Assessment

Assessment can be a scary word, or at least for me it can be. When I think of assessments I automatically think of testing. I understand the concept of testing students on topics and concepts that they should know, but I believe that there doesn't always need to be a test to assess students learning. As we learned in class there are many ways to assess students learning.

In my future classroom I would like to use projects, with a rubric, to assess students learning. I remember that in elementary, middle, and even high school I would prefer a test over a project. A project meant more work than a test. If there was a test I could sit down to study (aka memorize) what I needed to know, take the test, and be done. A project meant that I had to sit down and put in a good amount of effort and creativity to get it done. However, looking back, I realize that the material that I "studied" for a test I no longer remember. I simply memorized what I thought I was expected to know and then forgot all about it after I turned in the test. With projects, I had to not only know certain concepts but I also had to apply them. Also, because I used these concepts in context I was more likely to remember them later on.

I believe that rubrics are great because as the student you know exactly what is expected of you and can plan accordingly. There is less pressure in creating a project than a test because there is room for mistakes. In a project, if you make a mistake you have more time to catch your mistake and correct it than you do in a testing situation.