Zoom in, zoom out.
I realized that for a long time now, I have been zooming in on my perception of assessment and failed to zoom out to see the entire picture it wishes to depict. Just as how I would browse pictures on my gallery, I have always zoomed in to my image and decide if the picture was internet share-worthy. I wrongfully perceived assessments as avenues to make me look good, blindly pursuing a passing grade for difficult courses or high grades for interesting ones. As a student, I have only been looking at summative assessments (concerned on students’ level of competency after the learning experience).
Zooming out with the point of view of an aspiring educator, reading about the Purposes of Assessment (Pellegrino, Chudowsky & Glaser, 2001) led me to two other important purposes of assessment:
- …additional information about the students, the schooling context, and the content being studied
- …to help policy makers formulate judgments about the quality and effectiveness of educational programs and institutions
Educators and policy-makers become part of the picture, not in a sense that they serve as background, but equally important as students’ learning.
If properly used, assessments become mirrors for educators to adjust and readjust their art of teaching to provide better experiences to future students, and improve their professional growth.
Outcomes of assessments could guide policy-makers and school management to adjust curriculum. It ensures that industry and employment demands are satisfied by our educational institutions. It shows international competitiveness too.
Knowing the importance of assessments inspires me to put careful thought and preparation and make sure that it depicts an encompassing and vivid picture.
Hinuha 