I wanted to spend a little time talking about assessment. Often when we hear the word assessment, other terms come to mind such as test or quiz. Rarely does the word
inquiry come to mind. Assessment as inquiry refers to researching into what the student understands about a particular topic. For instance, to understand a child's spelling needs, I may look at a child's writing and look for patterns pertaining to the child's spelling. These patterns will reveal to me what the child understands about our spelling system. Based on what I notice, I will create spelling lessons I can work one on one with that child. If these patterns run across most students, I may create small group or whole group lessons.
In class, I often will give students tests or quizzes (whatever you would like to call them). The information I gather from these tests will help me make a few decisions about our curriculum, but I DO NOT value these tests as the ultimate measure of what your child understands. This is why I do not place grades on these tests because the letter grade does not summarize what your child has learned.
When tests are handed back and sent home, please focus on what your child understood and what they had difficulty with. It's more important to spend time reflecting on their test and asking why a question may have been answered incorrectly. Is it because of a lack of understanding? Is it because they did not follow the directions? Maybe they used the wrong algorithm (added instead of subtracted)? Knowing why your child got the answer incorrect is just as important and knowing why the answer is correct.
