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Assessment Philosophy:
An Opportunity for All Students to Shine
Alisha McCorriston
Lo-James Lvesque
Measurement and Evaluation
February 23, 2015

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Assessment is a valuable tool that assists and informs students learning. It not only
provides information on students understanding, but also shapes a teachers instructional
strategies, and updates parents and guardians. All students have different strengths and learning
styles, and therefore it is important for me to provide students with a variety of means to
demonstrate their understanding. I wish for students to play a vital role in assessment by being
involved in assessing as well. Not only will this allow students to understand where they are with
regard to their learning goals, but also will influence their inner motivation to learn. I believe this
is important to learning, and that positive, constructive feedback will help students grow.
Students mistakes should seen as an opportunity for growth and further learning. By utilizing
diagnostic assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment in my classroom, I aim
to provide students with a balanced and meaningful learning experience.
Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic assessments are an important tool to be used at the beginning of a unit. This
would allow me to gauge students prior understanding, while providing me with the opportunity
to discover their interests, strengths, and needs. By knowing this information, I can then
differentiate and tailor lessons to support students needs. Those who are anxious in the
classroom will be supported by this as they will be prepared for future learning. As well,
diagnostic assessments support the development of flexible grouping. As diagnostic assessments
would allow me to know where students stand, I would then be able to create groups that best
suit their needs. After conducting pre-assessment in the classroom, I would like to collaborate
with colleagues in this process. From previous experience, I believe that flexible grouping allows
for a cooperative and comfortable learning experience. I plan for pre-assessments to be
completed in a variety of ways, ranging from KWL charts and entrance slips, to interest surveys.
Formative Assessment Methods
Classroom assessment is much more than evaluation. Assessment for learning, a
component of formative assessment, should be used to reflect on learning, collect information,
and determine proceeding steps. Formative assessment in particular is an essential tool in the
classroom that informs instruction for students, parents/guardians, and teachers. By gathering
data from assessments, teaching and learning are able to be improved. Assessment for learning
can be completed in a variety of ways in the classroom, and I believe it is important to vary
strategies throughout a unit. Methods I would use in my classroom include think-pair share,
journal entries, exit slips, open-ended questions, and traffic lights, among many others.
Whenever possible, I would like to provide choice for students throughout this process, as it will
assist their motivation to learn. To help foster students analyzing and critical thinking abilities, I
plan to have students participate in the assessment process. This will be accomplished by
completing self assessment and peer assessment in the classroom.
Self Assessment
Assessment as learning allows students to monitor, reflect, and adjust their learning to
become more effective learners. I plan to ensure that students have a clear understanding of the
self assessment process. As Black and Wiliam (1998) note, students can only properly assess

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themselves if they know the targets that their learning is meant to reach. If students do not
receive an explanation, they then view this process passively with no goal in mind. I
acknowledge as well that students may confuse the assessment process by evaluating themselves
as people, as opposed to the work they complete. Therefore, before having students complete
self-assessments, I will thoroughly explain the goals to strive for in this process by modelling
expectations to them. When students understand the outcomes of self-assessment, they become
more effective, committed learners, and develop the capacity for metacognition (Black &
Wiliam, 1998; Black et al., 2004). I believe that self-assessment will create dialogue between
myself and the students, and will in turn allow for reflection of their thinking. I plan to
implement a learning journal in which students will frequently record thoughts on their learning
progress.
Peer Assessment
I would like to establish peer assessment in my classroom as it too helps students develop
critical thinking and understanding of the learning process. Not only does peer assessment
require students to interact collaboratively, but also helps them develop interpersonal skills and
communication skills (Cooper, 2009). It has been suggested that students may more easily accept
criticism of their work from one another that they would not normally take seriously from a
teacher (Black et al., 2004). Conducting peer assessment is also relatable to students as the
comments and exchanges consist of language that they naturally use. However, I believe it is
essential to discuss with students the importance of kindness and honesty when undergoing these
assessments, as students have the potential to offend others if expectations are not clearly stated.
I feel that if both peer and self assessments are done successfully and appropriately, a greater
comprehension and love of learning will result.
Feedback
Motivation is essential to learning in the classroom. Simply put, students will not learn if
they do not feel inclined to do so. I believe that descriptive feedback plays a vital role in this,
particularly throughout the formative assessment process. In order to give effective feedback to
students, I plan to focus on descriptive feedback as opposed to evaluative. Feedback that is
viewed as a means to support learning allows students to better comprehend lessons, and
comments help students improve (Black et al., 2004). However, feedback must aim to encourage
and enhance learning. It should be focused on learning goals, success criteria, and limited to a
few priorities for students to focus on. As a continuous learner myself, I feel most motivated to
learn when I receive feedback that supports and assists my learning. I aim to provide students
with feedback in a timely fashion so that they can continue to monitor their progress, and will
expect them to act upon the feedback. I would like this to take place through a combination of a
learning journal and conferencing.
Grades versus Feedback
Grades have been known to pose harmful effects on students. From my experience,
grades have been cause for stress and anxiety; they do not tell students how to improve their
work, but simply the score they received (Black et al., 2004). With this in mind, I would like to

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make a commitment to place a greater focus on effective feedback instead of grades during
formative assessment. As education author Alfie Kohn notes, replacing grades with comments is
not a utopian fantasyit has been done before (2011). I believe that students will truly
enhance their learning through feedback as opposed to grades as it gives them the opportunity to
improve and grow. My feedback will be positive, and focus on what the student has done well,
including what he or she can do to improve in the future. I will strive to connect with my
students each day by saying something positive about their achievements. In doing so, I believe
that this will build a greater rapport, and will in turn support students growth and
accomplishments in the classroom. Students will feel more comfortable to learn and achieve their
goals if they trust those who are guiding them along the journey.
Summative Assessment
When students have shown readiness for the final step of a unit or topic, I will then
conduct a summative assessment. In doing so, I think it is essential that this assessment of
learning clearly aligns and relates to what the students have already been taught. As summative
assessment can seriously affect students, I believe that there should be a range of assessment
strategies as well at this level. Assessment of learning is essentially meant to address the
expected outcomes, as well as the learning that is needed to successfully reach those outcomes
(Earl, 2006). In saying this, summative assessment should not be limited to pure tests; it should
include a variety of demonstrations, ranging from dramatic performances, presentations, projects,
simulations, and artwork. Similar to formative assessment, if students are given choice in their
learning, I believe that intrinsic motivation will result, and a greater understanding of the
material will be gained. To assist motivation, I also plan to have students involved in the rubric
creation process. As students take the time to examine their own learning, they should have the
opportunity to determine how it will be evaluated.
Conclusion
By utilizing diagnostic assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment, I
feel that students will be motivated and engaged in their learning. It is essential that students are
assisted according to their needs, and be given remediation or enrichment when appropriate. All
students should flourish in their academic journeys, and grow not only as students, but as people.
As a teacher, I want to help students develop their confidence and goals. As I continue to grow as
an educator, my beliefs and views on assessment will continue to evolve and align with best
practices. With assessment done in an appropriate and cooperative context, I believe students
will shine in the classroom.

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References

Black P., Harrison C., Lee C., Marshall B., & Wiliam D. (2004). Working inside the black box:
assessment for learning in the classroom. The Phi Delta Kappan, 86, 8-21. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.hil.unb.ca/stable/20441694
Black P., & Wiliam D. (1998). Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom
assessment. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 139-144. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.proxy.hil.unb.ca/stable/20439383
Cooper, D. (2009). Eight big ideas to support learning for all students. Retrieved from
http://www.eqao.com/eMagazine/2009/02/eMagArticle.aspx?Lang=E&ArticleID=04&Ite
mID=34
Earl, M. L., (2006). Assessment of learning. In Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose:
assessment for learning, assessment as learning, assessment of learning (5). Retrieved
from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/full_doc.pdf
Kohn, A. (2011). The case against grades. Educational Leadership, 69, 28-33. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e1b546dafd97-4be0-a558-67fedf74e5d6%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=118

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