Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning

Who I am: Chris Lehmann

What I do: Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA (Opening 9/06).

What I did: Technology Coordinator / English Teacher / Girls Basketball Coach / Ultimate Coach at the Beacon School, a fantastic progressive public high school in Manhattan.

Email: chris [at] practicaltheory [dot] org.

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Gary Stager about New Year... New Challenges... New Goals... New Excitement
Tue, 31.08.2010 05:14
I may have linked to the
wrong Merrow article -
http://takingnote.learnin
gmatters.tv/?p=4433

Gary Stager about New Year... New Challenges... New Goals... New Excitement
Tue, 31.08.2010 05:05
Dear Chris:

We've had this discussion
privately, so I hope you
don't mind that I involve
the [...]

Julie Strong about New Year... New Challenges... New Goals... New Excitement
Mon, 30.08.2010 13:35
I'll be curious to see
how #5 evolves. In
independent schools we
rarely lack for parent
[...]

dcollins about New Year... New Challenges... New Goals... New Excitement
Sat, 28.08.2010 07:32
Those are great things to
look forward to! At my
alternative school, I'm
looking forward to seeing
[...]

Andrew Marcinek about New Year... New Challenges... New Goals... New Excitement
Sat, 28.08.2010 06:42
I am sure it will be very
weird vibe without your
original class in the
building, but now you
have [...]

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Thursday, February 2. 2006

Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning

Peter Campbell of Transform Education had this to say about drawing a distinction between Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning and it's something we all should be thinking about:

Under NCLB, even really good assessment practices, when operating under the weight of "accountability," can become about covering one's derriere. Inevitably, and quite logically, students may focus only on those things they can demonstrate they know and that they are good at. Teachers may focus only on those things they can demonstrate they can teach with predictable, positive outcomes. Neither can afford to show process or ambiguity, and certainly neither wants to show a lack of knowledge or competence or even – heaven forbid – that they are wrong about something.

So what effect might this have on quality, substantive, in-depth teaching and learning? It's not hard to imagine.

I think this is an important point to remember -- even in progressive schools with portfolio or exhibition or capstone.

The purpose of assessment of our students is -- first and foremost -- for them. It is the culmination of a specific learning process, and only after it has served the purpose for the student should we then even think about what the aggregate data can tell us about our schools.

If we kept our focus on the individual student at all times, how different might our assessments be?

Posted by Chris Lehmann in General Ed at 21:05 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

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Testing is particularly problematic in science since the teaching practices that produce true science literacy, inquiry and constructivism, are antithetical to standardized testing. It is difficult if not impossible to develope a standardized test for science literacy since it has much less to do with rote knowledge and much more to do with concept learning and problem solving. The more I talk to teachers about their limitations in their classrooms imposed by having to prepare their students for tests, the more discouraged I am. We need to encourage a major paradigm shift in science education or all of this new money being promised will be wasted.

#1 Brad Hoge (Link) on 2006-02-03 08:01 (Reply)

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Thursday, February 2. 2006

Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning

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