In an education system that has all but done away with holding students back, what is the purpose of assessment? In a classroom that no longer uses letter grades, what is the role of assessment? As we move towards a system that we hope sees the whole student, how do we assess our students in their wholeness without reducing them to one test or assignment or essay?

Particularly within the context of a contemporary northern classroom, the assessment methods I grew up with feel largely like a waste of valuable instructional time. High stakes tests, essays, and complicated assignments can be alienating to students, and ultimately I want my students to feel engaged in their learning. Any assessment that I would feel good bringing into my classroom, would have to be in a context that facilitates inquiry and engagement.

There are a few ways I think this is doable, and they all hinge largely on one criteria: teachers must be informed and competent professionals with the tools to assess informal and creative means of demonstrating competence. Then, within this belief, I think it’s important to break down assessment styles based on the content and skills being assessed.

It is important for teachers to assess fundamental skills like literacy and arithmetic which do not always feel fun or practical to students but are essential to creating an equitable learning environment. It is also important for teachers to assess broader learning that includes research skills, special interests, creativity, and extensions of learning.

Assessment of fundamental skills can build on learning and be made to feel engaging by creating informal, play based, and holistic assessment tools wherein a teacher is able to assess the skillset as it is used in a game, an activity, an art piece, or even in simple classroom strategies like personal whiteboards. A competent and engaged teacher can use these types of assessment to gage skill levels and get an understanding of whether kids are on track, pushing beyond the expectation, or still developing a skill, and meet the child and the group where they’re at as they continue working on these skills.

In assessing broader learning skills, teachers can make use of land based learning, inquiry based learning, and in particular authentic assessment. When we as teachers allow students to take the lead on their learning within a semi-structured prompt, there are seemingly endless ways students can express not just their competencies, but also their strengths and passions. While I think this is incredibly valuable, I think it is also important that we as teachers help our students to understand what skills and knowledge we are hoping to see them demonstrate, and help them in their process of finding ways to demonstrate those competencies to the best of their ability.

Initially when sitting down to write this post, I felt some variation of “anti-assessment,” but in considering the nuances of my feelings about assessment I have realized that there is always a role for assessment in helping to gauge the progress of learning. What I am against, is assessment as a means of assigning value to students. Instead, I am excited to continue to explore assessment as a way of furthering learning, increasing engagement, and identifying areas of strength to build from with students.