticity, keeps students intrigued and motivated. McMillan (2011) claims authenticity helps “produce the students best, rather than typical, performance” (p. 16), and this is a view shared by Killen (2005), citing it is “what is personally meaningful” that helps student learning (p. 3). This is good assessment, and is documented through recent trends showing students involved in self-assessment, through authenticity, have higher motivation and achievements (McMillan, 2011).
Furthermore, a recent trend is the greater accentuation on Formative assessment. This practice involves a balanced approach of gathering formal and informal information. According to Chapman and King (2009), formative assessment provides ongoing feedback on student progress, enabling the teacher to make informed decisions about future activities. This good assessment practice serves
Assessment is gathering information to ensure teachers make informed decisions about student progress. Five key components of good assessment are: classroom assessment, authenticity, formative, special needs intervention, and benchmarking. These enhance and improve student learning, and are outlined below.
Good classroom assessment involves ‘of, for and as’ of learning. This practice involves teachers using inference and evidence, while students reflect upon and monitor their progress. Combine this with four essential segments: “purpose, measurement, evaluation and use” (McMillan, 2011, p. 12), and it enables teachers to implement flexibility and choice into their classroom. McMillan (2011) states teachers need to make accurate classroom assessment decisions “reflectively” based on reasoning and experience (p. 4). This point is supported by Phye (1997a), who looks at student ongoing learning, based on pre-existing knowledge and experiences, which are all key aspects of good assessment.
In addition, engaging students with real-life experiences, or authenticity, keeps students intrigued and motivated. McMillan (2011) claims authenticity helps “produce the students best, rather than typical, performance” (p. 16), and this is a view shared by Killen (2005), citing it is “what is personally meaningful” that helps student learning (p. 3). This is good assessment, and is documented through recent trends showing students involved in self-assessment, through authenticity, have higher motivation and achievements (McMillan, 2011).
Furthermore, a recent trend is the greater accentuation on Formative assessment. This practice involves a balanced approach of gathering formal and informal information. According to Chapman and King (2009), formative assessment provides ongoing feedback on student progress, enabling the teacher to make informed decisions about future activities. This good assessment practice serves
References: Allen, K. Eileen. Assessment and the IFSP/IEP process. The exceptional child: Inclusion in early childhood education (2005) Chapman, C., & King, R. (2009). Test success in the brain-compatible classroom (2nd ed.) Furtak, E. M. (2009). Formative assessment for secondary science teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Killen, R. (2005). Programming and assessment for quality teaching and learning. Peri, M., Marion, S., & Gong, B. (2009). Moving toward a comprehensive assessment system: A framework for considering interim assessments. Phye, G. D. (1997a). Classroom assessment: A multidimensional perspective. Spinelli, C. G. (2002). Classroom assessment for students with special needs in inclusive settings