“Teachers often have little say in the administration of
standardized tests, but they can feel empowered by their capacity to use alternative
assessments.”
I have never been excited about assessment before, but this
quote from the Rubin article certainly gave me some exciting things to think
about.
I might not be able to control what standardized tests my
students must take and be judged on, but I sure can come behind and give more
assessments, different ones, that might give me a more accurate picture for
what needs to be worked on.
Rubin made another good point in his article though, there
are a variety of ways a new assessment method might not be entirely valid.
·
Student differences in preference for testing
formats
·
Familiarity or lack thereof with processes
·
Performance variability due to affective factors
I can’t even tell how many times I have attempted a test or
assignment in school and done it completely wrong, just because it was new, or
wholly unlike anything I’d ever done before.
Assessments are wonderful tools for teachers, and they ought
to be our best friends. It’s good to know that there is a plethora of options
out there for assessing our students in ways that are most helpful for
instructing them.