Educational Assessments: What's the big deal?

What are educational assessments? Do we really need them?

Throughout the history of education, we have struggled with not only how to get to students to learn, but also how to determine whether they have learned anything at all. In other words, we have struggled with assessments. Assessments, simply put, are intended to assess whether or not a student has learned the material and to what degree. Not all assessments are created the same, however.

In the "olden" days, teachers assigned material to be read and studied and then spit back out on tests in rote form. Memorization was king, and creative thinking was discouraged. Over time, this changed. In my earlier student days, I had many tests which tested not only factual knowledge but also the ability to apply that knowledge using original thought, such as a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Papers were part of the equation as well. But are these the only choices?

Absolutely not! Today we are encouraged to use a variety of ways to assess student learning, and current technology can play a big part in that. In addition to the typical posters, in-class debates, dramatizations, etc., that creative teachers use, why not allow the students to put together their own videos? Power point presentations, digital photo tour brochures, newspapers using desk-top publishing, blogs, online games that reinforce skill sets, and the like are other ways to engage the student using current technology as well as to assess their mastery of the material.

But are these assessments really necessary? And how often? In my opinion, they are absolutely necessary--the sooner the better. If a student does not understand a lesson, how is a teacher to know? For that matter, how is the student himself to know without being required to apply that knowledge? Assessments not only reinforce the material, but they catch students' problems before they become disasters. For example, if the goal is for students to understand a grammar concept in addition to vocabulary, the lesson should be taught and an assignment should be given to reinforce the lesson. The teacher should then create an assessment to see if the students understood and learned the material. The assignment might be as simple as a game, and the assessment might be as simple as asking the student to create their own game, crossword, or story.

What if we were to kick it up a notch and use technology? Maybe the students could write the story on a computer, add pictures, and then publish it. Or maybe they could use a blog to set up a quiz for other students to take. The same concept of assessing the students by means of a quiz or writing assignment has then become much more interactive for all.

In the end, the students are supposed to be learning. Assessments determine whether or not this is happening. Or they should. If everything rests on a single exam at the end, what happens to the student who didn't realize he didn't understand a concept until too late? The best assessments not only should test the students' knowledge and understanding of the material, but they should reinforce it and put it all together.