Are tests the only objective assessment of student learning?

Before I started teaching 3 years ago, I might have answered yes to this question. I'm a math person, very logical; therefore, an objective assessment meant a test where the grade is based on the percentage of correct answers. Very simple... divide the number correct by the total number and multiply by 100. But I don't feel that way anymore. What changed?

I started teaching. I started learning.

I learned that some kids don't test well. They know the material. I know they know the material. But when they take a "test", they score much lower than expected. Maybe they have test anxiety, or they can't focus for long periods of time without a break, or they're hungry, or they have poor eyesight and can't see the test, or they're tired... I learned that as a teacher, I need more than one way to objectively assess student learning.

The answer? I needed to work collaboratively with the teaching community to share new strategies and best practices. There are so many teaching and assessing tools available that it can get overwhelming: e-portfolios, reflective blogs, group projects, research papers, essays, performance tasks, webquests, lab experiments, etc. But if I'm to meet the needs of all my learners, then I have to have a variety of ways to both present material and assess understanding.

Being the math person that I am, I had no idea how to assign an objective grade to work products like essays or blogs. Then I discovered the wonderful world of rubrics. What more can I ask for?

A rubric is a grading chart that the teacher creates before handing out the assignment. It breaks down every item the teacher is going to be grading and assigns it a point value. It turns grading into something that is completely objective. I think of it as looking at the assignment through a filter. The first time I go through the paper, I'm only looking for the one specific item I am assessing. Once I assign it the appropriate points, I go through the paper again, looking only for the next item I'm assessing. I continue until I've assessed each item and then I tally the points. I love this system...

Just to satisfy my curiousity, I have graded a batch of papers the "old-fashioned" way (without a rubric), then re-graded them with the rubric. I found that things like poor grammar and sloppy penmanship biased my grading. Some people may argue that even with a rubric, the grading is still slightly subjective. However, after seeing the results for myself, I am confident that a well writtin rubric does a great job to ensure objectivity.



I saw this video on youtube and thought it was funny... I
hope you enjoy it, too!

Youtube (2010). Hilarious Professional Development for Teachers. Retrieved June 23, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tt2DXH2ZSk&feature=related

The Technology-Infused Classroom...

When I think of the ideal technology-infused classroom, I envision a learning environment where technology supports both large group instruction as well as small group, student-centered learning. SMART Boards, tablets, student response systems, and digital document cameras all help engage a large group of students. And don't forget the importance of the software that supports them: presentation software like PowerPoint or SMART Notebook, videos, music, and animation all coordinate together to capture the attention of the student.

But today's 21st century student spends only a small portion of his/her day receiving direct instruction. Instead, they work independently or in small groups and learn in a variety of ways. Assisting them are computers with Internet connections, access to appropriate websites and restrictions from everything else, web quests, virtual field trips, distance learning, cameras and video recorders to create work products, graphing calculators, electronic skill building games, podcasts, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Of course, what I described above is the "ideal" classroom. Not only would it have all the equipment and enough room for all this, but it comes accessorized with bean bag chairs, throw rugs, curtains, lamps, and colorfully painted walls. How can I have a technology-infused classroom? Maybe I can win a show like "Pimp my Classroom" or "Extreme Makeover: School Edition." But short of that, I'll make the most of what I have and apply for grants to get the rest. Just this past May, I asked to take charge of our school's freshman computer lab. It's been under-utilized because of its layout; it's much too easy for students to misuse the equipment. My request was granted and I am in the process of rearranging it and repairing all the equipment. This lab is going to open up a lot of doors for my students, and I will utilize all the resources around me to get it up and running!

This is a video that my team put together for our collaborative group project at Grand Canyon University. You'll see numerous examples of technology infused into the classroom...