Although there are a lot of aspects of teaching, in a classroom assessment plays a major role.

As teachers we must constantly assess how our students are performing and progressing. Although some may feel that assessment can be unfair, if conducted correctly classroom based assessment is one of the most powerful tools a teacher can have. Classroom based assessment takes place throughout the entire school day and school year. Therefore, assessment in the classroom is needed to monitor student progress and let the teacher know if what they are teaching is valid and effective. Not every student learns the same, so not every assessment should be the same either. By incorporating different types of assessments students can be effectively assessed on the knowledge they have obtained. My philosophy assessment ties back to the constructivism theory of Jerome Bruner. The framework of Bruners theory is that in which, the learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon existing knowledge. If you are not aware of what the child knows, your instruction cannot allow the student to construct new ideas or concepts. Learning should be an active process for students, just like assessment should be an active part in the classroom for teachers. Assessment needs to be formative and summative. Formative assessments serve as practice for children and help guide the teachers decision about future instruction. Therefore formative assessments ultimately help to differentiate instruction and improve student achievement. Summative assessments evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit. Summative assessments are high stakes such as a final project, or a standardized test such as the PSSAs. With both types of assessment the teacher is gaining knowledge about what the student knows. Teachers are required to make decisions about children when teaching and caring for them. Some decisions may be small, while others will be considered high stakes. Assessments should benefit the child and the teacher. All assessments should provide validity and reliability based upon the age and learning level of the child. The five people that benefit most from assessments are the children, families, early childhood programs and teachers, and the public. As a whole assessments allow communication of what children know, the appropriate types of instruction for the child, and what needs to happen in order to meet the needs of the individual. If assessment is done correctly schools can receive proper materials for teaching, involve families with school related experiences, and inform the public of what needs to be done to effectively teach students. One of the biggest trends in assessment is the use of summative assessments such as PSSAs. With the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) testing required by each state was greatly impacted. All states are now required to administer tests developed by the state and monitor adequate yearly progress (Pearson 2). This approach to assessment emphasizes a product or outcome based response rather than a process or constructive response to learning. Assessment within the individual classroom is moving from a teacher-centered classroom to a learningcentered classroom. This helps to promote both learning within and outside of the classroom.

Data notebooks are a great way to get children involved with assessing themselves while providing important information about progress to the teacher. Data notebooks help each student set and achieve academic goals and personal goals. Once a goal is reached the student is aware, the parent is aware and the teacher is aware that the child has met the goals. Project based learning (PBL) activities are another great assessment tool for teachers. PBL helps students to explore real world problems and challenges, while working in alone and in small groups. PBL allows students to be an active member or their own learning while being engaged and inspired to obtain deeper meaning of certain subjects. These types of projects allow for flexibility within the classroom and the learning. PBL is also a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom. This stimulates childrens learning and actively engages them more when learning. In my own classroom I will incorporate both formative and summative assessments. Every student will be required to complete a data notebook and project based learning activities will be incorporated into my classroom. Students need to be engaged to effectively obtain the knowledge being taught to them. Students with similar abilities will be seated closely with one another therefore allowing assessment results of students to be more reliable, valid and help be more time effective. Inclusion within the classroom is popular in educational settings today. Therefore teachers must understand that assessments need to be differentiated rather than the curriculum. For example, if a math tests in given to check for understanding of problem-solving abilities a child may be given a calculator to complete the problems. However, if a math test measures the students ability to perform calculations, a calculator would provide the child with an unfair advantage. Another example would be to read the math test to the student. This would not be changing the assessment; this would offer assistance to help them solve the math calculations. Accommodations with assessments are not made to help better the score of any child. They are simply made to help level the playing field of all students and understand what areas the child may still need help in. There are many ways in which a teacher can use assessments to provide a grade for each student. Weighted grades offer the teachers the opportunity to tailor their assessment practices to the skills they believe are most critical to student success within their classroom. One way to weight grades is to have flexible grade weightings. Flexible grade weightings accommodate the strengths, interests, and desires of the individual student. Every part of your class that is going to be graded would have a certain percentage attached. For each student each part would be worth a different percentage of their final grade depending on what they may be better at. For example a student may choose to put more emphasizes on homework and projects rather than quizzes and exams. Students grades can be weighted using a total possible points system. A point value is assigned to each question. You take the number of questions correct times the point amount of each question. The points earned are divided by the total number of possible points to receive the final score on the assessment. This method helps to better reflect the students knowledge and skills that they have obtained during instruction.

Works Citied McKee, C. (n.d.). Bruner's theory on constructivism. Retrieved from http://www.teachnology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/bruner/ Morrison, G. R. (2008). Why is assessment important?. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/why-assessment-important/?page=2 Morrison, G. R. (2008). Current issues and trends in assessment in early childhood education. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/current-issues-assessmentearly-childhood/