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SERVE’s Model for Classroom Assessment:
(3) Analyzing and interpreting data
The third component of the Classroom Assessment Cycle relates to making inferences and analyzing data, thereby interpreting student progress toward learning targets.
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Once data have been collected, teachers then use the multiple evidence gathered to draw conclusions and make decisions about student learning. The quality of the conclusions is based on the quality of the evidence. Good conclusions cannot be made unless there is an understanding of the learning targets and there is enough evidence to make those decisions. This is the stage where the teacher determines what the student is struggling with and then thinks about the best way to help this student or the teacher may encourage student involvement in determining what goals he/she need to work on to learn the target. This is a crucial stage for improving student learning. If the assessment process stops here, and students merely get labeled, the learning stops. An example of this would be to listen to a student read a passage or story as in an individual reading conference to determine if the student is skilled in using specific reading strategies. For example, if the student does no use context clues to help make meaning, then learning and understanding may be limited. Thus, comprehension may be hindered because the student really lacks knowledge of the reading strategies that could help him improve. The teacher and student may talk about strategies the student should have used within a reading passage and determine what additional instruction on these strategies may be needed. As an assessment, this individual reading conference provides the teacher with specific information about the student’s reading skills.
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“Data help us to understand where we are right now, where we want to go in the future, and what it is going to take to get there” (Bernhardt, 1998). |
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In short, classroom assessment data should be used to make instructional decisions. Classroom assessment data, therefore, should be an integral part of the entire learning process. Smith, Smith, and De Lisi emphasize this point. “Assessment is part of instruction. It’s not an add-on, it’s not a necessary evil, it’s not a nuisance that we wish we could avoid, it’s part and parcel of teaching” (Smith, Smith, and De Lisi, 2001).
When teachers make vital decisions regarding instructional practices, these decisions should draw heavily on information collected from classroom assessments. As a result, an analysis of assessment data should provide teachers with general and specific information that suggests corrective instructional measures.
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 References
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Back to SERVE Model
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