Assessment Is Not the Enemy

Cris Tovani begins her book by delving into the concept of assessment not being the enemy. In a world of education based on students performances on standardized tests, it's difficult not to get swept up by the pressure of assessments. According to Tovani, after No Child Left Behind (NCLB) hit its stride, it became a way to 'judge and rank' students and teachers (pg. 11). Tovani says that it took her some time, but she "realized that assessment wasn't the enemy; it was the way it was being used to judge and punish instead of inform and help educators get smarter about teaching and learning" (pg. 11).

How will you be able to change the structure of your classroom to improve the way that you assess?  According to Tovani, it won't be too drastic of a change -

    "My hope is that teachers will recognize that many of the tools they already use, when given a slight tweak, can serve as powerful assessments that will inform instruction and improve achievement." (pg. 11)

What ways do you assess your classroom? How could you tweak those to better inform your instruction and improve your achievement? Leave a comment below!