FIAE Chapter 4

On page 48, the author mentions how students often aim for the second or third level of achievement when given a ranked rubric, either because they do not think they are capable of reaching the highest level or because they do not want to put in the extra work required to get there. I think this says a lot about assessment, and its implications for how we grade our students are things that I will take into the classroom with me. It is absolutely necessary for teachers to make their students feel confident that they can perform at a high level, and they must also push they to go beyond what is just good enough for a decent grade. I think rubrics can be helpful for that by giving students clear, specific instructions on how to reach a high level of achievement on a particular assignment, but I think holistic rubrics can be useful too because they put the attention on the learning process behind the project as opposed to just the end result grade. The student self-assessment section was really informative too. As an English teacher, a lot of the work I do with my students will center around writing assignments and personal responses to reading, and I think there is a place for self-assessment in both of those situations. I really like the idea of having students keep a reading journal to help them keep track of how they felt about the text, because it would get them into the habit of evaluating their own thoughts about the class material and could even lead into a cumulative assignment at the end of the unit.