Summary of Assessment

Purpose: to see whether students have mastered what’s important for them to know

· Important to use multiple types of assessment – multiple choice, performance based etc.

· Should assess complex knowledge and skills not simply rote learning

· Need to be willing to pay – cost should not control how we assess learning eg. multiple choice vs. writing a paper

· Need some standardized tests for state and national comparison.

· Tests must be aligned to the curriculum – teaching to the test is only problematic if it’s a bad test and the test doesn’t align with the curriculum

· Wherever possible assessment should involve meaningful work eg performance based

Issues:

· Schools minimize/do not teach subjects that are not tested.

· Should promotion/graduation be dependent on successful mastery?

· How do we minimize cultural bias in tests?

· Can we hold everyone to the same standard when there’s significant variation in the schools and their resources?

· Should we use $ to reward teachers at schools identified as exceeding goals? Should all teachers receive bonuses when they contribute very differently? (Would NC accountability system be taken seriously if there were no $ attached? ie percentage of students proficient posted and schools classified?)