Why Change Classroom Assessment?

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind is designed to support teachers in assessing their students effectively, efficiently and fairly, and to serve as a basis for designing professional learning. It has been produced by the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education (WNCP), a partnership of provinces and territories with a mandate to provide quality education for all students—from Kindergarten to Grade 12—through collaboration in educational programs and services.

This document focuses on "the kind of assessment that is an integral part of regular activity in every classroom, every day. It is designed to provide a framework for thinking as teachers, administrators and professional developers work together over time in developing and using assessment in their classrooms to differentiate and facilitate learning for all students."

As the document notes, "The current focus on classroom assessment comes out of changes that have been occurring over many years, in particular during the last decade of educational reform in teaching and learning. Section I of this document provides a context in which to understand these changes, particularly social and historical changes. It also examines how classroom assessment is used for multiple purposes, with special attention to the role of differentiated learning."

Chapter 1: Why Change Classroom Assessment? makes the case for how classroom assessment can be used to improve student learning and motivation. It addresses the effects on learning, effects on motivation and its use with differentiated learning. As reviewed in this chapter, classroom assessment is most effective when used frequently and the output is used to motivate the students positively and to support each student's learning needs.

"Stages in Growth from Emergent to Proficient" is a concept presented in Chapter 1. 

When they are learning in any area, students make connections and move along a continuum from emergent to proficient. Learners at the emergent stage are generally uncertain and rely heavily on direct instruction, modeling and whatever "rules" may exist to give them direction about how to proceed, with little sense of underlying patterns. As learners become more competent, they develop more complex schemata of understanding, gain in confidence and independence and become efficient in problem-solving within new contexts. They are able to apply the new learning independently and direct their own learning.

When teachers understand this emergent-to-proficient process as it relates to curriculum outcomes, they can use assessment as the mechanism for helping students understand and value their own learning and predict what comes next. The ongoing cycle of assessment and feedback can guide students and scaffold their learning as they move along the learning continuum.

To read pages 5-8 from Chapter 1 of this document, click on Chapter 1 Why Change Classroom Assessment? .
To read the complete document, click on Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind.

Source:

Chapter 1 Why Change Classroom Assessment?, Pages 5-8, Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind, developed by Dr. Lorna Earl and Dr. Steven Katz from Aporia Consulting, in collaboration with the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education (WNCP) assessment team, 2006

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended for general reference purposes only. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.