Assessment Defined
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but also the development of assessment practices. This increases teachers’ capacity to learn about their students and allows assessment to be an invitation to a collaborative conversation of learning.
For the teacher, assessment is a chance to get to know the needs, strengths, and learning styles of all students in order to create a more differentiated and impactful classroom. For students, assessment is a chance to show what they have learned so that the teacher can design learning pathways to coach each individual forward.
Assessment Truths All educators must understand and be able to apply sound assessment practices if they hope to maximize learning. Meaningful assessment is not possible unless educators understand how to use it to positively impact student learning. The following are five truths and non-negotiables when it comes to implementing sound assessment practices, whether at the classroom, school, or district level. 1. Assessment drives learning and instruction. 2. Assessment informs learning and instruction. 3. Assessment informs students of their progress. 4. Assessment informs teachers of what comes next. 5. Assessment informs teachers of immediate needs. We’ll discuss each of these in more detail in the following sections. Assessment Drives Learning and Instruction
Learning is not a straight path but a messy and tangled journey, especially when considering all the different readiness levels and learning styles present within the walls of one classroom. Teachers must carefully consider both students’ readiness levels and their diverse learning styles before embarking on new learning. When approaching a new unit, teachers need to collect evidence and data (whether formal or informal) on what learners know or do not know to determine their own entry point
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Research through the years has found that frequent formative assessments have a greater impact on student learning than infrequent assessments (Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 1991; Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986; Lee, 2006; Marzano, 2017). When teachers infuse formative assessment into everyday instruction and students consistently get feedback on their progress, assessment becomes essential to the learning process and fuels growth.
