An Introduction to Assessment

Special thanks to Dr. Grant Wiggins from re: Learning by Design (formerly CLASS) for reviewing this article.

"Assessment should be deliberately designed to improve and educate student performance, not merely to audit it as most school tests currently do."

....................................- Dr. Grant Wiggins, preface to Educative Assessment

Outstanding educators are learning the importance of honoring the the principles of "authentic assessment." This requires us to focus both on approximating authentic "real world" tasks in the subject(s) under study and on higher order thinking skills, all while using assessment as a means for continual student improvement (as opposed to auditing). This gives the student not only a better learning experience, but increases the chances that what they have learned will be of use to them beyond their current classroom. "Traditional" assessment tools are often not helpful in helping students to improve, to understand and to synthesize what they have learned. More authentic assessment, which uses a variety of tools (though clearly de-emphasizes objective tests of memorization) better helps us to help our students. Key elements of this method follow.

• Assessment is a vital part of the learning process. It is designed not only for teachers to "grade" students, it is meant to help students to continually learn and improve.

• Forms of assessment should approximate (on an age appropriate level) work that is done in the "real world" in that subject (i.e. be authentic tasks of intellectual performance). Thus, while objective quizzes and tests will occasionally be necessary to judge a student's command of essential facts and discrete skills, the focus must be on having the students improve in their ability to "do" the subject under study. Students must be able not only to memorize details (even when they are important), they must know how to apply what they have learned to complex problems...and in their later personal and professional lives. They must learn to think critically and communicate their considered ideas (not simply repeat those of others). Therefore, research, experiments, oral and written presentations, educated debates and policy statements, peer teaching and review, and other forms of performance related assessment are key in the education of our students. Though objective quizzes and tests cannot be entirely eliminated, they should be minimized as they tend to examine those things that are really not very important to us. To use Dr. Wiggins’ terms noted above, they are "audits" rather than methods of improving student performance.

• We encourage cooperative learning projects, particularly those calling for both individual and group accountability. Working together is not cheating; it is how successful people do things in the "real world." Replicating this in the classroom could involve experiments conducted by lab partners, conducting a mock trial, producing a newspaper, writing and performing a dramatic production, writing a business plan, working together to build a model or design a mural, creating a school-wide post office, or a host of other group projects. Even a work sheet (normally not used to encourage high level thinking) done in pairs teaches the value of working together to achieve a greater goal. However, in assessment we must be careful to distinguish between what the group has accomplished and what individuals have contributed.

• Since rote memorization of details is of questionable value, tests and essays should often be "open book" and "often notes." After all, most adult tasks are "open book." We use our skills to analyze and synthesize information. Memory should only be tested when memorization of something is a worthy objective (which would seem to be not often).

• The goals and expectations, as well as basis for grading, must be clear to students from the beginning of the project. This is essential not only to optimize learning, but it is also unethical to penalize students for failing to do what they didn't realize was required. Current educational scholarship strongly suggests the use of rubrics (rating scales) for both communicating expectations and grading everyone fairly. These rubrics clearly describe the criteria for earning scores at equal points along a scale (often 4 to 10 points). This allows any reasonable judge/teacher to determine where on the continuum (poor to excellent, novice to expert, etc.) a performance falls (Sample assessments and rubrics are included in the appendix to this curriculum.). A valuable strategy to assist students in such a system is to have examples of evaluated work for students to compare to their own. This makes expectations clearer.

• On-going feedback (not solely at the end of a project or test) from the teacher is essential to the learning process. Feedback is neither praise nor blame (This is motivation, which is also essential in education.). It is a report of what one did or did not do in relation to what was expected. The closer to the task this feedback is given, the more the student will learn from the experience.

• Teachers are encouraged to make individual accommodations and program modifications for students with special learning challenges (The report card should reflect "modified program."). Assessment is more authentic when it is appropriate for the individual student being assessed. Still, the pace of the class should continue at its normal rate.

• When we are assessing for skill performance, attention should be paid to making sure that there have been ample opportunities for practice.

• Planning should be clear and done well in advance. In planning coherent units of study, Drs. Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (authors of Understanding by Design and other works on assessment reform) argue for a concept known as "backward design." Rather than first planning the exciting activities we want to do in class, and then trying to fit in objectives and evaluation standards, we have to plan with the results in mind. What do we want students to understand? What is worth understanding? Having established the desired results, we must then ask: what will count as evidence of such learning?

• It is vital that as we progress in any area of study, that we move beyond simple facts and skills to important concepts and ideas. Both teacher and student should always be able to answer, "So what? Why is this important?" One should remember in designing instruction and assessment what Drs. Wiggins and McTighe call the "six facets of understanding" to help make sure that our students truly understand the "big ideas" under study.

The Six Facets of Understanding

Summarized from the work of Drs. Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

1) Students must be able to EXPLAIN what they have learned. This is going beyond the "what" to the "why" and "how." It is not simply spitting back rote facts, but is justifying one's views regarding the information. It is, as math teachers call it, "showing your work."

2) Students must be able to INTERPRET what they have learned. This means they need to be able to make meaning of what they have learned and show why it matters in the first place.

3) Students must be able to APPLY what they have learned. This means that faced with the need to use the information in the "real world," they need to be able to do so wisely and effectively. Simply performing on a paper and pencil test does not imply this ability any more than a soccer player who performs well in "drills" but has never seen game action can be considered to be a potential star.

4) Students must demonstrate PERSPECTIVE. This means they must be able to understand and explain other points of view, analyze implicit assumptions, and be able to argue or see the plausibility in different sides of an issue,

5) Students must have EMPATHY. Without necessarily agreeing or even respecting a view, they need to be able to explain how those who hold that view would feel. They need to describe what somebody in history may have felt or thought, and not simply memorize a meaningless date of when something they don't even understand took place.

6) Finally, students must have SELF KNOWLEDGE. "Knowing thyself" means knowing the prejudices and views one brings to a subject. It also, as Rabbi Selig Starr used to put it, is "knowing what you don't know." This level is essential to attaining intellectual honesty.

• We do issue grades (both traditional and non-traditional), as shown by the sample report cards in the back of this curriculum guide. Grades are issued not only for academics, but also for behavior and participation. In addition, all teachers provide narrative comments about their students, which are part of the reporting system and permanent academic record.

We realize that it will not be possible to implement these methods in every class on every day, and that many assessment strategies we use do not fit in with this progressive (yet highly academic) approach. But in order to help our students, it is crucial for us to move in this direction.

This is only a summary of a crucial topic. Please consider exploring these resources.:

Dr. Lynn Erickson, Concept Based Curriculum and Instruction (Corwin Press)

Larry Lewin and Betty Jean Shoemaker, Great Performances (ASCD)

Dr. Jay McTighe and Dr. Grant Wiggins, Understanding by Design (ASCD)

Dr. Grant Wiggins, Assessing Student Performance (Jossey-Bass)

Dr. Grant Wiggins, Educative Assessment (Jossey-Bass)

ubd.ascd.org (the web site for Understanding by Design)

www.relearning.org (the web site for re:Learning by Design, formerly CLASS, filled with great resources)

This article was orginally published in the General Studies Curriculum Guide of South Peninsula Hebrew Day School.

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