Experts agree that when students are involved in the assessment process, they take a greater interest in their own learning. Here are some teacher-tested strategies that give students opportunities to gauge their understanding and performance.
Reflect and revise. Teachers know that not all students will grasp important concepts the first time around. Giving students a chance to reflect on and revise previously completed work will help ensure that they do, ultimately, master content objectives.
Note: Reflection is a key part of this process. Students should be able to describe why they made initial errors and what they need to do to bring their work up to standards.
Use rubrics. Students can use the same tool to self- and peer-assess assignments that teachers employ to assess their work. If students write a short summary of an article they read, for example, they can use a rubric to determine how well their work meets the established criteria for the assignment.
Caution: If teachers find that some students give themselves high marks without critically reviewing their work, they can model how to use the rubric, asking questions such as: Does this piece include a particular element? Is the grammar and punctuation correct? Once shown how to use the tool, teachers find that students are honest with themselves about the quality of their work.
The exit slip.Give students a chance to assess the teacher, too. Teachers can give students a form to fill out and turn in at the end of class. The form may state the learning objectives for that day's lesson and ask students to reflect on what they learned. Did they accomplish the stated goals? How did the teacher help them reach those goals? The exit slip gives teachers information that helps them determine which students need to review the concepts, as well as which activities and instructional approaches students found meaningful.
One option: Give students extra-credit points for completing the forms.
It's Our Position!
ASCD members have long supported the notion that assessment should be balanced and fair. As early as 1971 and as recently as 2004, members have supported position statements that maintain that external tests should not determine the goals and content of the curriculum. Instead, say ASCD members, assessment should be used to guide programs, determine instruction, influence resource allocations, and make judgments about student learning. For more information and to read other ASCD position statements, visit www.ascd.org.