Assessments in High School English
OF Learning
FOR Learning
Portfolio
Self Assessment
Formative Assessment
Performance Based Assessment
High-Stakes Assessments
Peer Assessment
Authentic Assessment
Summative Assessment
Diagnostic Assessment
A way to measure intellectual accomplishments that actually mean something to the student. They can be created by the teacher or even by collaborating with the student.
Pros: Tends to improve learning and teaching, can be fun. Focuses on higher order thinking such as synthesization, analysis, and the learning process itself. Students exposed to authentic assessments have tremendous advantages over students who are not.
Cons: Informal and difficult to verify test validity.
Examples: Write a persuasive essay to petition the board of education (or any other figure of authority) to try to change a policy.
A way for students to figure out what grade they believe they deserve by evaluating their own work. That way they can see their own skill gaps and gain experience in self-reflection.
Pros: Good experience for the future, gives students a sense of control over their own learning and to take responsibility for it
Cons: Students are not experts in the field, some may be too generous to themselves, while others may be too harsh
Examples: Have a student grade their work based on a rubric before handing it in, have the student grade a multiple choice activity based on the answer key
A form of assessment where students grade each other by evaluating someone else's work
Pros: Fosters a sense of collectiveness within the class and improves its culture, students get to see how others on their level respond to tasks
Cons: Fairness cannot be guaranteed, students are not experts in the field, some students may grade more harshly or more leniently than others
Examples: Have the students grade their peers' works with rubrics, have students grade a multiple choice activity based on the answer key
A test before the unit that allows teachers to have a bit of data as to where students are strong and are in need of more support
Cons: Increased stress levels from a test right at the start of class or unit may give some students a negative association with the subject
Examples: Student self-assessments, written responses, exit tickets
Pros: Good way to find a sense of where to start, reliable data right away that can be quickly acted upon
Tests that are taken by students across county and state lines that determine funding, accolades, and reprimands based on scores.
Examples: The New York State Regents Exams
Pro: Provide accountability by ensuring students are meeting common standards
Cons: Sometimes teachers are held responsible for students they don't actually teach, high pressure can lead to increases in drop-out rates
A task that requires higher-order thinking to create a product or complete a task.
Cons: When students have longer deadlines, they may put off the assignment and fail to complete it on time
Examples: A project, presentation, or performance
Pros: Extremely useful preparation for future careers, opportunity to practice public speaking or to create a project
A compilation of academic work that shows how a student has grown over time and serves as clear evidence of accomplishments and achievements.
Cons: Takes a lot of time to accurately assess
Examples: A folder large enough to contain the works students are most proud of or were most difficult.
Pros: Can show some unique progress a student has made that otherwise might have been unobservable
Formative assessments are used to conduct evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic prowess while you are teaching a lesson, unit, or course.
Cons: Questions as to which formatives you will and won't grade might arise
Examples: Journal entries, metacognition tables, 5-Minute quizes
Pro: Reliable data you can use to adapt your teaching methods to what your students need
A final test that comes at the end of a unit or other instructional period.
Cons: High stress levels, some students are not good test takers
Examples: Midterm, unit test, final project, recital
Pros: Coerces motivation, can give great insight to teachers
References:
Chun, M. (2010, March). "Taking teaching to (performance) task: Linking pedagogical and assessment practices." Change: The Magazine of Higher Education.
Donges, C. (n.d.). What Are the Advantages of Authentic Assessment Over Standardized Testing? Retrieved December 09, 2017, from http://education.seattlepi.com/advantages-authentic-assessment-over-standardized-testing-2893.html
Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum
University, C. (2017). Formative vs Summative Assessment-Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. Cmu.edu. Retrieved 10 December 2017, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html