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Teaching Practice
Classroom Assessment
What is Classroom Assessment?
Classroom Assessment refers to a wide variety of strategies employed
by teachers to get feedback from students about how they are experiencing the learning environment.
Tom Angelo and Pat Cross, the teacher-scholars most often associated with classroom assessment,
define it as a "learner-centered, teacher-directed approach designed to improve student learning in
individual classrooms. Their 1988 publication, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for
Faculty, includes a wide variety of strategies that can be adapted to individual course
contexts.
The intent of classroom assessment is to gather information from students
about what they know and how they are experiencing their learning. The purpose of such information
is improvement of the learning experience for students. Classroom assessment techniques can be used
at every class, weekly, or at check-points throughout the semester. While end-of-course evaluations
elicit student feedback that may influence a teacher's choices next time she teaches a course,
classroom assessment provides the instructor with feedback she can act on immediately. Classroom
assessment has no purposes other than improvement of teaching and learning; the instructor develops
the strategies and benefits from the information she gathers. According to Angelo and Cross,
classroom assessment works best when students are actively involved in the process of developing
feedback strategies and when instructors share results with them and respond to their concerns. In
this way, classroom assessment can provide a continuous feedback loop within the learning
environment.
What are the benefits of Classroom Assessment?
- Teachers become more systematic about testing their assumptions and
intentions against student perceptions or understandings-they regularly check out how well their
plans for student learning are working.
- Teachers become more sensitive observers of students and become more
knowledgeable about student learning.
- Students become more engaged in the process of learning and more
reflective about themselves as learners-they come to see themselves as contributing to the
learning environment.
- Classroom Assessment improves cooperation between teachers and
students and communicates to students that instructors are committed to their academic success.
What are some strategies for Classroom Assessment?
If the following short summaries interest you, check out these two
websites for more on classroom assessment!
The minute paper or half-sheet response
Instructor stops class 2-3 minutes early and asks students to write a
response to a probe such as What was the most interesting (troubling, problematic, confusing,
important) concept (idea, position, proposal) we discussed in class today? This strategy helps
to identify highlights or trouble-spots for students and provides a quick reality check.
The muddiest point
Students are asked to jot down a response to the prompt What was
the muddiest point (or most confusing point) in the reading for today's class (today's lecture, the
book, article or film)? This strategy pin-points the places where students are struggling so
that the instructor can respond.
The one-sentence summary
Students are asked to describe Who does what to whom. when, where,
how, and why? about a given topic and to summarize the information in one sentence. This
strategy quickly identifies what students understand and provides practice summarizing.
More Information
If you would like more information on this topic, please contact the
Center by email at
mailto:cstl@syr.edu or by phone at 443-4572.
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