Assessment

When I think back on what has shaped my beliefs on assessment I have a clear vision in my mind of the many S's for Satisfactory that appeared on the learning skills and work habits section of my report cards. Although the overarching theme of my reports was high achievement suggested by my high grades and encouraging teacher feedback, those big, scary S's dampened my mood. I didn't understand how an A student could still be only satisfactory! Especially when it came to initiative and reaching my potential.

Reflecting on this now, it of course makes sense why I got the feedback I did. I am fortunate that the majority of my experiences in education have been positive, especially in my younger years. I always performed well in the majority of my classes but I often fell off task during class and was unorganized because I struggled to pay attention. I have come to understand my learning style over time and now know what I require to be successful in my courses, a lack of distraction... and quiet! ... and maybe I shouldn't sit with my best friends. Of course, as a young student, you don't always realized the care that goes into the assessment by your teacher. We often just look at our letter grade and disregard the comments for continuing growth and improvement.

When I was an elementary student, I understood that those S's suggested that I was struggling to succeed... S came to represent a joke, "oh I guess it's S for Sarah!" I didn't realize how my learning style and personality were contributing to my lack of initiative, nor do I remember any teachers instructing me on how I could improve in this area. I simply remember being unsuccessful and told my efforts were only Satisfactory (which somehow to me seemed worse than N for needing improvement, at least with that wording there is still a chance for improvement!)

Despite this example, I do have a positive view of assessment. I believe its purpose is to help students grow and achieve their potential. The most important skills I gained through my education journey was learning to self assess and self regulate. I love setting new goals for myself and tracking my progress when I start something new. I think that is something I would like to implement in my future elementary classrooms. I would love to see my students track their own progress, create their own personal learning goals, and celebrate their success. I come from a Music background, a culture where perfection is the goal but it is also highly respected because it commonly understood how much work it takes to get to that level of mastery. With music, I find it is simpler to appreciate your progress because in the end you can perform a beautiful piece of music which you once struggled to even sight read! As a musician, assessment from my teachers was imperative and it was clear what steps I could take to improve. Being aware that there was a path for me to take to success, and that I wasn't making the journey alone, encouraged me to persist and grow. And that's what we strive to achieve with our students. Giving them the tools and the knowledge that they need so they can also have hope that they will be successful no matter what journey they choose to undertake.