Assessment Reflection

Assessments, Assessment, Assessment...Testing, Testing, Testing...Stressing, Stressing, Stressing!

Okay so it is probably a necessary evil, but I remember "back-in-the-day" when Achievement Tests were given in my school, I so despised those days. Number 2 pencils sharpened, palms sweating, loss of sleep due to worry, fidgeting in my seat, stomach growling from hunger or something else, always needing to go to the bathroom at the most inconvenient time, brain racing through all the subject material that I was supposed to know, and feeling like scrambled eggs! Yeah...I probably have a little test anxiety, but there is a sneak peak into a little bit of my wounded past. Hooray! I live on.

I do see a lot of the same symptoms in several students that are either preparing or taking these assessment exams. I know it exists. I also realize that all assessments are not as grueling as I have painted, and that not all students experience the anxiety I just described, but it is present and I know it affects the outcomes.

A few things I did take away from Ruddell, Chapter 9 reading...
...good standards-based reform can happen only when we (1) develop worthy standards, (2) teach the way children learn, and (3) assess to inform and support learning. (p.333)

Principles of Assessment / Assessment should...
1. Focus on learning
2. Be equitable
3. Be congruent with the aims of the system, school, and curriculum
4. Recognize the limitations of assessment methods
5. Reduce competition and increase cooperation in the classroom
6. Include participation by students
7. Include consistent and meaningful reporting

Observation as an Assessment Tool
Observation is probably the single most useful means available for getting information about students' reading and writing abilities (or any other abilities, for that matter).

Structured vs. Unstructured 
Structured - the clearly defined times when you are looking for specified information.
Unstructured - the times when you are open to any information that may come your way.

Generally, structured observation yields more systematic information but unstructured observation may be equally productive - we often learn the most important things about students when we least expect to. (p.347)