A Concluding Note

Back in August, I began this blog and my journey through CEP813 at MSU in the MAET program. My initial blog post was on three beliefs I held about assessment.

It should be dynamic, unbiased, and tailored to the individual student as much as possible. These are lofty ideals, yet all but the latter seem doable. Tailoring an assessment to individual students on a regular basis is nearly impossible. There will always need to be some level of standardization to assess learning. And so, I believe I should to some degree abandon this last belief. Dynamic and unbiased however, are staying put.

If I look back to my work here, in particular the Assessment Design Checklist created through this process of learning, I know now that assessment design requires more pragmatism than idealism.

Ultimately what I landed on were these five elements of design:

1. The assessment should inform the learning of students.

2. The processes of the assessment should be manageable for students.

3. The assessment should adjust student strategies when needed.

4. The assessment should promote ownership of learning.

5. The assessment should be equitable and accessible to all students.

If I consider the afore mentioned beliefs of dynamics and bias, I believe these five points align fully with my intentions, though no longer limited to three beliefs.

So, how did I arrive here?

A great deal by reflecting on how I have operated in the past, revamping old assessments and ideas, and generally re-working the process of making good assessments. But mostly I took into great consideration the elements of assessment, from the course. Beginning with Behaviorism and Constructivism, I knew that an assessment should be achievable, well-paced and manageable. It should be either formative or summative, but the distinction of these intended outcomes should be clear. Formative assessment in particular requires some level of feedback, whether from teacher, peer, or even reflective feedback of the students own work. Creating the opportunity for students to self-assess is a priority in my practice.

The dynamic aspect of design is much more efficiently achieved through some of the digital technologies, applications, and resources we now have available, though a good old fashioned debate to explore argumentation works too. The way in which we are now expected to teach often feels like doing multiple jobs all at once. Aligning remote learning to face to face learning is just one of the recent challenges placed upon educators. Understanding fully, the limits and benefits of LMS’s such as Canvas, Google Classroom, etc., is no longer optional. And being a twenty first century teacher requires the utmost attention to creating a safe and equitable environment for all learners.

Some examples of how I have implemented these concepts include, varied writing assignments which allow students to choose subject and topics about which to write. Multiple attempts at quizzes, providing feedback at crucial intervals of a process, and creating an environment in which learning is valued.

Moving forward, I hope to take these design elements into consideration every time I begin the process of evaluation or assessment.