Shayla Hosaka

ED 408

Shayla Hosaka 1

ED 408 Assessment

October 6
th
, 2013

Philosophy of Assessment


Why should every teacher focus heavily on incorporating good assessments in the
classroom? Assessment plays a critical role in teaching and student learning. Teachers
that assess properly will be able to identify if their teaching is effective or not. I plan to
use assessment in my classroom as a way to plan curriculum and to improve students
performance and my own teaching practice.

Assessment is the process of gathering evidence of student learning to inform
instructional decisions (Stiggins, 2005, p. 5). I believe it is vital to gather valid and
reliable evidence of students performance and be able to use the assessment results to
create effective instruction that will enhance learning. I want to make sure as a teacher; I
remain fair, consistent, and accurate while assessing students. I will make sure each
student has an equal opportunity and refrain from being biased.

As a future teacher, I firmly believe that effective assessment requires multiple
sources of evidence collected over time (Stiggins, 2005). By doing so, I can provide an
unbiased and fair view of my students performance. I am also able to address the needs
of diverse learners through the use of different methods of assessments. My students
will keep portfolios so

Shayla Hosaka
ED 408

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that they, their parents, and myself will be able see their work and progress throughout
the year. They will not only be able to see their own growth, but also their current
abilities such as their strengths and weaknesses and be able to evaluate their overall
achievement. I will have my students do projects so that they can apply what theyre
learning in an open ended setting. They will be given tests and quizzes to assess their
acquisition of knowledge and concepts. I will have my students keep reflective journals
as a tool to evaluate their own progress. It is an easy way for both student and teacher to
communicate with each other on the students learning and understanding.

Just as important as having different types of methods of assessments is creating
or selecting an assessment that will fit properly with its learning targets. There are four
categories of assessment methods that I will focus on using in my classroom. The first
assessment method is Selected Response. Selected Response will be used to measure
student mastery of facts, concepts, and even generalizations (Stiggins, 2005, p. 77).
Essay Assessment will be used to assess students reasoning proficiency. I am aware that
essay assessments are one of the hardest to assess not only because it may require more
time but also because we must subjectively judge the response. However, essays will
allow students to reason and not just repeat the information that they learned.
Performance Assessment will be used to assess their reasoning in performance. They
should be able to show their understanding of subject knowledge by


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ED 408

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the use of their actions. The last method of assessment is Personal Communication.
Personal Communication gives teachers the chance to ask students specific questions to
elicit understanding. Students may also ask other students questions and evaluate each
others reasoning.

Another thing I cant forget to mention is the use of rubrics for assessing. Rubrics
will be used throughout most of my assignments given. By using rubrics I can provide
consistency in scoring students work. Students will know what is expected of them and I
will know exactly how to grade my students. Rubrics provide feedback to students from
the teacher or from self-review or peer review.

Overall, my goal as a teacher is to have my students become self-directed learners
who are capable of evaluating their own progress. Students must be able to know
whether or not they are progressing and become responsible of their own learning. I
believe it is my duty to model these self-directed behaviors and allow students with the
opportunity to practice it. Students should be given activities that are designed to
enhance students awareness of their own learning. By becoming a self-directed learner,
students will be more willing and motivated to learn. They will be able to monitor
themselves and take responsibility of their own learning. Therefore, they will be able to
accomplish anything.


Shayla Hosaka
ED 408


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Works Cited
Stiggins, Richard J., and Richard J. Stiggins. An Introduction to Student-involved
Assessment for Learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005.
Print.
























Shayla Hosaka
ED 408