Student Assessment
Assessment and Feedback
In the old days, assessment was more about testing – pass or fail. Exams, pop quizzes, mid-terms and end-of-year tests; we’ve all had them. They caused us fear, last-minute cramming, and rote memorization.
Nowadays, assessments have taken on a new role. It is more about assessing students to find out how much they have learned at a particular point in time, and how we can use this assessment to help them learn more. It has been found that assessment, coupled with feedback, are the most effective ways for students to learn accountability in their work and in their personal lives. When teachers turn assessment into ongoing communication, students learn to advance their own learning.
Assessment is more about teacher-to-student communication – where should the students’ learning be headed, and what do the students need to do to get there. It is a collaborative effort between the teacher and the student.
A wide variety of means are utilized to measure and report student progress and achievement. These means include national, state, district and classroom assessment. The district and schools use the results to determine school improvement goals, to measure progress toward achievement of the goals, and to make instructional decisions about the learning needs of individual and groups of students.
There are many types of assessments:
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Formal Assessments |
Informal Assessments |
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Classroom tests |
Observations |
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District tests |
Anecdotal notes |
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Portfolios |
Student conferences |
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Standardized test |
Informal conversations |
- Michigan M-STEP Web Site
M-STEP replaces the 44-year-old MEAP test.
- ACT Website
ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development.