Stiggins - Assessment Through the Students Eyes 2

8/17/2019 Stiggins - Assessment Through the Students Eyes 2

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Assessment ThrougRather than sorting studentsinto winners and losers assessmentfor learning can put all studentson a winning streak

ick Stiggins

istorically, a major role of assessment has beento detect and highlight differenees in studentlearning in order to rank stud ents according totheir achievement. Such assessment experienceshave produced winners and losers. Some

students succeed early and build on winning streaks to leammore as they grow; oth ers fail early and often, falling fartherand farther behind.

As we all know, the mission of schools has changed. Today'sschools are less focused on merely sorting students and morefocused on helping ll students succeed in meeting standards.This evolution in the mission of schools means that we can'tlet students who have not yei met standards fell into losingstreaks, succum b to hopelessness, and stop trying.

Our evoK-ing mission compels us to embrace a new visionof assessment that can tap the wellspring of confidence, m oti-vation, and learning potential that resides within every student.First, we need to tune in to the emotional dynamics oftheassessment experience from the point of view of students—both assessment winners and assessment losers. These twogroups experience assessment practices in vastly differentways, as shown in The Assessment Experien ce, p. 24. Toenable all students to experience the productive emotionaldynamics of winning, we need to move from exclusive relianceon assessments that verify learning to the use ot assessmentsthat support learning—that is, assessments/or learning.

Assessment for LearningAssessment for learning airns day-to-day assessment into ateaching and learning process that enhances (instead ofmerely monitoring) student learning. Extensive researchconducted around the world shows that by con sistently

applying the principles of assessment for learning, we can

produce impressive gains in student achievement, especiallfor struggling learners (Black Wiliam, 1998).

Assessment for learning begins when teachers shareachievement targets with students, presenting those expecttions in student-friendly language accompanied by exampleof exemplary studen t work. Th en, frequent self-assessmenprovide students (and teachers) with con tinual access todescriptive feedback m amounts they can ma nag e effectively

without being overwhelmed. T hus, students can chart their


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he Students Eyestrajectory toward the transparentachievement targets their teachershave established.

The stud ents role is to strive tounderstand what success lookstike, to use feedback from eachassessment to discover wherethey are now in relation to wherethey want to be, and to determinehow to do better the next time.As students become inereasinglyproficient, they leam to generatetheir own descriptive feedbackand set goals for what comes nexton their journey.

Teachers and students are part-ners in the assessment forlearning process. For example,teachers might have studentsstudy samples of work that vary

in quality and collaborate increating their own student-friendly version of a performanceassessment scoring rubric. Orstudents might create practiceversions of multiple-choice teststhat parallel the c ontent of anupcoming final exam, which theycan then use to analyze their ownstrengths and weaknesses and tofocus their final preparation forthat exam. Students can accumu-

late evidence of their learning ingrowth portfolios. They can alsobecome partners with teachers in

comm unicating abou t their own learning successes by leadingtheir parent/teacher conferences.

Assessment for learning provides both students andteachers with understandable information in a form they canuse immediately to improve performance. In this context,students become both self-assessors and consumers of assess-ment information. As they experience and und erstand theirown improvement over time, learners begin to sense that

success is within reach if they keep trying. T his process can

put them on a winning streak and keep them there.When we use assessment for learning, assessment becom

far more than merely a one-time event stuck onto the end oan instructional unit. It becomes a series of interlaced experences that enhance the learning process by keeping studentconfident and focused on their progress, even in the face ofoccasional setbacks.

The goal of assessment for learning is not to eliminate

failure, but rather to keep failure from becoming chronic anthus inevitable in the mind of the learner. Duke Universitybasketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has pointed out that thekey to w inning is to avoid losing twice in a row (Kanter,2004, p . 251) . He meant that if you lose once and fix it, you

e can t let students who haveno t yet m et standards fall in tolosing strea ks, succumh tohopelessness, and stop trying.can remain confident. Losing twice, though, can raise ques-tions, crack that confidence, and make recovery more diffi-cult. So when learners suffer a failure, we must get them bacto success as quickly as po ssible to restore their co nfidence their capabilities. This is the emotional dynamic of assessmefor learning.

Scenario : Set Studen ts Up for SuccessHere is an examp le ol the use ol assessment lor learning thatbailds student confidence from the start. Notice who develoand uses the assessment.

A high school English teacher assigns students to read thrnovels by the same author and develop a thesis statementabout a common theme, consistent character development, social commentary in the novels. They must then defend thathesis in a term paper v-ith references. To set stude nts u p forsuccess, the teacher begins by prov iding them with a samp leof an outstanding paper to read and analyze. The next day, tclass discusses what made the sample outstanding,

As their next assignment, the teacher gives students a

sample paper of poor quality. Again, they analyze and evalua


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its features in some detail. Comparingthe two papers, students list essentialdifferences. The class then uses thisanalysis to collaboratively decide o n thekeys to a high-quality paper.

After identifying and defining thosekeys, the students share in the process

of transforming them into a rubric—a set of rating scales depicting acontinuum of quality for each key Theteacher provides examples of studentwo rk to illustrate each level on thequality continuum.

Only after these specific understand-

The Assessment Experience

For Students on Winning Streaks For Students on Losing Streaks

ssessment results provideContinual evidence of success Continual evidence of failure

The student fee s

Hopeful and optimisticEmpow ered to take productive action

HopelessInitially panicked, giving way to resignation

The student thinks

It's all good, I'm doing fine.See the trend? succeed as usual. want more success.School focuses on w hat do well .

know what to do next.Feedback helps me.Public success feels good.

This hurts. I'm not safe here. just can't do thts . .. again.I'm confused, don't like this—h elpWhy is it always about what can't do?

Nothing

try seems to work.Feedback is criticism, it hurts.Public failure is emba rrassing.

The student becomes more likely to

Seek challenges.Seek exciting new ideas.Practice with gusto.Take initiative.Persist in the face of setbacks.

Take risks and stretch—go for it

Seek what's easyAvoid new concepts and approaches.Become confused about what to practice.Avoid initiative.Give up when things becomechallenging.Retreat and escape—trying is toodangerous

hese actions lead to

Self-enhancementPositive self-fulfilling prophecyAcceptance of responsibilityManageable stressFeeling that success is its own rewardCuriosity, enthusiasmContinuous adaptationResilienceStrong foundations for future success

Self-defeat, self-destructionNegative self-fulfi ling prophecyDenial of responsibilityHigh stressNo feelings of success; no rewardBoredom, frustration, fearInability to adaptYielding quickly to defeatFailure to master prerequisites forfuture success

ings are in place do students draft thpapers. Then they exchange drafts,

analyzing and evaluating one anotherwork and providing descriptive feedback on how to improve it, alwaysusing the language of the rub ric. Ifstudents want descriptive feedbackfrom their teacher on any particulardimension of quality, they can requeand will receive it. The paper isfinished when the student says it isfinished. In the end, not every paperoutstanding, but most are of highquality, and each student is confidenof that fact before submitting his or work for final evaluation and gradin(Stiggins, in press; Scenario I adapteby permission).

Scenario 2: Help Studen tsTurn Failure into SuccessHere is an illustration of assessment flearning in mathem atics used to help struggling elementary student find thpath to recovery from a chronic sensefailure. Notice how the teacher high-lights the meaning of success and turthe responsibility over to the student.addition, notice how the learner hasalready begun to internalize the keys her own success.

Gail is a 5th grader who gets hermath test back with 60 percentmarked at the top. She knows thismeans another F So her losing streakcontinues, she think s. She^ ready togive up on ever connecting with math

But then her teacher distributesanother paper—a worksheet thestudents will use to learn from theirperformance on the math test. What'sup with this? The worksheet has sevecolumns. Colum n on e lists the 20 tesitems by num ber. Column two listswhat math proficiency each item testThe teach er calls the class's attention the next two columns; Right and WrongShe asks the students to fill in those

colum ns with checks for each item to


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During the years prior to school entrance informationjthat persuades children they are loved becomes

critical and during the school years it is important for

children to believe that they can succeed at the tasksthey want to master. - erome agan

indicate their performance on the test.Gail checks 12 right and 8 wrong.

The teacher then asks the students toevaluate as honestly as they can whythey got each incorrect item wro ng andto check column five if they m ade asimple mistake and column six if they

really don x understand what wentwrong. Gail discovers that four of hereight incorrect answers were caused bycareless mistakes that she knows how tofix. But four were math problems shereally doesn't understand how to solve.

Next, the teacher goes through the listof math concepts covered item by item,enabling Gail and her classmates todetennine exactly what concepts theydon't understand. Gail discovers that alllour of her w rong answ ers that reflect a

true lack of understanding arise fromthe same gap in her problem-solvingability: subtracting 3-digit numbers withregrouping. If she had just avoidedthose careless mistakes and had alsoovercome this one gap in under-standing, she might have received 100

percent, hnagine that If she could justdo the test over . . .

She can. Because Gail's teacher hasmapped out precisely what each item onthe test measures, the teacher andstudents can work in partnership togroup the students according to themaib concepts they haven't yetmastered. The teacher then providesdifferentiated instruction to the groupsfocused on their conceptual misunder-standings. Together the class also platis

strategies that ever^'one can use to avosimple mistakes. Wlien that work is

complete, the teacher gives students asecond form of the same math test.When Gail gets the test back with agrade of 100 percent, she jum ps fromher seat with arms held high. Herwinning streak begins (Stiggins, Arter,Chappuis, & Chappuis. 2004; Scenari2 adapted by permission).

Redefining Our ssessment FutureWe know how to deliver professional

development thai will give practitionethe tools and technologies they need touse assessment effectively in the servicof student success. (Stiggins et al., 200Stiggins & Chappuis, 2006). Thus far,however, the immense potential ofassessment for learning has gone largeuntapped because we have failed todeliver ihe proper tools inio the handsof teachers a nd scho ol leaders. If we ato fulfill our mission of leaving no chilbehind, we must adjust our vision ofexcellence in assessment in at least twoimportant ways that will help us balanassesstnent o/and assessment (or learnin

First, we must expand the criteria bwhich w e evaluate the quality of ourassessments at all levels and in allcontexts, Traditionally, we have judgedquality in terms of the attributes of theresulting scores; these scores mu st leadto valid and reliable inferences aboutstudent achievement. As a result,

schools have la\ished attention on chaacteristics of the instruments thatproduce such scoi-es. In the future,however, we must recognize that assesment is about far more than the lestscore's dependability—it also must beabout the score's effect on the learner.Even the most valid and reliable assessment cannot be regarded as high qualiif it causes a student to give u p.

We musi begin to evaluate our assesments in terms of boih the quality of th

ASbOClATION I OR SlIPtH VlSIO N AND CURRICULUM D EVELOP M [ N T


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evidence they yield and the effect theyhave on future learning. High-qualityassessments encourage turiher learning;low-quality assessments hinder learning.Understanding the emotional dynamicsol the assessment experience from thestudent's perspective is crucial to th eeffective use of assessments to improveschools.

Second, we must abandon thelimitmg belief that adu lts represent themosi important assessment co nsumersor data-based decision makers inschools. Students' thoughts and actions

regarding assessment results are at leastas important as those of adults. Thestudents' emotional reaction to resultswill detennin e w hat they do inresponse. Whether their score is high orlow, studen ts respond productivelywhen they say, "I understand. 1 know

what to do n ext. 1 can handle this. Ichoose to keep tr)ing." From here on,the result will be more learning. Thecounterproductive response is, "I don'tknow what this means. have no ideawhat to do next. I'm probably too dumbto leam this anyway. give up." Here,ihe learning stops.

In standards-driven schools, only oneof these respo nses w ork s, especially forstuden ts who have yet to meet stan-dards. Assessment/or learning is abouteliciting that productive response toassessment results from students every

time. It can produce winning streaks forai l students. B

ReferencesBlack, P, ^^ Wiliam, D. (1 998 ). Assessment

and c:l


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Stiggins - Assessment Through the Students Eyes 2