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Educational Leadership:Using Assessments Thoughtfully:The Case for Confidence

March2014|Volume71|Number6
UsingAssessmentsThoughtfully

TheCaseforConfidence
TomSchimmer
Soundassessmentpracticescanincreasestudents'competenceandachievement.
Confidenceseparatesthosewhopersistfromthosewhogiveup.Whenstudentshaveconfidence,whentheybelievethey'll
eventuallybeabletoachieve,theycanlearnalmostanything.Withoutconfidence,regardlessofhowonpointateacher's
instructionis,learningstops.
Understandably,teacherstendtoanchortheireffortstoraisestudentachievementingoodpedagogyandinstruction.Educators
oftencompartmentalizeanyfocusonstudents'dispositionsoremotionsintoaseparateprogram,keptatarms'lengthfromthe
teachingofcurricularstandards.Thisleavesstudentsfeelingasthoughtheirpotentialacademicsuccesshaslittletodowith
howtheythinkorfeelorhowtheyapproachlearning.Ourforemostjobasteachers,however,istodevelop,maintain,and
enhancestudents'confidenceaslearners.Therestisjustthe(albeitveryimportant)details.
Assessmentpracticessignificantlyaffectwhetherstudentsdevelopconfidenceorwhethertheydecidethattheycan'tlearn,no
matterhowtheytry.Overtheyears,I'verecognizedthecentralityofconfidenceandhavechangedmyassessmentapproach
accordingly.
WhenItaughtmathatMcNicollParkMiddleSchoolinPenticton,BritishColumbia,Ibecameincreasinglyfrustratedwithmy
limitedabilitytoengageseveralspecificstudentsinmymathclasses.Searchingforsomethingtoaddtomyrepertoireto
enhanceengagement,Idiscoveredresearchonformativeassessmentandsoundgradingpractices,includingrelevant
examplesandtools.Afterimplementingtheseresearchbasedpractices,Iexperiencedpositiveresultsbutthemostimportant
outcomeofadoptingformativeassessmentwasanunanticipatedshiftinmystudents'attitudes,exemplifiedbyastudentI'llcall
Chris.
Chris,an8thgradeboy,waspopularandsocial,andheplacedlearningfardownonhiscontinuumofpriorities.Hisattendance
wasspotty,hissuccessinmathwasminimal,andhisbehaviorwasincreasinglychallenging.
Onemorning,studentswereengaginginaselfassessmentprocess.Ihadbegununpackingmycurricularstandardsinto
specificelements,indicators,andtargetsandsharingthesewithstudents.Studentswerereviewingtheseelementsand
checkingoffwhichonestheyfeltthey'dmastered.AsChriswentthroughhislist,heturnedtothestudentnexttohimandsaid,
"IguessIdoknowsomestuffinmath."
Iwasfloored.Ihadn'tanticipatedthatimplementingresearchvalidatedassessmentandgradingpracticeswouldshiftthe
attitudesofstrugglingstudents.Manystudentswho'dbeenreadytogiveupexhibitedthesamereactionasChris.Andalthough
Chrisdidn'tbecomeastraightAstudent,hislevelofengagementdramaticallyrose.Herealizedthathedidn't"suckatmath."
AndIrealizedthatIwasontosomethingtheoverlapbetweeneffectiveassessmentstrategiesandstudentconfidence.

WhyConfidenceMatters
Discussionsaboutstudentconfidencecaneasilygosideways.Afocusondevelopingconfidencecanbemisunderstoodasa
focusonmakingeverystudentfeelgoodregardlessofresults.Sometimespeopleinferthatdevelopingconfidenceisabout
loweringexpectationstoapointwhereit'simpossibleforthestudenttofail.Neitheroftheseactionscreatestrueconfidence.We
shoulddevelopourstudents'selfesteembutrememberthatselfesteemisinsufficientforsuccessinacademicsubjects.
AfterreadingRosabethMossKanter'sbook,Confidence,Iunderstoodthreeimportantpoints.First,whenastudentcan'tsee
anyofhisorherweaknessesoranyofhisorherstrengthsthatlearnerwillbeoverconfidentorunderconfident.Unless
confidenceisbasedonevidenceofsuccess,itmayrepresentfalsehope.Kanter(2004)definesconfidenceasgrounded
optimismnestledinthe"sweetspotbetweenarroganceanddespair"(p.8).
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Educational Leadership:Using Assessments Thoughtfully:The Case for Confidence

Second,Ibegantoviewstudents'experiencesinschoolthroughthelensofwinningandlosingstreaks.Kanterwritesthat
"failureandsuccessarenotepisodes,theyaretrajectories"(p.9).Eachassignment,assessment,orlearningactivityastudent
experiencesisshapedbypreviouslearningevents.Mypriorityshiftedtosettingmystudentsupforapositivegrowthtrajectory.
Third,andmostimportant,Ilearnedthatconfidencewasthekeytodeveloping"sticktoitiveness"withregardstolearning
amongstrugglingstudents.
Ibegantoconsiderwhethereachofmyassessmentandgradingpracticescontributedtostudents'confidenceorraised
students'anxiety.Anxietyinterfereswithmemory,attention,andconcentration(Chan,2001).Ifapracticeraisedanxiety,I
changeditorstoppedusingit.Ihadbeenusingpunitivegradingpracticeslikezerosandlatepenalties.Myrevelationabout
confidencesealedthefateofthosepractices.Tousesuchpractices,Inowbelieve,unravelsmostofteachers'goodwork.

PracticesThatBoostConfidence
Assessmentpracticesthathelpstudentsbelieveinthemselvesarerootedinaformativeassessmentapproach.Inthis
approach,teacherslookatstudents'worktodeterminewhereeachlearnerisintermsofthelearningtargets,butnottograde
thework.Althoughthisapproachisn'tnew,ourunderstandingofhowformativeassessmentislinkedtoattitudesaboutlearning
is.Let'sconsidersixpracticesthatliftkids'confidence.

1.Unpackcurricularstandards.
Unpackingcurricularstandardsservesadualpurpose.First,itallowsteacherstopreciselyplanthesequenceofinstructionand
gaingreaterclarityaboutwhatassessmentresultsrepresent.Justasacoachmustexaminethespecificelementsoftechnique
whenanathletethrowsafootballorservesavolleyball,teachersneedtobeabletoexaminethespecificelementsoflearning.
Forexample,ratherthansimplytellingastudenttomakeamoreeffectiveargument,ateachercouldzoominonwhetherthe
student'spointofviewismuddy,herreasonsaren'tclear,orherproofisincomplete.
Second,suchunpackinggivesstudentsintimateaccesstothecurricularstandards,andthisclarityboostsconfidence.
Standardsarewrittenforteacherstheyoftenleavestudentsinafogaboutwhatthey'resupposedtolearn.Unpackingcurricular
standardsidentifiesthefoundationalknowledge,skills,andtargetswithinindividualstandardsorclusters.Astudent's
confidencewillgrowasherealizesheisn'tsimply"badatmakinganargument."Rather,hecanseethathispointofviewand
reasoningareeffective,buthisproofisunclearormismatchedtohisposition.Unpackingallowsstudentstounderstandwhere
they'reskilledandwheretheystillneedtoimprove.

2.Infuseassessmentintoinstruction.
Goodcoachesarealwaysassessingtheirplayers,evaluatingeverythrow,catch,set,shot,andreboundagainstthestandardof
excellence.Feedbackcomesinrealtime.Inthesameway,assessmentbecomesinstructionwhenthelinesbetween
assessment,instruction,andfeedbackareblurredwhenalearningactivity(likehavingstudentsansweraquestiononexit
slips)isanchoredintheintendedlearningandwhentheresultsofthatactivityelicitanimmediateinstructionalresponsefrom
theteacher(Wiliam,2011).Students'competenceandconfidencegrowastheyreceivespecific,immediateinformationonhow
tocorrectdeficienciesandsolidifystrengths.

3.Balanceformativeandsummativeassessment.
It'soddthatsometeachersunderstandthedifferencebetweenpracticesessionsandgamesinsports(whenchildrenreturn
homefromasoccerpractice,parentsneveraskwhatthescorewas)yetinsistthateverythingstudentsproducebegraded.A
balancebetweenformativeandsummativeassessmentreplicatesthehealthydistinctionbetweenpracticeandgames.Andjust
astherearemorepracticesthangames,thereshouldbemoreformativeassessmentthansummative.
Usingmoreformativethansummativeassessmentwasamajorshiftformystudents.Theiranxietydramaticallylessenedwhen
theyrealizethateverymistakewouldn'tcosttheminmygradebook,andtheirwillingnesstotrysignificantlyincreased.Justas
soccerpracticeisforimprovement,formativeassessmentisforimprovingstudents'abilitiestomeetthestandardstheywill
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needtodemonstratemasteryofonsummativeassessments.

4.Giveeffectivefeedback.
Effectivefeedbackfeedbackthat'simmediate,specific,accessible,actionable,transparent,andongoingisoneofthemost
powerfulinfluencesonstudentachievement(Hattie,2009Wiggins,2012).Feedbackhasthegreatesteffectwhenit'sfrequent,
deliveredinrelationtotheintendedlearning,andaddressesthegapbetweenwherethestudents'learningisnowandwhereit
needstobe.Successfulfeedbackhastwoothercharacteristics.
Goodfeedbackisn't"toomuch."Ahighvolumeoffeedbackcanleavestudentsfeelingoverwhelmed,especiallywhentheyhave
littletimetoactonthatfeedback.Theultimatepurposeoffeedbackistohavestudentstakecorrectiveaction.Overloadingthem
withtonsoffeedbackiscounterproductiveanddiminishestheirconfidenceinaddressinglearningshortages.
Goodfeedbackshowstheway.Studentsneedtoseewhattheyneedtodonextalongtheirroadtoachievingstandards.The
feedbackloopbetweenstudentsandteachersneednotalwaysbeanepicevent.Tellthemwhattheyneedtodotoimprove,
providethemtimetodoit,thentellthemthenextstep,andsoon.Feedbackshouldalwaysleanforward,makingitobviousto
studentswhat'snextintheirlearning(Wiliam,2011).Ateachercouldsayeither,"Youdidn'tuseanytransitionsbetweenyour
bodyparagraphs"or"Nowlet'sworkonestablishingsomesmoothtransitionsthatlinkeachofyourparagraphs."Both
commentsaddressthesameconcern,butthelatterleansforward.
Althoughwemustalwaysassessstudentworkaccordingtostandards,everypieceoffeedbackneedn'treflecthowfarstudents
arefromtheendgoal.Tellingastudentexactlyhowfarawayshereallyisfrommasteringastandardmaybedemotivating.If,
forinstance,astudentisata2onscaleof110,itmightbebesttoatfirstgiveherfeedbackthatfocusesonmovingherupto
a5.

5.Makestudentsthink.
Studentconfidencecanwaverifkidsspendtheirdayaspassiverecipientsoftheirteacher'sfeedback.Studentsneedto
bethinking.Ifteacherfeedbackexclusivelyprovidestheanswers,activeinvolvementbystudentsislesslikely.Andwithout
reflectingontheirwork,studentsareunlikelytomakethecomparisonbetweentheexpectedstandardsandtheworkthey're
producing.
Withmetacognitivefeedback,teachersgivestudentscues,questions,orpromptsthatgetthemtothinkabouttheprocessof
learningasmuchasthecorrectnessofresponses(Dean,Hubbell,Pitler,&Stone,2012Wiliam,2011).Ateachermightposea
questionthatasksastudenttoconsiderhowhecametohisconclusionratherthansimplyindicatingwhetherthatconclusion
wascorrectorincorrect,sufficientorincomplete.Orateachercouldhighlightafewsentencesinaparagraphofstudentwriting
forthatstudenttoreconsider,butnotindicateanyspecificchangestobemade.Thegoalistokeeplearningmovingforward
andtohavestudentscontinuallyreengagewiththeirwork.

6.Developastandardsbasedmindsetforgrading.
Schoolsanddistrictsareatdifferentplacesintermsofusingstandardsbasedgradingmanyschoolscontinuetoreport
traditionallettergrades.Butalleducatorscandevelopastandardsbasedmindset,whichhasmoretodowithhowwethink
aboutevidenceoflearningthanhowwereportit.
Thestandardsbasedmindsetisaboutaccuracy.Practiceslikelatepenaltiesandzeroscontributetonegativelydistorted
grades,whereaspracticeslikeextracreditcontributetopositivelydistortedgrades(O'Connor,2011).Inaccurategradesare
misleadingtheyleavestudentsfeelingmoreorlessproficientthantheyactuallyare.Becausestudents'emotionalreactionsto
theprospectofbeinggradedareunavoidable,themoreteachersfactoroutemotionalelementsunrelatedtothestandards,the
moreourgradeswillsupportstudentconfidence.Askyourself,forexample,dolatepenaltiescontributetostudents'confidence
ortotheiranxiety?
Onepracticeeducatorsshouldadoptistobasegradesonthemostrecentevidenceofstudentlearning,whichnotonlymakes
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gradingmoreaccuratebutalsomaintainsorincreasesstudentconfidence.Studentsearnfullcreditforwhatthey've
accomplished.Thisapproachalsohonorstheprocessoflearningandtherealitythatsomestudentstakealittlelongertolearn.
Usingthemeanaverageingrading,incontrast,worksagainstaccuracy(O'Connor,2011)andreducesstudentconfidence
becausetheresultinggradeisusuallymuchlowerthanthemostrecentresultswouldshow.
Reassessmentdeservesspecialmentionhere.Manyeducatorsthinkofreassessmentassimplyhittingaresetbuttontogive
studentsanothershot.Buta"doover"approachwillnotdecreaseanxietylevelsthelikelyresultwillbeareplicationofthe
previousunsatisfactoryresult.Whattrulyreducesanxietyistheopportunitytolearnfrommistakesengageintargeted,more
intensivelearningreachanewlevelofproficiencyandthendemonstratethatnewlevel.That'sreassessment.
WhenIusedassessmentmethodsthatpromotedconfidence,mystudentsknewthatreassessmentcamewiththeresponsibility
tousethefeedbacktheyreceived,targettheirlearninggoingforward,andclosethegapsbetweentheircurrentlevelandthe
standard.Truereassessmentsendsthemessagethatlearningisneverfinal,thatwecanlearnfromourmistakesandkeep
improving.

CreatingPossibility
Developingrealconfidencenotinflatedselfesteemisaboutgainingcompetence.Althoughreducingstudents'anxietywill
notaloneproducecompetenceandachievementgains(Hattie,2009),itwillpositivelyaffectstudents'beliefthattheycan
eventuallysucceedandhelpthempersistwhenfacingobstacles.Throughthesestrategicusesofassessmentandgrading
practices,wecancreateanenvironmentofhopeandpossibility.

References
Chan,E.(2001).Improvingstudentperformancebyreducinganxiety.PositivePedagogy:SuccessfulandInnovative
StrategiesinHigherEducation,1(3).Retrievedfromhttp://www.stlhe.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2011/06/ImprovingStudent
PerformancebyReducingAnxiety1.pdf
Dean,C.,Hubbell,E.,Pitler,H.,&Stone,B.(2012).Classroominstructionthatworks(2nded).Alexandria,VA:ASCD.
Hattie,J.(2009)Visiblelearning:Asynthesisofover800metaanalysesrelatingtoachievement.NewYork:Routledge
Kanter,R,M.(2004).Confidence:Howwinningstreaksandlosingstreaksbeginandend.NewYork:ThreeRivers
Press.
O'Connor,K.(2011).Arepairkitforgrading:15fixesforbrokengrades.Portland,OR:PearsonAssessmentTraining
Institute.
Wiggins,G.(2012)Sevenkeystoeffectivefeedback.EducationalLeadership,70(1),1016.
Wiliam,D.(2011).EmbeddedFormativeAssessment.Bloomington,IN:SolutionTreePress.

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