Philosophy Of Assessment

As an aspiring high school mathematics teacher, my philosophy of assessment is that all

assessments should evaluate what the student has learned and it should be written in such a way

that will allow students to demonstrate their learning. If I was to summarize my philosophy of

assessment, I would say that assessments are more than the tests I give at the end of a unit. I

would classify assessments as any activity or assignment I give to my students that would allow

them an opportunity to demonstrate their learning and an opportunity for me to evaluate the

effectiveness of my teaching. I believe that formative assessments, especially, should be given

frequently enough as to be a regular part of the classroom. My overall experiences as a student

and as teaching candidate has helped me establish the following beliefs.

I believe that assessments of learning should be given before, during, and after

instructional time. Having assessments be a regular part of my classroom will allow students the

opportunity to demonstrate their learning, which will also help me continuously evaluate how

effective my teaching is. Also, according to “How Assessment Data can improve Instruction”,

“the key to school improvement in schools with standardized curriculums is the data obtained

from frequent assessments of student performance” because not only are assessments an

opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning, but the data from these assessments can

also determine areas where intervention or changes in instruction are needed (Shellard, 2005).

This belief will help ensure that I satisfy North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard #5,

which states that teachers reflect on their practice. Having constant feedback will also help me

become a better teacher and make experiences in the classroom more enjoyable for both me and

my students. Also, even though I think a lesson plan I created is the best, they may not be in
practice, so the feedback I get from students will also help improve my lesson-making skills. As

Wormeli puts it, “assessment is never saved for the end of a unit” and “good assessment is often

conducted with multiple experiences over time” (Wormeli, 2006, p. 39).

I believe that when creating assessments, both formative and summative, I must always

keep in mind the diverse learning needs of my students. As I have gotten older, I’ve learned that

not everyone is the same, and everyone learns at their own pace in different ways. By developing

lessons that accommodate diverse learners, doing so will not only be beneficial to my students,

but it is also clearly stated expectation set out by North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard

#4: “Teachers facilitate learning for their students.” I think it’s great for students to see the same

idea in different ways because it allows them greater opportunity to relate the ideas in their own

ways that they can process and remember. When I interviewed my cooperating teacher this

semester, she even told me that all of her classes have students with diverse needs. So, being

constantly mindful of my students’ needs now and learning how to provide these

accommodations will be good practice for when I have to do so in my own classroom.

I am not fond of final assessments, such as the EOC and EOG, but I believe that they are

necessary in order to make evaluations on a larger scale. Final assessments allow me to see if my

work, as a teacher, results in acceptable, measurable progress for students based on established

performance expectations, which is one key point of North Carolina Professional Teaching

Standard #6: “Teachers contribute to the academic success of students”. I know from personal

experience that getting good grades does not mean you learned something, and I would like to

keep that in mind for my own classroom. Ideally, the grades students earn in my classroom will

be an accurate reflection of their progress.

 I believe that creating summative assessments based on standards I want to cover in a

unit prior to introducing the content to the students will allow me to better prepare them. This

belief could also tie into North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard #3: “Teachers know the

content they teach” because by creating summative assessments in advance, I can ensure that all

of the instructional materials I use to teach a unit aligns with the North Carolina Standard Course

of Study ahead of time. I would also take care to include high-level questions in these

assessments because according to “Teaching to the Test..”, it was found that high-level

assessments could encourage deeper processing of the information by students in preparation for

the assessment (Jensen, 2014). Plus, knowing ahead of time what I will be testing my students on

will allow me to better ensure that all of the activities we do and the assignments I give are

always relevant. So, if you were to walk into my classroom at any given moment and were to ask

me why I was having my students work on a specific activity, then I would be able to tell you

exactly right then and there which standard the activity satisfies and where on the test I ask

students to demonstrate the skills established from the task. Interestingly enough,

All in all, I would say that assessments are necessary and beneficial for both the teacher

and the student for a variety of reasons. As an emerging professional, I am convinced that the

beliefs I have henceforth mentioned will allow me to not only be held accountable to the North

Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, but it is also a great starting philosophy that I can add

on to and change as I gain more experience in the teaching profession.

 References

Jensen, J. L., McDaniel, M. A., Woodard, S. M., & Kummer, T. A. (2014). Teaching to the

Test…or Testing to Teach: Exams Requiring Higher Order Thinking Skills Encourage

Greater Conceptual Understanding. Educational Psychology Review, 26(2), 307-329.

Shellard, E. (2005). How Assessment Data Can Improve Instruction: When the Curriculum Is

Aligned To State Standards, Frequent Assessments Are Critical In Ensuring That

Students Are Meeting Those Standards. Principal, 84(3), 30-32.

Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated

Classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.