Re: assessment, lang. arts
Richard Beach (rbeach who-is-at maroon.tc.umn.edu)
Mon, 22 Apr 96 12:30:01 -0500
Some recommendations for recent theory on assessment, the tail that wags the dog
in some unfortunate ways in most classrooms:
The Journal of Assessing Writingt--a new journal published by Ablex,
particularly the essays by Witte proposing a contextual theory of writing
quality. Witte arges that "writing ability" varies according to writers ability
to read or interpret social contexts, such things as the ability to discern
signs of deception or insincerity. It follows that the often decontextualized
writing assessment employed in schools therefore lack validity, a topic
addressed by Pamela Moss in Vol. 1 #1 of that journal.
New Directions in Portfolio Assessment, ed. Black, Daiker, Sommers, and Stygall,
Boynton/Cook. Some of the essays in this collection, particularly one by
Reither and Hunt, question the use of portfolios for large-scale assessment
purposes. Once portfolios are taken out of the classroom context, they lose
their link to writing within that context, and therefore a whole new set of
criteria kick in for evaluating quality.
Assessment and Evaluation for Student Centered Learning, ed. Harp, Christopher
Gordon, esp. the essay by Bintz and Harste who distinguish between assessment as
verification versus assessment as inquiry. They argue that assessment as
verification serves to homogenize and standardize instruction while assessment
as inquiry celebrates diversity and the pursuit of what learns don't konw and
what they want to know more about.
Richard Beach, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
359 Peik Hall, 159 Pillsbury Dr., S.E.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
e-mail: rbeach who-is-at maroon.tc.umn.edu phone: 612-625-3893