How do we evaluate
learning?
In this day and age of
accountability, testing and evaluation, how do we judge learning in a
classroom? Do we wait until the final month of the school year and give a
comprehensive exam? With this exam, there are no books, no talking, and
few breaks. Is this the type of learner we are trying to create? I am all
for assessments and setting high expectations for all, but why do we teach day
to day one way and then in the end here is the final grade?
The more I think about our testing
practices the more I think about how we have not changed our assessment
strategies. We expected our students to collaborate, discuss, apply,
communicate, and think global, then we assess them with a multiple choice
test. The future is looking a little brighter with some on line
assessments ELA and math with companies such as @SmarterBalanced that are making the shift to
have assessments that match the skills that we are expecting our students to
be able to do on a daily basis.
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I would also like to say as a
school, we are starting to utilize more formative assessments that are
performance based and not "what is capital of North Carolina). Grade
levels are creating short assessments that evaluate skills that are testing
often, but do these assessments evaluate the essential skills that showcase the
skills we want to have our students leave our campus with? We need to
continue to modify our formative assessments....
Other articles about assessments - rethinking assessments
Other articles about assessments - rethinking assessments
