Middle School Assessment Model by Lara Sargent

A major goal of middle-school education is to make students responsible for their own learning. Adolescents must be active participants in setting academic goals for themselves, deciding how to accomplish these goals, and assessing their achievements. At the same time, students at this level require support and encouragement from their teachers at each step along the way. The National Middle School Association, in its list of essential practices for middle schools, sums it up this way: "Immediate feedback and reassurance are necessities for individuals who are developmentally so diverse. Students need to have an active role in assessing their learning as well as opportunities to succeed."

Lara Sargent—an eighth-grade science teacher in Sanford, Maine, and a recent winner of the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Award—has developed an assessment model that allows students to take responsibility for their learning in a teacher-supported context. This web site is designed to provide information about the model and to allow teachers to try it out in their classrooms. Use the navigational links at left to learn more.

Outline Overview

Introduction

Procedures

Implementation

Strategies

Sample Letter to Parents

Advantages

Sample Unit

Introduction

I designed this assessment model, or teaching approach, as a solution to some frustrations that I felt in the classroom during my first year of teaching. As I struggled to address all of the science curriculum, I realized that I also needed to address the individual needs of each student. I decided that I needed to create an environment that would promote five basic concepts.

Students will set goals.
Students will be accountable/responsible for their own learning.
Students will be provided with clear expectations.
Students with various learning styles will be accommodated.
Students with various capabilities will be accommodated.

To learn how I created this environment in my classroom, see the Procedures for my assessment model.

[Return to Outline Overview]

Procedures

For each unit, every student is given a Performance Monitor. (You can view a sample Performance Monitor online.) This tool is used in a variety of ways, as outlined below.

Students choose the grade they want to earn for the unit by circling it at the bottom of the Performance Monitor. This is a constant reminder of the goal that they are working toward.
The major concepts that students will learn, or outcomes that they will accomplish, are listed on the Performance Monitor so that expectations are clear.
Students keep track of their own grade as it builds throughout the unit. They record each activity as it's completed, and they always keep the Performance Monitor at the front of their notebooks for quick reference. Students always know how they are doing.

For each unit, students are also given an Activities List. This is a list of specific activities (both required and optional) that students will complete in order to accomplish each outcome. The activity title, the task that will be completed, and a point value are listed for each activity. If a student completes all of the required activities and revises all of them for the full points, s/he will earn a grade of "C." The student completes optional assignments to bring the grade up as far as an "A+."

To see how this assessment model is implemented, go to the Implementation section.

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Implementation

After experimenting with different ways to implement this model in my classroom, I've discovered some important steps to include. Following is a generic, step-by-step format for using the model.

During the introduction to the unit, students circle the unit grade they want to earn at the bottom of the Performance Monitor. (Click to view a sample Performance Monitor online.)
The teacher goes over the outcomes to be accomplished throughout the unit.
Students go through the Activities List and circle all of the required activities and any optional activities that they plan to complete. They make sure that all of the activities will earn them enough points for the grade they've chosen to work toward.
As the class begins each new assignment, the teacher goes over the appropriate task listed on the Activities List. Students are asked to read aloud what they will do next. Students are constantly referring to their Performance Monitors and Activities Lists.
Students work on required activities in class and finish them for homework. The required activities are almost always prefaced by an introduction to each concept, including class discussion and/or notetaking. (Note: I allow students to go further ahead on only the current outcome. If they move too far ahead, they miss important notes and/or discussions that preface major concepts.)
Optional activities are for homework unless all required work is completed.
When a student passes in an assignment, s/he records the title of the activity and possible points on the Performance Monitor. This way the student remembers that s/he has passed it in.
At the beginning of each class, students take out their Performance Monitors as the teacher passes back graded activities. When students get their work back, they immediately record their grades on their Performance Monitors. If a student is not satisfied with a grade, s/he has the option to revise or correct the work and turn it back in for the full points.
Periodically, the teacher asks the students to add up their points and determine what they have left to complete to earn the grades that they've chosen.

Click to see a list of Strategies for using this assessment model in the classroom.

[Return to Outline Overview]

Strategies

The following are some practical strategies that I've used while implementing this model in my science classroom.

At the beginning of the school year, I send a letter home to the parents or guardians of all my students, explaining the rationale behind my teaching model and how it works. This letter establishes the responsibilities that both parents and students assume for the students' academic success. Parents must sign and return the letter to me. (Click to see a Sample Letter to Parents online.)
I make all activities accessible to students in a filing cabinet. Students can make up work that they missed and get optional assignments as needed.
I allow students to revise all work (except quizzes) for the full amount of points. I'd rather have them leave something correct rather than incorrect. This allows them to research the correct answers and to correct their thinking.
Since there is no planning throughout the unit, I grade student work and return it the following class period. This provides immediate feedback, allows them to revise and correct mistakes right away, and keeps the students' grades current on their Performance Monitors.
Point values on activities can be changed to fit an individual teacher's own grading format.
Time frames may be helpful if used properly, although I found that my students didn't follow these very well. (Click to view a sample Time Frame online.)

Click to see a list of Advantages that the program provides.

[Return to Outline Overview]

Advantages

This assessment model has brought many rewards to both my students and me during the years that I've been using it. Here's a list of some of the most prominent advantages.

Students are achieving district benchmarks and curriculum objectives because Performance Monitors and Activities Lists are based on these concepts.
Various learning capabilities are accommodated by students' working at their own paces.
- All learners learn the essential concepts.
- Learners with greater interest and/or ability have the opportunity to strive.
- Learners who need more time have it.
Various learning styles are accommodated by students' choosing their own ways to achieve each outcome.
Students understand that they are responsible for their own learning and grades through the use of Performance Monitors and Quality Guides.
Students utilize more class time because they always know exactly what is expected of them. They generally don't need to ask questions before getting to work.
Quality Guides require students to evaluate themselves before turning in an assignment. This forces them to check their work, which in turn produces more quality work.
Students always know what they are doing and why.
Various teaching techniques can be incorporated into the model.
Make-up work is less of a hassle. Students can see what they missed and take responsibility for getting it.
Students get immediate feedback since grading can be done regularly. This regular grading is made possible because all planning is done before the unit begins.
Special Educators can easily follow the unit, modify assignments, and see what work has been done. Special Educators have access to all assignments and activities in the filing cabinet.
Any subject can be incorporated into this model.
Parents can monitor student progress and see what has been done or what needs to be done.

During my development of this model, I've also encountered some disadvantages, but only one has been "non-fixable." That is the obvious fact that there is quite a lot of initial planning. However, this disadvantage is balanced by the fact that all of the planning is completed before I begin teaching each unit. I've found extreme satisfaction in not having to plan every night or weekend and instead dedicating that time to the assessment of my students' learning. Of course, as teachers we know that ideas surface and we change our direction periodically (by adding and deleting activities, concepts, etc.). Within the structure of this model, I always allow myself the flexibility to act on my instincts, even if this involves revising my initial plan.

You can benefit from some of the planning I've already done by trying out the units I've developed for my own classes. Click to see a Sample Unit available online.

[Return to Outline Overview]

Sample Unit: The Nervous System

The materials that I used to teach and assess a unit on the nervous system with my eighth-grade class are available here online. For an overview of how the model works, you should read the Procedures and Implementation sections before viewing these materials.

The Performance Monitor for the unit outlines the basic outcomes that I wanted my class to achieve, and the Activities List describes the specific activities that students could complete in order to earn points toward each outcome. Quality Guides give details about the criteria that students' work must meet in order to earn the full number of points for each activity. The worksheets that I created to accompany the various activities are linked below.

You're invited to print any of these materials and try them out in your own classroom.