Chapter 7b & 7c: Assessing and Reporting Student Achievement

7b
At this point in our education we should have all taken, critiqued, and created our own assessments. A lot of work goes into all three of these. I think that if you want to get an educator or anyone who thinks they know anything about education worked up all you have to do is mention standardized testing. Its like lighting a match. When we talk about assessment nowadays I personally feel like standardized testing is the first thing that comes to mind and, oh boy, will it get people all worked up. Assessment is an essential part of teaching and we wouldn't be able to monitor students progress without it, but I think that kids are being attacked by so many different assessments, day in and day out, when are they ever actually supposed to learn anything. In my own classroom I intend to make assessment as beneficial as possible. It is meant to help you as an educator and your students grow and progress. Although we have to deal with standardized testing as part of assessment I will not teach to the test like I have seen so many teachers do, because it is easier and they don't know how else to do things.

7c
The third portion of chapter 7 begins by talking about all the types of assessment items that can be used to assess students. These include: arrangement, completion drawing, completion statement, correction, essay, grouping, identification, matching, multiple choice, performance, short explanation, and true-false. I have worked with many of these when creating my own assessments. I think that it is very important to use a combination of many different types of these questions on your assessments because it helps to get a better understanding of the student knowledge. This portion of chapter 7 also touches on grades and parent involvement. Grades can be another touchy subject, particularly with parents. If a parent doesn't think that their child is receiving a proper grade from something their child did, then sometimes parents will come in to see you with a lot to say. This is why it is important as educators to have a strong understanding and reasoning for why we do things the way that we do. We must be confident and strong individuals. These are all qualities I will have to have when managing my own classroom and dealing with parents one day.