Philosophy of Assessment:

Assessment is a vital part of teaching, and is a crucial aspect of every

students learning and development. Students often view assessment as the
negative or discouraging aspect of their learning and education. As
educators, it is important to put effort into planning lessons that will aide in
reducing the negative notion associated with assessment. This can be done
successfully by offering many different forms of assessment techniques that
can be used in the classroom. This allows for differentiation and an
understanding that not every student learns in similar manners. As an
educator, I believe through diagnostic/ pre-assessment, formative and
summative assessment students will have a better opportunity to see their
growth and establish a sense of pride in their learning. As an educator, I
would never want my students to fear assessment. In my classroom, I want
my students to view assessment as a means of growth and a stepping stone
towards their learning.

Diagnostic assessment and pre-assessment are crucial assessment

strategies for a teacher to provide students with. It allows for the educator to
have a clear understanding of where the student stands with regards to a
new topic. As an educator, it is important to not move on to new information
if students are still struggling with some of the content. I would never want a
student in my classroom to feel as though they already cannot understand a
concept and shut down as more information is provided. Diagnostic
assessment also allows for educators to connect with students and get to
know them better. It is important to know your students and figure out what
teaching and assessment strategies work best with each individual student.

Formative assessment is an assessment strategy that I will always

provide for my students. I believe formative assessment is necessary for
students learning and should be provided as frequently as possible.
Students need to see where they are at and where they want to be going.
With formative assessment, they can set goals and receive ample amount of
feedback on how they are managing those goals. Descriptive feedback can
help students better understand the next steps they need to take to achieve
their goals. A benefit of formative assessment is, the educator does not need
to provide students with a grade on their work which can help reduce
students anxiety. Alfie Kohn has spent a great deal of time researching the
negative affects grades can have on students learning. The goal is for
students to want to see the potential in their learning and how they are
going to grow rather than simply working to achieve an A. It is important for
students to see assessment as an opportunity for growth and constructive
feedback to build on rather than being fearful of getting a poor grade. (Kohn,
2011).
 Formative assessment is not only beneficial to the students to see their
progress but also for the educator. It allows for the educator to see how
students are responding to the learning outcomes and who may need extra
support. It also allows the educator to see who is ready to move on. There
are many different techniques educators can offer to provide their students
with formative assessment. Techniques I would like to implement in my own
classroom include; exit slips, observations and taking anecdotal notes,
response logs, peer/self-assessments, think, pair and shares, etc. On my
practicum, I was able to use many of the above strategies and saw the
benefits it provided the students first hand. There are many ways for
educators to collect data to provide students with the formative assessment
to build their path to success. I believe summative assessment should only
be implemented once the educator is confident through formative
assessment that the students are ready for formal testing. I believe that
standardized testing does not fairly assess students as not all students learn
the same, therefore not all students should be tested the in the same
manner.

It is important for students to be a part of the assessment process.

Assessment for learning allows for students to see the importance of what
they are learning and how to value that learning. When generating rubrics or
checklists the students should be a part of the process. Students should be
able to see what qualities are valued over others and how they will be
assessed. This can be done by providing students with samples to view and
analyzing what made the sample a good example or not. As students help
generate the rubric or checklist they get a clear understanding of what is
expected of them. Students need to see and understand what success looks
like in order to generate their own success.

Students should not only receive feedback from their educators but
they should also master the skill of self-assessment. Self-assessment is a skill
that students need to have modeled for them before they master the skill. It
is a tool that can help students motivate themselves to see their own
academic success. Research suggests that while general cognitive ability
relates strongly to academic achievement, motivation and self-appraisal also
contribute to childrens engagement in learning and academic success.
(Andrade, 2008). That being said students should have the opportunity to
learn to self-assess and set goals so that they can motivate themselves and
see their full potential. If students are a part of the creation of rubrics and
checklists it will allow them to understand what the expectations are and
that will be reflected in their self-assessment. Self-assessment also allows for
the educator to see where a student thinks their strengths and weaknesses
are.

Assessment is a large factor of students learning and growth. In my

classroom, I want students to feel comfortable with assessment and not be
fearful of it. I want my students to have numerous opportunities through
formative assessment to receive feedback on where they need further
development and where they are success. It is important to provide as much
descriptive feedback as possible so that students understand what they
need to change, add or develop. It is important to do pre-assessments to
ensure students are not already overwhelmed and to have an understanding
of where the students stand with regards to new content. I want my
students to leave seeing their maximum potential and the growth they
achieved over the school year. I believe by implementing the strategies
above; this goal can be achieved.

References:

Andrade, H. L., Du, Y., & Wang, X. (June 01, 2008). Putting Rubrics to the Test:
The
Effect of a Model, Criteria Generation, and Rubric-Referenced Self-
Assessment on
Elementary School Students' Writing. Educational Measurement: Issues
and
Practice, 27, 2, 3-13.

Bingham, G., Holbrook, T., & Meyers, L. E. (February 01, 2010). Using Self-
Assessments in
Elementary Classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 91, 5, 59-62.

Kohn, A. (November 01, 2011). The Case against Grades. Educational

Leadership, 69, 3, 28-33.

Stiggins, R. (February 01, 2009). Assessment "for" Learning in Upper

Elementary
Grades. Phi Delta Kappan, 90, 6, 419-421.