Emily Trapp

February 24, 2011

CI 407
Assessment Reflection

As an educator, it is important that I prepare my students to succeed in today’s society,

doing so by addressing both the academic and social curriculum in my classroom. An integral

aspect in both of these areas is assessment. Assessment is a key component to monitor student

progress, and there are many different ways to integrate assessment into the curriculum that go

beyond standardized tests. I think my personal attitude toward assessment helps to shape my

future implementation. As a child, and even an adult, I really struggle with standardized tests and

I know the pressures that surround a high-stakes test. I plan to teach in the K-2 range, so I don’t

think that tests of this nature would particularly benefit my students. I believe that subjecting

them to a test like this would derail my intended goals and objectives. I feel that a teacher needs

to set the tone for assessment to be successful, in order for students to be successful. Students

need to understand the purpose of assessment, and it needs to reflect the intended goals,

objectives, and student strengths.

Student progress is so important, especially when thinking about preparing them to go onto

the next grade and to ensure that I am instructing effectively. I think that some effective

assessment techniques that can be used in the primary grades are rubrics, portfolios, and

concentrating more on performance assessments. I know I will have to administer tests to my

students, and that there are many tests such as screeners for RtI placement that are standardized.

These are unavoidable, but I think that it is critical to engage students in meaningful assessment

that will really demonstrate the application of learning. I want my students to learn to be

independent, responsible, intrinsically motivated learners, and I need my assessment and

instructional techniques to reflect that ultimate goal.

 As a model in my future classroom, it is imperative that I also model self assessment and

evaluation. Through reflection, I am encouraged to look at my own progress as a teacher to

determine the successfulness of my instruction, are the methods, lessons, and activities that I am

using resulting in student learning? I need to model for my students the process of becoming a

self-assesser. I think that an important step in becoming self-aware and independent is being able

to look at oneself in a constructive but critical manner. For primary students, this might be as

simple as thinking, if I were to do this assignment again, what would I do to improve my score?

Is this the best that I can do? What can I do to make this better? I also believe that students are

more likely to learn, and therefore be more successful, when the information and/or activities are

of interest to them. I know that it is impossible to please every student, and sometimes topics that

need to be covered in the classroom are not the most interesting. However, there are fun and

creative ways to help students become more involved in the learning process.

Although I do think my personal experiences with assessment will be reflected in my

own uses of assessment, I believe that there are many creative ways to assess children without

having to create high-pressure situations. I know that students will need to be prepared for these

types of assessments as they get older, and I think developing an encouraging and constructive

attitude around assessment is a key factor in developing successful students for the future. I have

seen assessment be effectively used in my placement with the support of RtI, and see how

student progress really motivates learning and participation. I hope that throughout the remainder

of my student teaching and into my own professional career, I am able to take my personal

experiences, both as a student and student teacher, and create opportunities for my students to be

successful through authentic and meaningful assessments.