Philosphy of Assessment Paper
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School
Northern Arizona University *
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Course
ECI330
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
5
Uploaded by CommodoreBadger3201 on coursehero.com
Philosophy of Assessment
Jones 1
Philosophy of Assessment
Aryana Jones
Northern Arizona University
November 25, 2023
Philosophy of Assessment
Jones 2
Philosophy of Assessment
After competing almost an entire semester regarding assessment and all the aspects that
integrate into assessment, I have learned a great deal on what it truly means to assess students.
Many of these aspects will be outlined in this paper. Assessment, in its myriad forms, is not a
mere transaction of assigning grades or measuring performance; rather, it is an intricate process
that encapsulates the core principles and values of education. The philosophy of assessment
extends its roots into fundamental questions about the nature of knowledge, the purpose of
education, and the role of evaluation in fostering intellectual and personal growth. Assessment
not only focuses on student achievement, but also teacher success and how both the student and
teacher can successfully use these scores to foster a positive yet challenging learning
environment.
One of the most prevailing topics we learned about this semester was the idea of
formative vs. summative assessment. Formative assessment is as it sounds, an informal
assessment that can come in any form a teacher sees fit. It could be a bundle of quizzes proctored
throughout the unit, or something as simple as a ticket out the door. Formative assessment is used
as a guide to understanding how you students are learning, likewise for the students. Summative
assessment is usually seen at the end of a unit, semester, or year. These types of assessments
usually encapsulate an entirety of a time’s worth of learning and standards. In my own
classroom, I like the idea of using many small quizzes throughout the unit to gauge a student's
learning. I feel that many small quizzes can have more beneficial results and students also score
better on these than a major summative assessment at the end of a unit. In my own classroom,
summative assessments could be done in the form of a creative project of some sort. A way that
allows students to showcase their work and be proud of what they have accomplished.
Philosophy of Assessment
Jones 3
Another aspect of assessment was Bloom’s taxonomy. Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework
that classifies educational objectives and learning outcomes into a hierarchical structure.
Developed by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues in the 1950s, the
taxonomy has undergone revisions, with the most widely known version comprising six levels:
Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. The importance
of Bloom's Taxonomy lies in its multifaceted impact on education, instructional design, and
assessment. Bloom’s taxonomy is a hierarchical way of questioning and quantifying what a
student has learned, from something as simple as recall to analyzing a piece of literature and its
relation to the broad spectrum. Personally, I preferred Bloom’s taxonomy because it was clear
and concise. When creating tests and questions for my students, I would definitely incorporate
the works of Bloom.
On the other hand, I personally believe that having learning targets and teaching to them
is especially important for a learner’s achievement and overall fluidity of a curriculum map. I
feel that learning is an easy way for students to identify what they are learning, if done the
correct way. Teaching to learning targets is a fundamental practice in education that holds
significant importance for both educators and students. Learning targets, also known as learning
objectives or goals, are clear statements that articulate what students are expected to know,
understand, and be able to do as a result of a lesson or instructional unit. Learning targets provide
clarity about the specific goals of a lesson or unit, helping both teachers and students to focus on
the essential content and skills. Likewise, these targets are typically aligned with educational
standards, ensuring that instruction is in line with broader curriculum expectations and
educational goals. On the flip side of learning targets, they facilitate meaningful feedback.
Teachers can provide feedback that is directly tied to the objectives, helping students understand
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