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Assessment motivates students

EDUCATION
Changing how we think in schools

A very relevant article originally published on Jan. 22, 2012

by David Wilson

Years ago when I was teaching junior high students, we took official grades on some student work but not on others. 

If student work was not graded, it still had great value when it was used as student practice or as classroom review.

One day, some students said if the work didn’t have a grade attached to it, then they weren’t doing it.

It was an excellent moment for a good classroom conversation, and we had one at that time.

I said, “Wait a minute everyone.  Why are we here anyway?  Are we here to learn or are we here to collect numbers to put in the grade book?”

From that point on our conversation went well. The students generally agreed they were in school to learn, but for years in school their efforts had been paid for with points.

That was their experience, and they were conditioned to expect it would always work that way.

Today, that trend continues in most classrooms, because the idea of all work having a numerical grade attached to it is ingrained in education.

It is not, however, considered the best recommended practice.

A number of school districts have embraced the idea of creating quality assessments through strategies known as Assessment for Learning (AFL), as opposed to simply doing assessment of learning after a unit of instruction.

When explored this thoroughly when I was a part of the administrative team at Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Assessment for learning requires a shift in thinking among educators. It also requires training, collaboration, and experimentation in each class.

Rather than doing assessment to collect grades, assessment for learning is set up to use assessment to provide feedback to students, parents, and teachers, and to use that information to tailor learning to meet each student’s needs.

Assessment for learning also provides increased student motivation because students can assess their own efforts, allowing them to see what they’ve done right, where they can improve, and where they go from there.

Students are like any of us.  They are motivated by being provided the right information, believing what they are doing is important, feeling successful, and being in control of what they are doing.  Assessing for learning helps with all of that.

Research has demonstrated that utilizing ongoing assessment in class greatly motivates students and increases academic achievement.

We can be thankful that educators are dedicated to making such changes for the better. It is hard work but it can be done, and is well worth the effort.

 David Wilson, EdD, is a communications director and former high school principal. His book Learning Every Day is available on Amazon.com. You may email him at ledauthor@gmail.com. 

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