Assessment: Fair or Foul

Welcome back friends!

Today's topic is ASSESSMENT!
I am doing a blog post series this October about different things that require a rethink!
Last week, I talked about reading logs.  You can check out that post HERE.
Both parents and teachers are frustrated with the amount of testing that is being done.  Testing has become a 'naughty word' and there's so much misunderstanding about what should be tested and why we should be testing it...that the necessity for it is lost in the debate over accountability.
Let me be clear and say that accountability is vitally important.
Not too long ago, my buddy Daina from Sticky Notes and Glitter & I started a meme series on Facebook called #realtalkteacher.  I love this gem from Daina:

I love watching my students learn and grow.  Even when my data hasn't been the strongest, I learned something and was able to go back and make things better.  It was good for my practice to self-reflect.

Here's where the train went off the track:

Data is used as a weapon of shame against teachers.

Standards are changed and actionable professional development does not accompany it.

The measure of 'excellence' is being determined by people who have either never been in a classroom, or have not experienced the classroom in the recent past.

Teachers are being measured by the outcomes of their students.

Accountability at the top of the chain is minimal, while accountability at the bottom--where the teachers are is extreme.

These factors, along with the complex issues that our students are coming to us with have made for some challenging times in education.  Here in the state of Florida, I can tell you that our teachers and our superintendents have lost confidence in the state's ability to craft an an appropriate  assessment. The bottom line at the end of the day is that accountability for teachers has trumped common sense in the minds of politicians and text book companies.  As long as there is someone to point a finger at for the problems, they've done their jobs.  Well, my job is here in the trenches and I need to find a way to make testing VALID and VALUABLE to both my students and myself.

So, to give you my context...Our school uses basal series assessments in Reading and Math.  Teachers grade writing with rubrics.  In the primary grades, science & social studies are embedded in the reading block no grades are given, but the standards are expected to be covered.  I have written about my distaste for the reading series comprehension assessments, which is why I wrote my own last year.  You can read about that journey HERE. Three years ago, I rewrote the math assessments as well. I know that re-writing tests isn't for everyone...but let me take you through my thinking that got me to take the leap.

1.) What is the purpose of classroom assessment?

To me the most basic answer is...to drive my instruction.  It tells me where my kids are right now, and what I need to do to help them improve.  I think that when I am self-reflective about my practice, I'm a better teacher for my kids.  If I don't use the data...why do I need to give the test? 

2.) When I do give an assessment, does it accurately measure what I need measured?

Sometimes, it does not.  Let's say, for example...the traditional spelling test.  How many of you have had students that memorized those words for the week, and two weeks later couldn't spell them?  It's because spelling is about patterns in words.  Reading them a list of ten words is easy...but...is it what's best?  Who determined that 10 words was what's best?  Could we not figure out if they knew the patterns with five words? How do we know that what they functionally need to know to spell words correctly in the long term is being mastered with the traditional assessment?  Well...the simple answer is...we don't.  So...why don't we change these things when they come up?  I changed my tests last year, and I feel like they give me a better concept of the students ability to apply what they know with phonemic awareness, phonics, AND spelling.  I wrote about that HERE.

In math, sometimes, I just have a set of math problems that I write myself based on the standards...or even the language of the problems in my basal and I have the students respond to four questions in small group.  I watch what their doing and I talk with them afterwards.  I grade them on a rubric.  Usually the first two problems are on the easy side.  The third is fully on grade level and the fourth is a challenge problem.  I have found that quick quizzes like this during centers minimizes anxiety in my learners, and also gives me a feel for WHY they are not able to understand.  A mentor of mine who works for our county once told me that when creating your own tests, you want to go with a 25, 50, 25 rule. Twenty five percent of the questions are at a low level, fifty percent of the questions are on grade level, or the full intent of the standard. The last 25% should be challenging.  This keeps the test balanced and helps with validity as well! :)

3.) Is there an opportunity for you to utilize other forms of assessment other than traditional paper and pencil assessments?

I am a big fan of projects, webquests, in class presentations, peer-to-peer observations, and portfolios to determine progress.  Building a vocabulary of activities takes time, but often exchanging ideas with colleagues has lead to finding some really great NON-paper and pencil ways to determine what the kids know.

Creating assessments can be challenging, and time consuming.

Here's what I've done over the years to improve my ability in this area.

Know your standards.

Read up on current research and trends in the summer.

If you're doing paper/pencil: make sure that the test has a good balance of questions.

Don't be afraid to do something non-traditional and grade with a rubric.

Evaluate how your students perform carefully and adjust your practice accordingly.

What classroom assessments are you thinking of overhauling this year?

Please feel free to share ideas of how you made assessments manageable for you in your classroom!

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