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Assessment Philosophy

by
Rachel Matheson

EDUC 5913(E)
Measurement and Evaluation
Dr. G. Williams
Bachelor of Education
St. Thomas University
26 February 2016

Assessment Philosophy
As educators we are constantly faced with opinions surrounding assessment. I think it is
important that we not only consider how we are assessing, but why we are assessing. What is it
that we want to know about a students learning and how can we evaluate his or her
understanding? Before going further, I believe it is important to note the difference between
assessment and evaluation. According to Walter Parker (2012), assessment refers to the
discovery of what students know and are capable of doing. Evaluation is referred to as a value
judgment, which means that we are comparing what the student knows to the desirable outcome
or expectation (Parker, 2012). The way in which I see the difference here is that assessment is
focused on the child as an independent student and their personal growth, whereas evaluation
sees the student as an individual who has or has not met specific outcomes.
My philosophy has been broken down into three main parts: assessment for learning
assessing student learning, assessment as learningstudents understanding of learning
objectives, and assessment of learningevaluating student learning. I focus mainly on
assessment for learning because I believe that is the most beneficial and accurate account for a
students understanding of concepts and their ability to showcase their learning. I have related
assessment as learning directly to the students ability to monitor their own learning progress and
become independent learners. Finally, with regards to assessment of learning, I comment on the
use of summative assessment in the education world. As you will see within my philosophy of
assessment, I strive to see each student as independent, and on his or her own path to success.
Assessment for Learning
Assessment for learning is composed of two subcategories: diagnostic assessment and
formative assessment. Both of these assessment strategies are useful to the teacher because they
can adjust their teaching strategies and instruction based on the needs of their students. It is
important to conduct diagnostic assessment at the start of a unit so the teacher can form an idea
of what knowledge each student has of the given unit so that they can prepare their lessons and
instruction based on the individual needs of each student. This provides the teacher with the
knowledge of what could be done in terms of students who have minimal knowledge, some
knowledge, or lots of knowledge of the subject area. Knowing this, we can create lessons that
focus on the key concepts for students who need to learn the foundations of a subject, and
provide enrichment for students who require expansion of the unit material.
It is important that throughout the unit we practice formative assessment so that we are
constantly considering the progress of our students, which I consider to be the most relevant
method of assessment in our profession. There is often a consideration as to what distinguishes a
good teacher from a great teacher. In terms of assessment, I see a good teacher as one who plans
for formative assessment and schedules it for a certain time during his or her day. On the
contrary, a great teacher is one who is constantly practicing formative assessment, without the
need to directly plan for it. As educators, when we practice effective formative assessment, we
provide our students with optimal learning opportunities. Formative assessment can be done
many ways. Observations, checklists, discussions, and other methods of formative assessment
are compulsory for teachers to assess a students progress and to provide feedback for the
student. In short, I believe that all great teachers use formative assessment effectively and as

their main source of assessing a students progress and achievement. This process is also often a
better indication of what the student actually knows, compared to a summative assignment,
which could create anxiety and therefore poor academic performance. Speaking from personal
experience, as a student, I was more likely to perform better on an assignment that I was
completing to assess my own knowledge of a given subject area, than when I knew I was being
tested and graded by a test or an exam. With the use of formative assessment, students often do
not realize that they are being assessed, which reduces their anxiety and provides a more accurate
measure of what they have learned.
Assessment as Learning
When first considering assessment as learning, I anticipated that it would be most useful
in a high school class. However, after careful consideration, I believe that it can be a useful tool
in the elementary classroom as well. When students are involved in the learning criteria process,
they are more likely to succeed because they know what is expected of them and what their
learning goals are. By incorporating assessment as learning into the classroom, teachers provide
an environment fostered on self-awareness, responsibility, and reflection. At the elementary
level, we can do this by talking about what our learning objectives are, how we can showcase our
learning, and how we can assess what we have learned. When students are involved in this
process they have a better understanding of what it is they are working to accomplish, and what
questions need to be considered. For early elementary, the assessment as learning could relate
simply to the students knowing what letter, word, convention, or structure they are learning that
week. For upper elementary, it could include a specific learning goal for a core subject and a
self-assessment tool for the students to monitor their progress throughout the unit. By
implementing assessment as learning into the classroom, we are prompting independent learners.

Assessment of Learning
Unlike assessment for and as learning, assessment of learning occurs at the end of a unit
in the form of a summative assessment, which places a letter or number grade on a students
learning according to their performance in relation to specific standards. This is a controversial
topic right now in the education world and I have opinions both for and against the use of
summative assessment. My philosophy towards summative assessment is this: there are
appropriate ways of evaluating a students understanding using summative assessment, which is
required to understanding to what extent they have learned the material that is laid out in the curriculum
information that needs to be available for the teacher, administration, parents, and students.
Although I do not believe that students should be performing academically based on what they
will receive as a grade, I think it is important to administer summative assessments. I think that
the use of tests and exams are an ineffective way to do this. The best method to understanding a
students knowledge is to do so when they are comfortable and do not necessarily know that they
are being evaluated. This being said, some students will perform better when they know that a
grade is going to be assigned. It is important that summative assessment be conducted, however,
my belief is that it must be done in a way that does not intimidate the student, but fosters learning
and produces an accurate representation of what the student has learned.

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