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  • Writer's pictureErika Stanischewski

ENTRY 8: Educational Assessment for a 21st Century Learner

To date, my research and blog entries have uncovered 21st century innovative educational approaches, skills, issues, and tools that define 21st century teaching and learning. The image below is an all-encompassing depiction of a 21st century learner; a product of hard and soft skills, self-regulated, and knowledgeable, to name a few characteristics, which I have addressed to various degrees in my previous blog posts.

However, my focus has been mostly on the planning and implementation of these topics and the strategies involved in nourishing these characteristics. A major responsibility of educators is the assessment and evaluation of our students. Educational assessment is an ongoing process that involves the recording or documenting of evidence pertaining to knowledge, skills, attributes, and attitude attainment in preferably a measurable way (Mishra, 2020). As Irvine and Crowly accurately iterate, “[i]n a knowledge-based society, with its network of both technology and people, current assessment tools require upgrading to ensure that learners are prepared for a rapidly changing and ever-connected community, society and world” (2015). This being said, standardized tests remain the main assessment tool in my teaching discipline, and often traditional teaching strategies are utilized as opposed to what a 21st century student requires. Therefore, where does this leave us in terms of our predicament? Education is shifting in order to prepare students for the needs of today’s world, and we need to assess them in a manner that is complementary of this shift. Nevertheless, in the spirit of moving in the right direction, the following image compares traditional assessment with that of our present and future.



Although labelled as traditional forms of assessment, tests, quizzes, self-evaluations, and general observations are still the go-to and often “simpler” assessment tool today. However, the picture of a 21st century learner involves a list of skills and attitudes that are often difficult to assess using these aforementioned methods. In addition, these forms of assessment are often putting great emphasis on the final outcome as opposed to ongoing feedback so as to encourage adjustment, growth, and ultimately internalize learning. “[A]ssessment through tests and exams measures what a student learned at the end of an instructional unit, by which time it is often too late to address shortcomings” (2015). Significant to this issue is, what educators choose to assess will essentially lead what is being taught and consequently learned. To put it simply, if we are valuing recalled knowledge over and above the process involved in internalizing this knowledge, then students will simply learn for the test without paying much attention to the process they went through in obtaining said knowledge and skills.

Therefore, what are some examples of 21st century assessment strategies or methods? The following is a summarized list:

  • E-portfolios

  • Teacher observations

  • Class discussions

  • Evidence of work-in-progress

  • Think-pair-share

  • Journals

  • Observation checklists

  • Concept maps

  • Rubrics

  • Self and peer assessments

  • Teacher-student conferences

  • Long-term projects (Problem-based learning)

  • Diagnostic tests

  • Formative assessments

  • Summative assessments

  • And yes, some tests, quizzes, and formal assessments (Irvine & Crowley, 2015)

The lesson is clear. Teachers need to provide students with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their learning and not just of the subject-specific content knowledge, but of their skills and the processes they are internalizing and practicing for use in real-life. Therefore, it is vital that students are part of their own assessment process, and that teachers are not waiting until it is too late to guide students in the right direction. ”Students are assessed before and during learning so that feedback may be provided that can be used to improve work and deepen understanding” (2015).

Even if a numerical grade is required on my students’ report cards, I have the professional ability and duty to vary my assessment strategies and create my own numerical grading scheme that reflects my chosen methods for assessment. In the end, the percentage that a student earns should not solely be calculated based on assessments that focus on knowledge retention, rather on a variety of assessment opportunities that provides a holistic image of the knowledge, skills, attributes, and attitude attainment of the student.


References:



Mishra, P. (2020, October 20). What Is Educational Assessment. ProProfs Learning. https://www.proprofs.com/c/lms/what-is-educational-assessment-and-why-is-it-necessary/


Office of Educational Technology. (n.d.) [Image]. Future of Assessment. Retrieved November 8, 2020, from https://tech.ed.gov/netp/assessment/


Sackville Schools. (n.d.) [Image}. 21st Century Learner. Retrieved November 8, 2020, from http://www.sackvilleschools2020.com/learning

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