Assessments are a hot topic in education, and the idea of Alternative Assessments can easily become a buzzword. I have never enjoyed the traditional multiple-choice assessments in mathematics, and am fortunate enough to work at a school where standardized tests are not integral to the educational system. I want to share some of the things I used this past year to start as a conversation piece on how to rethink assessments. There are so many resources out there and ideas widely available that what I am going to mention is probably not new or profound, but I want to share what I have learned is beneficial for student learning.
Online learning reshaped a lot of things this past year and a half when it comes to education. It has forced teachers to rethink assessments. I, like many other teachers, at first was very concerned about cheating on tests. If students are home, how can I prevent them from cheating? This quickly disappeared for me. After about 1 assessment I realized the system was broken and redefined my methods. I ended up doing weekly quizzes through Quizziz that were open for 3 days and were meant to be an open note open book “assessment.” I wanted to use these to help students gauge where they are at but also realize they were home and could use their notes. Outside of this, I used projects and bigger assignments to assess my students. The quizzes worked well for me to assess students’ computation and rote skills, but it was difficult to see critical thinking and problem-solving. This led to a lot of group work, projects, and alternative assessments.
As mentioned in the previous post (Takeaway #3), I have students do a lot of writing. This was one way I assessed students. I also did a lot of student presentations and research. I would give students a topic, matrices for example, and then have the class break into groups. Each group had to research a different application and then present it to the class.
Allowing students to research and present showed a deeper understanding of the topic and often made them more engaged in future discussions on the topic. I also had students make a lot of videos. I would ask students to choose 2-4 problems from a list and record a video of them solving them. It could be a Google Slide, written on a tablet, a video of them working on paper, or any other method of recording. I just wanted to see them explain their thinking.
Note: This can take a lot of time to grade. If every student submits a 3-minute video, it can take much of your time. Find a way to streamline the grading process.
Throughout the past few years of alternative assessments, I have found one thing to remain true. Students will rise to the occasion. I have given some difficult projects (sometimes unintentionally), yet students have always turned in excellent work. Many times I have had to be flexible with due dates if a project takes too long or goes too fast, but in the end, I see students learning so much.
I encourage anyone who is a teacher to consider moving away from traditional assessments. It can be hard or scary at first, but it is worth it. If you need help with ideas or do not know where to start, just send me a message and I can help you get started.
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