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 Earlier posts in this series:     Legitimate Uses of Assessment     Problematic Uses of Assessment     The Meaning of Grades     De-emphasizing Grades     Grades: the Research     The Perils of Backward DesignThe Assessment Trap, Part 7: Assessment Tools and StrategiesIn previous posts, I discussed the ways in which an overemphasis on assessment undermines curriculum, pedagogy, and student learning. Of course,… Continue reading Assessment Tools and Strategies →

Earlier posts in this series:     Legitimate Uses of Assessment     Problematic Uses of Assessment     The Meaning of Grades     De-emphasizing Grades     Grades: the ResearchThe Assessment Trap, Part 6: The Perils of Backward Design In previous posts, I addressed the true nature of grades and their corrosive impact on learning. Alas, over-emphasis on grades and summative assessment also… Continue reading The Perils of Backward Design →

Earlier posts in this series:     Legitimate Uses of Assessment     Problematic Uses of Assessment     The Meaning of Grades     De-emphasizing GradesThe Assessment Trap, Part 5: What Does Research Say About Grades?This is a guest post by Sarah Clowes, a science teacher at the Urban School of San Francisco, where I used to work. Her research-based comments support… Continue reading Grades: what does research say? →

 The Assessment Trap, Part 4. De-emphasizing Grades(This is a slightly edited version of a post from 2011)(If you want to start reading at the start of the series, click here.)When students learn their grade for a given course, what they are learning is how they compare with their peers, which is one indicator of "how… Continue reading De-emphasizing Grades →

 The Assessment Trap, Part 3: The Meaning of Grades (This is a slightly edited version of a post from 2011)Previous posts [Part 1, Part 2] have focused on the uses of assessment. For many students, parents, teachers, and administrators the key purpose of assessment is to assign grades. Before going any further, we need to think… Continue reading The Meaning of Grades →

The Assessment Trap, Part 2: Problematic Uses of AssessmentIn my previous post, I listed four legitimate uses of assessment, which make it a key part of instruction. But there are other uses of assessment which I find problematic. Here they are.1. Assigning grades.We need to give grades to "let students know where they stand", to… Continue reading Problematic Uses of Assessment →

This is the first of eight posts on assessment. I have combined and edited them into a single article on my Web site. Read it there!Much of the series will focus on some of the traps that are so easy to fall into, and are so damaging to student learning. My experience is primarily in… Continue reading Legitimate Uses Of Assessment →