Are We There Yet?

Assessment and evaluation are often used interchangeably, but the framework that I use when thinking about the Teaching-Learning Cycle sees them as two separate phases. Assessment is data gathering. Evaluation is analysis of data.

I was first introduced to this framework at a Learning Network Conference. The distinction made between assessment and evaluation was new to me and it took a while to get use to it. The intentionality of the split makes sense, however, as it allows me to concentrate on the task at hand. Once data are collected, then I can evaluate what they mean.

The Teaching-Learning Cycle’s perspective on evaluation also required a change in my thinking. As a math teacher, my typical evaluation approach was to judge things as right or wrong.  The Teaching-Learning Cycle reflects a more Vygotskian approach through a series of questions:

• What can the learner do?
• What is the learner trying to do?
• What does the learner need to do next?

I see the first question as representing Vygotsky’s zone of actual development. The second and third address his zone of proximal development.

I came to appreciate this view of evaluation. I think it fits nicely into an analogy for making and using rubrics that I share with preservice and inservice teachers. The idea is that evaluation is like monitoring one’s progress on a trip from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Detroit. A version of the analogy rubric is shown below.

Outcome	Description
Grand Rapids	Because of a lack of understanding or effort, you spun your wheels and never really left Grand Rapids.
?	Where are we? You made some movement out of Grand Rapids, but it is unclear as to where you are headed.
Chicago	It’s obvious you put a lot of effort into this trip, but you went in the wrong direction.  You did not meet most of the intended goals.
Lansing	You’re headed in the right directions, but there is still a lot to do before you reach your destination.
Detroit (but how)	You made it, but I’m not sure how.  There are gaps that make it difficult to follow your path.
Windsor	Whoa!  You overshot the goal. An occasional side trip is to be expected (encouraged even) but be aware.
Detroit	You made it!  You provide a unique, efficient, and insightful route from Grand Rapids to Detroit.
Detroit	Not only did you make it to Detroit, but you were able to connect to ideas from class in order to make the trip memorable.

In the analogy, any rubric ought to represent a taxonomy that supports the evaluator (teacher or learner) in determining where the learner is (what he or she can do and is trying to do) and describing a path toward success (what comes next).

My wife, Kathy, uses a simpler but no less elegant rubric she developed with her first grade learners to support their efforts to engage in independent reading. The learners use the rubric to self-assess and self-correct during reading time. They want to be successful readers and now they have a road map to show them the way.

I think this is true of all learners. Unfortunately, in the past my evaluation methods reflected more of a sorting mentality than a supporting one. My rubrics measured product instead of progress and did not foster a growth mindset.

I have come a long way since then but there is still a ways to go. I would say I am in Lansing. At least now I am heading in the right direction.