Assessment

Entry #1:
     My experience with assessment as a student in elementary and secondary school appears to have been quite different than students' experiences with assessment today. When I reflect on my experience with assessment, I can recall that, for the most part, assessments were quite standardized and were conducted in the form of heavily weighted tests that would take place once at the end of each unit, or an assessment of the final product of a project or assignment. I also recall that it was not a common occurrence that classroom teachers met with me to consult one-on-one to discuss my learning and comprehension of course concepts and material. What these forms of assessment all had in common was that, for the most part, they were formal and summative assessments of a student's knowledge or achievement, and often did not take into account learning as a process. This type of assessment was even more common in high school, and depending on the subject, I felt there were not many opportunities for receiving feedback for revising and improving overall in the course. 

     I feel that the assessment practices that are now used, which are ongoing and take up a variety of forms, are beneficial for students as well as for their parents and guardians. Throughout my volunteer experiences and placement, I am able to observe the various forms and styles of assessment and hope to gain deeper insight into the effectiveness of providing an abundance of opportunities and moments to assess students. I believe that assessment for, as, and of learning are critical to students' achievement and growth. I feel that it is beneficial and necessary to assess students in a variety of forms, and to provide opportunities for these assessments and feedback as often as possible so that educators, as well as students and their parents and guardians are given insight into the student's growth and progression over the course of a term or year. 

Entry #2:
Prior to having been introduced to "Growing Success", I felt very overwhelmed and uncertain about assessment and evaluation. I felt unsure about my capabilities to assess and report on student achievement and was unaware of what the process of assessment entails. After exploring and engaging with the document, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the purpose and importance of assessment, which is to promote and encourage ongoing learning and achieving success to one's highest potential. These documents include various policies that outline specific expectations and requirments for assessing, teaching and reporting on student achievement, as well as providing strategies for ensuring that assessment is fair and that all students are supporte. Through these documents, I was able to gain insight into the ways in which instruction is so closely linked with assessment, and how one can not take place without keeping the other in mind. When educators are planning lessons and tasks, it is important to always keep in mind the ways in which student learning will be assessed, and it it will be an assessment for, as, or of learning. The Growing Success documents provide a very informative description of these forms of assessment, in addition to the achievement charts and learning skills and work habits that must be addressed within assessment and reporting. Feedback is another important factor that receives a great amount of evidence. I believe that it is so important to provide all students with detailed and purposeful feedback within their assessments because it allows for students to grow and continue to learn and challenge themselves.  I find these documents to be extremely clear and detailed and I find it to be very beneficial that there are sections that outline modifications and accommodations for students with special education needs and who are English language learners, in addition to the policies and details about how and what to assess. Having these policies outlined and described in these detailed ways gives me  a greater amount of clarity in terms of assessment. I feel it will be beneficial in assissting my own professional learning and practice in terms of instruction and assessment. 

AER Strategy Form link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GeMSyGMP3q6g_8q8RVYLr0dqD5R-fqgfnweXn_WOciI/edit?usp=sharing


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