Andrew Miller, a contributing writer for Edutopia, has recently published an article on assessment in the classroom. He suggests that informal “interviews or chats” with our students are more effective in assessment than formalized tests.
Assessment can be scary. Miller suggests that “the word assessment carries a lot of baggage and can cause anxiety in both teachers and our students;” to circumvent this anxiety, Miller offers three tips to “reframe the narrative of assessment” to something more conversational and less mentally taxing:
- Preparing for the conversation:
Miller recommends that teacher construct a list of “intentional questions” that will guarantee you are gathering evidence of their learning. To this point, Miller has a few suggestions to get us started.
“General questions and prompts such as ‘What are you learning about?’ and ‘Tell me more about that’ are useful for getting the student talking, but you’ll also need some more specific questions and prompts. You can start by reviewing the learning targets in the unit and crafting questions that connect to those learning targets, and any other explicit goals you have set out for your students.”
He also suggests the “sequence the questions” tactic which includes asking progressively “higher thinking questions.” However, in order to use this assessment strategies correctly, “It’s important to know what you want to assess and to have the goals in mind as you ask questions and probe for student thinking. Use your questions as resources rather than as a script.”
- Choosing between obtrusive and unobtrusive assessment:
Miller describes unobtrusive assessments as assessments that “do not interrupt the learning process,” and that are “low-stakes” given that the students are not aware they’re being assessed. Examples of these assessments include informal chats.
Informal chats can be complicated through a slightly more obtrusive assessment method called “couch quizzes.” In a series of 60 second interviews, teachers can assess student learning throughout a unit “in a nonpunitive way.”
- Documenting student progress:
Miller highlights documentation as a pivotal part of the assessment process. He advises teachers to use pencil and paper to document student learning since some teachers “[are more] focused on the data entry rather than on listening to the student.” He also supplies worksheet recommendations that “are quick and don’t require a lot of note taking,” especially if you are familiar with the learning targets.
- A sheet that lists all student names
- A sheet that lists learning goals, the conversations (assessments) you have with that student, and a score for each assessment
Miller concludes that assessment does not have to be anxiety-producing for either student or teacher. A “low-stress, low-stakes” method is not only a viable assessment option, but also assists in fostering a healthy relationship between student and teacher that “can lead to better student learning.”
-Melissa Hoppie, Graduate Research Assistant
