If one was asked, “Are
tests the only objective assessment of student learning?” I would wholeheartedly
disagree. The word “objective” is defined as “fair, impartial, equitable,
nondiscriminatory, or unbiased”. Evaluating students only using test scores
would not be described by any of the previous adjectives. All students do not
learn on the same level, the same way or method, and definitely should not be
assessed in that way.
At the beginning of
each school year, teachers inform their students that his or her primary goals
for the year are to learn and prepare to successfully pass the state’s
standardized tests; High School teachers begin to prepare their students for
comprehensive End of Course Exams. These formal, standardized tests are used to
provide the state, school system, and school administration with students’
academic achievement or mastery. These results are not always as reliable or
valid as they are perceived. One of the highest academic achievers may not
respond to the testing format and appear to not be proficient based on these types
of tests. While the student that ranks high on the standardized test, may not
be able to verbally communicate or perform exactly what has been learned.
When planning lessons
for all students, we must also think of ways to assess them that we will be
fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory. Some of these methods include
questioning and learning logs to determine what information the students have
gathered and using checklists and rubrics to allow for scaffolding and guiding
the students as they move on to the next level of learning. Using other
techniques like student profiles, anecdotal records and portfolios help to keep
record of student learning over time. These profiles and portfolios might
include samples of the students’ work like presentations, projects, or other
visual representations of learning.
Using both formal and
informal assessments allow you and the students to accurately estimate how well
the student is learning a skill or concept, if the student needs additional
instruction, guidance, or remediation. So, I can not agree that tests are the
only objective assessment of student learning.
Allow me to posit my posting by stating that every assessment is subjective. Whether the assessment tool is a forced choice, observation, multiple choice, portfolio, or any other format, the questions and observation is laced with bias. This is why an assessment system like triangulation is valuable. Triangulation in assessment involves the use of multiple tools to provide quantitative and qualitative data about student learning. Multiple assessments from various perspectives and angles provide a more complete picture of a student’s true achievement and learning.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to include your personal reflections in the form of a WebLog over the past 8 weeks. I have learned more about you and your colleagues as I reviewed your postings. A WebLog is a great tool for personal reflection and assessment about various topics and about what you have learned. A WebLog is a great tool to allow students to share their own input about what they have learned, a valuable perspective in the 21st century classroom.
DrE