Assessment. What comes to mind when most people hear this word is testing, grading, final exams, and quizzes. It conjures images of scantrons and feelings of anxiety. 

The purpose of assessment in the 20th-century industrial model of education was to sort students for efficiency purposes. It was also based on debunked notions of “natural intelligence” and the bell curve that manifested in the creation of standardized testing (see this article from the National Education Association). 

In The Case Against Grades, Alfie Kohn writes that traditional assessment and grading practices based on 0-100 point scales and percentages diminish student interest in learning and incentivize students to complete work in order for a grade rather than focusing on learning.

CTA: Learn more about where grades come from and a vision for the future of assessment and grading in our Competency-Based Reporting Playbook. 

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Assess comes from the Latin word assidere, which means to sit beside.

However, the word assess comes from the Latin root assidere, which means to sit beside. If we take this definition of assessment to heart, we begin to see it as an opportunity to glean information about what students know and can do, so we, as educators, can facilitate and guide their next steps. It is also an opportunity for developing learner agency through self-reflection, so they can determine and plan the next steps on their learning journey.

This perspective on assessment changes the experience entirely, for both learners and educators. In a learner-centered classroom, assessment is not done to but rather with the learner. 

Assessment becomes less about determining what a student doesn’t know or can’t do – which is how most of my own educational assessment experiences felt – but instead the emphasis shifts to providing opportunities for students to show what they do know and can do. 

With this definition, we see a more asset-framed assessment system where all students are expected and given the opportunity to demonstrate proficiency. It eliminates the notion of “failure,” because when we sit beside learners and determine gaps in understanding or skills, we work with them to see growth and improvement.

With this reimagined purpose of assessment, to support learners in growing, there are three powerful assessment approaches that each serve a unique purpose in a learner’s journey and ultimately measure what matters: assessment FOR learning, assessment OF learning, and assessment AS learning.

Assessment FOR Learning: Assessment that drives a feedback and growth cycle

If we recognize the true definition of assessment as “to sit beside” and not “to sort,” we can begin to envision the new model that Joe Feldman promotes. The purpose of assessment becomes feedback and growth. John Hattie cites feedback as the biggest impact on student learning in the classroom in his study on Visible Learning. 

When feedback and growth are the purpose of assessment, we are helping students see where they are going, where they currently are, and what they need to do next. 

In order for learners to know where they are going, clear success criteria or rubrics must be co-developed and shared with learners. Formative assessment, or assessment FOR learning, is an important element in a balanced assessment system that provides feedback to learners early in the learning process. 

This is like a basketball coach calling a timeout, pulling the team aside, telling them how they are playing, and giving concrete suggestions for how each player can adjust. 

Traditional assessment models focus heavily on standardized summative assessment. This is why so many of us think of Scantron tests and timed essays anytime we hear the word assessment. However, if the purpose of assessment is to inform learning, we must focus much more heavily on formative assessment

Katie Martin shares 3 key criteria for assessing to drive learning.

Assessment OF Learning: Assessment that documents progress over time

Especially in the age of artificial intelligence, it’s important to rethink the purpose of our summative assessments so they are not simply asking learners to regurgitate facts, but are instead asking learners to apply their learning and demonstrate their growth. 

No longer are summative assessments, or assessment OF learning, meant to rank or sort, but they do remain an important tool for providing a snapshot in time for a student’s growth. 

I think of this as a child marking their height on the kitchen wall every six months; it’s a joyful moment for a learner to look at how much they’ve grown since the last measurement. As the outcomes shift, the shape of these summative assessments also shifts. 

Ideally, summative assessments should measure relevant, 21st-century outcomes learners will need throughout their lives, such as communication and critical thinking. This takes place through performance tasks, design thinking challenges, project-based learning, conferencing, self-assessment, and many other authentic learning and assessment strategies.

Assessment AS Learning: Assessment that empowers student agency

Finally, when assessment means to sit beside the learner and help them determine their next steps, there is a third form of assessment that becomes crucial: assessment AS learning. 

This is the holy grail for most educators. Close your eyes and envision students reflecting on their learning by setting goals, curating a portfolio, and determining their own next steps (with peer and educator feedback). 

In order to empower learner agency, educators must build in opportunities for students to participate in assessment AS learning. At this stage, learners no longer have grades given to them by an external force. Instead, they’re actively engaged in the assessment process and can turn the feedback into action. In fact, it’s the best time to sit beside the learner and reflect with them.

In order to empower learner agency, educators must build in opportunities for students to participate in assessment AS learning. At this stage, learners no longer have grades given to them by an external force. Instead, they’re actively engaged in the assessment process and can turn the feedback into action. In fact, it’s the best time to sit beside the learner and reflect with them.

CTA: Want to incorporate more assessment FOR and AS learning into your learning environment? Take our Competency-Based Learning Deep Dive Course to try out some of the strategies mentioned here.