Classroom assessment: Helping Practitioners Bridge the Gaps

This book explores high school teachers' assessment practices and skills. More specifically, it investigates how teachers go about assessing their students, as well as how proficient they are at different assessment issues like designing and correcting tests and quizzes. Among the issues probed also are the challenges that prevent proper interpretation and use of assessment results to enhance classroom learning. Over all, teachers' assessment practices have been found to fall short of quality formative use of assessment. In the course of discussing the findings, practical suggestions are made that can help teachers move beyond ineffective assessment practices. It is argued that implementing a formative model of assessment is likely to result in improved instruction and student learning. Also, different implications are drawn which can help practitioners improve their assessment know-how. The book ends by making the point that assessment and instruction should be closely linked and should feed into one another. It also makes the point that teachers are called upon to learn, reflect and experiment with new teaching and assessing practices which are more learner-centered.