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Assessment Philosophy Statement

Shannon Hey
February 18, 2015

Supporting Teaching Through Assessment

Throughout my classroom experience and research, I have learned a lot
concerning assessment and how it is a valuable tool for learning in a classroom.
When assessment is used effectively, the results can be powerful; it can provide
information regarding my students next steps in learning and also allows me to
reflect on my own teaching methods. This is why it is important for me to provide
my students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding effectively. I
believe my future students can truly benefit from various types of assessment, such
as diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment strategies.

Diagnostic Assessment


Pre-learning assessments, or diagnostic assessments, should be used at the
beginning of a new unit or school year to inform instruction. This will help
determine where students are in terms of knowledge regarding a certain topic. It
will also determine the students learning styles and how well a student will
perform a set of skills. With this information, I can tailor my teaching to the needs
and preferences of students, allowing them to be successful in their learning.

Another way I will help my students succeed is by sharing the learning
objectives with them. At the beginning of a new lesson, students will know what is
expected of them. This can reduce any anxiety they may be experiencing by giving
them the opportunity to prepare for their learning.

Formative Assessment


Once I have a good understanding of the students prior knowledge and I
have determined how to modify my teaching practices, the next tool to use is
formative assessment. I truly believe that formative assessments are an effective
way to guide students in their learning, alongside with positive and encouraging
feedback. Using this assessment strategy on a regular basis will allow me to
recognize student progress or possible areas of concern. The tools I will use in my
classroom include traffic lights, exit slips, think-pair-share, thumbs up, and
observing my students at work. Although some tools may seem simple, assessing
students formatively is extremely effective; I can assist students on recognizing
their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to make adjustments and
improvements. Feedback plays such a large part in formative assessment. However,
it will only be effective if I give task-oriented feedback, rather than feedback that
draws attention to the student themselves (Hall & Burke, 2004). If a teacher has low
expectations of the student, this can lead to a students low self-esteem and anxiety
of failure. Therefore, feedback must always be effective and constructive. This will
encourage the student to focus on their work.

Self and Peer Assessment

Although peer-assessments can be used summatively, where the marks
received from peers count towards a students final grade, the majority of the time
they are used formatively. Peer-assessment requires the students to mark each
others work against pre-agreed criteria, which can be used for oral presentations,
written assignments, creative projects, and group work. When possible, I will
certainly use this tool in my classroom as it gives my students control and an active
role in their learning process.
Self-assessment is used to describe all the activities used inside and outside
the classroom that allow the students to reflect on what they have learned and judge
it using a set of criteria. This is a way of involving and informing the students in the
process of assessment. I believe the students become responsible for their own
learning, are able to recognize the following steps in learning, and become more
motivated. However, to achieve this, I must give feedback that supports students
and plan and encourage students to reflect on the learning that has taken place.

Summative Assessment


Once I feel as though my students are ready, I will evaluate them
summatively. Summative assessments should be adaptable and varied, so that
students can demonstrate what they know, no matter their preferred learning
styles. From my experience, when students are given the opportunity to express
their knowledge in several different ways, they are more motivated and more likely
to succeed. In elementary schools, summative assessments mostly include a variety
of projects, presentations, and written products. This is why I will generally assess
by watching, listening, and reading everything my students produce (Gallavan,
2009). These three ways of assessing require me to record completeness and
accuracy. I also believe that modeling standards or giving a rubric or checklist with a
set of expectations is extremely helpful for students (for formative and summative
assignments). Hence, they know what is expected of them, increasing their chances
of a more successful summative grade.

Grades


In education, grades tend to be a very argumentative topic. While they are
necessary for assessment of learning (to inform students, teachers, and parents of
achievement at a certain point in time), they shouldnt be the sole reason why
students want to do well in school. Grades tend to reduce interest, attract students
towards the easiest task offered, and decrease the quality of students thinking
(Kohn, 2011). Therefore, grades undermine learning. I want my students to focus on
their learning and not on their grades. When a student receives a low grade, I want
them to see the potential they have to improve by giving them constructive
feedback.

Rewrites and Zeros

As an educator, it is important to remember that students are greatly
impacted by their lives outside of school. Every time a student hands in an
assignment that was not a fair representation of what they can do, or simply did not
give their best effort, there is a reason behind it. My goal is to ensure students are
learning to the best of their ability, which is why I believe students should have the
opportunity to redo an assignment or retake an assessment. If I notice that the
majority of my class has done poorly, I must reflect on my own teaching (Dueck,
2011). I should look at this as a sign that my teaching needs some adjustments, and
allow the entire class to do a retake. Of course, I must insure that students do not
take advantage of this possibility. For example, I could create a classroom rule
where each student would have the chance to rewrite only two assessments during
the semester. This way, students try their best on all of their assessments, and
second chances are saved for desperate measures.

Giving a student a zero only hinders their learning, as it does no accurately
portray what the student knows and understands. In these cases, it is important for
the teacher to reflect on how the criteria or information was communicated. Instead
of writing a zero on their work, I prefer giving encouraging feedback to motivate the
child, allowing them to make improvements.

Conclusion

My philosophy of assessment is focused on supporting the uniqueness of
every student and their distinctive methods of learning. By effectively using diverse
forms of assessment, such as pre-learning, formative, and summative assessments,
my students will be encouraged to attempt to do their best every day. I want to give
them the tools and motivation they need to succeed, and subsequently giving them a
positive experience towards assessments. With more experience, I am confident
that my philosophy will continue to grow.

References
Dueck, Myron. (2011). How I Broke My Own Rule and Learned to Give Retests.
Educational Leadership, 72-75.
Gallavan, N. P. (2009). Developing performance-based assessments: Grades K-5.
Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Hall, K., & Burke, W. M. (2004). Making formative assessment work: Effective practice
in the primary classroom. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Kohn, Alfie. (2011). The Case Against Grades. Educational Leadership, 69(3) 28-33.