Session3: Assessment and Rubrics

The Value of Reflection

There are millions of ways to be a great teacher and zillions of ways to make learning engaging.  Even the best teachers need continued professional development that encourages them to evaluate what, how, and why they do what they do.  Reflection enables us to re-evaluate what we do, to create plans to help us maximize what we do, and to infuse new, neglected, or forgotten tools back into the educational process to the benefit of ourselves and our students.

Assessment

I find the amount of time students have to endure summative assessments in 2010 alarming.  Yes, it is an important piece of the evaluative process, but it is consuming too much time to the detriment of teaching and the fear and stress associated with it from the top down affects not only morale, but also the education our students are receiving.  How much better the time would be spent on more project based learning, peer collaboration, scientific exploration, and engaging lessons rather than more practice on how to take a test! 

The increase in formative assessments and data driven instruction are two very strong trends in education currently that truly do impact student learning in a positive way.  We are losing many opportunities to fully engage and appreciate more learners when we rely most heavily on a handful of summative assessments that undervalue the achievements of many who could be educational superstars if their needs were met and their abilities appreciated for the contributions they make. 

I loved how the Edutopia article stated that skills such as teamwork, collaboration and moral character are among those critical to success that aren’t measured by typical standardized tests.   In addition, the critical skills needed for students in the 21^st century- recall, analysis, comparison, inference, and evaluation- are all essential components to success in project-based learning.

Rubrics and Project Based Learning

One item that I truly believe in that I’ve neglected in recent years is the use of rubrics.  I love rubrics!  Creating the rubrics helps the educator clarify their expectations, identify their priorities, and provides a tool to communicate the expectations for successful completion of the task to their students.  Of all the professional development sessions sponsored by my school system through the years, I will say the two most beneficial were those about Rubrics and Thinking Maps graphic organizers.  That said- I don’t use them as much as I could in the library.  Since these discussions on Project Based Learning and the refresher on Rubrics I am committed to employing them more as I move forward this year. Well-designed rubrics support your visual learners by providing an easy-to-understand, brief visual recap of your expectations, your auditory learners as you introduce and explain the rubric, and your tactile learners as they have a piece of paper they can manipulate and write notes on, use as a checklist, etc.   It’s easy to tell your learners what you expect, but showing them helps ensure that they are on target and also helps them learn what a quality product must include.

Porfolios and Multiple Intelligences

Portfolios are an excellent way to showcase both student growth and student ability without the confines of standardized testing.  Not every child excels in "test taking" but that doesn't mean they don't possess valuable skills in other areas.  Every teacher should have more to offer during conferences than test scores.  Actual work samples, especially when collected throughout the year, can document student growth in a way standardized testing cannot. 

When I taught first grade I did a simple "portfolio" as a keepsake for the parents.  On the first day of school I took a picture of each student, had them write their name 5x on a piece of primary lined paper, draw a self-portrait, and write their first story, and would have my assistant record their answers on an apple pre-printed with "fifteen favorites" (ie: color, food, etc.).  We would repeat these exact same activities in June and I would put each entry side-by-side so parents could see the amazing growth their child achieved during first grade.  It's amazing how much those few simple samples provided.