Student Assessment

We are a society that loves success and hates failure. Relative student success in learning has historically been judged by testing or sampling knowledge. I believe this hold over from the 19^th century is overdue for an overhaul. Test scores are too often used to judge success in an individual, a school or a district. Teachers and administrators often hear that we do not want to be held accountable when we disparage standardized tests as a sole basis for assessment. Not true. I believe standardized test are a one-dimensional and at times lazy method to assess learning. Critical thinking and the genuine ability to transfer and apply skills are better evaluated in different form. Using blogs and wikis as teaching and learning tools holds part of the assessment solution.

I am advocate for the rubric. I believe a rubric helps remove much of the subjectivity of assessment. In assessing a blog or blog entry, I propose the following:

1. Did the student post an entry for the appropriate topic?

No post 0 – points Not on topic – 1 point Related to topic - 3 points
Precisely on topic - 5 points

2. Did the student use appropriate English syntax, spelling and grammar in their paragraph of five complete sentences?

Three or more errors per line – 1 point Two errors per line – 2 points
One error per line – 4 points Fewer than one error per line – 5 points

3. Did the student post the assignment on time?

No post – 0 points 4 days late – 1 point 3 days late – 2 points
2 days late – 3 points 1 day late – 4 points On time – 5 points

4. Did the post ask high-level/fat questions that prompted critical thinking for comments?

No – 0 points 1 low-level/skinny question – 2 points 1 high-level question – 4 points More than one high level question – 5 points

5. Did the student leave well thought-out comments on other blogs?

No – 0 points 1 comment – 3 points 2 or more comments – 5 points

6. Did the student respond to the comments of others on their own blog?
   No – 0 points 1 comment – 2 points 2 or more comments – 4 points

7. Did the student post contain a link?
   No – 0 points 1 link – 2 points More than 1 link – 3 points

8. Does the student blog contain images?
   No – 0 points 1 image – 2 points More than 1 image – 3 points

9. Does the student blog contain video?

No – 0 points 1 video – 2 points More than 2 videos – 3 points