Traditionally Authentic

The ultimate purpose of assessment whether using the traditional or alternative method is to enhance students’ learning. Students are evaluated to correct misconceptions, provide them guidelines for self-regulation as well as regular and timely feedbacks for improvement in their learning strategies. Teachers also learned from this assessment. They are able to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths and align their learning goals, teaching methods and assessment approach accordingly.



Alternative assessment is not a replacement of traditional methods simply because not all learning outcomes can be gauged effectively and efficiently with it. The challenge for the instructors is to balance the two in accordance with the contents of the curriculum and the learning goals.

Traditionally, students are generally given with objective type test items such as true-false, multiple choice, matching type and fill-in-the blanks. Occasionally, a short answer or an extended response essay type is also provided to measure what they have learned. However, this students’ evaluation is mostly given just to give a mark or grade to learners at the end of the grading period or at the end of the school year. No feedback has been provided genuinely to students and parents. This is seen as one of the reasons why many students lack the skills and knowledge needed in college life or in real life. Although they did not fully understand the concepts as manifested by their poor performance in the tests, teachers had to let them aside because they need to teach all the topics that are included in the curriculum for the annual achievement test within the scheduled time frame. As a result, many students entered the next grade level with limited understanding that resulted to poor performance.



Authentic or performance-based assessment or the so-called alternative methods of assessment have been introduced to measure students’ learning in a variety of ways relevant to their local and real life situations. Students are then exposed to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through individual or group presentations or performances, process or product creation and other artistic endeavor such as writing, painting or poster making. Portfolios, journals, diaries are other authentic assessment methods that are added to traditional written tests.

Proponents of alternative assessments argue that the authentic approach is a better method of evaluating learners as compared to traditional measurement. Of course, this is a debatable issue since from the beginning up to the present, alternative methods do not fully replace the traditional one. In fact, most government and professional bodies are still adhering to the traditional methods of accrediting and licensing professionals and government personnel through multiple choice test items. Multiple choice test items are also widely used in college entrance and scholarship examinations and even in employment and other diagnostic activities.



Although authentic assessments can manifest direct evidence of students’ performance, measuring learners’ process and product is time consuming especially if students are involved in the production of checklist, rating scale and rubric as standards for good performance. In the same manner, traditional methods of testing can also measure higher order thinking skills if test items are designed in such a way that correct answers are not prone to guessing but as a product of in depth comprehension and analysis. Of course, creating very analytical and comprehensive test items is demanding and challenging.

Both traditional and authentic assessment can effectively and efficiently measure students’ knowledge, performance or skill depending on what specific learning outcomes and curriculum contents are to be measured. Time, cost and standards of performance should also be considered in selecting the better method in a particular situation. Whether traditional or authentic, the bottom line is whether students learned what they should learn or not. Select the one that is appropriate and practical in a given situation.

Images from

1) http://web.mst.edu/~rhall/ed_psych/assessment.gif

2) http://static.toondoo.com/public/w/h/a/whatedsaid/toons/cool-cartoon-1727740.png

3) http://onhandschools.com/Portals/166710/images/Test%20Taking%20Cartoon.jpg

4) http://www.uft.org/files/photo/cartoon5_2_13.jpg

References

Kwako, J. A BRIEF SUMMARY OF TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT IN THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM. Retrieved from www.stat.wisc.edu/~nordheim/Kwako_assessment4.doc

Mueller, J. Authentic Assessment Toolbox. Retrieved from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

A Classroom without a Test

Almost everyone who has the chance and the means to attend school loves to do so. However, the enthusiasm wanes when it is time for testing. It seems that every student is keen to gain some kind of learning or understanding but when the teachers are about to measure their level of knowledge and skills, they become anxious and stress about it.

Because test is part of student life and his/her future depends on passing it in whatever type it is presented to him/her, some students develop a sense of abhorrence to it. The pressure from parents and teachers makes learning miserable to some.  Instead of the initial happy outlook about education and its importance, students begin to develop a fear to take a test. This results to some kind of cheating on the part of the student. The poem below written by Kenn Nesbitt showcases some of the tactics develop by learners:

This Morning is Our History Test

A Funny School Poem for Kids

This morning is our history test.
I've pinned my notes inside my vest.
Inside my coat I wrote my notes,
including dates and famous quotes.
I've written more upon my hand
that only I can understand,
and in my socks and sleeves I stowed
my scribbled notes in secret code.

I've written down so many names
of winners of Olympic games,
of buildings, people, places too,
from Tennessee to Timbuktu.
I even copied down a piece
on ancient Rome and ancient Greece,
plus everything from Shakespeare's plays
to who invented mayonnaise.

I came to school so well prepared.
I wasn't nervous, wasn't scared.
But here it is, the history test.
I look inside my coat and vest
to get the dates and famous quotes
and find I cannot read my notes.
So much for Shakespeare, Greece and Rome.
I left my glasses back at home.

As a student, I can understand why some students practice this kind of dishonesty. I can say that learner like me does not really hate tests. What we detest are tests that are designed badly and do not fairly measure our knowledge and skills, especially when they are given only as a requirement to grade us.

I dislike test when it was unannounced. For me, it is absolutely unfair. I know that teachers hate it too when the principal, district supervisor or superintendent suddenly comes to evaluate their classes. I hate test items that are not highlighted as important or even discussed in class. I abhor exams that are not given back or return without a single remark. I despise test items that are forgotten and never been reviewed even if most of the class did not get the correct answers. I hate test items that measure irrelevant and meaningless knowledge that can easily be forgotten such as names, dates, places and events, like Kenn’s history test. I dislike test when it is given only once at the end of the course and it is the only basis of your grade.

Some students hate tests because they do not study their lessons. They despise exams because they do not understand the contents. The abhor assessments because their parents will scold them when they performed badly.

Because of this natural dislike of tests of most students, can we design a classroom without a test?

As future instructor, I can say that it is possible to teach students, provide them opportunities for learning and assess them without a formal test such as the dreaded written exam. To measure their level of performance and skill, learners can be assessed using authentic or performance-based assessment method. Assessment tools in this approach include portfolio, presentation, products and other processes that constitute real world and local scenarios and benefits. However, to be of value and elicit positive response among students, learning outcomes, instructional strategies and assessment should be in accord with one another. For example, performance of knowledge or skill that is not taken in class or taught should not be assessed. Likewise, assessment methods used can gauge learning outcomes or objectives.



Since alternative methods of assessment can be time consuming at times, traditional approach minus written test can still be used as genuine determinant of student learning. One such method is class discussion or recitation. Initially, this approach should be used as formative. Towards the end, the class should be advised of the date and time that their answers and/or opinion might be graded. In this case, the students shall prepare for the appointed time.



Another approach to be used is class game, like that of trivial pursuit, where students can participate and answer a particular question regarding the material. So that every student can have the chance to answer, regain confidence and correct a mistake, it should be done frequently throughout the course. Although written, assignments, journals, actual experiments, scientific investigations and essays are less frightening than classroom exams. To be effective, the goals and the methods of assessment should be explicitly determined and discussed prior to any meaningful activity. Frequent feedback should be given throughout the process. For those who cannot show their understanding in written reports, presentations, performances or any artistic creations can be regarded as substitutes. Likewise, these proofs of learning should tackle the learning outcomes as well as the minimum standard required for such authentic activities.



Tests can be intimidating if they do not measure what they purport to measure and no discussion is given about their contents and objectives. Tests can be replaced by performance and skills manifestations as long as they showcase the relevant materials included in the learning objectives and they can be measured fairly and objectively. As long as students learn what we expected them to learn, the assessment method used to gauge their level of understanding and skills is irrelevant. Doing away with the written test is one way as long as the alternative method/s prescribed can successfully measure fairly and objectively their learning.

Come attend my classroom without a test!

Images from

1) http://campusninjas.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/exam-cartoon.jpg

2) http://www.poetry4kids.com/poem-339.html#.Un_KXnByC-k

3) http://www.insidecolby.com/blogs/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ExamCartoon.jpg

4) http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rma/lowres/rman195l.jpg

5) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOzA7FvoGCeFQtZyjTsoxMis0u5wHsVda8jTxMKFZjCXYLPBMMKZsJKtl92CowjYHPI985dD_UzRQGs7RLZRy8wxAOZZ9GbEIJbYPRUMKEvisx-RQ-prr6PUxLmrMWlik6m3aJf_c2Dhm/s400/MathClass.jpg

6) http://www.justajourney.co.uk/images/layout/rightHand_teachers_home.jpg

References

Erlandson, C. Performance Assessments: A Wealth of Possibilities. Developed by Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit. Retrieved from http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=38b5005b-31ca-4a37-bc4d-b6d03edc46d4

Nesbitt, k. (2005). This Morning is Our History Test.  http://www.poetry4kids.com/poem-339.html#.Un-n23ByC-l

Guilty as Charged

Assessment of students’ skills and performance through observations and other traditional testing methods is not only for the concern of the learners but also for the teachers. This is because the outcome of the evaluation does not only reflect the level of students’ understanding but also indicate the quality of instruction received by the learners. Wary of this implication, teachers do their best to see to it that their students’ performance and skills meet the standards set by school officials. To achieve this, more often than not, teachers result to teaching to the test. Is this cheating?

 

Teaching to the test refers to giving instruction to students of the contents of the standard tests that they shall take in a given time. Nothing is wrong in this definition. The problem lies when the teachers or instructors give the exact items or similar to it during class discussion or review. Some academicians assert that this kind of tactic is wrong because it is tantamount to cheating.  Popham (2001) argues that item testing is unacceptable because it takes away valid inferences about the outcome of the assessment because the result assumes that the students also understand the other contents of the curriculum not just the items appearing on the test.



Veteran educator Jeanne Clements (2013) argues in favor of teaching to the test and recommends its wide use. However, she is not talking about reviewing the exact items on the standardized test but on the specific contents of the test. She stresses that the test does not rely on rote memorization of facts and concepts. She further asserts that no one condemn licensure examinations for professionals when the reviewers also result to teaching to the test.



As a student at Tapinac Elementary School in Olongapo City, I had never experienced that my teachers  were actually using the outmost form of teaching to the test, which we can also refer to as “cheating to the test.”  We can all infer that my teachers knew before hand the contents or subject matters of the standard or achievement tests to be given at designated time that they needed to teach us students. However, they never drill us on the actual test items or “clones” of them. They just presented us with the format and the directions of the actual test to familiarize ourselves to save time. Since we knew before hand that the result of the test will not become part of our final grade (which we never knew if ever true), test anxiety was diminished.



Nowadays, teachers’ performance are also gauged against the results of their students’ evaluation. As a result, they result to “cheating to the test” or during performance evaluation conducted by principals and other district supervisors. One of the tactics employ during visits of high ranking school officials and achievement tests is to tell low-performing pupils not to come to class during the date of the visit or test. A drill before the visit is perfected by simulating the visit’s scenario through giving high achievers their roles, that is, who will answer first, who will ask question and what, etc. This results to high satisfactory rating to students, teachers and schools.



To overcome their shortcomings as administrators, principals and teachers, there are many instances that sample or the actual test papers are being reviewed by the students and teachers. Because no one from the students up to high ranking officials of the district want to get a failing or unsatisfactory rating or remark from those above them, the performance maybe conceived as cooperative. This kind of drama becomes unacceptable when the learners do not gain from the experience. As long as the students understand the materials being presented and taken during class and these items are not the actual items,  teaching to the actual test items is not wrong. This is also what is happening during review classes for the professional accreditation and certification. Teaching to the test is reprehensible if the test items being reviewed are the actual and same items or their clones.

As some teachers are guilty to some form of teaching to the test, as a student, I am also occasionally guilty to “learning to the test.”  This is especially true when the teacher provides you with so many reading materials and that you do not have enough time to read them all. As a result, I tend to read and study only those that answer the study guide questions and the learning objectives. This becomes challenging because I also write what I read to fully understand them. I believe that this strategy is not at all faulty since I cover the essential knowledge and skills that need to be learned. This is different from high school where you are assigned one particular textbook to study. However, I do hope that a compressed and comprehensive reading materials is provided that tackle the essential elements of the module without sacrificing content and higher order skills, if time is limited to comprehend various materials and media.

 Images from

1) http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Education/Pix/cartoons/2012/10/12/1350042607200/Ros-Asquith-Lines-cartoon-001.jpg

2) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52DQ3SCyNi2790LSQSabHOqI6IGPM13uKTA0gvS58Pp3rBo8reMV2L4G-OunM9hBz_yHBP8escNW_sz0dFSvixAKTYolUSwjiNKnI-sbj611BZvZZIs2Skw1ogmmSYhtivXl_yIM3yM21/s1600/david-sipress-prospective-teacher-being-interviewed-by-principal-is-given-impossible-to-cartoon.jpg

3) http://seattleducation2010.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/testing1.jpg

4) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtXYFDpRCXiOqkQtsxIz83YljcIxcRW-jFVj98lfDb_03byLsqgbm5VmLD8ztquKZ84XaKj6MxKQZcorn-7ZnH6dyxjhumBArGvpTFTbAEf28PYAJRFA0VOa-Il6BJ3Ki0OEN8zNaQFI/s640/1b2.jpg

5) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsfoztllNHOFjX6sKT2Eg0WoX3u45BHAaKXWv0mZF9KiYGqVKVQgXl1mOu8_O9vREkWdgnY-PYTZNWnwcScufO1zIXdBKyir_6S9kDQq94eSk_4_0DV0RilqHeHmKIvYNkwIjuG9XAwUe/s1600/multiple+choice+cartoon.png

6) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASvgC4_WgHfSDyNqAckGWDKPgJ79PWp7OMmzyhqN1awk01pYV5DffPYY_n9o6V-uYkVKTZ3Z0uubBhVbe7SrerN7UrDE3ha9NmrZSn5h0rMrNvvgrfMPnBi6jC1qqJRnJ6hzm90X1m-I/s1600/Learning+to+Take+Tests+Sign.jpg

References 

Clements, J. (2013). Common Core: Veteran Educator Urges Teachers To ‘Teach To The Test’. In CP Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.christianpost.com/news/common-core-veteran-educator-urges-teachers-to-teach-to-the-test-100938/

Popham, W.J. (2001). Teaching to the Test? Helping All Students Achieve. 58 (6), 16-20. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar01/vol58/num06/Teaching-to-the-Test%C2%A2.aspx

2)

The Impossible Dream?

The very purpose of assessment is manifested when the teachers or instructors are able to know with precision the previous understanding of their learners, identify how these students approach their learning, provide adequate opportunities to enhance/improve their learning process and how to use appropriately the information gathered in the formulation of the next instructional design and approach to teaching in accord with the learning goals and how students viewed meaningful learning activities.



To craft a formative assessment to be used in the entire Philippines for elementary, high school and even tertiary students are not only overwhelming but also impossible. To gauge the performance and skills of every student based on a uniform standard or criteria is difficult because such assessment can be unfair and bias. This is because the students, the infrastructure of their learning, the provision of instructional materials and the qualification of their teachers are mostly varied and diverse.



It is not wise to evaluate and compare the level of understanding of Juan of Quezon City about the “Laws of Motion” with that of Khalid of South Cotabato where the former has all the equipment and materials in conducting experiments on the subject matter while the latter does not have even a physics book to know about it. Even if the same students have the instructional materials and equipment, the result of their assessment cannot truly represent their learning if the quality and time spent by their teachers on them are not the same. Juan’s teacher has master’s degree in Science or Physics and teaches full time and only that subject while Khalid’s instructor has Science as minor subject and teaches Physics once a week and other subjects.



However, to formulate a formative assessment on a national scale is still possible if the assessment criteria are varied, in accord with the learners’ background and achievement,  and implement only to specific students and schools having the same qualifications as previously identified. For example, the assessment with the purpose of improving/enhancing the mathematical ability of grade 4 pupils in La Union can also be given to grade 4 students of Iloilo if both students have similar opportunities and level of instructions. In the same manner, English proficiency of Grade 8 students of Quezon City can be evaluated and compared with those students of Manila because they have similar learning/teaching backgrounds. In essence, a specific formative assessment should be given to students and schools possessing the same learning/teaching experiences so that the information collected will be fair and comparable.



Devising a national formative assessment is positively challenging if the education officials from the national government to the school are willing to participate in its planning, execution, monitoring and revision. But the greatest challenge would be seen in their preparedness and eagerness to come out with specific assessment tasks and address the outcomes of the assessment. This is because most programs of the Department of Education of the Philippines to enhance/improve basic education start and end with pilot studies. They are often short-term, short-lived and die with the shortage of funds. The very aims of the assessment programs are not well-defined. Even if they are, the implementation of corrective measures often only reached the recommendation stage.



To be successful, national formative assessment should be primarily aimed to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths on particular topics or subjects, and to determine how instructional strategies and learning activities can be revised and improved in accord with the learning goals previously articulated and discussed with different stakeholders.



This assessment must never be used to evaluate teachers’ performance and level of competence. If it is, the very purpose of the assessment shall lose its meanings. Instead for students’ learning, the assessment might be used by the teachers for their own good. It might be expected that teachers shall result to teaching to the test, where they use the opportunity to teach their students only the lessons to be tested or even answers to exact questions of the assessment.

Images from

1) http://www.nscb.gov.ph/headlines/StatsSpeak/2009/071309_3.gif

2) http://www.mindanews.com/wp-content/plugins/dynpicwatermark/DynPicWaterMark_ImageViewer.php?path=2013/06/07andap02.jpg

3) http://mc.pshs.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/sub_phy.jpg

4) http://kbarnstable.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/eportfoliocartoon-346082.png

5) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsfoztllNHOFjX6sKT2Eg0WoX3u45BHAaKXWv0mZF9KiYGqVKVQgXl1mOu8_O9vREkWdgnY-PYTZNWnwcScufO1zIXdBKyir_6S9kDQq94eSk_4_0DV0RilqHeHmKIvYNkwIjuG9XAwUe/s1600/multiple+choice+cartoon.png

6) http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/images/pages/N584/test-cartoon005.gif

I Am Not Shallow

As student, assessment shall be a part of my being one to determine what, why and how I know what the teacher teach/guide me to know. In most cases, I align my approach of study on how and what means of assessment it might be if ever it was revealed to me or not before hand.



During my elementary days in not so distant past, the aims of a particular lesson were not adequately discussed or even mentioned before it was taught. In which case, I did not know what to do with the materials presented on us. Of course we knew that at the end of the unit, a quiz or long test is at hand. If the time of remembering was revealed, it was the only time that I began to review/ re-read what was taken up in class. More often than not, I was satisfied with the result of my assessment. However, I felt disappointed when the teacher got his/her gotcha moment when most of us did not get most of the correct answers during surprised quizzes. The bad thing was, the lesson was never repeated or further discussed even if no one understood them fully as determined by the test.



Because of the above experience during my primary education, I became fully wary of my teachers’ assessment approach when I entered high school. I began to be more attentive during class discussion and lectures. I saw to it that I reviewed the materials and did all my assignments regularly. It was this attitude that I maintained my position in class until I graduated. In essence, I aligned my approach to study not because it was my choice but because it was expected of me. In fact, the assessment directed my learning in some ways.



Some researchers maintained that the traditional objective type testing such as multiple choice and true-false, produce surface learning because it prepares student to be rote learners. Students often get only the tip of the iceberg when they engage their learning with this type of assessment. Opponents of traditional testing argues that understanding or recalling some facts and concepts is shallow learning because this kind of learning is only the base or at the bottom of Bloom’s taxonomy.

Well, I am not that shallow. Although it may seem that what multiple choice and true-false exams determine is how students remember or recall facts and concepts but in reality, these kinds of tests also involve in-depth learning because choosing the correct answer involve not only recalling but also understanding and analysis especially if the question is full of ambiguous words and trickery. It is worth noting that the present licensure examinations in the Philippines and elsewhere involve multiple choice tests. If it is not an effective and reliable indicator of learning in most professions, why does the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) continue utilizing this kind of assessment?



Assessment directs students learning and plays an important role in their approaches to study. During my senior year in high school, the most dreaded test of all was the National College Entrance Examination or NCEE. The NCEE determines whether or not a high school graduate can enter a four or five-year program in the college or university. The NCEE is the gate way to students’ dream of becoming a professional. Although passing it is the most important test that students undertake, teachers in our high school did not bother to teach to the test. Whether it was a policy or not, senior students were left to study by themselves and teachers did not teach us on what in the test. The teachers only advised us to buy a copy of a reviewer to be familiar with the mechanics of the test. I can remember that the teachers did not do any formal review for this assessment although the life of students depended on passing it.



It is really very uncomfortable to know that while undertaking a course or study, the teacher is there to measure how much you learn or retain from the materials he/she discussed or provided. Either test, product or performance, assessment limits the means by which students approach their learning. You sometimes feel that you are surrounded by materials that you may not use in real life or you should only need to know a portion of it. Tests usually create anxiety to some students as if the whole world will judge them based on number or letter grades. The results often rank or classify a person and distinguish others from the rest - there is a summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude and the other graduates. With this, learning becomes competitive as if only few deserve to be high achievers.

I felt some pressure while studying at the University of the Philippines because of its reputation as the premier center of learning of learning in the entire country. Thinking that all Iskolar ng Bayan are bright students that get high grades, I often felt disappointed when mine were average. I felt that I might not be maintaining UP standards. Lately of course that I realized that my misconceptions about UP were often wrong. However, it is expected that UP graduates are different from any other students, no matter what it is on your Transcript of Record. It is a reputation that is maintained by many corporations and leaders. Well, I say amen to this one.



The results of assessment also brought joy to my being especially when I deserved what I labored. I felt elated when I passed a very difficult examination or get the highest grade in one project. The praise and congratulatory remarks from parents, relatives, and friends when you finally received your diploma or certificate of recognition erased all the hardships, anxieties, stress and other bad effects of assessments on your learning and being. At the end of the day, I realized that it is really “No gain, No pain!” I am not that shallow, then.

Reference

Morgan, C, Dunn, L, Parry, S & O'Reilly, M 2004, The student assessment handbook : new directions in traditional and online assessment , Routledge Falmer, London. ISBN: 0749438835

Images from

1) http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/wp-content/uploads/writing-exam.jpg

2) http://www.funnyfly.com/images/exam.jpg

3) http://ircamera.as.arizona.edu/NatSci102/NatSci102/images/exams.jpg

4) http://www.lawphil.net/images/logo/prclogo.gif

5) http://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/test_cartoon.jpg

6) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Sablay.jpg

The Final Mark

The culmination of learning activities in a unit of study or a course happens when the teacher gives his/her final judgment to his/her students. Since it may entail positive or negative repercussions or both, the final mark given by the educator needs to be fair, appropriate, and truly represents the level of understanding and skills exhibited by the learner throughout the curriculum. Dunn & others point out that educators cannot change his/her final judgment of students once it is submitted to the school officials. It is with this limitation of summative assessment that teachers must be careful in measuring the performance and skills of learners.

Reminiscing

During my elementary days way back in the middle of the 1960s, I did not care much about the grades given by my teachers. From Grade 1 to 3, there was no report card given after the so called grading periods. The final mark was given only towards the end of the school year when honor rolls were selected based on that single grade.  I was fortunate to be included in the top 5 of my class during those days.

I was awarded second honor when I finished Grade 1. I can still remember how honor pupils were selected back then. Five of us who were in the top of the class were given a 20-item test. In that examination, the first honor got 15 points while I managed to answer 14. We could have been “tie” if I did not misspell “dilaw” as “diliw”, as one of the colors of the Philippine flag. I could still remember one question which I did not get – the one who leads the city. The answer was the mayor. Nobody got that right because we never studied anything about our city officials. The bulk of the curriculum was to read and write in the national language and to learn addition and subtraction of three-digit number. Aside from the “Ang Abakada”, the only book we had was “Doon Po Sa Amin.” So it was unfair that our teacher gave that question about city officials. It was a case of poorly aligned assessment, as I know now.

 

I was in Section 1 during my Grade 2 and 3. At the end of the school term, I got the honor of third and fourth, respectively. Up to this day, I did not know how our teachers evaluated our performance and how they selected the honor rolls. I was a little bit upset because some of my classmates were ahead of me in the honor list when I knew I performed more than them in the examinations and recitations. They were only ahead of me in projects because they could buy more beautiful materials. Nonetheless, most of their projects were done by their parents.

The true performance evaluation came during Grade 4 until Grade 6. In those grade levels, favoritism was out of the picture. We were judged based on our performance on the learning goals of the teachers, school and district officials. It was then that I realized my true worth when I was chosen as first honor in those three consecutive levels of schooling. In those 3 years, formative assessments as the basis for summative evaluation were introduced. Report card was given to students and parents every quarter with teacher’s comment on the performance of the students. Before the cards were distributed to parents, our teacher conferred with each parent about the performance of their child.

 

I was a bit disappointed, though, during our elementary graduation because in that year no valedictorian was officially selected. The school officials, following the recommendation of higher officials from the Ministry of Education, changed how the students were assessed. Instead of numerical grades, letters were provided as grades – “O” for outstanding; “VS” for very satisfactory, “S” for satisfactory, “NI” for need improvement; and “F” for fail. Any student who got “O” in a subject from any section was given a certificate of recognition. Although I got  “Os” in all my subjects and received all the certificates, I was not officially recognized as the valedictorian. Another student from a different section also got the same number of “Os” as mine. Nonetheless, I was recognized as the top student during that time by my classmates.

Back to Reality

Now, as I plan to create an example of assessment of learning for a certain topic, I realized that it was not as easy as I thought it was. Although I did not have a clear idea about how my teachers from grade school to college judged my performance and skills, it was then very challenging for them if they practiced the best appraisal for their students.

In generating assessment of learning, the most challenging part was to formulate the reasons why my partner (Regina) and I were doing the assessment. Without this critical step, we could not advance to the next or other stages of planning. It was only when we articulated our reasons for evaluation that we were able to go ahead with the process. However, we were somewhat in a loss when we were ensuring the quality of our assessment. In this sequence, each of us gave our inputs on how to come out with quality assessment and consolidate them. We were confident that our collaboration was deemed satisfactory if not very satisfactory. (See our effort here....)

 

Based on my observations, our teachers in elementary and even in high schools were not really practicing in-depth assessment of their students. In high schools, only few of my teachers were really interested on our achievements as students.  Some of them did not care if we really understood the subject matters as long as the bright students got high scores during quizzes and periodical tests. I can still remember our English teacher during my senior year who was often absent in the entire school year. I could not even remember the subject matter he was teaching. He did not give back our periodical test papers. I did not even know how he gave me an 85 as the final grade.

More often than not, most teachers moved up to the next lesson even though many students were still could not understand the previous ones. The goal of teaching, then, was to finish the curriculum no matter what. Having said this, since I did not have any idea then of the nature and purposes of assessment, I did care less if my classmates understand our lessons or not. My focus then was only for my own learning. I had to study and to get good grades because I was on scholarship.

 

I think practicing teachers do their assessment tools, such as checklist, journal, observations, assignments, examinations, etc., based on the reasons why they are doing the assessment. However, I also observed that teachers often do assessment procedures as requirements for the fulfillment of their duties to the school officials and not for the education of the children. I said this because I have observed in our barangay’s elementary school that teachers asked their students to make home reading reports only as requirement and not to teach them how to summarize good stories or anecdotes. Mostly, the parents were doing the reports or they were done by somebody else for a fee. Children’s “work” were seldom checked and/or graded.

Because assessments consume most of the time of the teachers especially when they are teaching 50 to 80 students, it was also a practice to give the same assessment the year before or follow what the other teachers are doing. It is always the case that these proofs and evidences of performance of the students (and/or their parents) are often not given the right attentions that they deserve. They are just lying there in the classroom cabinets, teacher’s desk or teacher’s home.

Because of my experience, I can say that these practices of some of our teachers and school officials undermine the very purpose of assessment of learning. As in my elementary and high school days, students will not have any idea on how they got their grades, especially when assessment criteria were not mentioned and discussed in the first place (which is usually the case). If the learners did their works and were not graded, it can create negative signals to the concern. They might not perform or loss enthusiasm the next time around. And if parents did the job and their child got high marks, those who did their own work will get frustrated and might follow the trend in the next unit or school year. In the end, it is the students who shall suffer because they did not get the good education that they aspire. The teachers shall be affected too because they did not become instruments of learning but only tools for marking bewildered and disgruntled students and learners.

Images from

1) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Qm3-3uZ6NMtFwmN5yyPE0zBaJ23ti_kw5A5gfCNFA3jqM1OMKwdbcAdIe4EPD2t660Zz33GHSHRnF-q_G7_aRBPNJycsnC5mh85aMeH-ych_Ctmg0hT6u86JKRXqPYB_J9lYpncXqgU/s1600/Castellanos+Elementary+School+Openng+Oct+14-10+013.jpg

2) http://certificates.phillipmartin.info/school_cert_honor_roll_boy1.gif

3) http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/YWJ/CMS/ImageGallery/Resources/Lessons/2011/06/DisappointedGraduate_lg.250w.tn.jpg

4) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5380287379_ae5abdfb3b.jpg

5) http://pvcs.flbsd.mb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/GermanSchoolProjects_004.jpg

Reference

Morgan, Dunn, Parry, & O'Reilly. The Student Assessment Handbook: New Directions in Traditional and Online Assessment, Chapters 1-2. NY: RoutledgeFalmer

The Target is Me

The primary target of educational assessment, whether traditional or alternative, is the student or learner. However, for a student like me, the focus of assessment such as test, homework, and project, is to determine if I understood or can recall what the teachers taught me to understand. Assessment is the means to gauge my level of performance and finally certify if I meet the requirements of the course/study so that I can move on to the next level. Nothing has been said that the evaluation used is for me to make control of my learning.



During my education, from elementary to college, the goals of learning are not explicitly articulated by the teachers, instructors or professors. They tend to believe that the students already know what are expected of them. They guess that tests, long or short, homework or assignment, midterm, projects, and finals are parts of student’s life that the learners should be prepared to hurdle or accomplish. As a result, I also tend to believe that when I got high grades, I am already a good learner.



The problem with assessment as learning, like assessment of and for learning, lies with the teachers not telling their students why they are doing what they are doing. They begin their lessons without articulating to the learners what they will and need to accomplish at the end of the unit of study. They give tests, ask students to submit a project, grade them and move on the next lesson. They do not care if almost half of the class did not understand the lesson. The goal is to teach the next lessons and finish the materials that school administrators tell them to teach within the prescribed time frame.

From elementary to college, the concept of metacognition and self-regulation did not register in my mind. This is because my teachers did not introduce the concepts or even the words. I sense that the teachers’ primary role then is to give knowledge rather than facilitate learning. This is the reason why I was not fully prepared when I entered the university. I thought that my professors will just deliver the lecture for us to understand and memorize. It was surprising when they just gave you syllabus and they expected you to know the lessons and be able to articulate them during class discussion or during exams. The horror was that they gave you exams they did not teach or discuss as if they are gods that gave orders to their subjects and expected them to know them by themselves.

Students learning by themselves will not materialize if teachers themselves do not give the reasons to do so. The learning goals or expectations should be clear and specific; the methods of instruction are well-defined; and the assessment tools should be in accord with the two and the outcomes are achievable. Regular feedback to each and every student should be given at appropriate time interval to correct any misconception and enhance their learning.



Individual differences in terms of strategies and styles should be taken into consideration in judging one’s performance. Ample time should be given to students to reflect on their own learning. Teachers should continuously monitor students’ progress and strategies until they achieve the potential to self-assess and self-regulate. However, to do this, teachers should provide genuine opportunities and create environments so that learners feel safe, confident, responsible and independent in their approach to self-study.

Reference

Earl, L. & Katz, S. (2006). Chapter 4, “Assessment of Learning." In Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind. Western & Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration on Education, 41-54). Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/rethinking_assess_mb.pdf

Images from

1) http://www.hsac.org.uk/assets/images/target.jpg

2) http://www.elmiracityschools.com/uploadedimages/testprep.jpg

3) http://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Quick%20Links/Publications/The%20ATA%20News/Volume%2039/Number%2014/2cartoon.gif

4) http://rlv.zcache.com/teachers_rule_female_teacher_cartoon_photosculpture-p153515481360359988zv6l5_210.jpg

5) http://bc.onlineschool.ca/images/student.jpg

To Judge and be Misjudged

As Judge

In some point in time, we have the opportunity to judge the knowledge, skills and performance of others. It could be in the classroom, in a contest, in an office or in any ordinary place and event where our so called “expert and objective” assessment comes to a test.

Like everyone, I also have the opportunity to evaluate other’s performance. At present, it is our new assistant accountant that our company hired four months back.  My boss readily was impressed by this Pakistani who has many years of experience in a relatively big corporation here in the Middle East. However, I have already some bias towards this new employee because I know for years how his “kabayans” are working. And I was right.



Coming from big organization, he is poor in multi-tasking. Being paid in fixed salary, he is off when the clock ticks 6 PM, always ahead of me, although he has some delay and pending works. He keeps on putting off things to do until the last moment. He is keen on long conversations with fellow workers. Not bad if he continues working. The only positive about him is that his desk is always clean and tidy, not like mine, which is full of folders, papers, files, etc.

At any rate, he passed the probationary period. His performance was put to the test when I went on a one-month leave. When I returned, the invoices and transactions that I left are not yet photocopied and filed. Our workers complained of late salary. My boss was furious about his performance. He did not learn what I taught him to learn. He is still following his old strategies of doing things although I told him several times that they were not working. He just ignored things that need to be followed up.

Because of his performance, my boss issued him a warning letter. He should improve or face the ax. The response was abrupt. He was so proud that he immediately wrote a resignation letter today. He even gave it direct to our boss bypassing me who is his supervisor. Before going home, he tried to give me his room and cabinet keys, which I refused. I told him that he needs to finish all his pending works until such time that we let him go.

At this time, I can say that I was very fair to him since the beginning. I always gave him some advice that he did not bother to follow. He kept on doing his own old ways. It will not matter though if these strategies were working. But they did not. Well, let us wait for what happens next.

Adjudged and Misjudged

Up to this day, I can still remember the day when I was assessed together with my other classmates for the honor rolls for our high school graduation. Since only our parents and teachers from first year to fourth year attended the deliberation, I was shocked and disappointed about the result. I did not get the salutatorian that I was wishing for and I was downgraded to be the first honorable mention. I felt betrayed and cheated. This was a very honest wish because I was the first honor during my freshman year, second honor during my sophomore and junior year, and I could say, second honor in our senior year. What happened?



Well, the culprit was the measurement used by the school following the Department of Education and Sports’ criteria – 6 points for academic, 3 points for conduct and 1 point for extra-curricular activities. I was slipped down because of the conduct points. No, it was not because I was a renegade student but because of the composition of the voting teachers. Most of them are women and they will surely choose female students. Most of my male teachers were not there to vote for us males. I can say now that the assessment used was poorly aligned or utterly misaligned considering that character should never get that high point in the assessment simply because it was very subjective. Also, our final grades already contained points for moral values.



This disappointment was the reason why I was not that happy during our graduation ceremony although I got more claps than the salutatorian. I just proved my teachers wrong when I passed the National State Scholarship where I was on the national level while the salutatorian was in the local level. I passed the UPCAT while the salutatorian did not. By the way, I do not hold grudges against the salutatorian because she had nothing to do with the awards except for being nice with our female teachers. I was a victim of wrong criteria and system, a poorly aligned assessment!

Images from

1) http://www.johnconnell.co.uk/images/3monkeys.png

2) http://images.smh.com.au/2011/05/06/2346892/729lazy-420x0.jpg

3) http://www.grllis.spruz.com/gfile/75r4!-!HKIEFJ!-!zrzor45!-!FLPKESDF-DLHG-HNEN-NQMH-SRDHKJNEPOHP!-!72y1nq/wendells008.jpg

4) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57A7bIqyzQGG75L-OLQsuxs58TQLc1bLPxbH2sOLu-mOm-Giuc6zGv0I5o_j-HjKXgiztekKJ-F20P1avCjYs9toP1gMFxFACpXR5cBYzSjttol2RnMmDYLmImhNzDX7ZsPFeA7lQw0gx/s200/Valedictorian+Linus.gif

How I Viewed Educational Assessment

Although educational assessment has been dreaded by many students from preschool to higher level, it is a very significant part of the teaching-learning process. Assessment as defined in the University of Lincoln’s website pertains to the process of gathering of information to measure student’s “knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.” Simply, it refers to what teacher does to monitor the progress of his/her students, aid them in their learning and re-design his/her instructional methods and /or assessment strategies to attain his/her predetermined learning goals.



As an elementary student, I was not afraid of the test, be it short or long, surprised or not, because I listened to my teachers in class, did my homework and I was confident that I could answer most of the questions. What I hate was when the test given was so simple compared to what our teachers hinted us to study. For example, our Social Studies teacher would normally gave us 5 chapters to review and then gave a 20 item- multiple choice questions. It drove me mad because I felt I was short-changed probably because Social Studies was one of my favorite subjects and found studying the different regions of the Philippines interesting.

It was the reverse in high school. I found Social Studies class less interesting because I was poor in politics. I prayed not to be called to recite during class. It was because we were no longer remembering products and capitals. We were analyzing the socio-cultural and political systems of our country and I was poor in analysis. One short answer was not enough. You have to defend your argument. Surprisingly, I still got good grade.



Although I got good grades in Mathematics, Geometry was one branch that I was struggling. You’ve got it right! Because it involved analysis. I usually could not prove a theorem. No matter how hard I tried to study, I still could not get it. I managed to get an 85, though.

What I liked most in high school was Filipino. Oh, no! Not Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo but writing essays and short stories. My love of writing in the national language was developed in high school. I was chosen as associate editor of our school organ in Filipino. I also won an award in the Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference. Our school paper won the Best in News Writing in the national contest. I got Best in Journalism – Filipino during my graduation.



Getting good grades in elementary and high school was very important to me. Not only for my own satisfaction but also to the pride and happiness that they gave to my parents. High grades are testimonies that you studied hard. All your sacrifices and hard work had been rewarded. Getting high grades in high school was my primary goal because it was a way to free college education. Belonging to a poor family, my parents could not send me to college without scholarship. Because of the dedications that I committed to my studies, I was chosen as one of the recipients of the UP Experimental Democratization Students Scholarship (UPXDS) in 1977. Getting high grades in the University was very important to maintain my scholarship. I studied Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and graduated in 1982. And whether we like it or not, grades are one of the indicators of employability in the labor market.



During the course of my studies, I never had a failing grade but I got an "Incomplete" in Computer Studies. Again, you got it right. Because this subject involved analysis and I was so poor in that. As a result, I re-enrolled it one summer and got a 3. Whew!!! My only “tres”. I also got an ebb and flow grade in Algebra. My lowest marks happened when the subject matter involved word problem. Yes, you have got it right once more – analysis.

I shall be frustrated and less motivated if I got a failing grade in any subject especially when you did your utmost share in the learning process. You could blame the professor especially when he/she thought that all “iskolar ng bayan” were outright smart and left you on your own (which was always the case then, I could say).]



It seemed that I was really poor in analysis. I could solve mathematical problems when the equations were all set up but I usually did poorly when I have to set them up by myself. Well, I could say now that it was because my mind then was only at level 3 of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning as revised by Lorin Anderson(2000) as cited by Don Clark. My learning was only in the remembering, understanding and application stage.



Ultimately, at this stage of my learning process, grades are not that significant to me compared to my previous formal education. Although they will always give you some sort of pride and achievement, high grades are now measurements of how the teacher perceived you to have attained his/her learning goals rather than indicators of how much you learned.

Images from

1) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0hwlZ5uvv3v1mo6qJ56NoN_iMXEbA8p9nTN2tI1M4CBPo06_-Zuhs1uzhB2HDlMS8e-K6aByfBDpJN2HF8ijekaR9IOn9VjKy_lEt_X1P8ZYoPThubDGE5w1Yoz8fpWqPNE2vCIbo1re/s400/nclb-test-cartoon.png

2) http://math.pppst.com/banner_math_geometry_formulas.gif

3) http://blogs.themailbox.com/themailbox/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/report-card-clip.gif

4) http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/10246900/homepage/name/161183?type=sn

5) http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/id/bloom_taxonomy.jpg

6) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4znyXFQCYcdyGbuvBNAXza6Ub858KosIFjj2O6VRPXUz-usySzyhpSDdPttFFYOs3rcovDuNeP2B0pGdIiCOEncv8CbPcCanp2zbST0bNgKM3UGsdvXvB5P2-RFX7HQwgmpcBP7DQbs4/s400/Cartoon+Teacher.gif

References

Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., Raths, J., Wittrock, M. C. (2000). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.

The University of Lincoln.  Educational assessment. In academic room. Retrieved on 21 September 2013 at http://www.academicroom.com/topics/what-is-educational-assessment