Philosophy of Assessment

The best way to assess a students learning is an ongoing, fluid, discussion that is unlikely

to result in an overarching formula. Through my education classes, research, classroom

experience, and discussions with educators and peers I have developed my own philosophy of

assessment. Although it is still a work in progress and constantly evolving, I feel as if I have a

good grasp on my beliefs regarding the two main aspects of assessment: assessment for learning

and assessment of learning.

Assessment for Learning

Assessment for learning, also known as formative assessment, is the most powerful tool at

a teachers disposal. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt

teaching and learning to meet student needs (Boston, 2002). When used consistently and

frequently, formative assessment can guide the teacher from one concept to the next while making

sure the students are following along. It can be done in a multitude of ways; entry and exit slips,

collection and correction of practice sheets/homework, guided math, observations and

conversations among others. These methods provide the teacher with immediate, credible data

regarding their students grasp of the content being taught in class. With this raw information,

teachers can plan upcoming lessons, make flexible groups (differentiation), and provide

meaningful feedback to students.

Lesson planning is not an exact science. Nothing ever seems to go as planned and you must

be ready to quickly readjust. Formative assessment can be helpful in informing teachers where to

go next with their lesson. In my limited teaching experience, I used formative assessment regularly

to figure out what I needed to reteach or if I should try a different instructional approach. These
frequent check-ins are also effective for setting an appropriate pace and knowing when students

need more practice with a concept, or are ready to move on. It can also reveal knowledge gaps

from previous years that need to be addressed. In my grade seven class, I had to re-teach

elementary outcomes because most students had never mastered them, or forgotten them all

together. That was something I didnt take into consideration when lesson planning at the

beginning and had to make some changes once it came to my attention through formative

assessment.

The second time I used formative assessment was to create flexible groups based on where

students were with the material. Davies said it best that students learn in different ways and at

different rates; there will never be a class where all the students are the same, so it would be

nonsensical to teach them all the same way (Davies, 2011). Every two or three days I would re-

arrange the seating plan to form new groups of students at similar places with their learning. This

enabled me to better assist students in their areas of weakness and differentiate my instruction in

a small group setting. As much as formative assessment based differentiation helps struggling

students catch up, it also identifies those who have a good understanding of the material and are

ready to move on. In my flexible groupings, there were always a couple of groups that were good

with everything being covered and could work independently on either more challenging problems

or a new concept all together. From my experience, these students benefited just as much as the

others while needing less teacher guidance. Through my formative assessments, I was always

aware of which students were meeting the outcomes right away rather than waiting to find out later

when they wrote their summative assessment. This information allowed me to give more

personalized instruction to struggling students and to keep the students that were on pace engaged

and motivated in their learning.

 Lastly, formative assessment can and should be used to provide students with timely

meaningful feedback as to how they are doing and what they need to do to get to the next step.

Feedback given as part of formative assessment helps learners become aware of any gaps that

exists between their desired goal and their current knowledge, understanding, or skill (Boston,

2002). This can then be used as a platform for teachers to give suggestions and encouragement as

to what students should be doing to continue their growth. Unless specific, descriptive feedback

is also provided, students may not have enough information to understand what they need to do in

order to improve (Davies, 2011). This feedback allows for students to take control of their

learning and fosters autonomy and independence. The students in my Math class knew exactly

what areas they needed more practice with and were never surprised with the marks on the

summative assessments that followed.

Assessment of Learning

Assessment of learning, or summative assessment, generally takes place after a period of

instruction and involves making a judgement about the learning that took place. There are two

aspects of summative assessment that I find are most important in delivering a valid representation

of learning; timing of assessment and form of assessment.

If tested too soon, summative assessment can not only not be an inaccurate representation

of learning but also contribute in discouraging students if they do not perform as they hoped. One

should also take into consideration that students learn at different rates. I realize that given the

structure of the school year and the specific outcomes that need to be met within a limited time

frame, teachers must be diligent in how much time they spend on certain concepts. This is where

re-testing comes into play. Myron Dueck gave students the opportunity to re-test on specific

sections they did not perform to their liking and found considerable improvements in his
[students] overall disposition and confidence and that high achieving students living under

pressure to keep performing well report less temptation to cheat (Dueck, 2011). He provided

students with a tracking sheet where they would track their scores with specific topics and could

chose to re-test on topics of their choosing. Students also had to answer questions regarding their

test preparations and goals and strategies they would now apply for better success on their re-test.

This method not only takes some of the pressure off students with regards to testing but also

provides them with an opportunity to reflect on their study methods, and facilitate them in

improving these methods to assist in their learning. Additionally, it provides students the extra

time they might need to master a concept. During my practicum, I would often pick one or two

questions a student did not solve correctly on their test and write them on a post-it. I would then

simply ask them to solve the question during class time and give it back to me when they had

finished. To my surprise, most of them were able to solve the problem with ease. By isolating one

or two questions and presenting it in a non-imposing way (a small, colourful post-it in a non-

stressful situation) allowed the students to show me what they had truly learned.

Secondly, the form of assessment you use can facilitate or hinder student performance on

summative assessment and consequently skewer your perception of their learning. When

presenting a summative assessment, it is important to give student options as to how they wish to

show what they learned. This will enable students to use their interests and strengths as motivators

and may result in some exemplary work. One student in my practicum who was borderline

struggling with Math was given the choice to do a model of a park for a geometry project. He went

on to create an incredibly detailed and artistic model that was the best in class. Additionally, when

writing a test, it is crucial to cover the main topics, concepts, and skills [you] taught during the

time preceding the test and cover appropriate amounts of material (Salend, 2011). As Einstein
once said Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live

its whole life believing that it is stupid. I am a strong believer in formative assessment, however,

I also understand the value and importance of summative assessment when done properly. In my

future classroom, I will carefully plan my summative assessments to ensure their validity in

representing student learning and use their results to reflect on my test-writing abilities and

teaching practices.

References
Boston, C. (2002). The Concept of Formative Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research &
Evaluation, 8(9): 1-4.

Davies, A. (2011). Making classroom assessment work (Third Ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press

Dueck, M. (2011). How I Broke My Own Rule and Learning to Give Retests. Educational
Leadership, 72-75.

Salend, S.J. (2011). Creating Student Friendly Tests. Educational Leadership, 52-58.