“It is easy to build a test that fails students; it
is much more difficult to find ways to discover what students know and can do”
p.79
I really
like this quote from the Graves text. Every year graduation exam, midterms
quizzes and finals are given to students throughout the United States as a form
of assessment. The purpose of these exams is to see that the students have
fully gained an understanding of the material taught by his/her teacher. I
think this quote is interesting because when students are being assessed, one exam
usually given. Therefore every student is taking the same exam even though some
students may not be at the same level or have the same understanding of a
topic. As future educators we need to keep in mind that students are individuals.
These assessments that are given statewide are not focused on individual
learning.
The
question that arises with this is, how should educators test for student
progress? The Graves text gives some really good examples on how educators
might go about assessing students and monitoring progress. It is written in the
Graves text that “the best information about student learning often comes from
looking and listening.” Simply observing student’s interaction in a class room
or how much they participate in in-group activities can show teachers if the
students have an understanding of what is being taught. The Graves text also gives some information
on rubrics and how students should be scored. The Graves text pretty much just
highlights different assessment types and which work best for students and
teachers. I also read the Literacy Rich Adolescence text which also discussed
assessments and the progress of students in the classroom. I thought it was
interesting how this text gave scenarios of different students and what
strategy best helped them. I think that both authors agree on the importance of
knowing your students and how they learn. Each student learns differently so a
strategy that works for one student might not work for another student.
be sure to put the author, year and page number behind your quote..
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think we will revisit the conversation about assessment in the weeks to come!!
It is one of the most agitating things in the world to me that students are looked at as numbers. They aren't just another statistic, each child is different and I think that that needs to be made clear to the people that decide these "assessments".
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