Assessment Choices in the Classroom

Educational accountability in the United States has a great impact on public school assessment practices. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on schools to demonstrate academic progress; this pressure is mainly in the form of standardized testing. Currently the assessment practices that are used are traditional and non-authentic forms of assessment that reveal only if a student can recognize or recall what they have learned. In an effort to redefine learning in our schools, emphasis needs to be placed on authentic educational assessments and standardized testing to improve student performance. An assessment should reflect real world applications of how knowledge and understanding are used. Assessments based on situations that are relevant to students' own experiences can motivate them to give their best performance.

One of the most essential educational tools is the classroom assessment. When used properly, assessments can help educators better understand what their students are learning. Classroom assessments help educators identify students strengths and weakness, monitor student learning and progress as well as plan and conduct instruction. Many question rather to use the more formal standardized testing or authentic learning strategies including the Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory.

Classroom assessments can do more than measure learning. How educators access and communicate the results send a clear message to students about what is worth learning, how we expect them to perform as well as how it should be learned. Linking instruction and assessment is critical to effective learning. Educators should provide students with various options for learning that include: different ways to learning (style and time), di...

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...re provided with ample opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. MI theory is used as formal and informal assessment in the classroom to allow students to be grasp and understand concepts. The use of multiple types of assessments in the classroom yield richer and more qualitative information about a child's achievement. If the ultimate goal is student learning, then there is a place for both standardized testing and authentic assessment using the MI theory in today's classroom.

Works Cited

Meisels, S., Atkins-Burnett, S., Xue, Y. (2003, February 28). Creating a System of

Accountability: The Impact of Instructional Assessment on Elementary

Children’s Achievement Test Scores. Educational Policy Analysis Archives,

Vol 11 (9).

Perreault, G. (Summer 2000). The classroom impact of high-stress testing. Education,

Vol 120 (4), pp. 705-710.