How has
growing success impacted my beliefs on assessment?
Growing
success has impacted my beliefs in a way that it allowed me to realize that
when it comes to assessment it really is the process of gathering information
that accurately reflects how well a student is doing in the classroom and if
he/she is meeting the curriculum expectations.
When I used
to think of assessment I used to picture some sort of test or evaluations.
Talking about growing success has impacted and changed the way I think of
assessment. I now realize that the primary purpose of assessing a student is to
improve the student learning. Not to just simply get a grade from the student.
The main purpose is improving the students learning and I have learned that
this is demonstrated in both assessments for learning and assessment as
learning.
I used to
think assessment was done in one particular way and that was to look at the final
product, however that’s because that’s what I remember from being in school.
But there are different ways you can assess a student with the purpose of
student learning. You can assess a student throughout lesson units and keep
track if the student is demonstrating and understanding, thinking,
communication, and application. To
relate this to the final product, my beliefs have changed in a way where I have
a deeper understanding of various type of evidence that are used in considering
a student’s final grade for a report, keeping into account observations,
conversations, and student product (test, exams assignments).
My beliefs
have changed overall where I now have a deeper understanding of the process in
growing success on assessment and that there are essential steps in assessment
for learning and assessment as learning. Us as teachers need to plan assessment
and integrate it with instruction, share the learning goals and success
criteria with the students, gather information about students learning before,
during, and near the end and use assessment to inform instruction, and guide the
next steps to help the students grow in their progress towards achieving their
learning goals.
