Overview of Student Focused Assessment Model (pt1)

This is the first of six articles on the assessment and reporting practice used at my school for the past 15 years or so. While things have evolved over time, and recent changes to our provincial reporting requirements are challenging the way we do things, this is a snapshot of the ideal, our grand goals, […]

Posted by milesmac on October 12th, 2012 | 7 Comments Posted in Assessment, Pedagogy

90% Test Mark. Yay! Right? Not always.

This is the example I give to explain why an overall percent doesn't tell the whole story, and can sometimes slow progress. Three students take a math test of 100 questions: ten questions each for ten different units. Here are the results: Each of the students achieves an average of 90% on the test. They all got the same grade, […]

Posted by milesmac on October 10th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

How Grades Change Conversations About Assessment & Achievement

I began teaching in 1991 believing myself to be a very progressive grades-based teacher with exquisitely designed marking keys designed to quantitatively assess realms such as punctuation, spelling, organization, use of voice, and (drum roll, please) creativity. It was rather easy to bestow, scientifically, precise to tenths of a percent (any more, though feasible, would […]

Posted by milesmac on December 14th, 2011 | 2 Comments Posted in Pedagogy
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