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Leah Schott
Dr. Mary Monsour
ED 335- Assessment
23 April 2014
Philosophy of Assessment
Classroom Assessment is a teachers most powerful tool. Robert J.
Marzano discusses this idea in his book Classroom Assessment and Grading
that Work as he speaks about assessment as a teachers best resource as a
powerful weapon (Marzano). The power that assessment holds in a
classroom can be attributed to its purpose in evaluating student knowledge
and directing instruction. It is important to explore the components of
assessment in order to understand its indispensable role in the educational
experience.
The role of assessment is not only to track student progress and
growth by frequently evaluating student knowledge, but also to drive
instruction. Based on the results of assessments, teachers are able to
establish grades, make informed decisions about where to redirect their
instruction, and determine eligibility for services. For instance, if assess my
students at the end of a lesson with exit tickets and observe that about half
of my students did not master a concept, I would need to change the course
of my instruction. The next day, I would implement a cooperative learning
technique to reteach the material to struggling students by pairing them up
with a student who understands the material. Additionally, the results of

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assessments may determine a students placement in special education. The
results of a diagnostic test, such as the Group Reading Assessment
Diagnostic Evaluation, will determine the strengths and weaknesses of a
student and determine interventions. Therefore, I believe that it is vital for a
teacher to keep organized and accurate data and records of assessments in
order to provide proper support to all students.
Before this, however, it is important for a teacher to serve all of her
students through differentiated instruction. I believe that differentiated
instruction through the use of accommodations and modifications is the best
way to reach all learners. With assessment, accommodations simply alter
certain components of an evaluation to make the assessment equal, while
modifications actually make changes. For instance, if a student with ADHD
struggles with crowded text, I may create a test with text that is spaced out
among multiple pages to make the process less overwhelming. For a student
with a learning disability, on the hand, a modification I would implement
would be to have the student complete half of the questions on the test
rather than all of them. Although these examples specifically focus on
assessment, it is equally important to include accommodations and
modifications when teaching lessons to further enhance a students abilities
and prepare them for the assessment.
In addition to accommodations and modifications, the Pennsylvania
Training and Technical Assistance Network, or PaTTAN, explains the intent
and purpose of the education initiative, Response to Instruction and

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Intervention (RtII). This program uses a continuum of student performance
data to continuously inform, monitor, and improve student access and
response to high-quality core and supplemental instruction/intervention
("Response to Instruction and Intervention). Response to Instruction and
Intervention improves learning for all students by supporting groups of
students on different levels and, according to PATTAN, is even deemed an
Every Ed standards-aligned initiative. Therefore, assessments become the
deciding factor in what tier each student is placed in. I believe that Response
to Instruction and Intervention is crucial in a students learning process
because its efforts will affect future assessments by targeting students
specific needs and providing supports that will help them succeed.
A comprehensive assessment system is used to look at assessment as a
whole process. The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education describes the comprehensive assessment system in their article
Comprehensive Assessment System: Rhode Island Criteria and Guidance. A
comprehensive assessment system shows a students achievement
throughout their education through a variety of perspectives and sources.
The variety is attributed to different types of assessment including
diagnostic, benchmark, formative, and summative. While formative
assessments include questioning, quizzes, and observation, summative
assessments test a wider range of knowledge through unit projects or
standardized measures such as the PSSAs. I will use a variety of assessment
types and mediums to gain a full, reliable, and accurate picture my students

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knowledge. For example, while sometimes I may assess my students with
paper and pencil quizzes, I will also be sure to incorporate oral exams,
project-based learning with rubrics, and technology. By using assessments
from a variety of modalities, all students will have an opportunity to
demonstrate their growth in a way that best suits their learning styles.
Assessing students in a way that demonstrates 21st century skills is vital,
as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration are
becoming vital skills in our innovative world. I believe that problem-based
learning is the best way for students to display these skills because it gives
them a certain freedom to create. A project that incorporates all of these
skills would be a group project where the students are required to apply their
knowledge from a unit. The project would be scored using a rubric so that
there are clear expectations for the students to follow and teacher to grade
by.
In reference to collaboration, my classroom will be set up in a way that
encourages group interaction. Student desks will be placed in small groups
to allow students to share ideas and problem solve more efficiently. If
students are able to easily collaborate, they will learn the importance of
teamwork while learning conversation skills and to respect others opinions.
The appearance of the classroom is also important to ensure that students
are comfortable and motivated. The classroom that I will create will be
brightly colored, organized, clean, and have minimal distractions by seating
students where they work best. The goal is create a community of learners

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that enhances the learning experience and prepares the students for their
bright futures.
Hanover Research reviews standards-based grading and how nonacademic factors prevent accurate grades. The whole point of the Common
Core is to prepare students for their futures including being college ready
and functioning members of 21st century society. Factors such as behavior,
attendance, and preparedness inflate grades by adding extra points to the
system, skewing the results that would show a students ability to meet state
standards (Hanover Research). I will weigh student grades based strictly on
academic forms of assessment or curriculum-based assessments. This way a
students grade will reflect curriculum proficiency and achievement. The
question that remains is how to motivate students without grading
everything. Marzano makes some good points that I think are effective in
encouraging learning. Both teachers and students should track progress so
students can establish their own goals and see their progress. Additionally,
teachers should encourage self-reflections so students play a part in
assessing themselves and can compare their perceptions to the teachers. I
will implement data notebooking in which students track their progress and
compile reflections in my classroom so students have opportunities to selfassess their learning.
There is almost nothing more important in a students early life than
education. As Marzanos teachings suggested, I will utilize assessment within
my elementary classroom as a resource that drives the instruction and

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facilitates learning. While assessment may be a teachers best tool, a
teacher is one a students best tool. In order to be an effective educator, it
will be important to focus on differentiated instruction, accommodations and
modifications, 21st century skills, classroom arrangement, grading systems,
and good practices of assessment as a whole. Through motivation and the
power of assessment, 21st century students will become better prepared for
their ever-changing futures.

Works Cited
Comprehensive Assessment System: Rhode Island Criteria and Guidance.
Publication. Rhode
Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, n.d. Web. 20
Apr. 2014.
"Effective Grading Practices in the Middle School and High School
Environments." Hanover
Research (2011): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Marzano, Robert J. Classroom Assessment & Grading That Work. Alexandria,
VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006. Print.
"Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII)." Pennsylvanian Department
of Education.
PaTTAN, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.