Rikki Wilkin

April 15, 2016

Philosophy of Assessment:
I believe that assessing student comprehension is an essential part of teaching. I want to
describe to you why I have such strong beliefs about this topic. To dive into this issue more, it
will be valuable to understand the differences between formative and summative assessments.
Each of these methods have a big impact on teaching and learning in our classrooms, and
ultimately shape the way our education system operates.
With the rise in standardized testing, the purpose of assessing student learning is a
common topic of debate. However, assessing student learning does play a significant role in the
K-12 classroom. Teachers are able to understand what level their students are at and specify their
teaching to the needs of their students. These techniques also encourage students to put in the
effort to understand and remember the main topics of the curriculum. A system is organized to
record student performances and report the results. Students who struggle should not slip through
the cracks and teachers are able to know where their efforts are most needed.
Formative assessment is often a method used to determine what students know about a
certain topic before covering it in class. Teachers are able to understand where they should base
their instruction, creating a more personalized instruction. I think this is very valuable for
teachers, so they can teach to what their students need most. This can also help students to
prepare for an upcoming topic and already have questions in mind that they want to know about
the specific topic. These ungraded assessments help students and teachers be more prepared and
on the same level going into a new unit or topic of instruction.
Summative assessments include determining how much students learned by the end of
the instruction. This helps the teachers to know how much their students learned and whether or

Rikki Wilkin
April 15, 2016

not their teaching methods were effective. Theyre able to know where their students are at with
regards to the information taught and if needed, what they need to reteach. Students are able to
analyze and think back on what they learned from the specific unit/class. A final test can also
give the students motivation to pay attention during the teaching and seek to really grasp the
information being taught.
Assessments are not designed to stress out students. They are very beneficial for teachers
to improve their teaching, understand whether or not students are learning, and document
progress. The benefits for students include added motivation and encouragement to work hard
and take charge of their education. Students are given the opportunity to have an impact on how
they learn best. I hope to keep all of these techniques in mind when I am given the opportunity to
teach and assess my students.