Assessment in any given year is always a complicated topic amongst educators. Once we start deconstructing a purpose behind assessment, that's when educators start to divide. I will share my story of how I came to my own philosophy on assessment.
The same question is repeatedly asked: What is the point of assessment? There is one standard agreement, despite the philosophical perspective of assessment: To understand what a student knows. It seems simple enough, but what if we also consider: To understand what a student has learned. To understand how a student can demonstrate his/her learning. To understand where a student still has gaps in his/her learning. To offer feedback to a student so she/he may grow and understand his/her own gaps in her/his learning.
As I started my 14th year of teaching in NYC public schools this year, I made the decision to eliminate all tests and quizzes from my curriculum. This move was a radical shift, but one I wanted to be brave enough to make for a while.
As an English teacher who teaches high school seniors in a college-level course, I found myself constantly asking if my tests and quizzes were truly giving students enough feedback so they would grow and learn from the assessment experience.
Time is our most valuable asset, and if students are not learning during the time of an assessment, then, to me, that is wasted time. It is wasted time for the educator and certainly wasted precious time for the student.
Once we moved to remote/digital learning, I spent more time in my role as an Instructional Coach researching testing software for teachers than I did developing other ways for teachers (myself included) to assess students. It hit me: Why are we forcing the issue of testing? Why do we care so much about compliance and maintaining academic integrity during digital tests? I know full well that for every way a teacher discovers how a student can cheat, the student is already light years ahead of that discovery.
Unless the assessment is meaningful and process-driven. If I have to sit and conference with a student several times and if the student is given multiple opportunities to demonstrate growth, then I am holding the student accountable, with high expectations, but the student is working earnestly.
This is the year I throw away tests and move to Portfolio-Based Assessment. Click this link to see my portfolio requirements. This video is how I plan on utilizing the portfolio this year.
