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Assessment

The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their
own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision
making.

It took me years to grasp this, but I firmly believe that students should have a choice in

how they demonstrate their level of understanding. Offering choices in student assessments is a

form of differentiation that allows students to feel as though they are in control of their

learning, as well as create a product that they feel more personally connected to. Piaget

believes that “... humans cannot be given information, which they immediately understand and

use; instead, humans must construct their own knowledge (Piaget, 1953, as cited in Kalina &

Powell, 2009, p. 242). Assessments are meant to monitor progress and be utilized as a guide for

teachers in determining where students are with their learning, where to go from that point,

and how to get there. However, the assessment process can also be an opportunity for students

to reflect on and extend their learning, making connections in the brain that “builds long-term

retention” (Kaufeldt, 2010, p. 14).

In Spring 2022 I conducted a classroom research study with my students on the impact

of Project-Based Learning1 (PBL). “Project-based learning is an instructional approach used to

promote active and deep learning by encouraging students to collaborate and investigate a

real-world issue” (UTRGV, n.d.).

Earlier in the year I had noticed that my students were consistently disengaged in their

learning. The issue was especially prevalent because this was the first full year of in-classroom

learning in the two years since COVID hit the U.S. I had observed my students asking off-task

questions more frequently than in past years including, but not limited to, “when can I go
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home?”, “Is it time for lunch?”, and “do I have to do this?”. I had also observed the frequency of

“I don’t know” responses increasing- even more so when the questions were open-ended. Be it

verbal or written answers on their assignments, I noted that students would respond to

questions with answers that did not provoke further thought or investigation. Thus, I chose to

attempt the PBL teaching method with my four 4th-8th grade students, during an earth-science

Natural Disasters unit, in an attempt to gauge the impact PBL would have on their levels of

engagement and confidence in their participation.

The PBL teaching model is an excellent practice of authentic assessment. Beyond the

intention to move away from a teacher-centered style of teaching, the model encourages

students to actively engage in real-world, inquiry based learning, through authentic

assessments. “It requires teachers to create a classroom culture of creativity and engagement in

which students share their work and reflect on the processes they use to create and complete

their projects'' (Cooper & Murphy, 2016 as cited in Laverick, 2018).

My intention with a unit on natural disasters was to tie in real-world phenomena that

my students could not only relate to and connected to our district’s science standards, but that

they could also research deeply, report on, and solve relevant, real-world problems. I knew that

I would have the benefit of connecting to their personal lives, and to prior learning experiences.

I also felt that the interactive presentation (and having a choice in that presentation method)

aspect of PBL would engage students beyond just keeping them busy. Students creating an

assessment piece (as opposed to a test or passive lesson) would engage both their creative and

analytical brain areas. In order to best make the connection to their own lives, I emphasized

that these weren’t just hypothetical situations- they are real events. I used the volcano,
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earthquake, and tsunami warning experiences that students have had as an enticing and

engaging introduction to the unit. After each student chose a natural disaster to study, they

brainstormed a problem and solution that would go beyond the knowledge people already have

on these natural disasters, and that would give their own personal first hand perspective on the

disaster. After discussing natural disasters in Alaska and elsewhere, my students discussed how

the disasters affect humans. This was an interesting discussion to be part of because I was able

to discern a progress-monitoring-type assessment of their different levels of understanding of

causes of natural disasters, and observe as they slowly realized and engaged in the effects the

natural disasters have on populated and unpopulated areas. After the discussion, most of the

open-ended questions students had were based on human preparedness: fatality rates when

warned, would a shelter help the people, etc.

Typical PBL models are partially intended to teach collaboration through group work. My

students, however, are four different ages and in four different state grade levels. My students

work in different grades of every subject. Two have I.E.Ps for drastically different reasons. Over

the years, I have observed and discussed with my students their preferred methods of learning.

I found in my own work, as well as through my classroom research in PBL, that the results were

more creative and in depth when there was choice involved. Ciftci (2015) demonstrated that

giving students a voice in the classroom, and listening to their feedback after the fact, meant

that students felt better about their projects, helped develop the feeling of control in their

studies, and further strengthened a feeling of belonging in the classroom. This was supported

by a study from DeMink-Carthew and Olofson (2020) where multiple students provided
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feedback stating that they enjoyed having minimal help from the teachers and weren’t forced to

learn in ways that didn’t work for them.

In the interviews I conducted during classroom research, my students stated that they

felt a lot more confident in their research and their final product. I could not discern whether

the younger students connected the idea of their choice with their confidence, but my oldest

student explicitly said, during the interview, that she felt free and confident because there

weren’t any rules and she liked getting to choose what to do. The research and my experiences

are testament to the effectiveness of choice in student assessment.

My students' preferences for assessment vary from art and creation (my oldest), public

speaking (youngest), and even essays and written assessments (the only boy). The middle girl, in

fifth grade, didn’t specify her preferred method, but has always done well on tests and exams.

Ergo, four students at four completely different developmental and academic levels, with four

different methods of preferred learning gave the decision to search for other resources, similar

units and teaching models, then adjust the expectations for my class and my students. Each

student chose their own natural disaster to study independently, then chose a method of

assessment/ presentation of their information. The options- a video/podcast, a tri-fold poster, a

children’s book, a diorama, a mobile, or a brochure- each had their own rubric, as well. I would

have chosen to stick with a checklist and a complete or incomplete mindset, but it was

suggested to me that a rubric was best for consistent expectations and data collection purposes.

Since our school has a standards-based system of grading, the point values on the rubric are

simply for organizational purposes. I also created my own observation chart and my own

interview questions that would aid in receiving feedback on the PBL model from my students.
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The biggest key to this research project was that I either included my students or gave

them total control in almost all of the decisions that needed to be made. Throughout the PBL

Natural Disasters unit, my students were hesitant to take control, at first. They were so used to

closed-ended questions with a direct answer that they had no idea what to do with themselves

when I told them we were going to discuss natural disasters, determine a problem, and study

different solutions all based on their own questions.

I collected multiple forms of assessment that focused on student choice, student

feedback, and daily observations of the students behaviors and questions. In the beginning, I

started with recording simple daily observations as field notes. I did a pre-assessment survey

with all four students to get their take on having control of their learning and their knowledge of

project-based learning. I asked the same questions in a post-assessment survey to compare

answers and get their feedback on the effectiveness of PBL. Following the introduction to the

unit, students were given a research graphic organizer and a chance to choose which natural

disaster they wanted to plan for. The graphic organizer had all topics expected to be included in

the research and presentation of the natural disaster. Students had the choice of typing or

writing the answers, but they were expected to show evidence of all topics in the graphic

organizer. Then I introduced each project option with its accompanying rubric and

student-friendly checklist. The options were a video/podcast, tri-fold poster, diorama, children’s

book, mobile, or travel brochure. During the pre-assessment survey, students mentioned that I

wasn’t always clear during my instruction. So, I made sure to reintroduce the assessment

options and their rubric/ expectations at least three times, including during the introduction,

after the essential question was planned, and while students researched their natural disaster.
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My oldest student told me later that she did like hearing it multiple times before choosing her

project assessment. Finally, throughout the entire unit, I used the self-made observation chart

as a formative on-going assessment to watch for signs of engagement and active learning that

were specific to my students.

These assessments and the PBL model are important to assessment-based instruction.

The products that students create and the answer to their open-ended research question(s) are

the keys to understanding that the student is learning. However, the teacher must know the

student well in order to implement PBL. The standard signs of engagement aren’t always the

same for all students and they vary from culture to culture.

“Many students even see grading more as a punitive than as a rewarding process”

(Sousa, 2001, p. 61). Authentic assessments aren’t meant to be punishments or rewards.

They’re meant to be a tool in seeing our students’ level(s) of understanding more clearly. While I

did use a rubric as a system of assessing their understanding, the students had a choice in which

rubric (project) they wanted to be assessed with. Giving students a choice in their assessment

means giving them control. Not just giving them a voice, but truly hearing what they say and

following through with what they request- as was done in the PBL model. Their choices also

helped reaffirm my judgment of which method of learning students prefer. As I stated in the

beginning, each student prefers something different- art, speaking, writing, etc. I watched their

discussions of natural disasters, their research fill the organizer, and their chosen projects

unfold, and made notes that will readjust my assessments in future instruction.
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As mentioned in Learning Environment2, trust is imperative to a successful classroom

and will ideally get rid of the right vs. wrong, reward vs. punishment mindset in education.

Showing students that they are seen, heard, and taken seriously as we measure their content

knowledge is one of the strongest ways to enforce that trust. Trust before assessment is

essential, because even the best assessments won’t be as reliable without a certain level of

partnership between the person assigning and the person completing the task. When students

trust the teacher’s feedback and instruction, and they feel heard, they won’t see grades as

punishments or being right/wrong; they’ll see it as a growth process and encouragement to

keep learning.

In the end, It’s an educator’s job to be the support system that students need, be it

through social-emotional availability, or understanding a need for individual differentiation in

assessment. “With [adult] support, the drive to explore and experiment can be constructively

channeled into efforts that are positive, life-enriching, and meaningful” (Falk, Dierking, 2002, p.

91). My students' choices and connections to real-world problems made their learning

experiences more engaging and, according to the post-assessment interviews- had them feeling

more confident in their work.

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References

Ciftci, S. (2015). The effects of using project-based learning in social studies education to

students’ attitudes towards social studies courses. Procedia - Social and Behavioral

Sciences, 186(2015), p. 1019–1024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.205

DeMink-Carthew, J., & Olofson, M. W. (2020). Hands-joined learning as a framework for

personalizing project-based learning in a middle grades classroom: An exploratory study.

Research in Middle Level Education Online, 43(2), p. 1–17.

https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2019.1709776

Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2002). Lessons without limit: How free-choice learning is

transforming education. Altamira Press.

Kalina, C., & Powell, K. C. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an

effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-250.

Kaufeldt, M. (2010). Begin with the brain (2nd ed.). Corwin.

Laverick, E. K. (2019). Project-based learning. (T. S. C. Farrell, Ed.) (Ser. ELT Development Series).

Tesol Press.

Sousa, D. A. (2001). How the brain learns (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley [UTRGV]. (n.d.). Project-based learning (PBL). Center for

Teaching Excellence: Office of Student Success.

https://www.utrgv.edu/cte/resources-new/approaches-to-learning/project-based-learni

ng/index.htm