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.