Through this session, attendees will learn research-based strategies for building a supportive culture of assessment by: 1. Addressing assessment anxiety 2. Fostering a growth mindset toward assessment 3. Promoting teacher autonomy in assessment 4. Creating meaningful professional development
It is no surprise to any educator that assessment gets a bad rap, and with good reason. Accountability policies that connect school funding, teachers’ evaluations, and other stakes to standardized testing have poisoned the well. That leaves assessment experts, administrators, and data coaches in the difficult position of pushing faculty to do necessary but unpopular activities. It’s the education equivalent of asking a toddler to eat broccoli. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Activities such as formative assessment and data-driven decision making are known to benefit student learning and are increasingly emphasized in policy. However, research has found that teachers do not always engage in these activities as often or as effectively as possible, which has led to attempts to understand this discrepancy between policy, research, and practice. Unfortunately, in doing so, researchers and policymakers often assume a deficiency on the part of teachers, such as a lack of knowledge of assessment. Making those assumptions often backfires by driving a wedge between researchers and educators. While gaps in teachers’ assessment knowledge can also contribute to their avoidance, my research has shown that is their training that is deficient, not the teachers themselves. Despite taking college courses and participating in professional development on assessment, many teachers did not find the experiences helpful because they were focused on measurement theory or administering standardized assessments, rather than practical, authentic skills. Teachers valued training that was directly applicable to their needs with assessment and data and allowed them to develop their skills in collaborative settings.
In my research I have further challenged assumptions about teachers’ deficiencies by taking a more holistic view influences on teachers’ assessment and data-driven decision making. I have found that teachers’ assessment practices are affected by their characteristics, such as their attitudes, self-efficacy, and autonomy related to assessment, as well as contextual factors such as classroom resources and professional development. One highly influential contextual factor is the school’s culture of assessment, the norms surrounding assessment and data use. A school’s culture of assessment is grounded in the administration’s view of assessment- whether assessment and data are conceptualized as an accountability measure or as a basis for continuous improvement. Even when teachers are confident with their assessment and data use skills, if they believe their principal is focused on achieving high test scores, they are hesitant to share their results for fear that they will be shamed for or be required to justify low scores. In contrast, when teachers feel that their principal views assessment as a tool for promoting student growth, they more readily engage with assessment and data, and seek opportunities to collaborate for further improvement.
Therefore, I have suggested that attempts to increase teachers’ use of assessment and data-driven decision making 1) take this holistic view by also addressing teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy; 2) create supportive cultures of assessment by emphasizing a growth mindset towards assessment and promoting teacher autonomy; 3) teach about assessment in ways that teachers value. I have tested these strategies in my assessment courses for preservice teachers with great success. Students work collaboratively to create assessments and analyze data in an informal environment. This approach alleviates students’ anxiety about assessment and leaves them feeling confident about their assessment skills. In fact, students often say that the classes are enjoyable and useful. In this presentation I will share my research insights and strategies from my classes to help educators develop supportive cultures of assessment in their schools.
