The value of Assessments in the Classroom

The Dilemma of Proper Placement

A dilemma teachers and administrators face each year is the proper placement or designation of a student. This problem stems from the various educational, socioeconomic or physical/mental developmental backgrounds a student may have. As a result, not all students will fit in the same group. How does one separate or place students in the right class or program?

Assessments are part of the answer. These educational tools can be a valuable asset for teachers, students, administrators, and parents. If done correctly, these tools can:

• place a student in a proper class or program,

• help teachers and administrators form a better and effective lesson plan, and

• inform parents of their child's progress in school.

Why Testing Matters

There’s no doubt that testing in education has gotten a bad rap. But, the type of testing being referred here has little to do with state standard testing that are often given per year to gauge student achievements. The tests in question are designed to identify and even formulate a lesson plan for students. In addition, it can be formal or informal.

Either way, the goal of assessment is to identify strengths and weaknesses a student may have in a particular subject. In other cases, it can help with placement of students in certain courses such as a reading enrichment course, advanced placement (AP) or to place within special education programs.

These tools are often associated with formal tests that are given in the classrooms or throughout the schools at all levels. However, an assessment can be more than a formal test. It can be teacher-made, too or may follow a different pathway to gathering data.

It may involve interviews with students, parents and teachers, reading logs, or work samples. Also, assessments can be used for more than just a way to test skills.

They may be used to find a student's career interests by having them explore their likes and dislikes for working conditions or where their vocational strengths may be at. These types of assessment are there to help identify those interest. Additionally, it can help teachers and counselors design or guide students toward a goal that would match their interests in future careers or line of study.

Important Uses

An important use for assessments is not to test the student after a lesson is completed; it’s to use it before the lesson. Often, a pre-lesson assessment is used by teachers to gauge what the students’ prior knowledge is before delving into a topic.

In many cases, this form of assessment is to give an indication of what the lesson is going to be about. The data or results from the assessments can also give the teacher an idea of what needs to be taught.

Usually, a running log works well when a teacher is assessing a student’s reading ability.

Of all the educational disciplines, however, assessments are critical to special education. The Woodcock Johnson and K-TEA assessments are commonly used to determine a child's eligibility for special education services, or compare a student's educational level with the normal levels of peers their age or grade.

As mentioned, typical test documents are not the only forms of assessments available to special education and general education teachers. A teacher may use teacher-made assessments to gauge a student.

Running Log

An example of a teacher-made assessment is a running log. A log is a way to collect data on a student. It’s ongoing and doesn't have to be taken before or after a lesson; it can occur during the lesson.

Usually, a running log works well when a teacher is assessing a student’s reading ability. The student reads a text aloud while the teacher – with his or her own copy of the text – circles or marks the words the student mispronounced, deleted or substituted for another word.

The data will tell the teachers and students what grade level they are reading at.

This form of assessment helps the teacher see where a student needs help in terms of phonemic awareness, phonics and other skills associated with reading comprehension.

The data collected doesn't just help teachers (special and general education), counselors, school psychologists or administrators determine or gauge a student's progress. It can help a parent see a child's progress in school.

How Can Parents Play a Role in Assessment

Parents can make critical decisions that can affect the placement of a child in an educational program. Also, they may see the data and determine if the student needs extra tutorial help in a particular subject.

In addition, it’s a way to keep them informed of their children’s progress. And, in some cases, it any help them with choosing appropriate educational materials such as chapter books to help the student read at home.

Technology and Assessments

Another major factor for assessment is that technology helps to get the data almost instantaneously. One assessment program, in particular, is a reading assessment that's done over the computer (Reading Inventory).

After a half-hour to an hour of testing, a student and teacher can get an assessment that places the student's ability on a scale that compares their scores with grade levels. The data will tell the teachers and students what grade level they are reading at.

Choose Wisely

As good as most assessments are, not all are perfect. For this reason, several forms of assessments – not just one – are needed. This is particularly true for a student with learning disabilities. The student may do well on one set of assessment, but do lousy on another.

This discrepancy between two or more assessments may help special education teachers, school psychologists and administrator to see exactly where the student's educational weaknesses are.

Essential To Education

Assessments are essential to today's education. It's used to measure a student's progress, skill level, interests or ranking among their peers. It helps educators get an idea of what needs to be taught or how to help a student improve their skills or knowledge.

Most of all, assessments in its various forms is simply good practice and a valuable tool all teachers can use to better serve the students they are in charge of in their classroom.