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Kelli Chase

Traditionally our classroom environment has revolved around constant assessment in

education. Many teachers who went through the school system were taught about the importance

of summative and formal assessment, but only through the means of constant tests/ quizzes,

assignments, and projects. This creates a continuous cycle, where we tend to teach often how we

were taught ourselves. My philosophy for assessment is that it should be done regularly to access

student’s progression in the classroom similar to formative assessments, but that it can be done

with other options, than only using the traditional measures. It is important to note that no one

way to assess students is a strong indicator of a student’s success. Each student has there own

unique learning style, and therefore as educators we need to be able to assess students using their

strengths. If every child learned best by writing a test, or doing a creative project then everyone

would all be getting the same marks, but from attending the public school system, this is

evidently not the case.

In my assessment philosophy, I feel as though choice is what is the most important for

student’s academic success. Students need to be able to use their individual strengths to show

what they have learned regarding curriculum objectives. I understand there is a time and a place

to do this and that students should not always be able to show their knowledge in one format in

order for them to receive a well rounded education, but when it is available, it should be an

option for students. Even textbooks such as Making Classroom Assessment Work by Anne Davies

states that “more and more teachers are introducing an element of choice into the form that

products may take” (2011). When students are given an option, they will become more engaged

in their learning if they are able to express it in ways they are interested in. It was also pointed
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out in the text that “when students are asked to represent what they know only in writing, some

will be unable, due to their lack of skill as writers. However, when asked to demonstrate the

process in action or to give an oral presentation, their knowledge and skill may rapidly become

apparent” (Davis, 2011). This is important to note that in order for all students to be successful in

a classroom, they need to be able to present their understanding of a lesson or topic in ways that

show their individual strengths. When you give students the choice, it allows them to remain

accountable for their learning as they are the ones that chose their project/ type of assessment.

Choice is something that needs to be incorporated in all classrooms, to help students succeed and

remain excited about their learning from K-12 through the public education system.

An important aspect of my assessment philosophy is presented by Pearson and

Gallagher, and this is the concept of the gradual release of responsibility. This “is a model that

moves from a student watching a teacher complete a task to eventually doing the task

independently” (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). Then within this model, there are four stages:

modelling of instruction, shared instruction, guided practice, and finally independent practice

(Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). I see the benefit of integrating this model into my classroom

assessment because it sets students up for academic success by providing students with the

specific support needed for their progress (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). It also allows you to

access the work at the final ‘independent stage’, and therefore, at this point students would have

had an ample amount of assistance and feedback along the way to have the final assessment be a

fair measure of their performance. This model also integrates Lev Vygotsky’s idea surrounding

the zone of proximal development (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). This is because as an educator,

our adult guidance is needed to help control how the material and curriculum outcomes are
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presented, in a gradual release of responsibility process, to ensure the task is not too hard or too

easy for students, and to eliminate a lack of learning from occurring.

Another important aspect I want to include in my assessment philosophy is to include a

portfolio system as a major form of assessment. A portfolio as described by Paulson, Paulson,

and Meyer is “a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress

and achievements in one or more areas of the curriculum” (1991). Therefore, I see the benefits of

using portfolios as a form of assessment because it requires students to select their best work,

following a period of self-reflection on their independent class work and assignments. This also

prevents teachers from providing students with the majority of their feedback and assessment,

and instead a student, through self-reflection on their independent work, will feel they are

presenting the teacher with their best work and will feel they are more deserving of the mark

they will be given. Portfolios can also be an important tool in parent-teacher meetings as well,

because they provide explicit evidence as to the students progress and development. It also

serves as a way to present student’s best work, so if they are below or above the curriculum

objectives that serves as another example of this to the parents. A final benefit I feel portfolios

provide as a means of assessment, is that they illustrate “a range of skills normally overlooked,”

when the means of assessment is only test based (McDonald, 2012). This is because “portfolios

offer a way of assessing student learning that is different from traditional methods. Portfolio

assessment provides the teacher and students an opportunity to observe students in a broader

context: taking risks, developing creative solutions and learning to make judgments about their

own performances” (Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991). Overall, portfolios provide students with
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a different form of assessment to illustrate their academic success, that differs from the

traditional evaluations.

A final aspect of my assessment philosophy is having students complete self-

assessment, rather then only relying on the teacher to provide this feedback. When completing

self-assessment, it provides students with time to process and learn what they are being taught, as

well as provides students an indicator to their current understanding of the material. When

students self-assess, they are also becoming accountable for their learning, and this is a benefit to

both the student and the teacher (Davis, 2011). As stated above, this can be integrated when a

student chooses their best work to be marked in a portfolio, but it can also be included in other

academic opportunities. Overall, my self-assessment philosophy is only starting to develop, and

will likely change when I gain more experience as an educator. Currently I see the importance in

evaluating students, but not through continual summative and formative assessments, but rather

through the integration of specific teaching models, the use of portfolios, providing constant

feedback and the continual support for students to assist in the growth of their academic success.
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References

Davis, Anne. (2011) Making Classroom Assessment Work (Third Edition) Courtenay, BC:
Connections Publishing.

Lynch, J., Ferguson, K., Winch, G., Ross Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., &
Holliday, M. (2017). Literacy: Reading, writing, and children’s literature (Canadian ed.).
Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

McDonald, B. (2012). Portfolio Assessment: Direct From the Classroom. Assessment &
Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(3), 335-347.

Mcmackin, M., Decola, C., Galligani, G., & Feley, J. (1998). 'Learning Deliberately About
Portfolio Assessment. Educational Action Research, 6(3), 413-426.