Discussion on Chapter 12.
Kevin Perkins There is no question that technology can make assessment more efficient, but are we relying too much on it now? I’m afraid that students and teachers are beginning to see computers more as assessment tools rather than learning tools. We live in a results-oriented society and high-stakes evaluations are commonplace. I have spoken with several elementary school teachers who feel that test anxiety is becoming more of a problem for their students.
Informal evaluation of both students and instruction is something that many beginning teachers don’t do well. With experience I found myself anticipating student questions and more effectively adjusting instruction during lessons than early in my teaching career.
Although it’s difficult in the SOL environment, students need to be exposed to more open-ended and long-term problems. The critical thinking skills gained by students in such activities make the more difficult evaluation by teachers worthwhile.
Denise Lam My frustration with evaluation is time to do it well. I know, as Kevin stated, that as you gain experience the time for evaluation is shortened, but the demands on our time seems to be increasing. The one suggestion I liked that would help save time is encouraging students to evaluate for themselves. I have been working with students on study skills, and this idea led me to create a system for them to do some self-evaluating during a unit. It includes a check list and evaluation of assignments as we proceed through a unit.
Andrea Adams The evaluation process with adult learners has been fairly interesting to me. When I taught high school I tended to assess students on projects and portfolios. This form of evaluation doesn't necessarily work as easily when I only see my learners for 2 - 5 hours during workshops. I now rely more on discussion, observation and informal feedback. I have to constantly be aware of how my learners are progressing during a workshop since I only see them for a short period of time. If I find that a faculty/staff member is having difficulty then I offer to make a house call to their office so that I can help them one on one. I think Denise's point about self evaluation is important for adult learners. There may be better ways for me to incorporate self evaluation into my workshops.
Dennis Ray I, also, am very frustrated by the amount of student assessment taking place now. I'm also am worried about its quality. The latest culprit, SOLMate, at the 7th grade level, was a poor quality test with ill-designed questions, some with multiple correct answers. When will it reach the point that students have been tested to their academic death. Several computer teachers informed me that a number of students completed this assessment in as little as three minutes. Where the text was concerned, I found the guidelines for evaluation items to be very informative and plan to make use of them at my next opportunity. Although I've used student evaluations, it has been seldom and inconsistant. I now see a benefit of referring to them more often.