A Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment
| Author (s) |
Herman, J.L., Aschbacher, P.R., & Winters, L. |
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| Year of Publication |
1992 |
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| Publication Type |
book |
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| Name of Periodical |
A Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment |
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| Publisher &
Address |
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
1250 N. Pitt St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
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| Available From |
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| URL |
http://www.ascd.org |
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| Suggested Audience |
- Teachers
- Policy makers
- Principals
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| Descriptors |
- Instruction
- Achievement gains
- Performance based assessment
- Student assessment
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Content Abstract
In a Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment, Joan Herman, Pamela Aschbacher, and Lynn Winters offer cogent guidance on the creation and use of alternative measures of student achievement. They present a systematic, integrative, and iterative process model that links assessment with curriculum and instruction based on contemporary theories of learning and cognition. The authors review the purposes of assessment and provide a substantive rationale for alternative structures. Yet, as they point out, the heart of the book is the illumination of several key assessment issues that reaffirm our knowledge that assessment tasks must be informed by the most important elements of instructional practice. These issues include: 1. Assessment must be congruent with significant instructional goals. 2. Assessment must involve the examination of the processes as well as the products of learning. 3. Performance-based activities do not constitute assessment per se. 4. Cognitive learning theory and its constructivist approach to knowledge acquisition supports the need to integrate assessment methodologies with instructional outcomes and curriculum content. 5. An integrated and active view of student learning requires the assessment of holistic and complex performance. 6. Assessment design is dependent on assessment purpose; grading and monitoring student progress are distinct from diagnosis and improvement. 7. The key to effective assessment is the match between the task and the intended student outcome. 8. The criteria used to evaluate student performance are critical; in the absence of criteria, assessment remains an isolated and episodic activity. 9. Quality assessment provides substantive data for making informed decisions about student learning. 10. Assessment systems that provide the most comprehensive feedback on student growth include multiple measures taken over time. The word ”assess” comes from the French ”assidere,” which means ”to sit beside.” By clarifying the critical conceptual and technical aspects of using alternative assessment, the authors have reaffirmed the fundamental role of assessment, which is to provide authentic and meaningful feedback for improving student learning, instructional practice, and educational options. As the authors state, assessment is not an end in itself. It is a process that facilitates appropriate instructional decision making by providing information on two fundamental questions: How are we doing? and How can we do it better? Perhaps the best way to answer those questions is to sit beside the learner and find out. Now that’s an interesting alternative! (Forward to the book by Stephanie Pace Marshall, ASCD President).
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Additional Comments
Reviews and Commentary by the Field
