Self+Assessment

=Purpose of Self Assessment= toc Self assessment allows students to reflect on their learning and make judgments about their work.

The reason for asking students to assess their own work has to do with the student's development over the long run. If the emphasis is placed on not just what the student did, but what the student learned, and how his or her capacity for work in the future has been affected, then the situation changes.

It is being recognized that students actively involved in setting goals and assessing themselves is more appropriate in the education setting. By engaging students in the classroom through self-assessment, students learn at higher levels and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. Through this active involvement, students become more committed to that which they learn, and they develop their skills of learning how to learn.

The decisions that contribute most to student learning are made, not by adults working in the system, but by students themselves. When students self-assess, they gain insights that help them monitor their learning, as well as practice in giving themselves descriptive feedback. This feedback in relation to criteria, models, or exemplars helps them learn more.

Learning and reflecting on the learning is a continuous cycle. We learn, we assess, we learn some more. Thus, the brain is able to self-reference – to decide on what to do next based on an assessment of what we have just done. This allows students the opportunity to think about their thinking and their learning.

When students share their thinking with teachers, students learn more and teachers can teach better.

** “An event is not an experience until you reflect upon it” - Michael Fullan **

Role of Student
Self assessment asks students to make choices about what to focus on next in their learning. Through this practice the students participate in their own evaluation and share the assessment burden with the teacher.

It is the student’s role to decide whether the learning is worth the effort required to attain it. Students decide whether they believe they are capable of reaching the learning targets. Students decide whether to keep learning or to quit working.

These choices about their learning lead to ideas that can be used as starting points for lessons. As they co-construct criteria, they are given a feeling of ownership. While collecting and demonstrating their learning, they learn to analyze key attributes to show what success looks like. This constant assessment of their own achievement helps them act on the inferences they draw about themselves, leading to the development of the skills needed in lifelong, independent learners.

It is up to the student to think about and explain their work, as well as gather evidence about what they know and understand. This leads them to find out what they did or created, their best efforts, what was difficult or easy, what they might do differently next time, and what risks they take as learners. Most importantly, it is the student’s role to reflect on the events in the classroom. Though thinking about their thinking, they come to realize where they are relative to the learning objectives in the classroom.

Examples of student self assessment rubrics: Elementary Math Second Language Learning Strategies Grades 10-12 Self Determination Checklist



__In Student Self Assessment__
As a teacher the role of facilitating student assessment is very important. Teaching students how to self-assess contributes to more accurate self-assessment and to higher student achievement (Arter, Spandel, Culham, & Pollard, 1994; McDonald & Boud, 2003; Ross, Rolheiser, & Hogaboam-Gray, 1999; 2002-b; Ross & Starling, in press). The difference between guiding in and leading to a self assessment is important. It is the role of the teacher to guide the student in self assessment, not to lead the student to a self assessment. Leading the student to a self assessment will not effectively present how the student feels about what is being assessed, it will only reflect how the teacher feels. However if the student is guided in self assessment their feelings on the work being assessed will be effectively shown, and will not reflect the teacher feelings. Teacher feelings on student work should only show up in the teacher evaluations.

To Effectively Guide Student Self Assessment:
 * Ask open ended questions. This way the student must answer how she feels about her work
 * Wait for student response and do not answer the questions for the student. [[image:http://preview.hrc.org/content_images/04-selfassessment.jpg align="right"]]
 * When guiding do not reveal teacher feelings on the work
 * Listen to the student!

Create your own Project Based Learning Checklists!

__In Self Assessment__
Teacher self assessment is an important tool in facilitating professional growth. To become a better teacher one must reflect on the lessons that have been taught. If a lesson is not effective and a teacher still uses it without change every time, students will not be able to succeed. So even though a teacher may think that a lesson is fantastic, after it is taught a reflection back on the lesson and how the students did is needed. As well as reflecting on the lessons that have been taught teachers must also focus on how effectively student questions were answered, and teaching style. These things all contribute to professional growth, and to becoming better and more effective teachers.

Teacher self assessment rubrics: Scholastic Teacher Self Assessment Checklist Teacher Self Assessment Tool for Content Area Literacy Support

=Theories=

__** The Self-Assessment Schedule **__ AIM: to provide a comprehensive and analytical record of student learning in situations where they have high responsibility for what they do. It is a personal report of learning and achievements which can be used for either a student's on use or as a product which can form part of a formal assessment. This theory focuses attention on the goals of learners, elicits evidence of achievements, and provides and opportunity of learners to make their own judgements about how successful they have been in meeting their goals.

Example: A student can create a rubric that covers all their necessary learning goals. This rubric can be made in a form that students feel the most organized. i.e - chart or paragraph form. Rubric Templates

__** Group Negotiated Curriculum **__ This theory depends on the early identification of goals and invovles agreement with peers on areas to pursue. Students and teachers discuss will be evaluated and thus both students and teachers are held accountable. This works when, for example, students work on projects. Students collaborate to decipher what the students need in their projects to meet the learning goals. Students and the teacher assess whether or not their projects/ activities are up to the standard they have created.

Example- Before a math test the students and teacher co-established a set of criteria for grading including neatness of the paper, proper procedures, and correct answers. Article on the Negotiated Project Approach

__** The Learning Contract Approach **__ An individual (the student) enters into an agreement with a teacher to pursue certain goals according to a proposed programme. First, a draft(s) is submitted to the teacher for validation and once the final version is agreed upon, it is applied by the teacher and becomes the framework for learning and assessment. This contract is used daily (weekly, etc) whether or not the student is learning to the appropriate level.

Example: Self evaluations on how well students have used their time will help them reflect and make changes as they work. This example shows different ways to set up learning contracts and it includes the role of teachers in some of these examples. Example:Learner Contract

This picture is an example of a written learning contract

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This video is an example of a teacher going through the learning contract in the form of a meeting (instead of written material)

__** Lecture Capture/ Video **__ Students use a webcam or other tapping device to review their presentation skills, this allows students to view their communcation and body language. If they are not satisfied with their presentation they are more likely to change what they did before their presentation and they use the video as a type of summative self-assessment.

__** Journals and Logs **__ 4 types...
 * Response Journals. These are usually used for students to write about meaning from a text.
 * Dialogue Journals. This is a written conversation between students and teachers
 * Personal Journals. These can help teachers grasp the students understanding. It can also serve for both students and teachers to write about how they felt about the day/ week and allow teachers to reflect on how their lesson(s) went that day.
 * Learning Logs. Students describe and reflect on their ongoing learning experience

=Benefits= = = =Challenges=
 * Immediate feedback for students
 * Student engagement with process AND product
 * Increased trust and responsibility for student
 * Learning without the emotional pressure of a grade
 * Promotes community learning
 * Professional skill and development for latter life
 * Promotes reflection upon work
 * Increased motivation
 * Students may be discouraged by comparing their work to models of excellence
 * Students' lack evaluating experience
 * Students may not cooperate
 * Students' lack of confidence
 * Preparation required
 * Submitting a self assessment with a project which has them identify weaknesses emphasizes the reasons why the project was handed in with weaknesses (ex. time constraints, lack of resources, lack of ability, etc.)

=Summary=

Effective self assessment methods are being recognized more and more. Students being actively involved in setting goals and assessing themselves is becoming a great tool in the education setting. This is because students decide whether the learning is worth the effort it takes to learn or if it is not. This learning becomes an achievable goal of the students, one which they will try hard to attain because it is their own goal. It is the teachers role to guide the student in a self assessment so that the students goals are clear and attainable. It is also the role of the teacher to assess themselves so that their methods of teaching are reflected upon, and effectively aid in the professional growth of the teacher. There are several different theories of student self assessment. Some of which include students reflecting in journals, keeping a self assessment schedule and signing a learning contract. All of these theories in self assessment and more are great in aiding student self assessment and goal setting. There are many challenges when guiding student self assessment such as the students' lack of confidence or the lack of cooperation. However once instituted the benefits of self assessment out weigh any of the negatives or challenges. Self assessment is an effective and great way to aid in student learning.

=References=

Andrade, H. & Valtcheva (2009). Promoting Learning and Achievement Through Self-Assessment. Theory Into Practice, (48)1, 12-19. DOI:10.1080/00405840802577544

Boud D. (1992). The Use of Self-assessment in Negotiated Learning. Studies in Higher Education, Volume 17 (No. 2), 189-200.

Channing, C., & Coombe, C.,Using Self-Assessment in the Classroom: Rationale and Suggested Techniques. Retrieved from []

Chappuis, J., Stiggins, R., Chappuis, S., & Arter, J. (2012). Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right – Using It Well (2nd ed.). Pearson Education Inc, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Curtz, T. (n.d.). Teaching Self Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/resources/acl/e1.html

Davies, A. (2011). Making Classroom Assessment Work (3rd ed.) Courtenay, BC: Connections Publishing.

Learner Contract-Sample. Retrieved from: []

Reflection Picture. Retrieved from: []

Ross, J., Bruce, C. (2005) Teacher Self-Assessment: A Mechanism for Facilitating Professional Growth. Retrieved from []

n.a, (2006). Early years Curriculum Materials: Negotiation Curriculum, a project approach. 1-5. Retrieved from []

Scholastic Teacher self assessment checklist retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/selfassessment/checklist/

Smith, C.M., & Sodano, T.M.(2011, October). Integrating Lecture Capture as a Teaching Strategy to Improve Student Presentation Skills Though Self-Assessment. Active Learning in Higher Education, (12) 3, 151-163. doi: 10.1177/1469787411415082

Taras, M. (2010). Student self-assessment: processes and consequences. Teaching In Higher Education, 15(2), 199-209. doi:10.1080/13562511003620027

Teacher Self-Assessment Tool for Content Area Literacy Support retrieved from []