Parents & Students

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Links

Non-DoD Schools Program

DDESS Assessments

Assessments play a vital role in education by influencing the instructional decisions made by students, teachers, school and district administrators, and policy makers. No one form of assessment can provide all the information needed for each type of user. Therefore the DDESS assessment system focuses on maximizing student success by using a balance of:

Assessment OF learning to determine if learning has occurred
and
Assessment FOR learning as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring.

Comparison of Assessments OF and FOR Learning

Each type of assessment has a valid role in education today. The following table provides a brief comparison of the two assessment types.
	Assessment OF Learning	Assessment FOR Learning
Time frame of assessment.	Set point in time after instruction has occurred	During instruction to guide the direction of instruction to meet student needs.
Reason(s) for assessment.	Assign grades, evaluate students for special programs, compliance with 20 USC 92 4 and DoDEA Regulation 2000.6 (pdf), evaluate system-wide progress toward the goals of the DoDEA Community Strategic Plan.	Promote increases in achievement to help students meet more standards; support ongoing student growth; increase the quality of student work and depth of knowledge.
Users of the information	Policy makers, program planners, administrators, teachers, students, parents.	Students, teachers, parents.
Examples	Standardized tests, end of course exams, unit tests, finals	Rubrics, teacher observation, student self-assessment, descriptive feedback to and from students

Use of Assessment Data

The effective use of assessments can check for as well as benefit student learning by giving teachers and parents the most accurate information possible on the performance of their student(s) so they can help them to succeed.

Assessments provide information necessary to help every student:

Achieve his/her highest level of academic success
Make strong annual progress toward meeting or exceeding standards
Develop as a whole learner equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st Century.(pdf 64 Kb)

A Note About No Child Left Behind.

DoDEA schools are funded entirely by the U.S. Department of Defense. Therefore, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, while a valuable educational initiative, is not applicable to DoDEA schools. The DoDEA CSP provides the strategic direction for all DoDEA schools.

Although our schools are not bound to the NCLB law, we are committed to embracing the spirit of NCLB. In fact there are many similarities between the pillars of NCLB and the goals of the DoDEA CSP.

Curriculum, assessment, instruction, and environment are the suporting parts in helping students meet the DoDEA academic standards.

4 Keys to Success for ALL Students

Curriculum: Specifies the program devised by DoDEA used to prepare students to meet content standards.
Instruction: Methods and strategies used to teach the curriculum.
Assessment: Monitor student achievement and evaluate progress toward goals.
Environment: The physical surroundings, allotted time, and climate in which instruction takes place.