Culturally Responsive Assessment
As I looked around my classroom on the first day of school, it occurred to me that while I was busy writing curriculum, learning about RTI, and developing assessments for the 21st century, my classroom had changed. As my school became more global, I realized that I needed to differentiate my instruction and think about universal assessment strategies that work for all learners.
The literature on culturally responsive assessment shows that high expectations, cultural referents, and relevant resources are essential. Standards can be common to all, but the level of proficiency needs to be flexible. Modifications, support, and frequent actionable feedback are vital for success. Assessment must be appropriate for the content as well as the student and should be based on a growth model rather than simply a final criterion referenced score.
I didn't need to throw out all of my routine assessment, but I did discover ways to adapt them for multicultural learners. I made sure that readings reflected global perspective. For vocabulary assignments, some students simply defined the words, others started using core words in sentences, and still others made progress with higher level vocabulary. I also modified tests and homework by identifying selected questions.When higher level thinking was part of the assessment, students had a choice of an essay or graphic organizer to demonstrate learning. For projects, I accepted multiple approaches and encouraged the use of technology. Groupings were flexible based on skills and outcomes.
Quietly and over time, students whose culturally sensitive assessments included options, personalization, and choice began to develop confidence and to participate and share more with others students. At the end of the year, the culminating assessment required looking at the world through the eyes of others. As mixed groups of students worked together to understand climate change, it became apparent that the quiet leadership skills of students from diverse cultures made a difference in the classroom. Rubrics, learning contracts, logs, peer review, and ample evidence all illuminated learning. A final celebration of the learning outcomes and the contributions of each member of the class created an important legacy: All students can achieve to their highest potential.
The bottom line is that good assessment is good assessment. When it is integrated into instruction, when it includes balance, diverse methods, multiple modalities, meaningful feedback, and is responsive to the needs of all learners, then all students flourish. A one-size-fits-all standardized test doesn't fit into this equation.
posted by Assessment Network @ 5:32 PM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Differentiated Instruction allows classroom teachers to become more adept at planning instruction that is meaningful to every child in the classroom regardless of readiness level. It is a systematic way of maximizing learning that is both rigorous in addressing high standards for all students yet personalized to reflect individual learner characteristics and needs. As I quote Tomlinson(2005)“Differentiated instruction is well organized, well planned and addresses not only different ability levels, but also different needs, interests and strengths of the learners. Differentiation of instruction allows for whole group instruction, heterogeneous small group cooperative work, and individual instruction. It allows the teacher to create student centered learning experiences that focus on varied approaches to content, process, and product. In addition, it provides for ongoing, embedded, authentic assessment of students' skills, interests and learning style.”
I agree with differentiated assessment for all students where traditional assessments do not work and I believe that programs that focus on alternative assessment are likely to instill in students lifelong skills related to critical thinking that build a basis for future learning, and enable them to evaluate what they learn both in and outside of class."
Being a Spanish teacher I agree with the comments you made about differentiated assessments for students. I am well aware that students have different ways of learning, some students have IEP's, other students are better at cooperative learning activities, yet some other students need daily feedback. Whichever kind of student I get every year differentiated learning and differentiated assessments should and must be a part of my routine. Our society is a global society and as a consequence our classrooms are global also. We must consider every student, where they come from and include standards that are reachable, and measurable. This will be my 10th year as a Spanish teacher and every year is still a new year for me. Every school year I have to make plans according to the type of students I have. It is comforting to know that I can learn from the students just like they can learn from me and yet more comforting when they learn and are given ample opportunities to demonstrate their learning with an alternative assessment that is culturally responsive.
I really like the quote at the end of this blog..." A one-size fits all standardized test does not fit into this equation." I think to often on a test teachers do not adapt their assessments to fit the diverse needs of their students. The ironic think about that is modifying tests for the needs of the students is what promotes positive learning and success for all.
I really like the idea of incorporating a different global perspective into different types of assessments. I think students are more likely to stay interested and focused on assessment if it is something they feel they can relate to. Offering different types of examples on an assessment can be done easily, so why isnt it always done?
Adaptation is the key to being a successful teacher in my opinion. Students learning processes are diverse and need to be addressed on every single assessment. One thing this paticular blog discussed and something I learned throughout this course is there are many different types of assessments. I always assumed a multiple choice, t/f, fill-in, short essay, essay, etc was the only types of assessments there was everything else was just a project. I have slowly learned this was not the case. I like the idea of using alternative assessments, I believe they still test a students knowledge on a subject just in a different way...AND another benefit it is easy to incorporate the literacy standards into alternative assessment.
As this blog points out differentiation is key. Differentiation can be done is several different ways and in my opinion and it is not hard to do. Students of the 21st century need differentiation; therefore, it should always be done.
You are right one size does not fit all. Not in clothes, not in relationships, not in jobs, and especially not in teaching. I am surprised that more people in the world today are not more understanding of this concept. Assessment is the only way we are able to learn what our students are learning; however, it does not need to be a "one size fits all" standardized test.
I think it is extremely important to look at the legacy you wrote, "All students can achieve to their highest potential." This is one hundred percent true. Every student can reach their Zone of Proximal Development with the help of a caring and dedicated teacher. This entails understanding the differences in the classroom. A teacher cannot simply teach to what is comfortable to them. A teacher needs to teach to the needs of the students. In some cases this will include different learning styles but in other cases it needs to go deeper.
We need to look at the cultures of our students and embrace them. We need to create a learning environment that welcomes their differences. If we bring students' lives into the classroom it will help them learn on a much higher level. They will be invested and they will respect that we are understanding of them. Differentiation is key but we need to remember that it does need to go deeper at times. The 21st Century student is different and we need to not only accept them but also understand them. We will also be better teachers because of that understanding.
I completely agree with what Ivette, Sam and Jen have said above. The "one size fits all" should be more of "one size fits most" thus making the statement a little more accurate. People in this world certainly are not all the same and as we have learned over and over again in this program, every child learns a little differently then the next child. So why in education would it be okay to have one standard test that teachers use to assess their entire class? I find that this is a common problem from kindergarten all the way up to our level. We can use the Praxis test as an example. Praxis II for the Elementary candidates entails five sections of multiple-choice questions totaling over 300 questions. How can the creators of this standardized test assume that every person taking the test can sit and thoughtfully answer 300 multiple-choice questions? Personally, I do not think it is the correct way of assessing any individual.
Next year I will be student teaching at the Regional Magnet Multicultural School in New London, CT. Within my classroom I will have a dozen different cultures. To make the classroom run smoothly and have all the students feel welcomed I need to address the cultures in every aspect of the school day. In this classroom, I cannot possibly think that one teaching style would fit every student. Within the first weeks of school I need to really learn about my students and find what their learning styles are. I think the best way of doing this is offering several different options to completing an assignment.
By embracing the cultures, I feel that the classroom will be more exciting then ever and that the students will have a greater advantage then a homogenous classroom. The diversity of the students can aid in discussions in literature circles, enhancing vocabulary and bringing something new to the table. I look forward to this experience and through the materials I learned in the Assessment class, I know that I can confidentially assess my students through different assignments!
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