Assessment and Student Learning (Teacher Work Sample or Case Study)

Standard #6: 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.

In today’s education environment there are some strong feelings towards

assessment, specifically formal summative assessment and standardized testing.

There are concerns that these type of “all or nothing” tests put unneeded pressure

on the students, encourage teachers to “teach to the test”, and students often just

cram test information in their brains that will some be forgotten. Although all of

these are genuine concerns that are possibilities, I take a different stance on

assessment. All forms of assessment- formative, summative, and standardized- not

only have their place in a classroom, but also should be embraced with a positive

mindset. Both for the student and the teacher, assessment should be viewed as an

enjoyable experience to be celebrated. For the past three years I have used the MAP

assessment to track student growth. The two examples provided are two different

students’ family reports, which I use to as one data point to show the student, and

their parents, how the student is preforming in school.

When I was an elementary student, I remember enjoying taking the IOWA

standardized assessments. It was a chance to challenge myself and see how good I

could do. My experience was positive partly because I usually scored very high on

these type of tests. However, students who struggle with testing can also have this

same type of experience. A male student whom I have worked with for four years
now, Luke, regularly scores below the 50th percentile on all his MAP assessments.

The mindset that I present in the classroom is making it a fun experience to set goals

for yourself and challenge yourself to do your best. The focus for my students is not

on whether the students have achieved higher levels than their peers, but are they

growing and reaching their goals. As Tomlinson (2014) explains, ideally “students

compete against themselves as they grow and develop more than they compete

against one another, always moving toward—and often beyond—designated

content goals” (p. 3). We have a bulletin board in our classroom that reads, “I am

proud of . . .”; students can put anything on this board from academic work to a

drawing the students did during their free time. Luke puts all types of things on this

board, including a used paper towel he had cleaned his paint brush with during an

art lesson. This mindset has transferred overall to his attitude toward the MAP

assessments. Luke, along with the rest of the class, set goals for themselves before

they take the tests. On his last assessments, Luke again scored below the 50 th

percentile on one of his tests. However, he showed strong growth and exceeded his

personal goal; he excitedly asked to print off his score so he could take it home and

show his mother. Even for students who struggle, assessments do not have to be

something to be anxious or afraid about.

During the first teacher in-service I attended as a certified teacher there was

a lengthy debate about the need of summative assessment. There was a large group

of educators at the in-service who posited that a formal summative assessment was

unnecessary. They felt that the teacher knew their students and a formal test would

not add any new information that the teacher did not know. At the time I did not
join in the conversation, as I was new to the district, but I disagree. I welcome

various assessments of my students, as it gives me useful feedback to see how my

current methods are working and where I might need to make adjustments.

When I arrived at my current school district there were no standardized

assessments, with the exception of the state-required yearly PEAKS test. I

approached the superintendent of my district and asked him if it would be possible

to use the MAP assessment for the students of my class. The following year, the

MAP assessment was introduced to the entire district with training at a teacher in-

service; now every school does the MAP assessments at a minimum of twice a year.

For me, I look forward to testing time. I teach in a very small classroom, on average

I have 4 or 5 students in my class. I know my students very well, and work one-on-

one with each of them at least 30 minutes a day. Even so, I like the idea of them

taking an assessment designed by people who have never met my students, and my

students doing questions that may be a little different style than they have seen

before. So much of the work my students do is coming from the lenses of my

preferences as a teacher. That is not bad, but my students are not going to only

interact with me for the rest of their lives, both in a classroom setting and as adults.

My goal as a teacher is to prepare them to be successful in any situation. The MAP

assessment gives me some reference as to how my students will perform outside of

our small school and village.

One of the students I have worked with for all four years I have been at my

current school is leaving our small village and will be attending a larger public

school in the state of Alaska. His mother was concerned how he would adjust to this
new school; he has attended all his schooling in our village, going back to preschool.

In a small remote village it can be easy for parents, and teachers, to wonder how our

kids will do in the “outside” world. The boy is a strong student, and I am confident

that he will do well. I was able to share with the mother that although some things

will be new and challenging his strong academic abilities will make it easier for him

to adjust. My comments were backed with evidence, such as his MAP assessment

scores; this boy routinely scored in the 90th percentile and higher on all his various

tests. When I meet with parents, I spend a significant amount of time sharing about

what work the student has done and provide specific work samples and

assessments. Anderson (2003) states that “not only are grades imprecise, they are

vague in their meaning” (p. 162). Our goals as teachers, when meeting with parents,

is to present an accurate display their child’s learning and current ability.

“One of the most powerful and straightforward ways a teacher can provide

feed-back that encourages learning is to have students keep track of their own

progress on topics” (Marzano, 2006, p. 89). As mentioned above, the students track

their MAP scores and set goals for themselves. Additionally, they track other areas

of learning, such as graphing words per minute read in their Six Minute Solution®

passages (Adams & Brown, 2007). Marzano also states that it is important for

students to learn to assess themselves, along with their teacher’s assessment, as a

way for students to self-reflect on their learning. An example of this process I have

used in my classroom is regarding using a rubric to assess students’ performance in

native dance. This past year the students videoed multiple native dances and the

teachers posted them on Facebook to share with community members. After

multiple practices, and before the videotaping, the students and I went over the

rubric that we would use to access their performance. After their presentation of

dance the students assessed themselves using the rubric. I also filled out a rubric

for each student. Then I met one-on-one with each student. First, they shared their

rubrics with me. Next, I shared how I had scored each of them. This helps students

that ownership of their own learning. Especially young students often put a great

deal of stock in the opinion and viewpoint of their teacher. Although it is valuable

for a student to listen to feedback from their teacher, their most important evaluator

is the student himself. These types of self-assessments can help students look at

their learning objectively and accurately.

“Effective assessment, like teaching, requires planning” (Brigance & Hargis,

1993, p. 105). Brigance & Hargis go on to explain that assessment must have a

clearly defined purpose, often to give guidance and parameters for future

instruction. If teachers, parents, and students are only interested in a particular

letter grade on a test, with no larger context, then the power of assessment is very

limited. However, if done properly assessment is not a dreaded task by the teacher

and student, but one that can be enjoyable and yield results in the student’s

learning.
 References

Adams, G. N., & Brown, S. M. (2007) The Six-Minute Solution: A reading fluency

program. West Educational Services.

Anderson, L. W. (2003). Classroom assessment: Enchancing the quality of teacher

decision making. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Brigance, A. H. & Hargis, C. H. (1993). Educational assessment: Insuring that all

students succeed in school. Charles C Thomas Publishing.

Marzano, R. J. (2006). Classroom assessment and grading that work. Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all

learners (2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.