Parker, Kathryn

10/1/15
PRQ #4

When making our assessments, we should always keep the

standard in mind. We should make sure that our grading system,
whether letter grades or percentages, truly reflects our students
achievements. We should also bear in mind Vygotskys Zone of
Proximal Development and ensure our instruction and assessments
push students to the next Zone of Proximal Development. Our
assessments should be for learning and not only be used as a way to
monitor student learning. They should be inclusive of the learner and
help them take their education into their own hands. As teachers, we
need to be familiar with a variety of both formative and informative
assessments to use in our classrooms. This will ensure that our
students are truly learning and becoming more critical thinkers.
Just as there are many types of assessments out there, there are
many ways to measure and enhance student learning. One way is
through the grades we give. Chapter 12 of Burden and Byrds text
discusses multiple systems to distribute grades. One system they
discuss is called letter grades. This is the most typically used grading
system. In this system, a single letter (A, B, C, D, F) is used to
represent a students achievement. (Burden and Byrd, p. 316) It is
relatively easy for a teacher to take the grades in their grade book and
convert those grades into a letter. In addition, there is also a plus and
minus system integrated into this that can more accurately show

student achievement. Using the letter grade system, we can give

parents and students an idea of how they are doing in school.
According to Vygotsky, the Zone of Proximal Development is the
distance between the actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential development
determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers. (Vygotsky, p. 86) In other
words, the Zone of Proximal development is the difference between
what students are cognitively able to do on their own and what they
can cognitively do with assistance from teachers or peers. Our job as
teachers to help students get to the point that they can do on their
own what they used to need assistance in order to accomplish. By
keeping Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development in mind, we can
better plan assessments that will bring students to the next Zone of
Proximal Development.
Another way to enhance student learning through assessments is
to begin assessing for learning. According to the Stiggins article,
Assessment for learning turns the day-to-day assessment into a
teaching and learning process that enhances (instead of merely
monitoring) student learning. (Stiggins, p. 22) When we create
assessments for learning, we are using the assessment as a learning
tool and not just to see if they know the material. When we do this, we
are setting the students up for success and helping them turn failures

into success. When they see tests as a learning opportunity and not as
a be-all-end-all of their grade, they will be motivated to do better
because they know they are not failures.
According to Guillaume, assessment needs to be inclusive of the
learner. The ultimate goal in this assessment mindset is that students
can analyze their own progress, motivate their own learning and
action, and renew themselves as people. (Guillaume, p. 190) We want
our students to become self-assessors who are not as dependent on
authority to provide ultimate evaluation of their work. (Guillaume, p.
190) By allowing the students to have a choice in the form of
assessment or the setting in which they are assessed, we are being
inclusive of the learner and helping them take their education into their
own hands. We are helping them to become self-assessors.
TPE 3.1 states Candidates understand and use a variety of
informal and formal, as well as formative and summative assessments,
at varying levels of cognitive demand to determine students progress
and plan instructions. (Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
(2013)) This means that teacher candidates must be familiar with
multiple methods of assessment and be able to determine which
assessments best meet the needs of their students. Especially with the
new Common Core Standards, our students will be thinking more
critically and therefore will need experience with more cognitively
demanding assessments in order to achieve the standards.

In conclusion, there are multiple methods with which to assess.

We as teachers are to gradually give students control in how they are
assessed. By giving them control over their testing environment and
what they are assessed on, we are allowing them to take control of
their education. We are helping them become self-assessors. A longterm goal for us as teachers is to help our students become better
prepared for the college and career world.

Bibliography

Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2013). Methods for effective teaching:
Meeting the needs of all students (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2013). California teaching
performance expectations. Retrieved from
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/TPA-files/TPEs-Full-Version.pdf
Guillaume, A. K-12 Classroom Teaching: A Primer for New
Professionals (3rd Edition). Retrieved from
http://learn.vanguard.edu/pluginfile.php/420353/mod_resource/content
/3/Guillaume%20-%20Assessment%20Needs%20to%20Include
%20Student.pdf
Stiggins, R. Assessment Through the Students Eyes. Retrieved
from
http://learn.vanguard.edu/pluginfile.php/420355/mod_resource/content
/2/Stiggins%20-%20Assessment%20through%20the%20Students
%20eyes.pdf
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Interaction between learning and
development. In Mind in Society: The development of higher
psychological processes (pp. 79-91). Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.