Personal Assessment Philosophy:

Assessment in a classroom is a crucial idea for teachers to keep in mind.

Assessment can bring either tears or triumph, frustration or furthering, confusion
or confidence. There is probably more bad practice and ignorance of
significant issues in the area of assessment than in any other aspect (Boud,
1998, p.1). If a teacher is uncertain as to what assessment should and will look like
in their classroom, learning may never truly take place.
What does good assessment look like for a classroom? According to The

Glossary of Education Reform, the definition of assessment is: the wide variety
of methods that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the
academic readiness, learning progress, and skill acquisition of students from
preschool through college and adulthood(Assessment, 2013, para. 1). This profile
was compiled to give a base for my classroom assessment, so I can be prepared to
use a wide variety of methods of assessment from multiple theorists ideas. It was
made to show my personal beliefs on classroom assessment, as well as how I plan to
follow through in these ideas within my classroom.
I will combine these different theories and ideas from experts within my
own personal assessments, adapting items from numerous theorists and experts to
find my own style within them to benefit my students. This profile reflects me as a
teacher and shows my beliefs in assessment. It can often seem as though there is
a lot to sift through, but this will be a document I am continuously adding to and
growing in the ideas held within.

What is Assessment?
Used with skill, assessment can motivate the unmotivated, restore the
desire to learn, encourage students to keep learning, and it can actually
create not simply measure increased achievement (Stiggens, Arter,
Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2007, p.3).

In clear and definable words, assessment is both the tangible and intangible
evidence that comes from student learning in the classroom. As stated on the
previous page, In education, the term assessment refers to the wide variety of
methods that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic
readiness, learning progress, and skill acquisition of students from preschool
through college and adulthood(Assessment, 2013, paragraph 1). Assessments are
almost always commonly linked to the standard test idea, but this is not always nor
does it have to be the idea. It should in fact be a wide variety of methods as
stated above.
According to the Wongs, effective teachers use assessment data collected
from projects, tests, reports, and the various assignments to gauge a students
academic progress(Wong & Wong, 2009, p.268). This text goes on to state the
idea that for progress to be made there must be constant assessment for
learning(Wong &Wong, 2009,p.268). Thus, assessment can never be simply at the
end of a unit or after a certain amount of time. Nor can it simply always be a test.
Teachers must continually monitor assessment, collecting and applying data to best
help the students progress. Without monitoring assessments to make them as
beneficial to the learners as possible, there is no true learning among the class.
Assessment is one of the issues and topics that lies at the very heart of education.

Different Item Types of

Assessment
assessment is a coaching, nurturing tool (Wormeli,2006, p.20).
Assessment can be used in a variety of ways while in a classroom
environment. Throughout the United States, teachers use tests, projects,
presentations, worksheets, and much more to allow the students in their
classrooms to show what they know. There are many different forms of
assessment and different types and it often can be difficult to isolate what
assessment methods should be used. However, according to Stiggins, Arter,
Chappuis, and Chappuis all assessment methods can be categorized into four
options.
1. Selected response and short answer
2. Extended written response
3. Performance assessment
4. Personal communication
(2007, p.90-91).
Breaking these methods down it is easy to see that combined these ideas
cover all forms and types of assessments used within a classroom. One important
thing to remember however is stated by Stiggins, Arter, Chappius, and Chappius
as a misconception: Shouldnt we only be using authentic assessments

performance assessments- to judge student progress? None of these methods is

inherently superior to any other, and all are viable if used well (2007, p. 94). One
method is not above all the others, but these methods are simply meant to be
used when they are the best option to further student progress. A way to think
about how to choose an assessment is in terms of standards and objectives. When
an objective has been made from a standard and states: TLW illustrate a

representation of one of the planets, the student should not be given a test, but
rather an opportunity to illustrate. There are multiple forms and methods of
assessment and it is the job as a teacher to find the best fit so the students can
progress towards success. The following page gives a table showing the best time
to use the assessment methods in order for the students to achieve mastery.

Target to Be

Selected response

Assessed

Extended Written

Performance

Personal

Response

Assessment

Communication

Knowledge

Good match for

Good match for

Not a good

Can ask

Mastery

assessing mastery

tapping

match too

questions,

of elements of

understanding of

time

evaluate answers

knowledge.

relationships

consuming to

and infer

among elements of

cover

mastery- but a

knowledge.

everything.

time consuming
option.

Reasoning

Good match only

Written

Can watch

Can ask student

Proficiency

for assessing

descriptions of

students

to think aloud

understanding of

complex problem

solve some

or can ask

some patterns of

solutions can

problems and

followup

reasoning.

provide a window

infer

questions to

into reasoning

reasoning

probe reasoning.

proficiency.

proficiency.

Not a good match.

Not a good match.

Good match.

Strong match

Can assess

Can assess

Can observe

when skill is oral

mastery of the

mastery of the

and evaluate

communication

knowledge

knowledge

skills as they

proficiency; not

prerequisites to

prerequisites to

are being

a good match

skillful

skillful

performed.

otherwise.

performance, but

performance, but

cannot rely on

cannot rely on

these to tap the

these to tap the

skill itself.

skill itself.

Ability to

Not a good match.

Strong match

Good match.

Not a good

Create

Can assess

when the product

Can assess

match.

Products

mastery of

is written. Not a

the

knowledge

good match when

attributes of

prerequisite to

product is not

the product

Skills

the ability to

(Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, Chappuis, 2007, p.100).

create quality

written.

itself.

products, but
cannot use to
assess the quality
of products
themselves.
Therefore, when finding the best method for each student, I will select an
assessment item type based on the objective or learning target performance verb
and student preference to demonstrate knowledge. Selecting a type of
assessment can still be relatively difficult so in order to ensure that I am
continually choosing the best assessment based on the objective, I will refer to
Blooms Taxonomy to ensure that I understand what the students are aiming for.
This will allow me to work with the verbs and select the best method on the
previous page.

(Dunn, 2014)

Different Uses/Purposes of
Assessment
Along with the four methods of assessment listed on the previous pages, there are
also three uses of assessment. These uses are: Formative, Interim, and Summative.
(Taylor, 2014)

Formative

Formative assessment is a daily type

of assessment that is implemented into
the lesson minute-by-minute. This
type of assessment allows me as the
teacher to know the next steps
for the student to best fit their
individual needs. Formative
assessments help teachers
identify concepts that
students are struggling to
understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they
have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional
techniques, and academic support(Formative Assessment, 2014,para.1).

Interim
Interim assessment serves as a check point for me as a teacher. It is the type
of assessment that can occur either during or after a period of learning. This is a
time to collect student data to understand how learning is progressing. Thus,
something must have already been taught if Interim assessments are being used.
When teachers collect data from pre-tests they are not assessing students with
an Interim assessment because nothing has been taught. An Interim assessment
would be if I was to check the progress of a few days work or a ticket out the
door. This type of assessment gives me time and opportunity to reteach if
necessary to meet the needs of my students.

Summative

Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition,

and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period
typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school
year(Summative Assessment, 2013, paragrah1). Summative assessment can be
looked at as a last chance to show what is known by the students. This is a time
usually after all learning has been completed and the students have all the
information and potential to reach mastery of the objectives and standards that
have been taught to them.
Each of these three uses of assessments can be broken down further into the
categories of informal and formal assessments.

Informal
Informal assessment is referring to the type that I as a teacher will not
collect data or tangible evidence from. This is due to the fact that this is more of
a recognition of learning progress as opposed to actual collected data on the
students progress. It is most commonly used with Formative assessment to allow
instruction to be evaluated while being taught so as to best meet the needs of the
students. This IS NOT to be used with Summative Assessment! Summative
Assessment is a last chance effort that is often recorded in the grade books and
therefore MUST be a formal assessment.

Formal
Formal assessment is referring to the type of assessment that I will be
collecting data from. This means that tangible evidence and data is in fact being
collected by me as the teacher. This form of assessment can be used with
Formative, Interim, and Summative assessments as long as tangible evidence is
taken away from it. This is completely necessary for Summative assessments. With
each type of assessment the idea of Formal assessment will look differently. Some
might only be a tally on a sheet marking progress, while the other might be a last
chance showing what is known assessment.

Components and Processes for

Effective, Quality, Balanced
Assessments
A balanced approach to assessment includes a continuum or strategies
within a range of frequency and purpose(Heubner).
In order to have effective, quality, and balanced assessments it is my belief
that having a direct purpose is necessary. Whether I am speaking of having a
direct purpose for the students next steps or my own it does not matter. When
there are multiple types of assessments, there must be a clear and direct purpose
to all.
When speaking of my own classroom assessments I have decided to apply the
five keys to quality assessment which I have researched from Chappius, Chappius,
and Stiggins (2009, p. 14-19). These keys cannot just be taken lightly and
forgotten, so I will continually ask the following questions about each assessment I
prepare for my students.

Clear Purpose (2009, p.15).

-Why is the assessment being conducted?
-How should the assessment be carried out? Informal or formal? Formative,
Interim, or Summative?

Clear Learning Targets (2009, p.15).

-What facts and concepts do I want the students to know?
-How do I want students to reason?
-What is the best performance?
-Will the students create a product?
-Is everything clear and direct for the students?

Sound Assessment Design (2009, p.16-17).

-What method is best practice for the learning target? (See method chart on page
7)
-Are any of my own biases interfering with this assessment?

Effective Communication of Results (2009, p.17-18).

-Who is the communication with?
-When should these results be shared?
-Will my feedback promote furthering learning or helping the recipients receive
results?
-Am I communicating with other school members to make sure my assessments are
aligned?

Student Involvement in the Assessment Process (2009,

p.18).

-Will my students understand their learning targets?

-How will my students self-assess and set goals?
-How am I allowing my students to track their own progress based on the
objectives?
While these five key qualities are important and vital to forming quality
assessments, I believe that the process should look a little different for
summative assessments. My process for making effective, quality, and balanced
summative assessments will adhere to the following steps.

Find the state standard that will be instructed to the student.

Create clear and direct objectives with the learner in mind. Therefore the
language should be age appropriate.

Go over the assessment method chart on page 7 and choose the best
method of assessment for the objective.

Create first draft with assessment blueprint. (See example in assessment

expansion section)

Go over the first draft applying the 6 nonnegotiable quality filters. (Table
to follow)

Revise first draft

Go over second draft with an education colleague

Having an effective, quality balanced assessment system is not just based on

my own in class assessments however. It is vital to look at the bigger picture in

order to make the system have the right balance. This means looking at the local,
state, and national assessments as well. All of these systems play into each other
when creating a balanced system. While I cannot control the other assessments my
students will go through, I can prepare them to the best of my ability. This means
working to make everything taught in my classroom aligned with the assessments
they will encounter. Just as in class assessments, I should be preparing my
students to succeed and be the best that they can be in other assessment areas.
As seen in the visual it is very important to include multiple facets in the system to
make it the most effective. It is a balanced system not because everything is
equal, but because it is balancing the student needs. From the differing
assessments, I can tell what my students need from me as their teacher.

(Weibel, B., Personal Communication, 2014).

(Sheldon, 2008).

State and National

Assessments
(MEAP, ACT, SAT, etc.)

Interim

Formativ
e

Summati
ve

District Common
Assessments
Classroom
Assessments

How do national, state, local, and

classroom based assessments impact the
balanced system?
A balanced assessment system honors the work in classroom assessment and
is aligned to the state and district assessments(Huebner).

National/State Assessments
While I cannot control national and state assessments and run them through my
quality filters or my assessment blueprint, I can prepare my students for them.
This is done by doing exactly what is laid out in the previous pages. If I have
prepared my assessments for my students to master the standards, they will have
less trouble when it is time for a national or state assessment.

District Assessments
District or local assessments would work similar to the national and state
assessments where I cannot run them through my quality filters of my assessment
blueprints. However, they do give me another piece of data to add to my
information. These assessments should once again show if my students have
mastered content or not. It should either contradict what I perceive in my
classroom or back up my beliefs. From there I can change certain teaching
methods so that I best benefit my students.

Classroom Assessments
Classroom assessments will also follow the steps laid out in the previous pages.
The assessments will be clear matches to objectives, be quality assessment items,
and would give the students multiple opportunities to show learning of each

objective. Following these steps will ensure that a balanced system is in place. If
assessments are set up in the correct way, they should do nothing but bring
benefits.
The combination of all of these sources create data that builds, with
intentionality and purpose, what a student knows and can do, when they could do it,
how they can do it and to what extent. Combining all of these methods as well as
data from them allows teachers to have the clearest picture of the students
learning.

I will
Have Clear Targets
they (learning targets) convey to students the destination for the lesson
what to learn, how deeply to learn it, and exactly how to demonstrate their new
learning (Moss, Brookhart, & Long, 2011). Not only will I communicate clear
targets in my classroom, but I will also create clear learning targets using these
ideas of content, criteria, and conditions. In my classroom, no student,
parent/guardian, administrator, or member of the teaching community should
ever find the learning targets unclear. It should be known to all who enter the
classroom what is being taught. I do not want the classroom to be an area of
confusion, but one that promotes learning minds for students. I will make these
learning targets known and seen within my classroom. Students will always know
the direction they are traveling because this will be told verbally, always
written on assessments and assignments, and always located around the room.
Before each lesson the students will be instructed on what their learning goal
is.
Regardless

of how important the content, how engaging the activity, how

formative the assessment, or how differentiated the instruction, unless all

students see, recognize, and understand the learning target from the very
beginning of the lesson, one factor will remain constant: The teacher will
always be the only one providing the direction, focusing on getting students
to meet the instructional objectives( Moss, Brookhart, & Long, 2011).
As a class we will state together the I Can statements that are on the
board. This will help ensure that the lessons are all aligned to the state
standards and that the students know what they will be learning. When
students are completing an assessment or an assignment the standard will be
marked on the pages. This could be done with the standard number next to the
question on a test or may just be on the upper corner of an assignment sheet.
However, no matter the assessment or assignment type, the students will be
able to see this visually on the classroom work. When thinking of how the

classroom should look, it is important to me to have the learning targets known

to those that walk into the classroom. I will have both I Can statements as
well as the standard itself written in plain sight for all students and class
visitors to see. In order for the students to learn, they must know the direction
they are headed in.

Communicate
Assessments should not be done without communication. This communication
should not be just with students. It is a multifaceted list consisting of:
-Parents/guardians
-Students
-Administration
-PLC
I will communicate to this list what the assessments are measuring, how the
students will be measured, and what I will do with the data that is derived from
these assessments. Just as with the clear learning targets there should be no
confusion in my classroom. Everyone involved in this learning process should have
clear communication as to what is taking place in the classroom. "Even if learning
targets and information needs are clear and the information gathered is precisely
accurate, an assessment can fail to achieve its learning ends if the results are not
communicated effectively to the intended user(s)"(Stiggins, Ater, Chapius,
&Chapius, 2007, p. 17). During the classroom open house at the beginning of the
year I will go through what assignments and assessments will look like in the
classroom. I will share my plan to focus on the learning targets and how items may

be assessed. Communication will also be a factor at the end of the assessments.

The stakeholders will know the results of an assessment and the students will be
given feedback in a timely manner on what they may do better. This feedback will
be on how the assessment went and not on the learner over all. I will not let the
students learning community feel as though they cannot help their learner for the
fact that they are unclear of what is going in on due to a lack of communication.

Benefit My Students
Within assessments and other classroom beliefs, I will always work towards
benefiting my students. If I am not benefiting my students, what is truly being
taught? I will not only take into account the different learning approaches in my
classroom, but also how they are best assessed. This will mean providing the
learners with options. Before the students are assessed, they will be informed of
the different options they may choose from to show their knowledge. Each of
these options will measure the learning target and show what is known, while still
allowing for the students to feel as though they are controlling their learning. This
is a huge benefit since I want them to be proactive about learning. My learners will
have options. Even if this is seemingly more work or effort on my account, that is
perfectly fine with me because they will be benefitted in the end. Everything I do
in my classroom will have me looking towards the benefit of my students. I will not
use trick questions, assess on items not learned, or set students up to not succeed
in learning. I will make sure that each question or assessment item is matched to an
objective that my students have learned, and the students will know exactly what
that matched standard or objective is. I will use assessment blueprints for

summative assessments and run through my checklist process to ensure the best
benefits for my students. There are many things I can and will do to benefit my
students, but in assessment the items listed here are some of the most important.
I will benefit my students, because I am a teacher who wants her students to
chase after learning.

Teach Learning Through

Assessments
It is one of my beliefs that learning comes through mistakes as well as
accomplishments. Making mistakes in learning is actually better than not making
mistakes(Wiliam, 2014, p.16). I will not have my classroom be a place where
students fear making an error. Assessments that are not summative assessments
will be set up for students to have multiple chances to show what they know. It will
be a time for them to practice and learn, rather than to feel horribly for getting
something incorrect. Assessments should be a tool for strengthening learning. I
will set up my assessments as well as my lessons to allow my students to learn at all
times. Each assignment, task, or assessment will be set up to allow students to
learn. I will create assessments with the learning targets in mind and will allow my
students to work for their learning repeatedly. The object of my classroom will be
learning; not a grade in the gradebook.

Differentiate
In every classroom there are different learners. In one classroom alone there
can be students with learning disorders (LD), students who do not have English as
their first language (ELL-English Language Learners), gifted students, average
students, and below average students. As a teacher I will make sure each of my
students needs are meant in the area of assessment. If this requires extra work in
adapting the standards or objectives, assessing them in a different manner, or
allowing them the opportunity for further learning in a new way, than that will be
done for my students. we must help all students meet common standards for
excellence while recognizing that their paths to success may vary significantly
(Kusimo, Ritter, Busick, Ferguson, Trumbull, & Solano-Flores, n.d., p.3). As a student
my plan was always very individualized and I cannot picture not having the same
individualization for my students. Giving my students what is fair to their learning
and what will push them towards success is what I want for them. For each
standard that will require support, the instructional team asks, which is needed
accommodation or modification?(Jung & Guskey, 2010, p. 3). Thus, I will
differentiate as much as I need to within assessment in order to put them on their
own unique pathway to success.

Focus on Progress
Often times learning and assessments can be focused too much on the end
product. In my classroom however, I want a large majority of the focus to be
shifted onto the progress of the students. As stated within the section on
teaching learning through assessments, I will give my students multiple
opportunities to show they have learned. When we begin each new section or
assignment, I will be tracking the students progress as well as teaching them how
to track their own through learning journals. This will allow the students to see how
much they have accomplished. Progress criteria consider how much students
improve or gain from their learning experiences. These criteria focus on how far
students have advanced, rather than where they are(Jung & Guskey, 2010, p. 2).
As mentioned in my classroom management profile the students will also be
receiving an end of the year progress book to see the major accomplishments and
mistakes turned into learning. I never want my students to say they cannot learn or
that they will never understand something, so I will focus on the progress. When
showing students their progress, they can easily see that even if it takes time,
they CAN learn.