Designing Learner-Centered Assessments

Traditional assessment approaches have entailed the use of standardized tests that focus on evaluating, grading, or ranking students educational value or worth (Duncan & Buskirk-Cohen, 2011). Over the past few decades, learner-centered assessments have gained traction given the increased focus on student-centered learning. This learning approach demands that students set their own learning objectives and determine activities/resources that will help them achieve the set objectives. When the assessment is learner-centered, it engages students in evaluating their own learning. Learner-centered assessment utilizes self-assessment, self-reflection, and authentic assessments in supportive, collaborative, and cooperative environments. These assessments are also reliant on instant, descriptive feedback from educators. This paper develops and pilots a learner-centered assessment using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach.

A Learner-centered Assessment

Educators generally use in-class multiple-choice exams and other forms of assessments to examine students understanding of what they have already learned (Rich et al., 2014). However, as learner-centered learning has become critical in the modern learning environment, learner-centered assessments have attracted significant attention. In this regard, assessments should not simply measure what students have learned, but should also be a means to get students to learn while completing tasks given to them. There are various approaches that can be used to design learner-centered assessments. These approaches should be based on the creation of a learner-centered learning environment and the adoption of learner-centered practices to promote students reflective thinking (Kim, Grabowski & Sharma, 2004). One of the strategies that can be utilized in designing a learner-centered assessment is the PDSA cycle. This learner-centered assessment is based on PDSA cycle developed by W. Edwards Deming, a management expert.

PLAN

The objective of this assessment is to assess students writing skills and their ability to remember narratives or pieces of literature taught in the classroom. In this regard, the state standard that will act as the basis for this learner-centered assessment is CCSS.W.2.3. This writing assessment is based on narrative writing for Grade 2 and Grade 3 students. The learner-centered assessment primarily focuses on examining the students foundational writing skills and their ability to remember informational text. To ensure the assessment is learner-centered, students will collaborate with the teacher to create a rubric they will use to self-assess the piece of writing. The teacher will provide a sample rubric, which will be reviewed and edited in collaboration with the students to fit what is expected of them and their learning. Students will commence the writing process using the given topic and the developed rubric for self-assessment. When creating their drafts, students will revisit the rubric in collaboration with the educator before developing their final piece of work.

The application of this learner-centered assessment will involve creating a pilot group of students in the Grade 3 class. The pilot group will comprise seven (7) students in the classroom with different learning styles and needs. The seven students will be from diverse racial/ethnic groups including Hispanics, African-Americans, and Whites depending on the racial/ethnic composition of the entire classroom. The pilot group will be identified based on students performance in the previous assessment....

…as they created drafts of pieces of writing relating to the anchor text. If students would have not achieved the intended results of the assessment, the assessment would have been reviewed, edited, and administered to the pilot group again. This would have involved creating a new self-assessment rubric for the anchor text in collaboration with students and administering it to students for a short period of time. However, this exercise has demonstrated that learner-centered assessments are effective in promoting and enhancing student learning. As shown in this exercise, such assessments provide a tool to examine what students have learned while learning as they complete the assignment.

ACT

Based on the results of the pilot test, the assessment will be revised in terms of how it is administered. While the content of the assessment will remain the same in the next cycle, the administration will involve requiring peer review and support among students. In this regard, students will be allowed to review each others work and support one another when completing the assignment. Students will be asked to help their peers when completing their drafts as a means of further enhancing their understanding of the anchor text and improving their writing skills. This will help improve performance by giving students a chance to reflect on their own writing styles and mechanics. As students help their peers, they reflect on their own writing mechanics and styles resulting in improved writing skills. The assessment will follow the same process in the next cycle given its positive results or…