Remember Anything

It’s not about an A or a B. It’s not about a pop quiz. And it’s not about a final exam. A classroom assessment is about improvement in the classroom. It’s an evaluation process that focuses on teaching and how the student learns. It’s a tool and technique to help teachers provide the best possible education to each and every student.

Educators need to know that what they are teaching is being understood, processed, and retained by their students. A typical classroom scene would be divided into three student groups. The first group is students who are attentive, paying attention, and participating. The second group is students who are distant, not paying attention—maybe doodling or daydreaming. And the third group is students who have completely zoned out or are just asleep at the desk. In order to turn these three groups into one interested group of students, the educator needs to understand the students’ learning styles, if their teaching methods are effective, and how they can be improved.

A classroom assessment is designed to specifically help teachers discover exactly what students are learning during class time and how well they process and retain what they are being taught. The classroom assessment combines the following characteristics:

-          Learner-Centered. This helps guide teachers in making adjustments in their teaching methods and gives students an opportunity to improve their learning abilities. It focuses on observing and improving the process of learning as opposed to the actual act of teaching.

-          Teacher-Directed. Each teacher is given the power to decide how the assessment is performed, what areas are assessed and how to apply the information gained by each assessment.

-          Mutually Beneficial. Classroom assessments are geared to help both the educator and student get the most out of the educational process. The students are made aware that the assessments are being done in order to help teachers better prepare lesson plans and that they care about their educations.

-          Formative. Classroom assessments are not tests, quizzes, or exams. They are simply to help improve the quality of student learning.

-          Context-Specific. Classroom assessments are individualized because the needs of the students differ from classroom to classroom.

-          Ongoing. To be as effective as possible, information gained from classroom assessments must be analyzed and applied, then reevaluated to make improvements and adjustments in teaching methods and procedures.

Learning is limitless—not only for students, but for teachers as well. Classroom assessments bring a new light to teaching—its effectiveness and long-term effects. We can only get better by embracing change and applying that change to help develop young minds and encourage learning for life.

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