Philosophy of Assessment

Harry Wong stated: “In an effective classroom students should not only know

what they are doing, they should also know why and how”. In order to reassure that your

students are engaged and aware of their tasks, I think it is vital to have them be involved

in their assessment as well. In the New Brunswick curriculum it explains that assessment

should encourage self-evaluation. When students are aware and involved in the

assessment process, this is assessment as learning. When students are aware of the main

goal of the task, they can work hard towards accomplishing it, while also understanding

why it is important. In Making Classroom Assessment Work by Anne Davies it explains,

“it is true that if you know where you are going you are more than likely to get there”

(p.1). I feel this is the case with the students, the teacher, and the parents, and it is

important to begin any task with the end in mind. The New Brunswick curriculum also

states that by having rubrics and models it will help clarify what is expected of the

students. It is however, important to keep in mind that the learning should be engaging

and fun for the students, not overwhelming and stressful. In my own classroom I would

be mindful of the way I approached an assignment to be sure they were not completing

the task for the simple idea of a “good grade”.

For me, a good grade does not stop at completing the tasks correctly. Students

should want to grow and learn while challenging themselves at all times. With that, it

may be beneficial to focus more on the interactive part of learning, rather than the idea of

obtaining a good grade. I feel that if students are enjoying the lesson and participating,
they are going to learn a great deal in comparison to having a tunnel vision towards an

“A+” mark. By exploring more ways of learning, students are able to be more open

minded and creative in their work. As a class, the main focus should be to monitor the

progress, reflect on our work in a positive and effective way, and be creative and fun in

the process. For example, if there is an assignment that they would like to redo, this

should not be a problem. Assessing the student once and not allowing them to revisit it is

not a realistic approach. Instead, by looking at what they have learned by doing and

allowing them to apply it is more beneficial. I am confident that if this takes place, all

students will walk out feeling as though they were able to take a lot from the lessons.

In order to monitor the progress, there are different avenues one could take. I

think that all learners represent themselves in different ways. Some learners are strong in

communication, while others are strong with activity sheets. Regardless, it is essential to

know your students and what works best for them. I do not think it would be fair to

evaluate a student through a test if they are not strong readers. Instead, it would be more

beneficial for the student if they were able to sit down with the teacher and have a

conversation about what they know, and what they have learned. When you are collecting

evidence about student learning and the focus is on where they are at and where they

need to be it is considered assessment for learning. This is important because you are able

to see true evidence of their learning. Triangulation evidence is a great tool to use in

assessing your students to reassure you are collecting evidence in all the right areas. It

helps to collect evidence from three different aspects of their learning which are products,

conversation, and observation. In Sandra Herbst and Anne Davies text Grading,
Reporting, and Professional Judgement in Elementary Classrooms they support

triangulation by stating that “everything a student says, does, or creates is potentially

evidence of learning” (p. 52). When you are continuously collecting evidence and

monitoring student progress, you are able to have a clear understanding of their learning

throughout the entire year.

When looking at formative assessment, it is best to collect from many areas of

learning. I am a strong believer in the conversation aspect of assessment because it helps

students in many ways. If they are struggling with the material, the teacher can work out

any misunderstandings. I also feel it is better that students are able to learn from one

another and this can be done in a group discussion where they are sharing ideas in a

respectful manner. It is great for all subjects and can help to clarify any difficulties

students may be having. I feel that by allowing students to reflect on their learning

throughout the year, a portfolio or a journal would work well. Their progress in learning

can become quite clear as they contribute more and more to their journals or portfolios. If

there are areas that need improvement, we have a source that we can turn to. The

summative assessment would look more at their overall understanding of the learning

outcomes. By articulating a lot of formative assessment and collecting evidence through

time, the summative assessment will not be a drastic change. In this case, I also feel that

by communicating both with the students and with the parents it will help all to truly

understand where they are in their learning and what the next steps will be.

Having assessment in the classroom helps to improve student learning, as we are

able to evaluate and see where they stand, and where they need to be. Assessment can be
done in many ways, but evidently comes down to providing the student with an

opportunity to learn. Parents should also be involved in understanding where their child

stands and what they can do at home to help. By sending home different games and

activities to complete with their parents will help parents and students notice the progress

they are making. This can vary by sending home different books, math games, or

interactive phonic activities. Assessment should be ongoing throughout the year to be

sure the student is making appropriate transformations. I would continuously send home

new material to ensure the growth of the student was being addressed at home as well as

at school. At different end points in the school year, I would want to inform learning by

tracking the students’ progress. This would be looked at as assessment of learning. Here I

would evaluate to what extent students were meeting the outcomes. Because I will begin

with the end in mind, I feel that all students will have a great opportunity to have grown

and learned and met many of the outcomes. In all cases of assessment, the main goal is to

help the students to learn in a safe and secure environment.

I feel that by creating a classroom environment where the essential goal is to have

students learning and growing through “doing” and being involved would be a successful

learning experience. By having students involved in their assessment and continuously

collecting evidence of learning while providing positive feedback, we are working

towards a goal together. Formative and summative assessment work together in order to

witness the learning progress that is taking place with each student. Learning and

assessment should be looked at from different angles because the ultimate goal is to have
students learning and students learn in different ways. Assessment should not be what a

student knows or does not know, rather, what they are going to learn next.
 References

Brunswick, C. G. (2018, February 07). Curriculum Development (Anglophone Sector).

Retrieved from:

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/education/k12/content/anglophone_secto

r/curriculum_anglophone.html

Davies, Anne. Grading, Reporting, and Professional Judgment in Elementary

Classrooms. Highnell Book Printing, 2016.

Davies, Anne. Making Classroom Assessment Work. 3rd Ed., Solution Tree Press, 2011.

Ministry of Education. Retrieved from:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/5AAssessmentPractices.pdf

Wormeli, R. (November 01, 2011). Redos and Retakes Done Right. Educational

Leadership, 69, 3, 22-26.