Jennifer Hutchisons Philosophy of Assessment

Effective and Balanced Assessment

My assessment philosophy recognizes the importance of using a variety of
evaluation tools. This includes a blend of pre- assessment methods along with
formative and summative assessment tools to increase student motivation and guide
my teaching. Every class has a unique set of needs, backgrounds and skills and
therefore a one-size-Bits-all approach of assessment is no longer valid. Students need
various instructional approaches to accommodate different ranges of learning
patterns and styles. One type of assessment cannot stand alone without the other.
All three work together to create an environment that is geared toward students
reaching their full potential.
Pre-assessment is needed to mark where students are in their learning in
order to inform decisions on what they need to learn next. It is a useful diagnostic
tool that should provide active student participation. In Pre-assessment you can
learn not only what a student needs to learn but also what a student wants to learn.
If employed effectively, pre-assessment can not only help a teacher mark where a
student is in their learning, but it can also be a fun motivating engagement activity to
start a unit of instruction.
Assessment as learning is the ongoing use of self-assessment. Students reBlect
their own learning and make adjustments in order to gain a deeper understanding. I
will provide consistent and active feedback to aid students in self-reBlection, self-
monitoring and self-adjustment. It is important that students self reBlect on their
own learning and set individual goals to determine what to do next in their learning.
Assessment as learning focuses on the role of the student as the critical connector
between assessment and learning (Manitoba Education, 2006) It is important to
involve students in their educational process as much as possible so they can bring
the knowledge of how they learn best into their future lives and careers.
Assessment for learning is an interactive process that occurs throughout an
individuals learning. This type of formative assessment is primarily designed and
practiced to promote student learning. It thus differs from assessment designed
primarily to serve the purposes of accountability or of ranking, or of certifying
competence. (Black, 2004) It is used to provide feedback for teacher and student so
they can monitor their learning and make adjustments. Formative assessment
should be used to adjust and modify the teaching work based on student need. This
form of assessment allows the teacher to gather useful information to guide,
differentiate, and structure their teaching.
Teachers use assessment for learning to gage a students knowledge on a
subject, their misconceptions, prior knowledge and what they believe to be true.
This assessment can be formal or informal. Assessment is not just about assigning
grades it about the entire learning process. As teachers we should Bind the students
strengths and weaknesses and work with them. Some effective assessment for
learning tools to help achieve this goal are: peer marking, group feedback, talking
partners, response journal, conferencing re-drafting, one sentence summary and
running records.

Jennifer Hutchisons Philosophy of Assessment

Self-Assessment is a useful tool when a clear criterion is set. Students may be
more comfortable hearing suggestions from a peer then a teacher. It also engages the
students in their own learning more then just an assigned grade. Response journals
can also play an important role in tracking the progress of a student. A response
journal is when a student keeps a personal account of reBlectivly written responses
about the topic they are reading, viewing, listening or discussing. Students can
reBlect on what they know about a topic and previous experiences with this topic.
This leads to a greater awareness and understanding of themselves as learners. A
tool that is most useful is conferencing. Interviews can be held formally as a meeting
or informally just around the room. It is an exchange between teacher and student
that might be held to explore students thinking and assess the students level of
understanding on a topic, concept or procedure. It also can lead to reviewing,
clarifying and even extending what a student has already completed. The teacher
will then take the information collected and provide timely, regular, concise and
descriptive feedback to the student. The feedback should focus on their strengths
and an area of weakness.
Summative assessment of learning in the form of summative graded
assessment is just another tool that allows for continual learning. It should be used
to determine students progress and if they meet the criteria the curriculum
expectations at the end of instruction. Grades are not necessary in providing
summative assessments though they are sometimes required. When we think about
summative assessment we think of the standard test with a red pen letter grade at
the top. Summative assessment can be anything that demonstrates a students
complete learning and reBlection on the subject matter. This learning does not need
to be demonstrated in the form of written tests, students can demonstrate their
learning by writing stories, creating posters, group projects or presentations.
Each student has a way they can show their learning best. I hope to use these
different summative assessment methods in my classroom instead of just sticking to
the easily quantiBiable marked test. If students have a clear checklist and rubric of
what the educator is are looking for, the possibilities are endless for the students to
show you their understanding. I want my classroom to be a safe place where
students can try and fail, without fearing the grade. This is why I will allow for
students to redo assignments because if they think they can do better, then so do I.
Improvements and progress will always be rewarded in my class no matter how big
or how small.
When evaluation is used appropriately it can be an effective tool to help
students learn and teachers gage students progress. I believe the best way to truly
evaluate a student is to get to know and understand each individual. I plan to take an
interest in students learning and focus on individual strengths so that I can help
them to work on their weaker areas. I think that one of the most important informal
tools is the need to observe and conversate with the student so they know what you
as the teacher are thinking, and you get an idea of what they are thinking as well.
Effective communication is essential for a healthy relationship between teacher and

Jennifer Hutchisons Philosophy of Assessment

student. With effective communication the grade on the report card at the end of
instruction wont seem so scary for the student. The most dependable assessment in
the world cannot be regarded as high quality if it has a counterproductive effect on
learning or on students. (Black, 2004) As a teacher I hope to work with my students
throughout the pre- assessment, formative and summative assessment process and
guide my teaching based on their needs. Assessment can motivate students to learn
better, teachers to teach better, and schools to be more educationally
effective. (Manitoba Education, 2006)

References
Black, B., Harrison, C., Lee., Marshall B., & Wilian, D. (2004). Working inside the black
box: Assessment for learning in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 8-21.
Manitoba Education. (2006). Rethinking classroom Assessment with purpose in
mind.