#4 Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning

This week’s reading was interesting because I got to see ideas on different ways to accurately assess whether or not students are learning the task that was assigned.  I liked the Spokane County Schools grading handbook.  I agree with most of it, but I’m not totally on board with the section about not using zeros as a score.  I believe that if a student chooses not to do an assignment, they should receive a zero as a grade.  My daughter is a sophomore at Cheney High School, and her English teacher doesn’t believe in failing kids for any reason, so if a student decides to not complete an assignment, they still get a 50%.  If the student doesn’t complete any assignments for the entire grading period, they still can earn a D for the class.  Her teacher uses tests instead of homework assignments to assess comprehension and understanding of the target standard.

I love reading and talking about literature, but I struggle with writing critical analysis’ of literature I have read.  Assessing and Evaluating Students’ Learning helped me to understand that there are more ways to assess progress other than tests and essays.  The students I work with hate essays, because they seem big and scary and eventually they complete them successfully.  One alternative to essays and testing is to do a journal, blog or chat.  Before taking this class, I had never done a blog, and it took a little bit for me to figure out how to do it, but now it seems pretty easy, and it’s a good way for me to articulate what I think about the reading and how it relates to me and my current life.  When I am a full time teacher, I will probably find a way to integrate this concept into my lesson planning.

I don’t think that writing assignments in general are evil, but I do think that they need to be well thought out and a planned part of the curriculum.  One of the struggles I deal with as an “older” college student is that in the 20+ years since I finished high school, the way we write essays and research papers is very different than I remember.  I am having to teach myself how to properly respond to a writing prompt as well read and analyze the material I am writing about.  I look forward to finding new and interesting ways to keep my students engaged with the writing task.