When we hear the word assessment, our minds often automatically associate it with testing. In an educational culture that heavily relies on the use of standardized tests to quantify learning, determine the effectiveness of instruction, and predict the likelihood of student success, our immediate connection of these two terms seems instinctive. But, as educators, we know that students are more than numbers, that learning is more than a test score, and that success is predicted by more than a percentile ranking.
To get a more holistic picture of what students know and are able to do, as well as effective feedback about their beliefs and feelings, it's important to look at a range of assessment tools in two main categories: assessment for learning and assessment of learning.
Assessment for Learning
A formative approach to measuring student knowledge and skills integrates assessment into the learning process by making learning the centerpiece of instruction. This is accomplished by using assessment strategies that show both students and teachers exactly where the learner is in the process. An example of this type of assessment is the teacher-made pre-test. This measurement tool offers a real-time assessment of what learners know about a given body of knowledge. Data gathered offer a twofold benefit: students can identify areas in which they may be deficient and need further study, and teachers get a snapshot of both individual and whole-class understanding.
Another strategy that encourages assessment as part of the learning process is peer review. When students are involved in critiquing the work of peers, both the student conducting the critique and the student receiving the critique can achieve higher levels of learning success. Taking on this task requires the student reviewers to meaningfully evaluate their peer's artifact for completeness and mastery while also honing their own knowledge of both content and noncontent related skills, such as communication, tactfulness, and empathy as they attempt to take on their peer's perspective. When using this strategy to evaluate student performance, it is crucial to provide a well-developed assignment guide and rubric to facilitate both the creation and review of the original work. Giving students a detailed guide for how to evaluate the assignment reinforces their ability to synthesize information as they create their learning product. This allows them to better navigate what may seem to be a highly subjective set of criteria from a more objective vantage point.
One of the most common methods of formative assessment is teacher guided questioning. Though seemingly intuitive, when planned thoughtfully, this method of assessment can provide teachers with rich and meaningful data about student knowledge, as well as student beliefs and perceptions about the meaning of content within a broader context. The data gathered through questioning allow teachers to build their own schema based on how to deliver content to meet their students' needs. This lets teachers customize content and instruction based on the needs of their specific student population.
Assessment of Learning
Testing, both standardized and teacher-made, allows us to measure some of what students have learned at the close of a unit, semester, or academic year. In addition to the summative data we can gather from test results, there are also more authentic measurement strategies we can use to assess student learning, especially in terms of students' analysis, evaluation, and synthesis skills.
Writing is one of the most authentic tasks students can complete to demonstrate their ability to interact with content at a deep and complex level. When using writing to assess learning, teachers are able to measure students' ability to organize and frame an argument, conduct research in support of their ideas, and synthesize concepts to construct new knowledge. Student ability to produce well-written essays demonstrates proficiency in both critical and creative thinking at the highest level.
In addition to written assignments, exhibition projects allow students to produce or create a product that uniquely demonstrates their aptitude to apply complex theories and concepts. The natural and applied sciences have long used laboratory experiments to allow for this type of application, analysis, and hands-on evaluation experience. Disciplines that utilize artistic skill and technique also fit nicely with this paradigm for data collection—music recitals, art shows, and theatre productions all promote an authentic demonstration of learning. Additionally, all disciplines can use debate, oral presentation, multimedia production, and portfolio development to allow students to create concrete representations of what they know, have learned, and are able to do.
A final strategy that allows students to use authentic skills to demonstrate proficiency of content knowledge is problem-based learning. This learning strategy allows students to use their curiosity and creativity to identify, research, and collaborate on how to solve a problem that mirrors a situation they might encounter in a real-world discipline. Problem-based learning may take the form of a complex case study that presents a scenario with multiple "right" solutions or a simulation app that allows students to manipulate a situation in search of the best or most efficient solution. These types of learning events allow teachers to gather data about student content knowledge; the level of cognitive development in reasoning; and the ability to find research-based solutions when solving complex, real-world problems.
It Takes a Toolbox
When gathering data, it is especially important to consider the broad and varied learning preferences of our students so that we can allow all individuals to demonstrate competency of their knowledge and skills in a manner that best highlights proficiency. Just as there is no one right way to learn, we all know that there is no one strategy that works in assessing every student on every assignment in every classroom. It takes a toolbox approach—having multiple methods to apply in a variety of settings—to determine which one works best to measure student mastery.
