The Purpose of Assessment?

The end of the school year is always synonomous with assessments. Whether we give unit, quarter or semester exams, this always seems to be the culminating event of most classes. Since this is usually the norm, I think it is appropriate to have some philosophical discussion about assessment. Specifically, what is the purpose of assessment and how do we use assessment results?

As our school district has aggressively moved forward in the development of a standards based curriculum and assessment model, I have become very interested in the various forms of assessment and how we use this information in our school system. Specifically, I have studied the work of researchers such as Thomas Guskey, Grant Wiggins and Richard Stiggins and become infatuated with their study of "assessment for learning".

In most classrooms, "assessment of learning" is the norm. This type of assessment is usually consists of a summative test given at the end of a unit or semester, which is used to provide a letter grade so the student's knowledge can be compared against a standard, or against other students. Typically, this type of assessment is handed back to the student; the student sees the grade; the teacher then moves on to the next unit of instruction.

I like to call this approach "the autopsy method of assessment", because this type of assessment is conducted after all instruction and learning has taken place. If there is no analysis of assessment results and subsequently no reteaching of nonmastered material, then what was the point of the assessment other than to give a grade to the student? This type of assessment does not enhance student learning. In fact, it could be argued that it has just the opposite effect.

What researchers like Wiggins, Guskey and Stiggins advocate for is "assessment for learning". This type of assessment is more formative in nature and takes place starting with the beginning of the course all the way to the culminating assessment. This type of assessment takes place multiple times daily in class, and the students are provided with frequent feedback on their progress. Most importantly, the teacher utilizes the data from this feedback to alter instructional methods in order to meet the needs of the students. This type of assessment can take many forms other than the traditional multiple choice test, such as portfolios, teacher observation, classroom discussion, and journals. However, no matter what the form, the key component is frequent feedback coupled with adjustments to instruction to meet the individual needs of the students.

When I was a young classroom teacher (many years ago!), I was caught in the trap of blaming poor assessment scores on the kids. I would use phrases like "They obviously didn't study," or "I don't know why they didn't learn it, because I taught it to them." However, I now realize that my responses were based on the fact that I was simply assessing the learning of my students. Had I been utilizing the philosophy of "assessment for learning", I would have been asking questions such as these.

"40% of the students did not understand what I taught today. How can I reteach that tomorrow in a way that those students will master the objective?"

"60% of my class missed this question on today's quiz. I wonder if it could have been a poorly written question?"

"From watching my class today, it was obvious they were confused. Mrs. Jones' students always do so well on this topic. I wonder how she teaches this? I think I will talk with her tomorrow."

"Stephanie usually does so well, but today she did very poorly on the assessment. I wonder if everything is okay with her? I think I will contact her parents to see if everything is okay."

As you prepare for your end of the year, think about the purpose of your assessments. Are you conducting "assessment of learning" or "assessment for learning"?

As always, I am anxious to hear your thoughts on these ideas.