Assessment Philosophy Statement by Megan Clark

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Every year, a teacher is faced with new classes, new faces, and a variety of learning styles. They
need to have a variety of teaching techniques which adhere to the many learning styles within the
classroom. Assessment plays an integral part in the students learning process, despite the learning styles
or teaching techniques. The assessments used within a classroom are crucial toward determining the
effectiveness of myself as an educator. Assessments can be used as a teachers guide- their tool kit- to
ensure that the most effective practices are used to support every students academic potential. This brief
philosophy will explain what I believe to be the most effective assessment tools needed in promoting and
supporting student success. Through diagnostic and formative assessments, the teacher is able to gain
perspective on each students individual learning styles/learning levels. With this understanding, the
teacher can adjust and modify their lessons in relation to what will effectively support and encourage
student development. The most frequent and emphasized technique should be formative assessment
because it helps the teacher, the students, and the parents gain an in-depth understanding of a students
academic growth. Homework assignments and collective portfolios pose as great formative assessments
within the classroom. However, there comes a time for summative assessments to occur within the
learning process. These assessments should be less frequent and contain more choice to accommodate
multiple learning styles. By incorporating these different assessment techniques in a balanced manner,
classroom assessment will support and encourage student success; allowing each student to reach their
full potential.
Diagnostic testing, meaning pre-testing of students current understanding, should be done at the
beginning of every year. This helps a teacher gain perspective on the students previous content
knowledge and what academic level they are at. With this knowledge in mind, a teacher can properly plan
their lessons for the students needs. The classroom lessons should be adjusted to meet the needs of the
students and this can only be done when a teacher knows the strengths and weaknesses each student
possess. Diagnostic testing guides teaching instruction to set up student success by focusing on what each
student needs to thrive in the classroom. This formative assessment tool is a great foundation towards
creating an open and secure academic environment within the classroom. This encourages students to
freely learn where they are academically with the teachers support for success.
The frequent use of formative assessments within the classroom is strongly emphasized as a key
component of the learning development. Using formative assessment allows a teacher to check in on
students understanding without the pressure of a grade attached to the work. Formative feedback is meant
to assess the students as they are developing to ensure each student is on the right track.This kind of
assessment should be done frequently and be used to give effective and instructive feedback to the
students as they learn. Formative feedback is an accountability tool used by both the teacher and the
student to ensure everyone is succeeding within the classroom, and learning at their full level of potential.
The best kinds of formative assessments are done through frequent feedback, exit slips, and getting
students to keep a portfolio to track their progress through each unit of study.
As mentioned above, the portfolio is an excellent resource for frequently tracking the progress
development of each student on an individual basis. With clear expectations of the portfolios overall
purpose in student development, this can be a key tool to encourage students to keep track of their
learning and take control of their educational development. A portfolio allows students to set goals, fulfill
their own expectations, and visually see their progress through a variety of different assessments, all of
which will be kept together in this one portfolio. These portfolios will be kept up to date, as each
assignment within the classroom is complete and will remain in the classroom at all times. This ensures
that each students portfolio is accessible to the teacher at all times, allows them to check assessments,

and serves as a great resource for parent teacher meetings. A portfolio is a complex, and well organized,
formative tool used to serve the students, teachers, and parental assessment of a students development.
Once formative assessments are in place, there comes a time for summative assessments to occur.
These assessments are less frequent and are solely used to assess the relevant information a student
should have learned in accordance to the course curriculum. Summative assessment is that gold star all
students and parents rely on to describe the students development. Therefore, formative assessments
should be fair and creatively designed to seek student success. It is used to thoroughly understand what a
student has learned, not to challenge what the student has not yet developed. Therefore, the most
successful forms of summative assessment are done by allowing choice within the assessment. Whether it
be choice between test questions, or choice between final projects, students should be allowed a variety of
options and choose which one effectively suits their learning style. This allows students to gain control
over their education because they are able to realize and decide how they personally learn best. It is a
teachers duty to provide students with an environment that promotes their learning success. Giving
choice within the summative assessment ensures this will happen.
If providing opportunities for student success is the main objective behind summative
assessments, then I believe re-testing must be strongly considered depending on the circumstance.
Creating an encouraging community within the classroom to promote student potential is important, as
students need to feel safe to explore, discover, and learn through trial and error. Just as baseball does not
give up on the batter after one strike, teachers shouldnt let students fail because of one bad attempt. There
are a variety of reasons why a student may not succeed the first time around. Therefore by incorporating
re-testing within the classroom to work alongside summative assessments, students have a better chance
at demonstrating their full content knowledge. Providing the opportunity for re-testing will allow students
to enter each assessment without the pressure of failure. Students will be able to enter each assessment
more calmly and confidently, knowing that if something goes wrong, they have another chance to prove
their understanding. That being said, the implementation of re-testing within the classroom needs to have
clear expectations and guidelines so students wont abuse this opportunity for success. Students must be
able to explain and demonstrate why they deserve a retest. They must show the initiative and
determination for a re-testing experience to occur smoothly. In addition, if re-testing is implemented
within the classroom, it must be open for all students to partake in. This means that even students who did
well but want to further improve their grade must be given the equal opportunity at a re-test as the student
who needs the re-test to pass. Re-testing can be a tricky assessment tool to incorporate within the
classroom, but if it is explained effectively and thoroughly, it can assist in teaching for student success.
Through decades of change and educational progress, assigning homework as a form of
assessment continues to pose as a controversial issue. However, I believe that assessment for the
academic and personal growth of a student requires the incorporation of homework into the classroom.
Homework allows students to practice challenging tasks beyond the classroom in their own comfortable
environment. Just as students have a variety of learning styles, they also thrive academically in different
learning environments. Sometimes the classroom setting is not one of those environments. Therefore,
students should be given adequate time in class to begin homework assignments, but some homework
should occur outside the classroom to explore which environments help them thrive academically. When
assigning homework, it should only involve effective/relevant work and not involve busy work for the
mere purpose of giving homework. Homework should only be given out occasionally when relevant to
the class lesson, and be used as a resource for formative assessment. No summative assessments should
be specifically assigned as homework because exterior variables (parental guidance, internet resources,
siblings help) could influence a students assignment; giving an untrue representation of what the student
personally understands. Homework also encourages students to develop personal responsibility over their
education and discover self-motivation techniques, which they will carry with them throughout their
educational career. Furthermore, homework gives students the opportunity to receive consistent
constructive feedback, allowing each student to know if they are progressing well or if they need extra

help. Homework is a great tool for formative assessment as long as it remains relevant to student
development and is properly dispersed over time.
With the proper incorporation of assessment tools in the classroom, students will see these
assessments as a supportive, informative experience, rather than a stressful one. Formative assessments
can create a foundation towards leading students on the right learning path. Through consistent feedback,
occasional homework tasks, and portfolio tracking, students can gain a thorough understanding of where
they are academically, and where they need be. Formative assessments demonstrate to each student that
teachers are here to support and aid in their academic success. When explained thoroughly and used
effectively, summative assessments can be just as motivating and supportive of student success. The best
way to make this happen is by giving re-tests for multiple opportunities and allowing choices within the
assessment to meet all learning needs. By keeping the variety of learning styles in mind as a teacher
plans, proper assessment can be developed to ensure students reach their full academic potential.