Leighanne Teale Assessment Philosophy Assessment of student academic progress is a necessary part of education.

Assessment of student work tells the educator when a student is ready to move on to the next topic of study. My job as an educator is not simply to teach students content but also to ensure they have learned it. Assessment should be varied and frequent to provide a more accurate picture of student progress. Student assessment should reflect a students understanding o f the subject and identify their ability to simply restate the basic concepts or critically analyze the content. Educational assessments tell us educators what a student has retained from our instruction. It should initially be informative and give us a way of providing feedback to students on their performance. Research tells us that not all students learn course content in the same way, therefore methods of assessment should also be diverse. Varying assessments and assessing practices often give educators a clearer understanding of how a student is progressing and how they can adjust their instructional techniques to better accommodate each student. Formative assessments should be provided often; this type of assessment provides immediate feedback regarding students understanding of a topic. Some forms of formative assessments can be exit slips, journals, or classroom participation in discussions and board work. Periodically assessing students allows educators to determine if a student needs to be retaught, if more time needs to be dedicated to a topic that has not been learned, or exposes those that are ready for more enriching projects. Formative assessments can be considered the check-up along the way before the summative assessment, the final assessment. Students should be provided feedback as often as possible. Effective feedback gives students an insight to where they are meeting expectations and where, as well as how, they can improve their work to demonstrate their learning. I am inclined to agree with education expert Alfie Kohn, that grades can be a trap that diminishes students desire to push themselves or to take chances and expand their learning; the grade becomes the goal rather than the learning. Every formative assessment should be returned in a timely manner with some constructive feedback. Feedback can also be provided by classmates through peer assessment. Having students assess each others work gives the assessors more practice in providing effective feedback. Subsequently, the more students see and provide feedback the better they will be at assessing their own work. Cumulatively, the summative assessment is the mark that communicates what the student has learned and whether or not they have been successful in learning the essential outcomes. By providing students with varying evaluation methods, as well as clear rubrics and success criteria, a more accurate

assessment of the students knowledge can be provided. Giving choice to students, in how they present knowledge of their understanding, allows them to express themselves in a manner which may be more enjoyable and natural to them. It also allows for students to personalize their work and incorporate factors that are interesting to them. Student creativity or exploration may be limited by their fear of not getting the grade they desire. The pressure is high, especially in high school years, to get the best marks to qualify for scholarships and university placement. Students may take on assignments that are easier for them so they have a greater chance of acquiring a high grade without considering the benefits of challenging themselves and taking their learning to a new level. I hope my future teaching experiences allow me to find an effective method to take my students focus off the summative grades they receive and put it onto taking chances and challenging themselves in their learning without fear of failure. Assessment should be a measurement of what a student knows. Zeros are not typically a measure of what a student knows, but rather an indication of what a student has failed to complete. Knowing what my students have learned is essential to me as an educator. In order to accurately assess a students understanding, I will strive to exhaust all efforts to collect my students work. However, in the situation where this is not possible, I believe a zero must be given. If a student is capable of the completing the work and refuses to do so, then they have not met the requirements of the course and their grade should reflect that fact. I believe, students who require redos should be given the opportunity to do so. If the first attempt to prove they have understood the essential learnings of an assignment or test is unsuccessful, then the student should be given the opportunity to learn from feedback and additional study and be given another opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. Assessments are a tool used to demonstrate students knowledge and in the case where they feel as though they were not assessed fairly, students should be given the opportunity to be reassessed where their final assessment accurately reflects their understanding. Enrichment and remediation are an essential part of the educating process. We know that not all students present their learning in the same way; therefore, assessment should be varied depending on the situation and abilities of the student. Assignments and assessment methods need to be modified or accommodated for each individual student. Assignments should be constructed in a manner which sufficiently challenges each student. Students who are meeting or exceeding curriculum standards should be provided with additional opportunities to extend their learning. Within classroom instruction, students needing enrichment should be provided resources that extend their knowledge beyond what is usually expected. Students needing additional time to acquire the essential concepts should be provided with the

time they need. When working in the field of education, I hope to be able to provide extra help to all my students when needed to ensure they are able to learn to the best of their ability. The purpose of student assessment is to inform educators where their students are in their learning and how to proceed in accommodating them through their instructional practices. The goal is that by varying teaching methods and providing constructive feedback, students will be more engaged and aware of their progress within a particular subject. This will hopefully promote student participation and accountability in their own learning. When assessing my students I dont want the grade to impede learning. I think it is important to develop a holistic approach to assessment that will encourage student exploration and creativity. Ensuring students are given a variety of choice in how they express themselves and show their understanding through their work is one way I can encourage engagement in the learning process. All students deserve a chance to succeed and I hope to make that a reality for all my students.