Tests. We've all taken them. Were you one of the lucky ones that aced every test, or among the countless numbers of students who,
Tests have their place in education, but if it is the only means of evaluating student learning, we are cheating our students. A test is great for measuring the retention of facts, but assessments should also reflect the students' authentic knowledge and learning. According to Educational Testing Service (ETS), (2003), the form of assessment a teacher uses should depend on what information is being taught, the purpose of the lesson, and what the teacher wants to learn from the assessment. For example, in a lesson regarding figurative language and its affect on poetry, rather than testing students for retention of information, teachers could have students create their own poem using the content learned.
Tests tend to restrict student responses and may put some students at a disadvantage. The multiple choice and true or false tests can be worded in such a manner as to confuse a student. Students who have given it their all and still perform poorly on these tests, become discouraged and are no longer motivated to learn. A teacher should consider the needs of his or her students and design assessments with those needs in mind.
Students learn in many different ways and should be given the opportunity to demonstrate learning in a manner that allows them to be successful. For example, I am much better at writing an essay than I am at taking a test. It allows me to use my creativity in writing while I exhibit the knowledge I have learned. Performance assessments can be used to assess many different skills at once. They are also easy to integrate into lessons without interrupting the teaching. Speeches, skits, videos, and blogs are just a few of the ways that are easily infused into a lesson and can give an educator great insight into the students’ learning. When educators use authentic assessments, they are providing students with skills that will help them later in life.
While tests are necessary and useful at times, no single test or assessment can accurately measure a student's overall performance. They are simply snapshots of one particular day and one particular instance. Educators should strive to use a variety of assessments regularly to get a more accurate picture into each student's abilities and learning.
References
Educational Testing Service (2003). Linking Classroom Assessment with Student Learning. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL_Institutional_Testing_Program/ELLM2002.pdf
1 comment:
Allow me to posit my posting by stating that every assessment is subjective. Whether the assessment tool is a forced choice, observation, multiple choice, portfolio, or any other format, the questions and observation is laced with bias. This is why an assessment system like triangulation is valuable. Triangulation in assessment involves the use of multiple tools to provide quantitative and qualitative data about student learning. Multiple assessments from various perspectives and angles provide a more complete picture of a student’s true achievement and learning.
Thank you for taking the time to include your personal reflections in the form of a WebLog over the past 8 weeks. I have learned more about you and your colleagues as I reviewed your postings. A WebLog is a great tool for personal reflection and assessment about various topics and about what you have learned. A WebLog is a great tool to allow students to share their own input about what they have learned, a valuable perspective in the 21st century classroom.
DrE
Post a Comment