New Assessment Thinking II

New Assesment Thinking II

In the pursuit of determining accountability in education, we seek valid assessment measures which show us what a student has learned and is able to do.

One of our biggest challenges is that we have relied on a single assessment process or procedure in order to make that determinationno. A good doctor would never rely on only one measure to determine an illness or a treatment option for a patient; and as teachers we err in thinking one system alone can make the determination of educational progress.

When we claim we have different testing measures, that maybe true; however, they are often contrived tests.  When we only rely on different kinds of tests, the only results we are getting are the results on tests

Instead we should rely on alternative and  authentic assessment practices to determine what the student is truly able to know and do.

The total picture of a student's  progress is not created by a single snapshot test, but instead a collection of snapshots, each snapshot a different view.

By using  e-Portfolios based on direct student experience,  we can better determine what the student does in fact know and is in fact able to do.  It is that combination of testing and e-Portfolio assessment that will alter and improve educational assessment practices.