I don’t quite have a question regarding these chapters; rather I have a sort of concern. I am nervous about grading projects and papers of my future students. I know that when grading a multiple choice or short answer examination, you can see easily whether the answer is correct or incorrect. However, there is leeway when it comes to projects and papers and I’m not sure exactly how to go about grading each one fairly. Do you have different expectations for students? Or must you go into the grading process expecting the same thing from each student (even if you know that some students are smarter/more capable than others). On assessments that aren’t so black and white, how can you guarantee that you are being fair in grading and providing an accurate assessment of student work?
Formative assessment formally assessed: This could be a test based on a lesson or unit the students have just studied. This would help the student and the teacher understand what the students have learned and whether they have retained the information (and the teacher can see what methods of teaching worked well and which did not).
Summative assessment formally assessed: This could be a state standardized test in which the students are graded based on what they have learned throughout the semester.
Formative assessment informally assessed: This could be a discussion that the class has about a certain topic (allowing the teacher to see what the student have learned in the class and where there may still be some questions/confusions. It would also help the students understand what they know or may still need to learn.
Summative assessment informally assessed: The students can have an individual journal in which they are asked to reflect on the day’s happenings. The teacher can read the journals and see how the students are feeling and whether or not they need more help with a certain assignment/lesson. The teacher can sort of informally see what the student have learned and what they still may need help with (and also see how the students are feeling about what’s happening in the class.
I believe that the way the information is used at the end of the assessment largely determines what kind of assessment it was. A test could be either formative or summative; however, depending on how the teacher/student uses the information from the test scores, one can determine whether it was a formative or summative assessment. A summative assessment looks at the information from an entire semester (or a longer period of time) to see whether the student has retained the information. Summative assessments, as well as formative assessments, can help the teacher evaluate student learning and also determine whether teaching methods were effective. A formative assessment covers a smaller period of time (such as a lesson or a unit) to test the students’ knowledge on the subject. This also helps the teacher to see whether their teaching methods were effective/if they should change anything. Formative assessment is used more to determine the achievements of the students. So really, both forms of assessment are used to see whether students understand and have mastered the information.
Your question definitely brings up a general concern for most teachers. In my opinion, as far as grading, it's not really fair to grade some students more harshly (or more leniently) than others, ESPECIALLY on a test or quiz with very specific right or wrong answers - even though it's completely fair to have different expectations. The main reason I think this can be a bad idea is because students often compare grades, and if one student got a worse grade even though they had the same answer as another, they will be mad and complain. That being said, the nice thing about performance assessment is that you can grade a little more on your own terms, especially if you choose to grade on how much they've improved rather on how good they are or how much they know on the subject. Obviously, I have never really taught or assessed, so I could be wrong - I think it may just take time to figure out when you get into a classroom. These are just my thoughts, and I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I thought I'd give my opinion!
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