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Assessment Philosophy
Assessment practices are crucial for educators to gauge student learning and
positively affect their achievement. That being said, many students feel a sense of anxiety
when it comes to assessment; as a teacher, it is my job to address this anxiety and help
students reach their utmost potential. To do so, I will assess fairly and keep an open mind
when reflecting on my practices. My assessment philosophy addresses diagnostic,
formative and summative assessments. It includes my outlook on providing students with
choice and feedback, as well as communication with students and collaboration with other
teachers. In turn, students will be provided with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate
what they have learned. As an educator, my goals are to fairly assess students
understanding, guide students towards improvement and overall, help students to succeed.
At the start of a new unit, I use diagnostic assessments, such as group discussions, to
gain information on students prior knowledge. This allows me to develop strong lesson
plans that deepen students understanding by building off what they currently know. This
also helps me to address any misconceptions that students may have, as well as
differentiate for learners at various levels. When it comes to group work, I am able to sort
students according to their skills, which ensures that groups benefit from the diversity of
students strengths.
To assist me in determining students current understanding, I will co-create and
administer ongoing common, formative assessment (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many,
2010). This too aids me in identifying misconceptions and areas that require additional
instruction. In my experience, I have found that minimizing the number of concepts being
assessed reduces students anxiety and alleviates the pressure of grades. I administer
formative assessment in the form of questions, quizzes, entrance and exit slips, as well as
infrequent, purposeful homework. The sole purpose of homework is validating student
learning, as well as formatively assessing what they know. To connect homework with
assessment, I record students test results and compare them to the number of completed
homework assignments to help students see the relation (Vatterott, 2011). This also
indicates to me areas where I may need to intervene or enrich the learning of students.
To examine students overall understanding, I construct summative assessments
that fairly represent what students have learned. In order for students to express their
understanding suited to their learning style, some assessments need to be individualized. I
recognize that every student is unique, and by getting to know my students, I will learn
what works best for them while being assessed.
Students do not all learn the same way; consequently, there are different methods to
teach to their learning styles. That being said, not all students demonstrate their
understandings in the same manner, so there needs to be a variety of evaluation methods
in place to support them. Providing students with choice, such as creative writing, drama,
and music and dance, engages them and enables them to have more control over the
demonstration of their learning. From my experience as a student, I can testify that
demonstrating my understanding creatively is undoubtedly one of the most exciting

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aspects of learning. I do not want students to be so caught up in grades that they do not
have fun learning, so I do my best to provide choice for students on tests, projects and
performances to give them the opportunity to truly shine.
According to Marzano (2006)., studies indicate that students gain a better level of
understanding when they receive frequent, clear, and encouraging comments regarding
their work. This is why I provide descriptive feedback to my students, including
explanation and words of encouragement. This helps point students in the right direction,
improve their overall comprehension in areas that present challenges to them, and
motivates them to continue learning. Keeping in line with Alfie Kohns (1993) theories of
grades, I do not provide students with rewards as incentives to get good grades; rather, I
use grades to highlight students struggles and successes. My goal is to help students
develop, as well as fairly assess their understanding. When it comes to reporting student
progress, I place stronger emphasis on recent performances, for they are most
representative of their current level of comprehension.
When formulating assessments, I keep the curriculums learning objectives in mind
to ensure that students are being tested on what is most important. Prior to facilitating
lessons, these objectives are communicated clearly to students to make certain that they
are aware of and understand what their learning goals are. I communicate these learning
objectives with students, both orally and in writing. It is important that these outcomes are
clear, brief, and in a language that students understand. Prior to providing assessments, I
clearly go over the instructions, while providing examples of what I am looking for. To
better assist students during assignments and tests, I include numerical values by each
question so they do not have to wonder what they are worth. This helps students better
manage their time by not getting too caught up in sections with little weight value.
I am a firm believer that a teacher has a continuous commitment to lifelong learning.
I am constantly seeking ways to improve my teaching and assessment practices. I keep an
open mind while working with other educators to gain new perspectives and ideas.
Collaborating with colleagues can help create a more similar and fair manner to assess
students. By participating in professional learning communities, students can reap the
benefits of being assessed by a set of standards that are paralleled in all courses.
Overall, I believe that diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments gives me
the information I need to maintain a strong understanding of what students know and
where they require further assistance. By offering students choices to motivate and engage
them, and providing them with positive feedback to fuel their desire to learn, students
should feel as though that have fair opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge. I believe
that clear communication with students ensures that there is little to no confusion on what
their learning goals are. Lastly, through collaboration with colleagues, I hope to benefit
from their experiences and continue to grow and improve my own assessment practices.

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Work Cited
DuFour, R., Dufour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for
professional learning communities at work. (2nd edition). Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press.
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by Rewards. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Marzano, R. (2006). The case for classroom assessment. In Classroom Assessment & Grading
that Work. ASCD: Alexandria, VA, 1-11.
Vatterott, C. (November 01, 2011). Making Homework Central to Learning. Educational
Leadership, 69, 3, 60-64.