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Students need to know.

          Students need to know how they are doing at school.  Whether it is in the form of marks, verbal feedback or comments on a report card students wants to know how they did.  Imagine driving down the highway with a broken speedometer.  It would be a nightmare not knowing how fast you are traveling while still trying to drive safely.  In the class students should specifically know how they are doing and what they should be doing.  This means that they need feedback that is quick, regular and specific.  Quick feedback gives them a chance to correct things sooner rather than later.  Regular feedback allows them to continue to grow.  Specific feedback shows them exactly where their strengths and weaknesses are.

Mark where they start.

          Before starting a new lesson or concept, do a test to see how well they know the information or can do the skill.  If a student can do a basic facts test in less than one minute and get one hundred percent, this will tell you that you don’t need to spend a great deal of time teaching it.  If a student in grade six has a reading score at a grade three level, you know that you have to alter or adapt your plans for teaching.  The initial test is important as it establishes a baseline for learning.  When looking at an exam mark a parent may be disappointed in a score of 13/25 unless they know three weeks ago they got 3/25 on a similar test.  The initial test will be similar in kind and quality to the tests they will receive later on.  To be fair it should be a test (or score) that is objective.  If you are marking a story on originality, creativity or interest, then you will have to form a subjective opinion about what is good or poor.  In other words, one teacher might read the story and score it high and another score it low.  In this case the marks will be biased and inconsistent.  On the other hand math questions with a definite answer, reading assignments with similar grade levels or times for races run can be more objective as there aren’t personal biases on scoring.  Once a “first time” mark (or diagnostic assessment) is established, then the next step can be taken. 

Marks should be for learning, not labeling.

          Once we know where students are starting from, then we can teach specifically to improve these score.  When looking at a math test, we might find that students are struggling with fractions.  By covering fractions instead of multiplication (which they may already know) you will save time.  On a regular schedule, you can then give tests similar to the first one to see if improvements are made and where to focus your energy.  If they are strong with geometry questions, then spending three weeks to reteach these concepts seems pointless, especially when spending that time on a concept they struggle with would be more worthwhile.  There are many knowledge or skill areas that can be tested or measured in this way (called formative assessment), so long as the scores we get are objective as much as possible.

Have an end in sight

          When you measure students on a regular basis you will see their marks steadily improve, especially when you share the results with the student and discuss how progress is going.  This is always encouraging for both the learner and the educator.  Setting a goal or a timeline is an important step as it will mark the end of a learning session.  This will also let them know how they compare to other students in the same grade.  At this time the students should receive a final mark (summative assessment) to show the success.  Timelines can vary, but many people use three weeks as it takes 21 days to build a habit.

This stuff works.

          This process is very effective and should be taught to the student.  Giving students the opportunity to shape and be a decision maker in their own learning is empowering.  When you take a look at the marks from beginning to end, you will see a steady increase in scores.  Think of learning like following a road map.  If you make a turn down a road, you want to know if it’s the right road.  You want to know right away when you take a wrong turn, otherwise you might travel the wrong direction for a long time.  Students need to know how they are doing.  If they know they are heading toward success, they will keep following that road.