Assessment Philosophy

One of the biggest roles within a classroom is evaluating and assessing your students.
There are many different stances and opinions on the subject, and you will be hard pressed to
find two teachers that share the same mindset. One thing that cannot be debated is that they are
integral parts of learning. Therefore, as a teacher you must choose your beliefs and techniques
wisely. This will enable you to get as much out of your students as you possibly can, while doing
so in a fair and practical manner. I have taken my particular stance on many of these contested
topics as well as general practices, including: types of assessment, how to format feedback,
giving re-tests, overdue penalties, and giving zeroes for incomplete work. I hope to express my
opinions in a clear and objective manner.
Types of Assessment
A great teacher needs to be able to teach their students the desired curriculum outcomes
while assessing them in ongoing and effective ways. This is often achieved through two different
means, formative and summative assessment, both of which I have positive opinions toward.
Formative assessment needs to be administered often so that the teacher has a clear
understanding of where their students are at with the subject material. This can come in a variety
of forms including, but not limited to: entrance/exit slips, observations, questioning, and
discussion. These are all methods that I have used during my internship. Formative assessment
not only needs to be administered on a regular basis, it needs to be done in a meaningful way.
Teachers often use summative assessment at the end of units in order to do a final assessment
on what their students have learned. This can also be administered in a variety of ways, such as:
tests, projects, reports, essays, etc. I feel that in order to be successful, you need to be providing
formative assessment throughout the unit and then finishing it off with a type of summative
assessment. By doing this you give students the chance to learn the material while being given
constant feedback throughout, so that they are fully prepared for the summative assessment. The
teacher will be able to communicate to the student and parents what they need to improve on and
what they are excelling at, thus giving the student the knowledge they need in order to be
prepared for the final evaluation.
Feedback
I agree with Marzano on the thought that you need to provide students with positive
feedback mixed with helpful comments (2006). This helps to build the confidence in your
students by letting them know what they did right, while also giving them constructive feedback
on what they can improve on for next time. This is much more beneficial to students as opposed
to a number grade. Something that simple does not accurately depict what it is that they need to
improve on, so teachers need to make sure that their feedback is thorough and meaningful. There
are many successful methods that can be used, such as the sandwich method of giving positive

feedback, then constructive, then finishing off with more positive feedback. This leaves the
student feeling happier at the end yet still knowing where they need to show improvements.
Re-Tests
Re-testing is an often debated topic among the teaching profession. There are those who
argue that students should be given one chance at earning the grade, but I disagree to a certain
extent. I acknowledge that students need to be held responsible for their preparedness for tests,
but I do not believe that all should be lost due to one bad test. I feel that students need to have
options, but to a limited extent. There needs to be boundaries behind these options, otherwise
students will take advantage of this fact. If a student is aware that they have as many chances as
they need, they will not take the first try seriously, taking away all accountability. As a teacher, I
believe there should be a set of standards in place in order to take advantage of a re-test. This
should be up to the discretion of the teacher. Some standards could include: all students having to
complete all homework in order to take a re-test, or allowing a maximum number of re-tests or
re-dos on assignments per semester. Another major area that needs to be addressed with re-tests
is the notion of fairness. In my opinion, if you are going to give re-tests then the option needs to
be available to all students. It is unfair to give this option only to students that get below a certain
grade, as everyone deserves a chance to improve if they wish to do so and have met the
minimum standards. I also like the option of dropping the lowest test or assignment if there is
enough grading material already in place. I have seen this used in classes as opposed to the retest, and it was very effective as well. To summarize, I find that re-tests or other options of that
nature can be effectively if implemented in a way that helps students but also holds them
accountable for putting in the effort.
Grade Reduction/ Late Assignments
There are many classroom and departmental policies in place for late assignments
throughout the province of New Brunswick. I am of the strong belief that we are not only
teaching our students the curriculum, I believe we are teaching them life skills and how to be
responsible. Completion of assignments, projects, and homework on time is part of meeting
deadlines. Throughout many parts of life, we will always have deadlines and it is not so simple
as to miss these deadlines. Obviously circumstances arise at certain times, but students need to
be held accountable. Therefore, I believe that grade reduction for late assignments is acceptable
when appropriate. Some teachers may have a differing view on this, but I really do believe it is
our job to teach these students life lessons and responsibility, and that is why I see no issue with
it. If there was no penalty for late assignments, many students would take advantage of this. This
is unfair to the students who have passed their assignments in on time due to the fact that the
student handing it in late will have extra time to work on it. I think that we need to be fair and
empathetic to our students, but I also think students need to keep their end of the bargain. I feel
using grade reduction is a useful tool for teaching students responsibility and showing them that
there are repercussions for their choices.

Zeroes
I am not a supporter of giving zeroes to students, unless it is absolutely necessary. This is
due to the fact that receiving a zero is crippling to a students overall marks, something that is
near impossible to come back from. I feel that a grade reduction plan would work best, as stated
above, and relies on the judgment of the teacher. As previously noted, teachers need to be
empathetic towards students and their particular circumstances. If I have a student that is not
passing assignment/projects in, I am going to find out why. One thing I have learned quickly is
that you cannot make any assumptions in this job. Reeves brings up an interesting notion that I
happen to agree with when discussing giving zeroes (2004). It is suggested that anyone who fails
to do an assignment or simply refuses will not receive a zero, but instead receive a 50. This is an
appropriate failing grade for someone who failed to complete the given task. This does not give
the student a pass or an incomplete, but does not hinder them to the point of no return. I feel
practices such as this would be very useful and a great alternative.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different stances that could be taken on some of these
topics. I reiterate that I think using professional judgment in these situations is key. The opinions
that I have formed above are a result of my time as a student and during my teaching internship. I
feel that teachers need to assess frequently and thoroughly with the use of formative and
summative assessment. Teachers need to flexible with re-testing as long as every student is given
an equal chance to do so. They need to create an agreement that is fair for both parties, and
ensures that no side is being taken advantage of. I believe that mark reductions for late
assignments is acceptable when appropriate because I feel students need to learn responsibility as
well as content, and doing so holds them accountable to themselves. Finally, I believe that giving
zeroes is an unnecessary and damaging practice that can have drastic effects on the grades of
students. From all of this, the reader can hopefully see that I am a supporter of ensuring a
responsible classroom that holds both teachers and students accountable.

References
Marzano R., J. (2006). Classroom assessment and grading that work. Virginia: Association for
Supervision & Curriculum Development
Reeves, D., B (2004). The case against the zero. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(4), 324-325.