Assessment

     One of the major topics that my education 250 class has been focusing on is assessment. Before taking this class, I assumed that assessment meant testing. This is not necessarily the case. Testing can be used to assess students, but when a grade is put on a student's work, learning generally stops. If a teacher is unsure as to whether their students are ready to move on from a topic or not, grading should not be used. Assessing students without grading is extremely useful for teachers because it helps them to gather evidence in order to determine what the student truly understands. Assessment directly relates to standard five of the NCTCS which says "Teachers reflect on their practice." This tool specifically relates to element A of standard five which states that "Teachers analyze student learning." Assessment is a way for teachers to use an analysis of student learning when reflecting on their lessons and teaching, and hopefully use that information to better their teaching in the future.
     The cycle of assessment to instruction is incredibly important when utilizing assessment in the classroom. The first step is to plan your lesson, and the second is to teach. The third step is where assessing the students comes in, and evidence is gathered, and the fourth step is gathering feedback from the students. Once feedback is gathered, the teacher has to take that information and reflect back to her original lesson plan. The cycle is then continued with the presentation of a revised lesson that is taught to the students, who are once again assessed for understanding. This cycle is extremely important to apply in one's classroom because it helps ensure that the students that do not have a full understanding of what is being taught are not left behind. Another major aspect of assessment is teaching students how to constantly assess themselves. Self assessment is a meaningful way for students to learn, and will help their learning experience. Self assessment can be encouraged by sharing feedback from assessment tasks with students. This helps them to know exactly where they are struggling and where they need to grow, which can show them how to self assess themselves. "When we teach to a child's or adolescent's brain, we empower that student with the 'inner resources' that directly affect his or her ability to pay attention, engage, and create meaningful learning experiences" (Link at bottom). If a student can unlock the idea of self assessment, they can constantly help themselves to learn and grow. 
     In my future classroom, I plan to use assessment not only as a tool to improve my teaching and students' understanding, but also to help teach students how to begin the process of self assessment. I also do not plan to use tests and grading as an assessment tool until I am sure that my students can perform well and that they are ready to finish one topic and move on to the next. I plan to use assessment to make sure that no student is left behind and to make sure every student is prepared for what is ahead when they are finished with my class. Once a student falls behind, it is very hard for them to catch up with the rest of the class. I plan to stop this from happening using the assessment tool. 

Link: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/self-assessment-inspires-learning-lori-desautels