Philosophy of Assessment, Grading, and

Data
How will assessment, grading, and data form one robust system in my
classroom?
A SS E SS M E N T:
When used in tandem with the content standards, assessment becomes a
diverse tool with the ability to serve as a means of determining,
communicating, and articulating a students learning. Assessment better
develops a students understanding of the objectives; as well as, provides the
teacher with information on how to better convey the content standards to
the students. In following with best practices, all assessments should be
firmly rooted and based in the curriculum standards in order to create a full
and robust system that accurately assesses what is being taught as
illustrated by backward design (McTighe, Wiggins, 2005). One assessment is
incapable of accurately representing both; a students learning as it
develops, and a students final proof of comprehension. This makes it vital
for educators to develop a balanced system of assessment, which spans all
areas of student need. The fact that assessment may be useful for one
purpose but worthless for the other important instructional purposes.
Education leaders now understand that a variety of measures are needed to
accommodate a variety of goals (Huebner, 2009, p. 85). This idea of
balanced assessment issues for the proper use and implementation of
formative, interim, and summative assessments.
GRADING:
I believe that the ultimate purpose of grading is to accurately communicate
the extent of a students learning to students, parents, teachers,
administrators, and state officials (OConnor, 2010, p.39). Grades should not
be a hodgepodge of factors such as students level of effort, innate aptitude,
compliance to rules, attendance, social behaviors, attitudes, or other
nonacademic measures... these factors may directly conflict with each other
and distort the meaning of a grade measuring academic achievement
(Allen, 2005, p.220). All of these things must be documented and
measurable; however, when a grade shows everything it essentially shows
nothing. Grades are meant to report student progress toward learning goalsgiving students, their families, and teachers useful information on where to
make adjustments to achieve these goals (Varlas, 2013, p. 5).
D ATA :
I understand data to be usable information that has been analyzed and
organized to improve efficiency. Quality classroom data allows the
prediction of actions/processes/programs that best meet the learning needs
of all students (Bernhardt, 2003). This comprehensive and meaningful data
is collected through the use of formative, interim, summative, common, and

standardized assessments that are carefully designed to test the depth of

student learning according to the benchmark standards. Data on its own is
useless; however, data that has been critically analyzed and dissected, such
as the data in Sargents model, serves as invaluable information, which
guides and fosters improvements. I will create assessments that allow for
pure data by eliminating foils and articulating all of students understandings
and misunderstandings (Sheldon, 2008).