![]() Assessment becomes even more relevant when students become involved in their own assessment. Alternative assessments are designed so that the content of the assessment matches the content of the instruction.Įffective assessments give students feedback on how well they understand the information and on what they need to improve, while helping teachers better design instruction. Examples of these measurements are open-ended questions, written compositions, oral presentations, projects, experiments, and portfolios of student work. Rather than 'teach to the test,' we must 'test what we teach.'" -Lockwood and McLean Alternative AssessmentĪlternative assessment, often called authentic, comprehensive, or performance assessment, is usually designed by the teacher to gauge students' understanding of material. ![]() It cannot be used to merely sort students or to criticize education. The questions then become: What is evidence-based assessment? Is it standardized tests? Is it portfolios? If portfolios are a part of evidence-based assessment, what else is necessary? Reflections? Work samples? Best work? "If assessment is to be a positive force in education, it must be implemented properly. Visit Edutopia's Common Core State Standards Resource page for more information about the standards. ![]() Standards for English language arts and mathematics were published in 2010, while standards for science and social studies are still in development. The vast majority of states have pledged to adopt the standards and implement them by 2015. The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS), as it has become known, is still an evolving movement. In the spring of 2009, an initiative was created to develop a set of standards for all states in the United States to adhere to. Often, in fact, standardized tests are not aligned with state and district content standards, causing considerable disconnect between what is being taught and what is being tested. Standardized tests should not be confused with the standards movement, which advocates specific grade-level content and performance standards in key subject areas. Throughout the country, and with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act (which requires research-based assessment), student performance on these tests has become the basis for such critical decisions as student promotion from one grade to the next, and compensation for teachers and administrators. Everything about the test is standard - from the questions themselves, to the length of time students have to complete it (although some exceptions may be made for students with learning or physical disabilities), to the time of year in which the test is taken. Every student at a particular grade level is required to take the same test. "Assessment should be deliberately designed to improve and educate student performance, not merely to audit as most school tests currently do." -Grant Wiggins, EdD., president and director of programs, Relearning by Design, Ewing, New Jersey Standardized AssessmentĪlmost every school district now administers state-mandated standardized tests.
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