Assessment is both a cornerstone of measuring learning and a point of contention between educators and policymakers. Most educators agree that learning must be evaluated to track student progress, but many also resent that high stakes testing determines public school funding, teacher salaries and children’s futures. While many educators want to see more authentic forms of assessment become the standard in public education, decades of policies and practices reinforce the current system.
“When we innovate in schools, we need to do so with care,” said Bernard Bull, assistant vice president of academics and education professor at Concordia University, in a Global Education Conference presentation. Bull calls assessment one of the “load bearing” walls in education, a long-standing practice and belief system that can’t be removed or changed easily. Any innovations to assessment must be done carefully, and whatever replaces the current system must be well thought out.
Bull’s primary research focuses on innovative teaching practices around the world. Initially, he tried to steer clear of assessment, but soon realized changing education without touching assessment would be nearly impossible. “I realized it was often one of the barriers that got in the way of innovation, so I’ve spent a great deal of time understanding how it works,” Bull said.
“I’ve learned a lot about the importance of having lots of low stakes formative assessment in the early part of a class.”
Most education systems use a version of a numerical scale or percentage system to rate students. In the U.S., that number often converts into a letter grade, A-F, but Bull points out that individual schools define letter grades differently. And he points out that the criteria that determine grades could have unintended consequences for students’ ability to achieve the highest grade.
“There are a number of things that influence the grades that one gets, and it’s not always what we think it is,” Bull said. For example, many classes in the U.S. assign a grade by tallying up cumulative points on all tests, quizzes, assignments, and projects throughout the semester. But quizzes given early in the course tend to benefit those students who come into the class with prior knowledge of the subject. If a student has a mother who’s a chemist, for example, or a father who’s a history buff might perform better on early assessments because she’s familiar with the material.
Even if two students finish the course with the same level of understanding, the student without prior knowledge won’t likely achieve the top grade because low scores on early quizzes would have penalized her. Without realizing it, educators could be biasing the class towards a few students with the sequencing of summative assessments.
Assessment is both a cornerstone of measuring learning and a point of contention between educators and policymakers. Most educators agree that learning must be evaluated to track student progress, but many also resent that high stakes testing determines public school funding, teacher salaries and children’s futures. While many educators want to see more authentic forms of assessment become the standard in public education, decades of policies and practices reinforce the current system.“When we innovate in schools, we need to do so with care,” said Bernard Bull, assistant vice president of academics and education professor at Concordia University, in a Global Education Conference presentation. Bull calls assessment one of the “load bearing” walls in education, a long-standing practice and belief system that can’t be removed or changed easily. Any innovations to assessment must be done carefully, and whatever replaces the current system must be well thought out.Bull’s primary research focuses on innovative teaching practices around the world. Initially, he tried to steer clear of assessment, but soon realized changing education without touching assessment would be nearly impossible. “I realized it was often one of the barriers that got in the way of innovation, so I’ve spent a great deal of time understanding how it works,” Bull said.“I’ve learned a lot about the importance of having lots of low stakes formative assessment in the early part of a class.”Most education systems use a version of a numerical scale or percentage system to rate students. In the U.S., that number often converts into a letter grade, A-F, but Bull points out that individual schools define letter grades differently. And he points out that the criteria that determine grades could have unintended consequences for students’ ability to achieve the highest grade.“There are a number of things that influence the grades that one gets, and it’s not always what we think it is,” Bull said. For example, many classes in the U.S. assign a grade by tallying up cumulative points on all tests, quizzes, assignments, and projects throughout the semester. But quizzes given early in the course tend to benefit those students who come into the class with prior knowledge of the subject. If a student has a mother who’s a chemist, for example, or a father who’s a history buff might perform better on early assessments because she’s familiar with the material.Even if two students finish the course with the same level of understanding, the student without prior knowledge won’t likely achieve the top grade because low scores on early quizzes would have penalized her. Without realizing it, educators could be biasing the class towards a few students with the sequencing of summative assessments.
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