Assessment and Literacy

Dr. Tuck states that, “ after all of these years of common schooling,  we still have no real way of knowing if students are learning”, and I have to agree with her. This week I will continue to discuss literacy, but with the connection literacy has to assessment. Delpit, Hilliard, and Luna take a close look at the relationship between language and how students are assessed. Carini writes about assessing students by ‘describing’. After reading their works I have come to the realization that the assessments that we use today do not tell us if our students are learning because they are biased, not valid, and do not reveal the actual process students take when learning. We need to let go of the high stakes or mainstream testing and hold on to evaluating students based on their progress and learning process. In order to do this, we have to involve students in their own assessments.

As of right now there is no real way of finding out what students have learned because assessments are created and targeted for one group of students, which is the white middle class. Specifically, high stakes tests are made for mainstream students with out diversity in mind. Assessments are closely related to literacy as Hilliard states, “…testing and assessment, as we now see them in education, are rooted in and dependent upon language” (97). Part of the reason why assessments are not effective or accurate is because only one form of literacy is used. As supported by Hilliard who claims, “the results of standardized testing favor children who speak common American English simply because these children are able to respond to questions that are couched in a familiar language  based upon  familiar experiences” (98). It is clear that children who grew up using common American English have an advantage over students that use other literacies.  Delpit provides an example of an African American women who “none of the companies that hired her could move past her language to appreciate her expertise” (38).  Similar to how the companies evaluated the woman as a potential employee based on her literacy and not her actual knowledge; some teachers evaluate students based on the literacy they use to share their knowledge instead of the actual knowledge they have learned.

Luna also comments on how people assume assessments should be standardized stating “this assumption –that mismatches between students’ diverse abilities and standardized practices indicate a difficulty within the student, rather than within the academic context –supports the provision of academic accommodations” (600).  In other words, it is seen that the standardization of assessments is not the problem, but students who do not fit in the main stream are the problem.  These students are forced to fit the main stream by being labeled and provided with accommodations instead of assessments changing. Even with accommodations, diverse learners are limited in expressing what they have learned. Carini’s idea of “manyness” goes along with Luna’s work.  She claims that there are so many students to educate and assess that we leave some behind (168).  Later on Carini explains that diverse students are seen as “…not us or ours. They threaten ‘our’ standards as teachers, as parents, as a school, as a nation. By lumping them together, we are sorting them out: They don’t fit into our picture of school, teaching, and learning. ‘Our’ solidarity as a community is affirmed at the expense of their individuality”(168). In essence, all students are forced to fit the main stream because they do not want students to challenge the norm. Also, it is easier to assess students as if they all learned the same standard way as oppose to creating assessments for all diverse learners. After years of common schooling the same assessments are being used because there is a false validity to them. It is believed that they are valid because upper white children achieve high sores. Moreover, there is no way to separate their knowledge with the skills they learned from growing up in their particular culture (Hilliard).

I firmly believe that we need to involve students in the assessment process. Involving students in the creation of assessments would allow for us to accurately assess students’ learning. In addition, we could observe and assess students learning process along with the final product.  Another reason for involving students in their own assessment is because it reduces the stress and fear that high stakes tests typically causes them. Students’ feelings need to be taken in to account because their emotions affect their performance.  Describing is a form of assessment that Carini discusses.  It involves closely looking at the journey students take to learning material. Unlike standard assessments, describing is not about hastily judging, but honoring the process of learning (Carini).  I like this concept because it shows respect for students. The teacher looks at the process and final product before deciding a final evaluation. From asking two female students that are labeled with learning disabilities, Luna learned that providing students with choices and not having restricting time limits are ways to improve assessments for diverse learners. This shows that students input is valuable in forming assessments that will really show what students have learned.

Inviting students to have a say in how they are assessed does not mean that expectations we have for them should decline. As Delpit explains, “the object is not to lower standards or just teach what is interesting to the students, but to find the students’ interests and build an academic program around them” (Delpit 45).  In fact, working with students on assessment and curriculum would challenge them more. If they have a say in their education they will be more likely to care about learning and work hard at it.  The  video,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXCE3BnMTsc&feature=grec_index,  demonstrates how involving students in the assessment process engages students in the learning process and helps them realize what they have learned along with what they need to work on.  In particular, I liked the segment of the video that suggests allowing students to take part in creating rubrics and evaluating themselves. Besides involving students in the assessment process, we can take also examine what other professionals are doing. For instance, Luna suggests learning about how elementary teachers are using alternative ways to assess students. 

All in all, finding a real way of knowing what students have learned involves students having a say in how they area assessed. We need to let go of the idea that standardized tests are valid and embrace diversity. It will take getting to know students as individuals and appreciating their unique learning processes. Please check back next week for a new discussion on literacy.