As I get closer to teaching, both my internship and my own classroom, I only seem to have more and more questions about assessment. Assessment is not a topic that I have learned much about in university classes so far, so interviewing two teachers for my ECS 401 class proved to be very valuable and insightful. Throughout the paper, I will mention Ms. M and Mrs. G., who I interviewed for this assignment. Ms. M was my art teacher from grades seven to ten as well as my yearbook advisor from grades nine to eleven; since my graduation, she has taught at a nearby French school, and is now working as a teacher on WhiteBear reserve. Mrs. G was my teacher for many elective classes in high school, and she has taught most grades from Kindergarten to grade twelve. I was excited to hear their thoughts and assessment advice.

My first question mentioned that I had recently learned about the triangulation of assessment, which suggests that student products, conversations, and observations should be equally balanced when evaluating students for marks. I then asked what form of assessment was their favourite. Ms. M shared that a large part of her assessment in WhiteBear is observation because the students have trauma and attendance issues, work is frequently not handed in, and students are not big into conversation; “…so I observe with absolutely everything. It’s the best way to adapt the student’s mark as well,” (Ms. M, personal communication, February 5, 2024). Mrs. G loves using written and project-based assessment in Grade 12 English because she loves teaching writing. “I also love inquiry and choice projects, when students are given an option to do one of three or five projects or assignments based on their skills and interests. It is always interesting to see what kids will choose to complete,” (Mrs. G, personal communication, February 9, 2024). In my ERDG 310 class we briefly discussed giving choices in assignments, students are able to pick various activities worth certain points and they are able to pick whichever assignments they would like to complete that adds up to a certain number. I think this would be a great way to foster freedom and responsibility in students which in turn gets students more invested in their learning. I feel that Ms. M’s experience really shows how the teacher is the one that should be adapting in the classroom. I think observation is a key part of assessment but because I still lack much classroom experience, I struggle to understand how you can be fully confident in a student’s knowledge without some sort of written proof (or conversation) from the student. My hopes are that by implementing choice projects, students will be more interested in finishing it.

I then asked how they each assessed student participation in class and Ms. M shared that in the past she would put a checkmark if a student participated and was engaged in class. In report card season, she would tally them up for marks. Ms. M also mentioned that participation differs based on that class, and that Art was much more participation oriented. Mrs. G uses rubrics to assess student participation and uses these when doing overall assessments at the end of the term. She also mentioned that it’s important not to confuse participation with observation and conversation, though there may be some overlap. I think that when I am in a classroom, I will also put check marks beside my students’ names when they participate whether in classroom discussions, demonstrations, and other activities. I feel like creating a specific rubric would be a lot of extra work. As a teacher, you know your students better than a sheet of paper does.

My third question asked how they felt about creating rubrics and criteria as a class and Ms. M felt that it was very important that students know how they will be assessed. She also shared that depending on the assignment, students should have some input on what they feel is important, with the teacher there to guide them as well. Mrs. G agrees that going through the rubric and student work samples are essential. She mentions that she always asks students if they feel an element is missing from the rubric, but that co-constructing the entire rubric is not always feasible. She made sure to mention that attaching the rubric to the student’s assignment validates your assessment to the student and you will have far less questions about it. I’m glad they both feel that discussing criteria is always important, as I always find that deciphering a rubric is difficult as a student. I’m also glad that I got validation for my belief that sometimes teachers can be the sole designers of criterion as I felt that if I always received student input I would be taking away time from other subjects. 

My next question asked how to reduce bias in marking. Ms. M states that when she looks at all the student files, she has a good sense of “what a student is and isn’t capable of, and what adaptations have been made to see the student succeed,” (Ms. M, personal communication, February 5, 2024). Allowing the space for communication on grades is also important, which can be used alongside a conversation with the student. If they are able to explain something to you “then you know they know it,” (Ms. M, personal communication, February 5, 2024). As much as I think looking at student files can be helpful, I do not want to be persuaded by how other teachers have viewed them. I do however like the implementation of conversations in assessment, which correlates to our ECS class and the triangulation of assessment. If you feel like a student’s work is not up to par then you are able to give them a second chance to show their understanding. Mrs. G is someone who values connections with students, which is something I value as a future teacher. She stated that “Teaching in rural Saskatchewan where you have strong connections with students definitely makes this more challenging at times,” (Mrs. G, personal communication, February 9, 2024) but suggested marking things anonymously, and marking one page at a time on exams to help avoid any bias. 

Finally I described a scenario from my pre-internship: “In my pre-internship (Grade 7/8) I had a student that worked on a math assignment with my pre-intern partner. They needed to be guided through to the answer in every question and therefore got all of the answers correct. When discussing how to mark the assignment, we couldn’t decide if they deserved the same mark as someone who got 100% independently,” to which I then asked how they would assess students in a similar situation. Ms. M shared that on the MABE scale, they would still be at the beginning level, a B. Once they are able to do it independently they are at the A, attaining level, and if they are able to do the assignment with no guidance, she feels they are at the M, or mastered, level. Mrs. G says that if students are not working independently, the highest grade they could receive is an A (for those who are unfamiliar, an A is converted to a 50% to an 80(ish)%). She writes down any adaptations or supports given. She finds that as students reach high school, many students ask for constant reassurance on assignments, which is how she reasons giving tests: “I am not a ‘test giver’, but I have had situations where I have had to implement an exam type assessment for this exact purpose, to sort of force independence on students to get a realistic assessment of their abilities,” (Mrs. G, personal communication, February 9, 2024). It’s nice to be reassured that sometimes tests are okay, if in tandem with other assessments. It’s interesting how Ms. M and Mrs. G resulted in giving the students different letter grades, even if it would average out to a similar percentage of 50%. The letter grade I give a student may be influenced by my division’s grading system, intern experiences, and the comfort in knowing that my interpretation of standards may differ slightly from another teacher’s but all of my student’s will receive feedback to help them improve for high school and university, where grades are more specific.

To finish the interview, I asked for any other assessment tips and insights they had. Ms. M shared this piece of advice: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working on a reserve with the needs that we have, we need to focus on the whole child wellness first, assessment and data later,” (Ms. M, personal communication, February 5, 2024). She also feels that schools need to equally value formative and summative assessments as too many schools focus primarily on summative assessments. Part of my wanting to be a teacher was because I wanted to create a safe space for learning for my students and reflecting on this statement and my school experiences with her, I feel like mine and Ms. M’s beliefs align in this way.

I feel like I now see the value of going to other colleagues and experienced teachers for advice. I began this course with many questions, and by having a quick conversation with two of my previous teachers, I can see the practicality behind these various assessment forms and what it looks like for practicing teachers. Having the opportunity to connect with teachers now, will help me in the future when working at my own school and building a positive work environment. Mrs. G and Ms. M had some different views on assessment itself, but both had the focus on benefitting the students and working together to achieve success.