Phew, I’ve done it! I’ve created a complete assessment design checklist. Over the past few weeks I’ve been assembling an assessment checklist, where I can save important concepts of an effective assessment. To catch up on my checklist journey, here’s my blog from last week.
There’s much to learn about assessments, and while this checklist is complete for now, I have no doubt that I will continue to update and add to the list as I learn more. To summarize, I started off my checklist with the importance of having a formative assessment that is surrounded by key concepts or goals of a unit. Then I added components of feedback. I included the need for providing helpful feedback and consideration of the delivery and completion of this feedback to ensure it's effectiveness.
Next, I intended on adding the integration of digital technology to my checklist. After further consideration, I realized it is less important to focus solely on technology and more important to consider the entire learning experience (which certainly includes the use of technology). The world we live in is fast-paced, complex, and always evolving. It is important to focus student learning not only on the content of the course but also on the growth of 21st century skills. Strengthening student critical thinking, communication, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration skills will prepare them for success. Thus my next assessment checklist component is the integration of 21st century skills.
To complete my assessment checklist I added the awareness, and consideration of, implicit biases and the need for any assessment to be fair for all students. Everyone has implicit biases and it is important that as an educator I recognize any I may have and make adjustments to correct them. Additionally, it is my duty to provide assessments (whether formative or summative) and an overall learning experience that is fair for all my students. Teaching is not all about tests and grading, in fact many students benefit from other forms of assessments that encourage feedback, self-reflection, critical thinking, and collaboration.
With helpful feedback from instructors and peers, I was able to focus on the big picture and always fall back on my primary purpose, providing an exceptional learning experience to my students. Incorporating assessments is just one way I can do so. Dylan Williams states, “The reason I think that formative assessment is the right focus is because assessment is the bridge between teaching and learning. It’s only through assessment of some kind that you know whether what has been taught has been learned” (Education Scotland, 2016, 1:46). My completed assessment design checklist can be found here.
References
Education Scotland (Producer). (2016). Dylan William: Formative assessment [Online video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=106&v=sYdVe5O7KBE&feature=emb_title.
Assessment by Nick Youngson is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0