You have all been wonderful participants in the discussion this week.  I'm
really enjoying it.  Friday morning I get to judge a poetry contest at Ubax
Medical Academy - an  East African charter school here in MN.  I can't wait!


 

So I'll get us rolling on another topic, one we haven't talked about much
yet -assessment - and I'll check in again in the afternoon.  As always, your
proposed discussions are more than welcome.

 

As we know, there are many reasons to gather information from students.  We
do it, for example, to find out

-         what their goals are

-         what they are interested in

-         what their skills are when we first meet them and at the end of a
class

-         what they learn, so we know better how to teach

 

We also do it for placement and reporting purposes - for accountability,
large and small.  Here are some questions that might encourage some sharing:

 

-         It might be fruitful to reflect on the assessment traditions that
we teachers inherit through experience as students ourselves and in our
teaching careers.  How could it have been/be different?  Do you have stories
or experiences about how typical assessment practices could be different for
students with low levels of literacy?  (e.g., I am greatly frustrated by
required tests which are not appropriate for a person with very little print
literacy.  Failing tests usually does nothing for motivation.)

 

-         One of the greatest challenges in classroom assessment is keeping
track of formative, informal measures.  They are easy to do, but sometimes
what the teacher learns is hard to document, track and use meaningfully in
follow-up instruction.  In general, have you found a creative way of keeping
good track of students' language learning?  

 

-         How can the assessment/evaluation process be communicated and
documented in a transparent way when students have little print literacy?

 

If you'd like to share any rubrics or checklists that are light on text and
complicated boxes/numbers, I'm sure there are many who would be grateful.  I
also welcome hearing about your solutions, complaints and challenges with
regard to assessment issues and our unique population.   

 

Martha

University of Minnesota

 

 

 

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