Assessment practices and methods in schools

Peterson, M.W. & Einarson, M.K. (2001). What are colleges doing about student assessment? Does it make a difference? Journal of Higher Education, 72(6), 629.

The authors preface their study by noting that a growing number of educational institutions are using some type of student assessment approach and all signs indicate that some type of student assessment is going to increase in the future. Despite this increase and the concomitant investment of time and resources in implementing student assessment programs, there remains a paucity of research concerning best practices and whether these assessment programs actually contribute to improvements in academic performance. Because of the high-stakes nature of many of the student assessments commonly used, with the results being used for college admission, scholarship awards and even graduation from high school, Peterson and Einarson emphasize the need for additional research concerning what types of student assessment programs provide the "most bang for the educational buck" and to develop a systematic approach to analyzing the effectiveness of the assessment regimens that are already in place. To determine how colleges and universities are approaching the student assessment process, these researchers examined how postsecondary educational institutions have typically approached, supported, and promoted assessment of undergraduates, and what institutional uses and impacts have been achieved using these assessment efforts. Based on their analysis of more than 2,500 colleges and universities, Peterson and Einarson found that a majority of the schools reviewed were using student assessment methods that were less extensive than those recommended by the experts in student assessment and are taking the "easy way out" by collecting easily quantifiable post-college measures such as employment outcomes and additional education rather than more difficult metrics such as impact on higher-order cognitive skills and affective development. The authors recommend the use of capstone projects and portfolio assessment as a superior approach. From a personal perspective, this article made it clear that easy is not better and given the importance of the student assessment process, more time, effort and resources should be devoted to it.

Journal Article No. 2: Advancing excellence in technological literacy: Student assessment, professional development, and program standards. The Technology Teacher, 62(6), 1-2.

Citing the need for improved methods of achieving timely and accurate student assessments in technology-related courses, this article reports that a number of standards have emerged in recent years that can help educators use student assessment methods more effectively. By definition, this article suggests that student assessment programs are supposed to improve academic outcomes. For instance, the article states, "Student assessment is the systematic, multi-step process of collecting evidence on student learning, understanding, and abilities and using that information to inform instruction and provide feedback to the learner, thereby enhancing student learning" (p. 1). The article notes that although the results of student assessment are routinely provided to students as feedback concerning areas of strengths and weaknesses, the main audience for student assessment programs is the teachers who are tasked with providing high quality educational services. In this regard, the article emphasizes that, "Teachers should use student assessment data to improve classroom practices, plan curricula, develop self-directed learners, report student progress, and research teaching practices" (p. 2). From a personal perspective, this article made it clear that although the students themselves can benefit from receiving the results of their assessments, it is also important for the teachers involved to use this information in meaningful ways to promote critical-thinking skills among their students and to use this information to identify trends and patterns that can be used to improve their curricular offerings in the future.

Journal Article No. 3: Russell, J. (2003). Making use of the new student assessment standards to enhance technological literacy: The assessment of student learning is a pivotal component of effective teaching and learning. The Technology Teacher, 63(2), 27-28.