The why, where, and how of assessments

Meena Sriram

What are assessments? Are they meant only for the students or will they help teachers too? How often should they be conducted and in what forms? Let’s find out.

Assessments are an important aspect of education. They are not merely exams or tests at the end of a session, unit, or class. Assessments must happen before, during, and after teaching. It can happen at multiple levels, situations, and forms.

The purpose of assessment could be many, but for now let us focus on the following two:

• To aid learning
• To improve teaching

To aid learning

• Motivating students.
• Giving students practice so they can see how well they are achieving the learning outcomes.
• To help students diagnose their strengths and their areas of improvement.
• Helping students plan their future careers.
• Helping students and others concerned with their learning track their progress.

To improve teaching

–           Assessments can help review the effectiveness of teaching methodologies.

–           They can hint at how students prefer learning.

How to assess

How we teach will also decide how we assess. Traditional instructional teaching methods cannot be supported by non-traditional assessment methods.

So, what are the traditional methods of assessment? Formative and summative assessments, which are usually pen-paper tests. Formative assessments are done as the learning is happening, while a summative assessment indicates evaluation at the end of learning.

Alternative assessment methods

Many schools have started using technology and other tools for assessments, such as worksheets, activities, discussions, and observations.

But how much assessment is possible using these tools? All these non-traditional methods could assist in both formative and summative assessment. It is left to the teacher to use them effectively to evaluate the level of student learning. While worksheets, activities, and discussions do not need an explanation, can one really assess children by merely observing them?

A lot of learning in our lives is through observation. Children learn many skills by simply observing the adults around them. While the child observes others and learns, the teacher must observe the child. Teachers should observe both the child’s work (notebooks, projects, activities) and nature (behaviour, thought process).

But is not observation a time-consuming process? Observation is a skill that teachers can master with time. They can maintain journals with pages for every child. Teachers must set aside time for reflection at the end of each day and write notes about what they have done and seen in the classroom. Such practices will train their mind to observe and keep notes that enable in evaluating not merely the learning, but also the socio-emotional state of each child.

Utilizing assessment to personalize instruction and meet individual student needs

Most lesson plans have a small column for reflection. This must be put into practice to plan the assessment. Every teacher must have enough time to think about the session that was delivered and maintain notes of the same. This will help the teacher know which children were disruptive in class and who had genuine questions. Such observations could assist in creating the space for children to learn at their pace. The teacher could plan some extra time or scaffolding sessions so that the needs of all children are met.

In a non-traditional classroom, it is possible to plan individual student time. However, in a traditional classroom of about 40-50 students, the teacher could group children and observe their performances.

Engaging parents in the assessment process

Most schools believe in homework or assignments. This is a traditional tool for learning and testing understanding. In many homes, children are assisted or guided by parents in completing their assignments. In such cases, parents should be told how they can help their children. The school must have a clear idea as to when and how the parent must intervene.

Promoting student self-reflection

Children could be taught how to reflect on their own work. Teachers may create rubrics for self-evaluation, so that children can easily evaluate themselves and see where they stand. There is always scope for improvement and that must be clearly indicated to the children.

Children can maintain a tabulated sheet in which they give details of how much they have understood the concepts taught in class. I used to ask my students to keep a record of the classes they attended. They would write down the name of the concept and what they grasped and what was not clear. This made it easy for me, as a teacher, to reintroduce concepts or parts of concepts.

Applying assessment data to inform instructional decisions, interventions, and support systems for students

To rectify teaching methods or instructions, all assessment data must be utilized. This helps the teacher tailor instructions for children as per children’s requirements.

It is essential to keep in mind the abilities of all the children, as they can be evaluated accordingly. A child who is competitive could be engaged in quizzes, while a child who is artistic could be asked to express their learning through art.

Finally, when planning assessments it is important to recall what the purpose of teaching is. Is it to simply give out grades, or is it to facilitate the learning of concepts? Assessments can then be curated accordingly! Teachers must remember that assessments can have negative effects too. If they are not administered in a fair manner, there can be scope for misunderstanding. Hence, the teacher must be very clear and convinced about the purpose of using a particular tool to assess. Normative assessments are easy to administer, while tailored ones require more effort.

However, time-consuming they may be, assessments are the teacher’s best friend when it comes to aiding a child’s learning. Therefore, when you plan your next assessment, take the time to put in a little effort.

The author is the academic administrator with Chinmaya Education Cell and has about 28 years of teaching experience. She can be reached at meenasriram@gmail.com.