assessment assessment assessment

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Today in class we discussed assessment in regards to mathematics, but I feel what we learned applies to assessment in all areas, and ultimately for the entire education experience. For these posts I normally reflect on the in-class activities, but today a chords was struck with me regarding assessment that I want to share! 

After reflecting after class I came to the realization that education has shifted to focus on student growth, development, and preparation for succeeding in the real world. I believe this is in the best interest of students, as the 'real world' consists of personal life, social life, and work life. Rather than focusing simply on intelligence, students are encouraged and taught to succeed in their learning skills, work habits, self-assessment/reflection, and performance of the achievement chart requirements. With the mastering of the above skills and goals, students' intelligence will develop as well, but instead of singularly being successful in academics, they will be well-rounded and have greater triumph in many areas of their lives. Even with mathematics, which appears to be academically driven and thus one would assume assessed purely academically, is a subject that can teach life skills, higher order thinking, and reflect in one's everyday life. I believe with the focus shifting to now constantly assessing these skills, the newer generations will likely see greater percentages of students proceeding to post-secondary education or succeeding in the work force.

In regards to learning skills and work habits, the emphasis on becoming proficient in the categories directly translates to real world experiences. For example, responsibility requires students to take responsibility and manage their own behaviour, which will translate into future careers where they will be required to complete and submit their work to due-dates, spend personal time working on projects, use work time efficiently, etc. In regards to collaboration, students must accept various roles and an equitable share of work in their groups, work with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals, as well as build healthy relationships. This translates into the real world with work in teams, working on company projects, and building healthy relationships and work and personal life. A final example, initiative, has students looking for and acting on new ideas and opportunities for learning, which in real life is how you progress. It asks students to demonstrate their willingness to take risks, which is how one can become they best they can be. It also suggests approaching new tasks with a positive attitude, which is the best outlook one can have on life.

The achievement chart is broken down into knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, and application. This can be translated to the "know, how, be" model. Knowledge and understanding means knowing the content and mastering it. Thinking and communication show how a student knows the content, through their planning, processing, critical and creative thinking, expression, organization, conventions, vocabulary, and technology. The application of the content such as applying and transferring the knowledge and skills as well as making connections between various contexts, demonstrates the type of learner and person a student can be, such as conscious and proactive about social justice issues.

Finally, the text book talks about assessment for learning and as learning are great tools in the overall assessment of students comprehension and proficiency of the above. Not only do teachers constantly and thoroughly assess students by giving descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement (a concept less practiced with previous generations of students), but through assessment as learning they also model how to assess and thus encourage students to develop their own capacity to be independent, autonomous learners. They suggest setting individual goals, monitoring one's own progress, and determining the next steps. A big part of assessment as learning is reflection. Students are given opportunities to reflect on their own learning and thinking, which will only prepare them for life long finesse in self-reflection. This is a skill I wish I had been introduced to during my educational experience, as reflection is a phenomenal skill to utilize on a daily basis.

I now believe assessment, in regards to mathematics but also in general, is something to give and teach students to covet, take advantage of, and improve their overall skill set, not just in mathematics but in all areas of their life.