I've been reading much about assessment recently, especially for my mini action research project. I am trying to include more group projects as a part of my classroom norm, but I've been struggling to find the way to assess these projects. It never occurred to me until I started grading based off standards that it was not a true portrait of what a student knew or understood. I couldn't pull one students understandings from the group made product.
While thinking about how to solve my problem of pulling one students' understandings from a group project, I've been coming to the conclusion that it can't be done. Then, what resonated with me from my recent assessment readings was that all products and interactions can serve as informative assessment, but only if I choose to use it in that way. I can observe, I can make note, but data is just data unless it is used. So I must continue to assess individually, but to be very choosy about the type of data I need to collect before, during, and after the project to show that growth has occurred.
And I think that's the main meaning behind assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning: to make certain that we are choosing assessment that reaches our goals for students' understanding. The balance of all three is needed.
While thinking about how to solve my problem of pulling one students' understandings from a group project, I've been coming to the conclusion that it can't be done. Then, what resonated with me from my recent assessment readings was that all products and interactions can serve as informative assessment, but only if I choose to use it in that way. I can observe, I can make note, but data is just data unless it is used. So I must continue to assess individually, but to be very choosy about the type of data I need to collect before, during, and after the project to show that growth has occurred.
And I think that's the main meaning behind assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning: to make certain that we are choosing assessment that reaches our goals for students' understanding. The balance of all three is needed.