Chapter 4

Analysis

This chapter discussed three specific kinds of assessment:
Portfolios
Rubrics
Student Self-Assessment

Portfolios provide a “big picture” of the educational process, and help the teacher to judge the student’s mastery of a unit. They are an attractive, complete and orderly way to asses the student’s knowledge. Portfolios are also nice because they produce a product that students, teachers and parents can have to document a student’s progression.

Rubrics are really an essential part of many assessments. They give students clear guidelines, which are important and help them to meet expectations and goals. There are broad rubrics and specific, individualized rubrics. Each type of rubric has different criteria, but they still leave little room for error or confusion and this helps students and teachers.

Student self-assessment is very important for both teachers and students. The chapter provided many examples of self-assessment ideas. It also stressed the importance of allowing students to redo work so that they are truly learning the content and won’t be left behind. This way, students can be actively involved in their educational experience.

Reflection

We all agreed that we liked all three forms of assessment represented in this chapter. We thought that portfolios provided an excellent compilation of the students work and their level of mastery of the work. It also gives educators a chance to assess the student’s level of organization and can help them to develop academic skills beyond the usual spectrum they are used to.
We felt that rubrics are very important and after seeing Rubistar in class, we feel a bit more comfortable with them and can see the possibilities. Rubrics really focus on clarification and this makes it easier for students to succeed. It also helps teachers make grading decisions accurately and fairly.
Lastly, we felt that self-assessment is invaluable in the classroom. It goes without saying that this form of assessment really serves students and provides them with the tools they need to learn from and be proud of their educational endeavors.