Forgotten Rules in Classroom Assessment

陈雪飞

【Abstract】Classroom assessment is the key to effective teaching， but too much attention has been paid to summative assessment for a very long time. Now in the background of transition from summative assessment to formative assessment， several rules should be followed.

【Key words】classroom assessment； summative assessment； formative assessment； rules

As a main part of educational activities， classroom assessment has never been an easy thing. For too long， teachers have paid too much attention to results， scores， ranks and grades， which lead to summative assessment， neglecting personalities of each student. Under this background， formative assessment is urgently needed. Thus， I will introduce several rules to obey.

Chapter 1 Current Situation of Classroom Assessment

1.1 Focusing on ranking

In terms of education target， it should be the all-round development of every student. On the contrary， in summative assessment， ability development is always been given the cold shoulder. Teachers are busy with ranking students， mostly by the method of endless tests. The aim of summative assessment is to a summary description of learner performance at the end of a school term， a school year or a key stage. Although with summative assessment， teachers can get fast feedback， students personalities are left behind. Hence， formative assessment is the smart choice.

1.2 Paying attention to the past

Actually， assessment is a way of providing“feedback”and “feedforward” on learning and teaching. But in summative assessment， only past learning and teaching are being assessed. While on the contrary， formative assessment can not only assess the past but also the present and the future.

Chapter 2 Rules needed to be followed

2.1 Being accurate

Just as the saying goes， no leaves are exactly the same， so are students. Different student has different needs， interests and potentials. In the area of a classroom， teachers should pay enough attention to all students， analyzing their personalities， interests and needs to ensure that the assessment given is just what they are eager for. An assessment is effective only when its accurate. For example， a boy good at listening but weak at writing needs proper guides in writing skills not listening techniques， which requires a teacher with careful observation.

2.2 Being appropriate

When assessing students， it is of great importance to take their acceptance into consideration. For example， a very sensitive student can not stand a public criticism because he/she cant accept it and will treat it as a humiliation. In this situation， a public assessment is not appropriate because it doesnt work in the students side. While on the contrary， to an optimistic student， a public criticism is no big deal because he/she can take it well. That is to say， assessment methods depends on specific circumstances of students.

2.3 Being development-oriented

The aim of education is to help students develop in every aspects， thus， the aim of assessment is not only developing students scores， ranks but also their all-round abilities. Endless tests are not the only choices. Teachers should pay more attention to teacher-student and student-student interactions. In this way， not only better teacher-student relationship can be built， but also effective formative assessment can be finished and seen from a long period， all-round development of students can be achieved.

Chapter 3 Suggestions for Improvement

3.1 Peer assessment

Formative assessment is a dynamic and communicative process. In this process， attenders are teachers， students themselves and their peers. Thus， assessment can also be made by their classmates. By doing this， students can adapt themselves to the class well， develop group cooperation abilities and also enhance peer relationships.

3.2 Self assessment

In the process of teaching， teachers should continuously make proper context to help students know their knowledge building process. Students are always those who know themselves the best. By self assessment， students can show their knowledge building situation to teachers and peers， thus， on one hand， teachers will know students better and give them accurate and appropriate guides； on the other hand， other students will realize their pros and cons and adjust their learning methods.

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