This collection of observations on how we assess by Claire includes a nice little set of comments on “other teachers”:
…or don’t fill out the rubrics anywhere but your heads. The purpose of the rubrics is to elevate what we do to something amazing this day and age – real, authentic assessments….
…don’t you see how you are the assessment EXPERTS in your building?….
…TPRS is assessment on steriods. You assess in three seconds flat by scanning the room. Or maybe through a Listen and Draw you were going to do anyways. No extra steps….
…other teachers have to wake kids up and waste 30 minutes on tests that don’t always tie in to what kids learned – not really….
…we show holistic growth, during assessment and use it to drive our instruction faster, slower, or wherever it needs to go, real-time in an ad hoc way….
…other teachers use tests to determine the 4%ers and keep working through the textbook. They modify nothing….
…you help students acquire and demonstrate a concrete connection between your objectives (S & S), research-based instruction (TPRS), and assessments that happen in a way that’s authentically related to the instruction. We directly integrate curriculum and instruction (CRT items are directly copied and pasted from the S & S to the rubrics we use use.)….
…you (ESL) modify for students in silent periods or struggling readers. You let kids who can’t, talk TPR or draw or write. Making animal noises at key parts of the story – that’s our assessment. Our (ESL) kids actually feel good about themselves and are motivated (lowered affective filters) during assessments which are seamlessly blended with instruction….
…other teachers may chose to “review” for 10 minutes before to make sure not all kids fail (skewing the test). Students forget everything in a few weeks anyways, so why not? No one, except maybe the 4%ers feel good about tests…..
…other teachers don’t care about the kids who show more subtle growth, they just want their “data” to make them look good…
…we have the opportunity to change this. Just know how to defend your assessments… and shout from the rooftops about why they are superior….
…now it’s time to fight fire with fire. Pull out the big assessment guns. Do it….