I liked the statement at the beginning of the chapter that affirmed “the purpose of reading and writing assessment is to collect meaningful information or data about what students know and are able to do” [p. 298 (italics mine)]. It is a reminder of our main focus as teachers: to enable students to become independent learners. We cannot do this without knowing the individual student’s level and on what areas the instructor must concentrate with him/her.
I was interested in the writing rubric on p. 313 as it very concisely outlines expectations, acting as a reference for both teacher and student. It is difficult to grade writing as opposed to mathematics, science, or another more linear subject because generally speaking, when it comes to language arts, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is practically impossible to be completely objective when you are reading someone else’s work. The writing may be perfectly coherent and well-expressed to one person and yet be absolutely confusing and senseless to another. That is why a rubric is valuable. It offers a tangible guideline for grading—something that holds both parties accountable. As a sideline, it also provides a safety net for teachers who need to explain their methods of marking to higher authorities or irate parents who believe their child deserved a higher grade.
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4 comments:
I couldn't agree more. Writing rubrics are essential to keeping both teachers and parents accountable. I believe it is important to provide students a copy of the grading rubic when an assignment is given. This allows the student to know what is expected and there are no surprises.
In education, assessment is key in knowing if methods and lessons worked and what needs remediation or review. Assessment comes in many forms. Not only are there tests and quizzes, there are portfolios and projects. I used portfolios in my classroom and my students loved them becasue it showed not only them but others the progress they had made. What do you think?
I absolutely agree that assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process. An ongoing assessment not only helps the teachers determine student's background knowledge, identify strengths and weaknesses, but it also provides them with fundamental information which will guide their future instruction.Hopefully this carefully planned instruction will be beneficial and meet the diverse needs of the students.
As far as the rubrics are concerned, I personally think that it is in our interest as future teachers to effectively construct them and use them across many subject areas. It is true that esssays, open ended questions, and other writing samples are more difficult to assess objectively than other assignments, because there is no true or false answer.
It is reasonable to say that different people/students have different opinions on the same topic, and this is OK as long as they justify their response/writing. Rubrics are a great way to avoid subjectivity, and offer opportunities to treat students fairly.However,their use would be most effective if they address the most important parts/areas that the teachers want their students to be assessed on. I would also suggest not to look at students'names when it comes to grade their writing.
I absolutely liked the writing rubric as well. It really does allow a teacher to fairly assess students on specific aspects of the writing process/assignment.It also provides students with reasonable criteria to assess their own writing, and see the things that they missed, or probably need to work more next time. Rubrics really do make the analysis of writing simpler and assessment process more reliable, consistent and fair to both, teachers and students.
I think that when it comes to assessing a students literacy you have to have an open mind to some extent. I understand that rubrics are the best way to keep a student on track so they know what is expected but it can be a problem if the student doesn't understand the rubric completely. It is very important to explain the rubric thuroghly with the students so they understand exactly what it is you expect.
I really think that assessment is very important to teachers because it is what we are going to be doing for a long time. As a teacher we will need to learn to love assessment because we are going to have to keep up with it so we know where our students stand and so the parents are aware of their students abilities.
I definitely agree with you on how important it is to have writing rubrics used inside the classroom. Students need to know what is expected of them on assignments and by giving them a rubric it allows for them to make the effort into getting the grade that they want.
I have mixed feelings about the use of assessments inside the classroom. Even though I know they are essential to have inside the classroom, I believe it is important to remember that not all students are capable of doing well on tests. That is why having performance based assessments can sometimes be a more useful way for students to be creative and not have to worry about bubbling in a multiple choice question.
I also love the use of portfolios inside the classroom. It is a tool to show not only you as the teacher, but also the student and their parents how much that student has progressed over the year.
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