Classroom assessments don’t have to be a burden. Here are five ways to leverage them to help both educators and students.
Assessments take up too much time, K–12 educators and leaders say. This is the most frequently cited challenge in a new national survey by Pearson Assessments and K–12 Dive’s studioID.
Most of the educators surveyed say they use formative assessments (69%), teacher-created assessments (67%) and progress-monitoring assessments (66%) as well as state-mandated summative assessments. But fewer than half believe their current assessments are “very effective” at measuring students’ understanding. And only 38% strongly agree that assessments let them pinpoint student needs.
So how can leaders ease the burden on teachers and make assessment more effective? Here are five ways to achieve those goals:
1. Focus on the connection between assessment and instruction
Only 37% of educators surveyed agree strongly that their assessment tools let them personalize instruction. K-12 leaders should take notice of this finding, as the promise of personalized instruction to accelerate learning depends on assessment.
Dr. Laine Bradshaw, associate professor at the University of Georgia, focuses her research on the intersection of data science, assessment and learning. She puts this research into practice as Pearson’s vice president of Classroom Solutions. “Personalized learning isn’t an event,” Bradshaw writes. “It’s a process during which a student is provided instruction, their understanding is assessed, their needs are identified, additional instruction is given according to their needs and their understanding is assessed again.”
Your assessment system must support this iterative process to create successful results for their students.
2. Make sure you have a comprehensive and cohesive assessment system
“Formative, interim and summative assessments each serve a unique purpose but when designed with intention and coherence, support a system of assessments,” says Amy Reilly, Pearson’s vice president of Assessment Product. “Assessment literacy is a key component to realizing this system’s potential.”
But K–12 educators have the highest burnout rate of any industry and professional development days are limited. Adding assessment literacy and training on a system of assessment to their list of tasks can seem like yet another burden when they don’t see its clear connection to teaching and learning.
Educators can make this connection, however, with the right knowledge of each tool. “Each assessment tool has an explicit purpose,” Reilly says. “And teachers need access to all the tools and the training to use each one.”
3. Ensure your measures offer valid and reliable data on specific learning targets
Only 44% of survey respondents strongly agree that their assessments measure students’ progress toward learning targets. Even fewer say assessments let them pinpoint student needs.
These findings underscore the importance of having assessments that provide valid and reliable data. Ask fundamental questions when evaluating assessment systems, Reilly advises. “Does each tool use principled assessment design processes? How will the assessment design support your district’s theory of action? Is it built on data and a sound measurement model? Do educators know whether the assessment items are relatively easy or difficult?”
Some assessment systems offer validity and reliability only at a high level. Data must be valid and reliable at a granular level to guide targeted instruction.
4. Enable your educators to get immediate results to inform instruction
Assessment data won’t do much good if you can’t see it in real time. Educators need quick and easy access to results so they can tailor instruction accordingly. But only 55% of educators surveyed say they can easily access assessment results. And even fewer — 42% — strongly agree that the data is easy to understand.
A common problem for educators, Reilly says, is that they “need to pull data from different systems that don’t talk to one another so they are unable to see multiple data points all in one spot.” Triangulating data across assessments is an important step in determining how to best support students versus relying on any one assessment.
5. Leverage AI-powered tools to save teacher's time
Surprisingly, 72% of the educators surveyed say they’re already using AI to improve assessment or are considering using it soon. Among those using AI, two-thirds say it has proved very effective at scoring open-ended questions and at offering teacher's follow-up suggestions.
Reilly agrees that AI offers promise to derive insights about student performance. But she stresses the importance of stringent quality control. That’s especially true if you want AI to create assessment content. “Whether you’re using a generative AI tool to create assessment content yourself or using a vendor that relies on AI, you still need humans to review the content before it reaches students,” Reilly explains.
The best support for teachers and students
Pearson’s survey shows that most schools have room to improve their assessments. And the best way to support teachers and students is through a high-quality, comprehensive and cohesive assessment system. Adds Reilly, “You need assessment tools that are aligned to the state academic standards, engage students, built on data and a sound measurement model, and provide valid and reliable data.”
Learn more about Pearson’s assessment solutions by visiting the Pearson Assessment for Learning Suite.