Assessment Philosophy Statement

Assessment in the classroom is key to successful learners and effective

teaching. Assessment helps guide everything in the classroom from the

taught content, the pace it is taught, if the students are retaining what is

being taught, and if the teacher is doing an adequate job as an educator.

There are a multitude of ways to assess learning in the classroom and how to

use assessment to guide learning in this paper I will explain my beliefs and

thoughts on various assessment strategies. I will touch on big ideas in the

teaching community such as the use of grades, the importance of

formative/summative assessment, and homework.

Grades have a way of either tearing a student down or building them

up. If used correctly, grades are for the student, to inform the

student/parent/guardian where the students progress is, and how far they

need to go to achieve their goals. Grades should not punish students, label

them, or discourage them. Teachers should use grades to show students how

they can improve, where they need to improve, and how far they are from

their goal. Their grade is not set in stone and should not feel absolute. If a

student receives a 50% but they show a desire to understand and improve

their mistakes, they should give the opportunity to boost their grade and

update their progress. If they feel discouraged and feel like there is not an

opportunity to improve, they will give up and lose interest in their education

and their learning. In my classroom, grades show their progress and guide

their learning. Their grades would show them how far they have come and
how far they still need to go to reach the goal. My students could always

improve and they should take ownership and be responsible for their

learning.

I recognize the importance of summative and formative assessment in

the classroom when it is at the appropriate point in the students learning.

Formative assessment, or assessment for learning, would be the most

common form of assessment I would use in my classroom because it

promotes the students progress towards their learning goals (Vidmar, 2005).

When using formative assessment, the teacher is using the students

progress to guide future lessons and to understand how to help the student

learn from their mistakes. Formative assessment is not a final and absolute

grade but it can let the student know what they do and do not understand

and where they need to improve. Receiving feedback encourages students to

fix their mistakes and learn from them. Feedback challenged students to

improve and take control of their own success. Now that the teacher and the

student both understand where they need to improve and where they are

succeeding, the teacher can use this information to scaffold the next steps

for learning in the classroom (Hutchinson, 2017). Summative assessment, or

assessment of learning, occurs after the lessons or unit is complete to assess

what the student understood and what they still have not grasped. After the

learning, you can assess what stuck with the student as a summary of their

learning. The key to having an effective summative assessment of the

students learning is to assign the summative assessment at the appropriate

time. If the students are nowhere near being able to successfully complete

the assessment they will likely fail, do badly, or give up. Standardized testing

is a practice I do not support. I believe standardized tests are deeply

defective because they marginalize students, they upset students and create

flawed results, and they influence what educators teach in the classroom far

too much. Teachers worry how these tests will make them appear as

educators and they guide their lessons around content included on

standardized tests. Standardized tests are unfair, inaccurate, and a bad

portrayal of what students know.

Much like grades, homework can give students the knowledge of where

they are academically and if they need more direction, clarification, or

practice. Homework should not overwhelm the student or further exhaust

them. I believe homework is only beneficial when it is necessary and the

student needs further practice or understanding of a concept. Students need

the evening to recharge their battery and participate in extra-curricular

activities which help add to their academic life and build character, both are

important for their future. Homework should not take them all night and

should not make them more frustrated with their school work. I do not

believe in no homework policies because in most cases there are small

activities to practice at home that would benefit their performance in the

classroom and help their understanding. These exercises done at home are

like exercising their brain outside of the classroom and better preparing them

for learning in the classroom. If they practice at home and improve their
math skills, they will have a better performance in class and have an easier

time moving forward in the lessons. Learning should not stop in the

classroom and homework is key to keeping their mind working and improving

after the lessons.

Assessment in the classroom is essential to everyone learning and

improving. Education is always about changing and trying new things to

improve. Everything in the classroom is about growing and learning, and

assessment is fundamental to understanding the progress of the students

and if the teacher is doing their job. My classroom will be open to mistakes

and it will be an environment where students learn from their mistakes and

do not let mistakes drag them down. Grades are not set in stone and they

are flexible, according to the formative assessments I use in my classroom.

Formative assessments will not only be for my students benefit but for my

own, to know how I can improve and how I can help them move forward.
References

Vidmar, D. J. (January 01, 2005). Reflective peer coaching: Crafting

collaborative self-
assessment in teaching. Research Strategies, 20, 3, 135-148.

Hutchinson, N. L. (2017). Inclusion of exceptional learners in Canadian

schools: a
practical handbook for teachers. Toronto: Pearson.

Davies, A. (2011). Making Classroom Assessment Work. Third Edition. A.

Davies
Duncan Holdings Inc.

Herbst, S., & Davies, A. (2016). Grading, Reporting, and Professional

Judgment in
Elementary Classrooms. Sandra Herbst, A. Davies Duncan Holdings Inc.

Grodner, A., & Rupp, N. G. (January 01, 2013). The Role of Homework in
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Learning Outcomes: Evidence from a Field Experiment. Journal of
Economic
Education, 44, 2, 93.
Thomas, P. (October 01, 2004). The Negative Impact of Testing Writing Skills.
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Ryan, K. E., & Ryan, A. M. (January 01, 2005). Psychological Processes

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