Mr. Tschritter’s Assessment Philosophy: A Focus

on Student Growth and Improving Learning

Created by Michael Tschritter

(Updated June 27, 2016)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE ........................................................................................... PAGE 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... PAGE 2

ASSESSMENT PHILOSOPHY/PLAN RATIONALE ......................................... PAGE 3

GUIDING VALUE STATEMENTS ........................................................... PAGES 3-4

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT/DOCUMENTATION OF LEARNING ............. PAGES 4-5

TYPES OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS ................................................ PAGES 6-8

DIGITAL STUDENT PORTFOLIOS .................................................................. PAGES 6-7 PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ....................................................................... PAGES 7-8

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT VS. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT ............... PAGES 8-13

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ....................................................................... PAGES 8-11 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT .................................................................... PAGES 12-13

SELF-ASSESSMENT AND COLLABORATION .................................... PAGES 13-14

REFERENCES .................................................................................. PAGES 15-16

Assessment Philosophy/Plan Rationale

I believe that the purpose of student assessment is to accurately measure the learning

growth of each individual student in the classroom and in turn use the results of an assessment to

improve student learning. When many people think of assessment they often only think of the

summative assessments that are used to measure student progress for reporting purposes.

However, in my opinion this understanding of assessment is incomplete because it discounts

multi-faceted nature of assessment and the learning that happens each and every day in the

classroom. Learning is a life-long process and any form of assessment needs to be used to

support this process. With this view at the heart of my vision for how assessment supports

student growth and learning, I believe that assessment has three main purposes:

Express Understanding: To allow students to express their understanding of programs

of study objectives in ways that are socially relevant to them using numerous and varied

assessment tools/techniques.

Constructive Feedback: To allow students to receive meaningful, constructive feedback

from their teacher on their learning that helps each students to understand areas of

personal strength and areas in which they can continue to grow.

Self-reflection and Self-Monitoring: To allow students to actively self-reflect and self-

monitor their own learning so that they can understand effective methods that help them

learn best.

Guiding Value Statements

I believe that as an educator it is my professional duty to use assessment to guide my

instructional methods so that I can best support the success of my students. Much like we

encourage students to take an active role in self-monitoring their own learning, I have thoroughly

reflected upon the values that will guide my plan for how to use assessment to improve student

learning. As a result, I have developed several guiding value statements that I use in order to

guide how I assess student. These guiding value statements are as follows:

1. The ultimate purpose of assessment is to support and enhance student learning.

2. Every student is a unique individual with a broad spectrum of abilities, skills, and knowledge.

3. Assessment should focus on all key areas of student learning and development: Core

academics, the arts, character education, ethical citizenship, social responsibility, and physical

fitness/wellness.

4. A wide variety of assessment tools and techniques shall be considered and utilized, including

formal and informal methods of assessment.

5. Assessment will be based on valid standards such as the programs of study expectations, age

and/or developmentally appropriate activities, and individual needs.

6. Assessment will guide the methods that I use to analyze and adjust my instructional methods

and/or the learning environment in order to help each of my students succeed.

7. Assessment data shall be communicated to students, parents, and community on a timely

basis.

8. The communication of assessment data will be provided in student-friendly language

appropriate to the grade level of children that I am teaching so that each child can accurately

understand and monitor where they are at in the learning process.

Authentic Assessment and the Documentation of the Learning Process

I believe in using authentic assessment in order to help me to accurately gauge where

each of my students is at in the learning process. What is authentic assessment? Authentic

assessment aims to evaluate students' abilities in 'real-world' contexts. In other words, students

learn how to apply their skills to authentic tasks and projects. Authentic assessment does not

encourage rote learning and passive test-taking. Instead, it focuses on students' analytical skills;

ability to integrate what they learn; creativity; ability to work collaboratively; and written and

oral expression skills. It values the learning process as much as the finished product (Sandbox

Network, 2016, n.p.). An authentic assessment has the following six important characteristics:

1. The assessment reflects the way the information or skills would be used in the real world.

2. The assessment has more than one correct answer or way of finding the answer.

3. The students actually have to go through the steps of solving the problem as if they were in the

real world.

4. The assessment is done in situations and conditions as similar to the real world as possible.

5. Students must use a wide range of skills to complete the problem.

6. The assessment allows for feedback, practice, and second chances to solve the problem.

The reason I use this type of assessment is to discover how well the students actually

understand the material. I want to be able to see how they have constructed meaning of the

concepts and how they apply their understanding to real situations. Students learn vital life skills

such as thinking critically and developing communication skills while working through these

assessments. This allows the students to see that the learning process is important because they

see how the information and skills can be used in their everyday lives. I also use this type of

assessment because it helps me improve my teaching. I learn what strategies work for helping

students to grow and which ones do not and adapt my teaching strategies to meet my students’

needs accordingly.

Types of Authentic Assessments

Digital Student Portfolios

One of the major on-going forms of authentic assessment that all of the students will

participate in during the school year is the development of a digital portfolio. This digital

portfolio will be created through one of the following online digital platforms (ClassDojo, Fresh

Grade, Google Sites or Weebly) and will be accessible both at home and at school. In each

child’s digital portfolio, he or she will place artifacts that represent different moments from

within the learning process. Examples of artifacts include samples of work/projects, pictures, and

videos that indicate particularly impactful moments within the child’s learning.

Furthermore, throughout the school year each student will be expected to regularly reflect

upon his or her digital portfolio through positing short reflective comments about their individual

work. The purpose of the reflections that the students do will be twofold. Firstly, some of the

students’ comments within their portfolios may provide details about how a particular artifact

meets a particular curriculum objective. Secondly, the digital portfolio will be a tool of personal

growth, allowing each student to develop particular aspects of their portfolios based on what is

important to them, their unique knowledge, and their innate skills. In this regard, an artifact in

the portfolio may include an explanation of the context of the material, where/when the artifact

was completed, why it was done (its purpose), and what learning or capacities are demonstrated

through its inclusion.

I will actively support the children in the construction of their digital portfolios by

conferencing with them about the importance of selecting artifacts that show a progression of

their learning growth and not just selecting their best pieces of “final product” work. I will also

actively encourage each student’s parents to ask their child about his or her digital portfolio

regularly and spend time together viewing and celebrating the learning process. Finally, through

viewing each student’s digital portfolio I will be able to fully understand his or understanding of

the curricular objectives they are learning and how I can ensure that each child experiences

success within the learning process.

Project-Based Learning

Project-Based learning will also be at the core of many of these authentic assessments.

Project-Based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by

working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex

question, problem, or challenge. Examples of such projects may include drama skits, debates,

stories, and model creation to name a few. I believe that this method of learning is so much more

impactful than any lecture could ever be because the students actually have the opportunity to

work hands-on with various materials while their brains look for ways to actively construct

meaning/understanding.

Project-Based learning in my classroom will highlight the importance of taking an

extended period of time to engage with a problem/task. Through taking this extra time, the

students will have a much greater opportunity to explore multiple solutions to a problem and as a

result construct deeper meaning about the concepts they are learning.

The importance of reflection in the learning process is another area that will be

emphasized in these projects because often the numerous steps that students will take in

completing these projects will allow them to grow as learners through examining the

effectiveness of the steps they took in their project activities, the quality of their work, and how

they overcame the obstacles they faced.

The students will also have the opportunity to engage with many of Alberta’s Ministerial

Order Competencies during these projects. The core idea of project-based learning is that real-

world problems capture students' interest and provoke serious thinking as the students acquire

and apply new knowledge in a problem-solving context. Therefore, these projects allow the

students to develop the skills of thinking critically, managing information, applying multiple

literacies, and identifying and solving complex problems. The teacher plays the role of

facilitator, working with students to frame worthwhile questions, structuring meaningful tasks,

coaching both knowledge development and social skills, and carefully assessing what students

have learned from the experience. Typical projects will present a problem to solve or a

phenomenon to investigate. In accordance with the essential elements of Project-Based Learning

recommended by Larmer & Mergendoller (2010), the following Ministerial Order Competencies

will also be utilized:

Innovation through providing students with a degree of choice/voice in how to develop

and/or structure their project.

Demonstrating good communication skills through being able to work collaboratively

and/or provide feedback to others to help them enhance their project.

Formative Assessment vs. Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

In their book, An Introduction to Student-Involved Assessment for Learning Rick Stiggins

and Jan Chappuis (2012) advocate for an assessment model that recognizes the significant role

that formative assessment for learning plays in the assessment process. According to Stiggins

and Chappuis (2012) “the goal of formative assessment for learning is to monitor student

learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by teachers to improve their teaching and

by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments help students

identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work” (p. 14).

In a similar view, W. James Propham argues in his book Transformative Assessment that

“formative assessment is a planned process in which assessment-elicited evidence of students'

[work] is used by teachers to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures or by students to

adjust their current learning tactics” (2008, p. 9).

I personally value formative assessment as an integral part of the learning process in my

classroom because it helps me to recognize, understand, and value the learning that my students

complete. It is one of my core beliefs as a teacher that the purpose of formative assessment

should be to measure students’ day-to-day learning and to allow the students to receive

constructive feedback on strengths and challenges within their own learning. The students can

then grow through taking into consideration this constructive feedback and use it to further refine

their understanding of the concepts being learned. Moreover, I believe that formative assessment

is also a powerful tool that allows me to adjust my instructional methods in order to meet my

students’ needs as they are learning. I feel that it is extremely important for me to use a wide

variety of formative assessment tools to measure the students’ understanding during the learning

process so that each student has the opportunity to truly demonstrate his or her understanding.

With this view in mind, I will briefly list several of the formative assessments that I will use in

my classroom:

Blooms Taxonomy Levelled Questioning: I always have and will continue to pose

questions to individual students and groups of students during the learning process to

determine what specific concepts or skills they understand and/or may be having trouble

with. I employ Blooms Taxonomy thoughtfully throughout the questions that I ask

students in order to ensure that higher-order thinking skills are being developed by all

students. For example, I regularly look for ways to take information-based learning

(which would traditionally be questions that require students to remember facts or

information) and transform this learning into questions that invite students to analyze,

evaluate, and create.

Observations/Anecdotal Notes: I believe that observing students as they are learning

helps me to understand what my students do and do not know. One of the most common

forms of observation I use is anecdotal notes which are short notes written during a

lesson as students work in groups or individually, or after the lesson is complete. I also

keep a notebook of the individual anecdotal notes divided into sections for the individual

students. With this method, all of the observations on an individual student are together

and help me to gain a clearer picture of the individual student’s learning style over time.

Exit Slips and Admit Slips: “Exit slips” that quickly collect student responses to my

questions at the end of a lesson or class period. Based on what the responses indicate, I

can then modify the next lesson to address concepts that students have failed to

comprehend or skills they may be struggling with. “Admit slips” are a similar strategy

that I have used at the beginning of a lesson to determine what students have retained

from previous learning experiences.

Learning Logs: Learning logs are used for students' reflections on the material they are

learning. In the log, students record the process they go through in learning something

new, and any questions they may need to have clarified. I believe that this allows students

to make connections to what they have learned, set goals, and reflect upon their learning

process. The act of writing about thinking helps students become deeper thinkers and

better writers.

Graphic Organizers: Graphic organizers are visual models that can assist students in

organizing information and communicating clearly and effectively. Students can use

graphic organizers to structure their writing, brainstorm ideas, assist in decision making,

clarify story structure, help with problem solving, and plan research. Graphic organizers

that I will encourage students to use include Concept Maps, Mind Maps, KWL Charts,

Fishbone Diagrams, T-Charts, and Venn Diagrams.

Individual Whiteboards: Individual whiteboards are a great way to hold all students in

the class accountable for their learning. I feel that individual whiteboards actively

involve students in their learning and are a terrific tool in the formative assessment

process because they give me immediate information about student learning. When

students complete their work and hold their whiteboard up, I can quickly determine who

is understanding and who needs help and adjust my instruction accordingly.

Self-Assessments: Self-assessments that ask students to think about their own learning

process, to reflect on what they do well or struggle with, and to articulate what they have

learned or still need to learn to meet learning goals. Brief written reflections are one of

the most effective ways that I have found to encourage my students to self-assess and

self-monitor their own learning.

Peer Assessments: Peer assessments that allow students to use one another as learning

resources. For instance, I have previously had students utilize their classmates in order to

peer evaluate and provide constructive feedback on their work.

Summative Assessment

I believe that summative assessment is also an important piece of the assessment process.

The Eberly Centre of Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation avows “the goal of

summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit [or at

incremental points throughout the unit] by comparing it against some standard or benchmark …

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or [teachers]

use it to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent classes” (n.d., para. 3 & 5). Furthermore,

Stiggins and Chappuis (2012) assert that regardless of the type of format used, summative

assessment or assessment of learning should provide teachers and students with information

about the attainment of content knowledge (p. 99).

I think that summative assessment is important throughout a unit in order to allow

students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts at the end of a section of learning.

Accordingly, I feel that it is important for me to use several different types of summative

assessment tools to measure my students’ progress throughout the school year in order to allow

each of my students to demonstrate their true understanding of the concepts that they have been

learning. With this view in mind, I will briefly list some examples of the summative assessments

that I will use in my classroom:

Digital Student Portfolios: As I states previously, one of the major on-going forms of

assessment that all of the students will participate in during the school year is the

development of a digital portfolio. This digital portfolio will be created through one of

the following online digital platforms (ClassDojo, Fresh Grade, Google Sites or Weebly)

and will be accessible both at home and at school. In each child’s digital portfolio, he or

she will place artifacts that represent different moments from within the learning process.

Examples of artifacts include samples of work/projects, pictures, and videos that indicate

particularly impactful moments within the child’s learning.

Performance Tasks: A performance task is any learning activity or assessment that asks

students to perform to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and proficiency.

Performance tasks yield a tangible product and/or performance that serve as evidence of

learning. Unlike a selected-response item (e.g., multiple-choice or matching) that asks

students to select from given alternatives, a performance task presents a situation that

calls for learners to apply their learning in context. Each performance task will vary

depending on the learning outcome(s) being evaluated but will always take into account

real world applicability.

Self-Assessment and Collaboration

In accordance with the important need for student reflection, self-assessment or

assessment as learning will provide further opportunity for students to examine their learning

growth. As often as possible, I will provide the children with classroom time to assess their own

work using checklists and rubrics that the class has helped to create. I think that sharing the

criteria-building process with the students is extremely important because it helps them to know

exactly what is expected and become accountable for striving to learn to the best of their

abilities. It is necessary for students to engage in self-assessment because often as students self-

examine their work, they will realize their areas of strength and areas that they need to continue

working on in their learning.

Finally, collaboration will be an important part of the learning environment in our

classroom. I believe collaboration is essential to support learning growth because it encourages

children to cooperate, improves social and interpersonal skills, and helps them to better

understand the material at hand through discussion and a team learning effort. One of the most

frequent collaborative techniques that you may be used as part of the assessment process is peer

revision. Peer revision is a form of formative assessment where the child will share his or her

work with another partner and get feedback based on the checklists and rubrics the class has

agreed upon. Like all formative assessment, the purpose of peer revision will be to provide the

students with constructive feedback that he or she can then use to continue building upon the

learning process.

References

Alberta Regional Consortia. (2016). Learning through competencies. Retrieved from

http://erlc.ca/resources/resources/cross_curricular_competencies_overview/

Black, P & William, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom

assessment. Phi Delta Kappan 30(1), 139-148.

Earl, L. M. (2012). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student

learning second edition. Washington, D.C.: Corwin Press Inc.

Eberly Centre of Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation. (n.d.). What is the difference

between formative and summative assessment? Retrieved from

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

Government of Alberta. (2013). Department of education ministerial order (#001/2013).

Retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/media/6950988/mostudentlearning.pdf

Inspiring Education Steering Committee. (2010). Inspiring Education: A dialogue with

Albertans. Retrieved from

https://ideas.education.alberta.ca/media/14847/inspiring%20education%20steering%20co

mmittee%20report.pdf

Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J. R. (2010). Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning.

Educational Leadership, 68(1), 34–37. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Ess

entials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx

Popham, W. J. (2013). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know seventh edition.

Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative assessment. Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Development (ASCD): Alexandria, VA.

Sandbox Network. (2016). Authentic Assessment Overview. Retrieved from

https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-methods-and-management/educational-

testing/4911.html?page=1

Stiggins, R. J. & Chappuis, J. (2012). An introduction to student-involved assessment for

learning sixth edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.