Technology and Student Assessment

Technology and Student Assessment

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When it comes to teaching, thinking about assessment is not far behind. Assessment has always been a part of the teaching process, how else does a teacher know if their students have learned the material they are trying to share? As technology is becoming more and more an integral part of today’s education process, how we think about teaching and assessment is also evolving.

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Gone are the days of pencil and paper state testing, everything is done on a computer now. Students need to learn all over again how to take and score well on high stakes testing using a computer. Doing well in a traditional testing is situation is important but it is not always a reliable indicator of how a student will perform once they enter the work force and should not be the only measure of a student’s achievement.

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Assessing whether a student has learned the necessary subject material can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One of the most authentic ways students can demonstrate their learning is through the completion of performance based tasks or simulations. This type of assessment requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning by applying it to solve a problem in a realistic setting. What better way to test if a student has learned than by watching them use the knowledge to solve potential problems they may encounter that require the use of the information they just learned? Although not a traditional testing situation, this demonstration of student understanding would provide a clearer insight for the teacher into the level of understanding a student has mastered.

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As our schools are evolving to adapt to the rapid changes occurring around us so too must our ideas about assessment evolve. There is no one right way to assess student knowledge. Teachers, schools, districts, and parents need to be open to the idea that demonstrating understanding of learned material can take many forms.