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Assessment of Student Learning

 

Assessment is ongoing in my classroom.  I am always assessing in some format, usually just checking in with students to see if you understand the issues at hand, and are ready to move on to the next topic. Most of my assessment is strictly formative.  I thank technology for this, as we are now in a era where we shouldn't be assessing how well a student can memorize names, dates, and places.  Wikipedia, Google, and other search engines just an arm's length away on their personal devices have taken care of assessing lower level cognitive memorization and allowed for fewer summative assessment practices that gauge true learning at higher order thinking.

I can't promote the use of Social Media enough.  It gets a negative reputation, but can be extremely useful if students are taught digital citizenship and how to use it properly. Currently Twitter aids me in my pursuit of assessment as and for learning. Having a question of the day, show the perspective of this person, or how does this make you feel Twitter post allows me to gauge where students are in their learning and how to plan for upcoming lessons. It is simply an alternative to the clutter that can be tangible exit cards and allows me to read at any point during my day, even if I am out of my classroom.  Perhaps the most effective use of this tool for assessment is the flexibility it allows students. Students can't send you an exit card from home, but students can tweet from outside the classroom once they feel confident enough of their comprehension of subject at hand.  Twitter allows my classrom to be 24/7 - an incredible flexible learning environment!
Differentiating and teiring your assessments is one of the most productive strategies you can use as a classroom teacher. In Grade 9 Health, I am currently using a summative assessment strategy that I call "Think-Tac-Toe". Throughout the unit, the class as a whole are expected to complete four smaller assignments that will assess their learning at the appropriate stages. At the conclusion of the unit, instead of a test or exam, students are asked to select from a group of five larger assignments to complete a "Think-Tac-Toe" line.  The assignments vary from tactile/hands on, innovative tech projects, to speaking out to administrators on current school health issues. The purpose of this summative assessment is ensure that students all meet the needed outcomes, but do so in a method that best caters to their strengths.
One way in which students really get to understand their own strengths and weaknessess, is when they get to participate in self and peer assessment.  This type of assessment allows students critique their own work and see the strengths and 'next steps' in their peer's work. This practice allows students to develop habits of self-reflection, and identify the quality of good work and how to evaluate or judge their work against it. Peer and self assessment teaches students that assessment is also a type of learning and opens pathways for students to utilize in self improvement. The following assignment was completed in a Social  Studies 20-2 course where students peer and self assessed before submitting their final product.
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