Expanding Student Assessment Opportunities.

This paper describes an approach for expanding assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of content. The targeted population consisted of elementary and junior high school students in two schools in a growing middle-class community in north central Illinois. The elementary school enrolled 467 students and the junior high school had a population of 1,505 students. The problem of limited assessment opportunities was documented through data revealing parent and student opinions and attitudes toward tests, and observation checklists related to student performance. The analysis of the probable cause of limited assessment opportunities suggested lack of teacher training in assessment, the isolation of basic skills, a lack of performance tasks in the learning environment, and a strong emphasis on test scores. A review of solution strategies resulted in the selection of an intervention program that focused on an assessment approach combining traditional assessments and alternative assessments, including graphic organizers, rubrics, and checklists, to allow students to demonstrate their depth of understanding of the content. Post intervention data indicated an increase in opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and skills, higher order thinking skills, and a deeper understanding of content. Thirty appendixes contain sample assessments. (Contains 44 references.) (SLD)