Multiple Means of Expression

Published: 2023-10-26 9:15 PM

Category: Assessment | Tags: test, verbal, written, evidence

Every time I test, I'm reminded that multiple means of expression are important when assessing students. Finding ways to get kids to tell you what they know is critical.

I have a student who is inconsistent - at best - with turning things in. If I see someething turned in, that's a good day. Their tests and quizzes haven't been great, but at least I'm seeing work becuase it's a more controlled situation.

That student came and asked how they can improve their grade. I asked if they wanted to talk over the material, stretching back to standards from the beginning of the year that I hadn't seen any evidence of understanding on.

This student could tell me everything - and I mean everything - that'd we'd done so far. In detail. They talked about phases of matter. They talked about energy levels in particles. They talked about atomic structure, forming isotopes, and how the periodic table is essentially a super tool for all things chemistry.

I was floored. I was also humbled. I had fallen back into the mindset of the written piece serving as a source of truth for evidence of learning without making space for other options. Now, this student recognizes the importance of turning things in, and we're going to work on that. But their over all grade should not reflect what's essentially an organizational skill.

The point of a grade is to represent what a student knows and can do. I need to remember to make space for those non-traditional methods of demonstration.