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Classroom assessment: learning from students.

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Abstract

The Standards for Teacher Competence in the Educational Assessment of Students (National Council on Measurement in Education, 1990) requires that teacher candidates achieve assessment competency before entering the profession. This requirement challenges teacher educators to provide meaningful, research-based instruction in assessment. This article presents the efforts of one teacher educator to chart a new course in classroom assessment, and more importantly, what she learned from students about redesigning the course.

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The Standards for Teacher Competence in the Educational Assessment of Students (National Council on Measurement in Education, 1990) requires that teacher candidates achieve assessment competency before entering the profession. This requirement challenges teacher educators to provide meaningful, research-based instruction in assessment. Faced with the responsibility of teaching a course in classroom assessment for the first time, I chose to use student-learning logs as one tool. My purpose in choosing learning logs was threefold: I wanted the students to be able to articulate in their own words what they were learning (Carr, 2002), to monitor their progress throughout the course (Commander and Smith, 1996), and increasingly to see themselves as responsible, engaged, and self-directed learners (Brockett and Hiemstra, 1991). While I cannot quantifiably measure the benefits of the learning log experience for the students, I gained valuable insights for the redesign of the course. This article briefly outlines my efforts to chart a new course in assessment for preservice teachers, and more significantly for me, it describes what I learned from student-learning logs after teaching the class.

Educators use learning logs in all disciplines and with diverse populations for a variety of purposes (Olson, Deming, and Valeri-Gold, 1994). Journaling, in its varied forms, is a beneficial way for students to record personal thoughts and to reflect on experiences and growing insights (Hiemstra, 2001). It is a learning process akin to thinking (Niles, 1985; Walker, 1988). Calkins (1986) stated, "No matter what the subject area is, learning logs provide a forum and an occasion for learning" (p. 264). Teacher educators employ journaling to foster personal development in the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required by the profession. Various research studies point to its effectiveness in teacher preparation. For example, it is seen as an effective tool in preparing preservice educators to become reflective practitioners (Valli, 1997; Yost, Sentner, and Forlenza-Bailey, 2000). It facilitates the learning of new practices (Lieberman and Miller, 1999) and makes the new knowledge personal (Roe and Stallman, 1994). It prepares preservice teachers to solve hypothetical classroom problems (Hoover, 1994).

The Challenge of Classroom Assessment

While classroom assessment has been a concern of the educational measurement community for over 50 years (Stiggins, 2001a), the more recent standards movement has brought renewed attention to classroom assessment instruction in teacher preparation programs....

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