What Really Counts?
“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything we count, counts.” – Albert Einstein
We have become a nation of numbers – driven by statistics and data. The fixation on testing, scoring, and ranking our young learners is not what really counts when it comes to learning. Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers states. “We are losing the promise and purpose of public education – and the joy – by trying to reduce everything about teaching and learning, whether for students or teachers, to a number or algorithm.”
Students are not numbers and testing is just one piece of the educational puzzle – so let’s use it wisely. Test data is not a catalyst for critical thinking and problem solving, but it can be a tool for reflection and refining instruction to better meet the individual needs of our students. Dr. John Hattie’s years of research focus on the factors that have the greatest impact on student learning. Hattie reports, “The major purpose of assessment in schools should be to provide interpretative information to teachers and school leaders about their impact on students, so that these educators have the best information possible about what steps to take with instruction and how they need to change and adapt.”
There is a current cry for a change in educational assessment. Traditional forms of assessment provide a method for assigning a numerical score or a quick percentage ranking. Research is showing the focus should move from high-stakes testing that ranks students, teachers, and schools to assessment that impacts teaching and learning. (This is not news to teachers.) When assessment is used as a formative tool, teachers and students alike can use its information to grow and improve. In the interview posted below, Dr. Hattie uses the example of a chef tasting his soup to describe the difference between formative and summative assessments. When the chef tastes his soup, it is formative assessment. When his guest tastes his soup, it is summative assessment. When the chef tastes, he has the opportunity to reflect and improve on his creation.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fen8M1_MfvE
Like the chef, our young learners are still “making their soup.” Assessments are not the culmination of instruction, but can be a dynamic ingredient that provides both teachers and students with quality information to enhance teaching and learning. And when we assess what really counts – it’s not the numbers, but the learning and the learner.