Assessment and the Middle School Student

Margie Coleman, Sandy Granade, and Jeremiah Johnson

Problem Statement

Traditional assessment practices reflect what students are able to recall from memory through various means, such as, multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, and matching questions. In a political society driven by results, standardized tests are easy to formulate and process. The lack of teacher involvement in the creation process of standardized tests also reduces the amount of work a teacher must accomplish. They are relatively fast, easy and inexpensive to administer and graded by a machine in half the time it would take the teacher to grade. Are students in our middle schools being accurately assessed? How can we implement authentic assessment in such a way so as to effectively evaluate student learning? Authentic assessment occurs when the authenticity of student learning has been observed. It requires information from a variety of sources such as content work samples, observation during class activities, and conferences with students. It becomes a measure that originates from best practices used in the classroom where a student’s different styles of learning are being considered.

Literature Review

The majority of assessment has been and continues to be based on skin-deep information. Students memorize information from lectures and readings only to get past a checkpoint - the test. Shortly after this test, only ten to twenty percent of the information has been retained according to the National Training Institute. The question remains as to whether students are genuinely learning to their potential and in a way that will assist them in the real world. According to Howard Gardner’s articles on multiple intelligences, we discover that students learn on different cognitive levels (1996). Gardner explains that when students are given a standardized test, it shows knowledge that has been memorized. He feels that students should be allowed to explain what they have learned by using a variety of different intelligences, not just their verbal/linguistic or logical/mathematical intelligences. His theory states, “that all seven intelligences are needed to productively function in society. Teachers, therefore, should think of all intelligences as being equally important” (1996, p.2). The intelligences of people in one culture might be highly evolved compared to those of another culture. Since each student enters the class with a different set of developed intelligences, he will have his own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. It would be impossible for a teacher to take a traditional lesson and make accommodations for the different learning styles found among the students. Yet, the teacher can show the students how to use their more developed intelligences to assist the understanding of a subject, which normally uses their weaker intelligences. “As children do not learn in the same way, they cannot be assessed in a uniform fashion,” therefore, “traditional tests require students to show their knowledge in a predetermined manner.” (Lazear 1992)

According to Alfie Kohn’s claim in The Case Against Standardized Testing, “Norm referenced tests are not about assessing excellence; they are about sorting students (or schools) into winners and losers.” (2000, p.15). The questions on the tests are irrelevant to what students are actually learning. Kohn mentions that those who are determined to promote this type of testing should be asked to take the tests themselves to see if they could pass. Studies show that those who were brave enough to take them were overwhelmed by their content and structure. Kohn suggests that one should beware of tests that are timed, given often, given to young children, and are norm- referenced, because, as he states, “They [norm-referenced tests] cannot measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking…or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes.” (2000, p.83).

Other questions about norm-referenced tests are raised by Grant P. Wiggins. Wiggins suggests that there is a problem with the secrecy of norm-referenced tests (1990). The pre-test period is secret. One must not look ahead or discuss the test. During the test, there will be silence and students cannot go past the designated pages. The wandering of eyes around the classroom is strictly prohibited. After the test is finished, a student is not even expected to see what was missed and there is no reflection at all. Wiggins indicates that this is not true to real life (1990). We glean from one another. We try to get information from one another and problem solve together. What is the big secret?

Based on the information provided by Alfie Kohn and Grant Wiggins, norm-referenced tests do not meet the needs of the students. Since norm-referenced tests do not assess students on Gardner’s various levels of intelligences or address Bloom’s taxonomy, more authentic assessment, as defined previously, must be used to evaluate the learning of the students. Therefore, we must consider how to implement authentic assessment.

The literature suggests several strategies that can be used to effectively implement authentic assessments. The first is student involvement (Dietel, Herman, & Knuth, 1991). This allows for students to have a voice and to set goals toward achievements. Another strategy that is important is having a strong leadership that supports taking a risk on behalf of their teachers and students (Dietel, et al., 1991). Administrators and teachers need to be willing to give more time and effort into trying to find the best teaching practices for the students. In the article, What Does Research Say About Assessment?” authors Dietel, Herman, and Knuth have formulated a list of ideas for teachers, parents, students, and communities to think about while trying to implement successful assessment (1991). Included in this article is a checklist for excellence in assessment. This list allows for educators and researchers to set goals for successful authentic assessments which lead to effectively evaluating the student’s learning.

In 1997, the National Forum on Assessment developed seven principles concerning the implementation of assessment. According to these principles, assessment should: “improve student learning; support student learning; be fair to all students; include the community in assessment development; include regular and clear communication about assessment; be regularly reviewed and improved; and, be supported by professional collaboration and development. Assessment, that enhances student learning, must be integrated with, not separate from, curriculum and instruction.“ (Wiles & Bondi, 2001, p. 223). These principles were created to serve as guidelines when implementing authentic assessment programs. By using the NFA’s principles, schools and teachers have a strong base for forms of assessment other than standardized tests.

Wiggins alludes that when authentic assessment is used, socio-economic status, race, and gender are eliminated to the extent that the educator gets a more descript idea of what students are learning and reflecting upon. He also believes assessment should be an accountability measure involving students, parents, teachers, former students, and institutions that will receive students.

What types of assessment should be considered authentic enough to measure student learning? According to The New American Middle School, (Wiles and Bondi, 2001), forms of authentic assessment a teacher may use are many. This makes for variety and gives the teacher an opportunity to see the many different ways students process, analyze, apply, synthesize, and evaluate knowledge. Lets look at some of the ways it can be done.

Observation- Teachers have the opportunity to watch how the student performs as they work with a topic or subject. For instance, if Sue is actively participating in a group activity, looking for avenues by which she can add to her current knowledge, or she is physically constructing something as a model, the teacher is able to see there is learning going on. How can that learning be measured? That would depend on what the task is and what the teacher determines the value should be for each part of that task. “A rubric, a scoring guide containing a set of established criteria, can be used so that students are aware in advance of how they will be assessed. It differentiates among a group of students’ samples that respond to the same prompt and range from the excellent response to one that is in progress.” (Jasmine, 1993, p.9).

Performance-based assessments- According to Julia Jasmine, “Performance assessment is a general, multiple-meaning term. It covers writing assessments and some open-ended math assessments in which the end product of the student’s performance is rated or scored. In these examples, the assessment is considered performance assessment because the student has generated the product, which can then be scored with a rubric. Performance assessment can also be the actual observation of the student-in-action. This process of observation might consist of watching a student do a science experiment or participate in a cooperative learning group. This kind of performance assessment can be documented with a checklist.” (Jasmine, 1993, p.81).

Portfolios- A collection of student samples representing or demonstrating student academic growth. It can include formative and summative assessment. It may contain written work, journals, maps, charts, surveys, group reports, peer reviews and other such items. The use of portfolios helps students, parents, and teachers see where a student began and how the student has progressed.

Essays- Allow students to express, through reflections, what they have learned from their observations. If they are teacher designed, students are able to produce what they recall about their learning experience. This gives the teacher the opportunity to see what was important to the student (Wiles & Bondi, 2001).

Method of Research

Knowledge about traditional assessment and authentic assessment was gained by investigating information concerning Gardner’s theory on multiple intelligences, Alfie Kohn’s case against standardized testing, and research acquired through methods of testing by Grant P. Wiggins. A research project was conducted through two middle schools - one rural and one suburban. The research project consisted of surveys, focus interviews, and observations. Twenty-five teachers and sixty-four students participated in the study. The participants were a mixture of the sixth and seventh grade levels. Questions were asked of both teachers and students to find out what they knew about assessment and what they thought could improve upon the methods of assessment that they experienced.

Results of Research

Overwhelmingly, the majority of students said they preferred multiple-choice or standardized testing. As pointed out in the opening of this article, these types of tests require little understanding and lots of memorization. The students recognized this and said it made the tests easier. They did not have to think because the answer was given to them in the choices. All they had to do was remember which answer their teacher had mentioned in class and select that letter. The study shows that even the students realize that multiple choice and standardized testing does not force them to show a true understanding of the concept. Yet, those forms of assessment are still being relied upon as the primary forms of measuring knowledge. So, how should students be assessed in a way that effectively evaluates student learning and, therefore, insures that the future of the next generation and our nation are in good hands?

Is their other testing in the schools that could give a fair example of actual student learning? The answer to that question can be found in what is considered an authentic test. One question in the study asked the teachers what is authentic assessment as it relates to the middle school concept. A large number of the teachers believed that true/false and multiple-choice tests are authentic as long as the teacher makes up the questions. Again, there is evidence that these do not show the depth of student learning. They only show whether or not the student has the ability to sort through tricky true or false questions or whether or not students are able to pick correct answers from a possible four. Concerning the latter test, what does the student do when answers are so closely related that they are confusing? Again, even multiple-choice questions when created by the teacher are deceptive, misleading, and do not focus on gaining understanding. What else did the study find?

Ÿ 62 out of 64 students responded negatively to hearing the word “test”

Ÿ Only 2 out of 64 students had an idea as to what “authentic assessment” meant. One of these students said it was the true way of telling what you know.

Ÿ 60 of the students claimed a portfolio to be some type of folder to store work. None of them mentioned anything about using the stored samples to gauge progress and promote learning.

Ÿ 59 of the students defined a rubric as a guideline for a test or project. Four said it let them know exactly what to do for a desired grade.

Ÿ 2 of the students were unable to give a definition for a journal. 6 students said it was like a diary. Remaining 56 described it as a notebook used to record your personal thoughts and knowledge on a given topic.

Ÿ All 64 students claim there teachers rely mainly upon multiple-choice tests. Only one student mentioned oral, group, and other forms of written assessment.

Ÿ 62 of the students professed to do better on multiple-choice tests. The other 2 students preferred true/false. These types of tests were considered the best because they gave possible answers along with the questions.

Ÿ All but 4 of the students said essay tests give them the best opportunity to show their knowledge. 3 of the remaining 4 believed projects to be the best indicator of knowledge. The last student felt multiple-choice tests best showed his knowledge because he did better on those types of tests.

Ÿ 2 of the 64 students claimed to learn more under multiple-choice assessment. However, this response does not correspond to other responses on their surveys. Out of the remaining 62 students, 6 felt they were prompted to learn more when essays were used for evaluation. The other 56 believed creative teaching (i.e. investigations, songs, etc.) made true learning easier.

Ÿ 5 of the students felt standardized tests were accurate judgment of their knowledge. The remaining 59 saw them to be biased and tricky. All of the students believed that standardized tests waste a lot of instructional time and contain information they have never seen.

As indicated by the students’ responses to the survey, most of the forms of assessment currently in use are ineffective. The students felt they were not being challenged. Many of them felt the most difficult part of the multiple choice and standardized tests was the nervous feeling invoked by the word test. All of the students, in one form or another, expressed the need and desire for a different way of teaching and assessment. They were not being stimulated to learn. A look at the teacher’s survey will provide another view of the assessment dilemma.

Ÿ Only 3 of the 13 teachers from the rural school knew what authentic assessment is and only 2 of them actively practiced it. 8 of the 13 rural teachers thought authentic assessment pertained to multiple choice tests the teacher created. 2 teachers from the rural school had no clue about authentic assessment.

Ÿ All 12 suburban schoolteachers expressed knowledge of authentic assessment and gave examples of how it was practiced in their classrooms.

Ÿ The 14 out of 25 teachers who practiced authentic assessment used a variety of methods including, portfolios, group projects, performance assessment, and rubrics.

Ÿ All but 7 of the 25 teachers felt education would be better if authentic assessment was used over standardized tests. 7 of the rural teachers felt standardized tests were necessary for evaluating students and would not be going away. The teachers who supported authentic assessment over standardized tests agreed that it gave the students better opportunity to display their knowledge.

Ÿ Authentic assessment was not used across any of the teams surveyed at the rural school. The team members of the suburban school reported using portfolios and group activities as whole team assessments.

Ÿ The 14 teachers who use authentic assessment primarily look for evidence that the child is making connections between prior knowledge and what was recently gained. They also expressed the desire to see the student apply what they have learned.

Ÿ Very few teachers had ideas on how to implement authentic assessment in the standardized world. Several of them said it couldn’t be done. The majority expressed the need to reduce standardized testing before authentic assessment could take hold.

Ÿ 7 of the teachers said they would use a rubric to evaluate authentic assessment. Other responses included peer evaluation and prior knowledge.

Ÿ All teachers agreed that students would not understand the term authentic assessment. Those teachers who used authentic assessment said their students would probable refer to it as a project or portfolio.

Ÿ 15 of the teachers claimed portfolios to be difficult to use. Out of that 15, 11 said they would not use them. 4 of the 15 said that, although they were difficult, portfolios were worth the effort. The other 10 said portfolios were not difficult at all.

Ÿ Although not all responses seemed logical, all of the teachers considered rubrics to be a valuable tool for grading student work.

Ÿ 8 of the teachers consider journals to be a waste of teacher time due to grading process. Remaining teachers only express concern for those students who don’t write well when using a journal as assessment. 12 of the teachers stressed the need for a rubric on journals.

Teacher responses to many of the questions leaves little doubt as to why the students are confused with regard to assessment. The difference between the perceptions of the rural teachers and those of the suburban teachers was disheartening. It was obvious from their responses which school has more of a grasp on the middle grades concept. However, what the suburban teachers say about authentic assessment and what their students had to say does not coincide. According to all of the students, their teachers rely upon multiple-choice tests as means of assessment. The responses of the suburban teachers to the survey questions would make it seem as if authentic assessments were the predominate assessment technique. It is clear from the survey that teachers have a misconception of authentic assessment in both schools. If the teachers truly knew and used authentic assessment, their students would know it too. This study makes it evident that the implementation of authentic assessment needs to be taught to anyone seeking to go into the education profession.

Conclusions

This study of assessment practices in two different middle schools demonstrates an alarming problem. Students are not being assessed in ways that challenge them to process and apply what they are being taught. Today’s standardized tests lead students to submit material to short term memory rather than true comprehension. Unfortunately, as highlighted by this study, many teachers are unable to formulate assessment in a manner that forces the students to think about what they are learning. They lack either the drive or knowledge of how to implement an accurate assessment program.

Being small in scope, this study may not portray a majority of all teachers across the nation. Time constraints and limitations on other resources kept this study from delving deep into the issue of student assessment. However, the misconceptions brought to light by this study must be seen as real threats and not isolated cases. Instead of being dismissed, the information in this study should be used as a springboard for a broader study into the assessment practices of the teachers across the nation. These practices might be examined for their effectiveness, as well as, their relativity to our students. Additionally this study, though small in scale, shows a misunderstanding in regards to authentic assessment. A larger study could dispel inaccuracies and help teachers across the nation implement assessment programs that will prepare our children for the future.

Using true authentic assessments allow for administrators, teachers, parents, and most importantly, students to evaluate their performances and successes and to show that what has been learned is present in their daily lives. The study asked teachers and students about the types of authentic assessment being used in their classes. Not surprisingly, the students were unfamiliar with the term and the teachers had limited responses. Both the teachers and students said portfolios were common tools to assess student performance. However, they disagreed as to the reason portfolios were used. The teachers noted that they were an important means of keeping track of a student’s progress. The student and the teacher could look through the portfolio and compare previous work to assess where more practice would be needed. The students, however, gave the impression that the portfolios were little more than folders to hold their work.

The study and research showed a great misunderstanding between what authentic assessment is and how to implement it in the classroom. The teachers in our study had a limited understanding and even less knowledge on how to effectively implement authentic assessment.

Doing away with standardized testing and migrating toward more authentic forms of assessment lead to quality schools. Quality schools are those that concentrate themselves on addressing what William Glasser refers to as the five basic needs of human beings. The students have choices concerning their learning. They are able to interact safely with peers who are less critical. With a feeling of success and belonging school becomes more fun. This quality school environment is the most positive way to introduce adolescents to the real world. The bottom line is that it will not be a “quality school” without the correct assessment measures (Glasser, 1998).

References