Assessing assessments

I always have felt like assessment is my weak point. I love the challenge of looking at standards and coming up with creative ways to teach the materials. The "Backwards Model" article reminded me of the curriculum planning strategies they gave students in my FCE 321 class. In that class we learned goal curriculum is made up of long term goals, short term objectives (somewhat like the GLEC's), Methods of carrying out objectives, Activities, materials and Assessments. The class emphasised the importance of assessments and that they are what propel what objective based activities you do next and the methods you use. Although the class emphasized the importance of assessment I still don't feel confident in creating assessments that are meaningful and affective.

I was nerdishly excited when I found our the 2nd part of "The Backwards model" article focused on creating affective classroom assessments. I found the questions given in the article that prompt teachers to think more critically about the purpose of activities helpful and I plan on reading over them again when we are suppose to do our two week units plans. However, I still don't feel like I have a good grasp on what meaningful assessments are. I am hoping first of all that we get to do more than just read about the Backwards model and actually get help carrying it out. Through that process I also hope to get most of my confusion cleared up.

For my second article I read the Cantlon article about authentic assessments. I really am put off by the idea of standardized testing and love how she came up with creative ways to assess her students learning in an "on-going, holistic" way. It seems that this article helped me put more of a face to the principals discussed in the "backwards model" article.

~Donnalee