Directions: In 150-200 reply to each classmate's discussion board post below. For each reply, provide at least 2 suggestions for using faith-based methods to improve assessment strategies.Be sure to separate each reply so I know which reply you are addressing. Be sure to also list references and any outside sources.
DB1:My favorite class from high school was a college credit English course taught by a man named Mr. Austin. The presentation of his tests was not unique, as they were mostly formative. What I remember is the frequency of them. We were reading and analyzing something new every week, stretching our brains in new and creative ways on a regular basis. I was never bored in his class because, while the basic idea of the assignments didn't change much (read, analyze and discuss), we were constantly challenged by the material itself.
Mr. Austin was intentional in his goal every day. He wanted us to be able to read any piece of literature, identify and analyze the themes it presented and then have an opinion about those themes during in-class discussion. As this was a college-credit course, constantly using essays was an appropriate style of assessment for our class and helped to develop and measure our "analytic, composition and higher-order thinking skills" (Kubiszyn and Borich, 2016, p.11).
Throughout elementary school, high school and college, I was never in an environment where a teacher's religious point of view came up in relation to the subject matter we were studying. I certainly had Christian teachers, but I only knew that by speaking to them outside of class. They had their faith and they had their field of study, but the two never met each other in a classroom setting, due to the public nature of the schools I attended. So I do not personally have any experience with faith-based assessments.
However, were I to use faith-based assessments in a class of my own, I would emphasize the similarities between educational testing and spiritual testing to help my students understand what is expected of them in class and how it relates to their faith:
For example, formative assessment is modeled in scripture through various trials and tribulations that test our faith or obedience to the direction God is leading in our journey. Summative assessment is described as a final judgment, yet mercy is still involved. (Rasmussen & Rasmussen, 2005, p. 8)
For example, I could compare a student answering an essay question to that same student answering a question about their faith. As we are assigned subjects in school to learn about and be tested on, so too are we assigned to know our faith and be "prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you" (1 Peter 3:15, New International Version).
As we read in James: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance" (James 1: 2-3). Relating in-class lessons to the trials that we experience as Christians will help students understand that they are necessary and helpful in making us better students and followers of Christ.
References
Kubiszyn, T., &Borich, G. D. (2016). Educational testing & measurement: Classroom application and practice (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rasmussen, J., Rasmussen, R. (n.d.). The Challenge of Integrating Faith-Learning-Living in Teacher Education. A Journal of the International Christian Community for Teacher Education, 1(1), 1-10. Retrieved from https://icctejournal.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/vol1-1-challenge_of_integrating.pdf
DB 2:In the past I have had the pleasure of working at a private school in the pre-kindergarten classroom. During my tenor I used several methods of assessments for my students. One assessment tool that I used on a regular basis is what the selected journal called, formative assessment. This assessment continued for an entire school year. According to Kubiszyn and Borich, "The assessment process may span days, weeks, and entire semester, the entire school year, or longer. (Kubiszyn&Borich, 2016) This formative assessment allowed me to see where the student started from when they first entered in the classroom, the progress that they have made, and what their mastery level was at the end of the school year. The assessment method that I utilized in the classroom did not have multiple choice questions that students had to circle. The assessment was based on observation of a specific skill. If the student was not able to mastery the skill, the selection that had to be selected was, developing. However, if the skill was at a mastery level, then the student had mastered that observed skill. In order for the student to receive mastery level that had to display that skill 9 out of the ten times that skill was observed.
The assessment also involved character development section. Students were observed on how they interacted with others, the use of manners throughout the day, and how the interacted with their teachers. Along with that assessment I utilized a working portfolio. This allowed me the opportunity to save two work samples a month. This method of assessment allowed me to showcase the different skills that were developed in a span of time. As educators we have to meet the need of the student. I believe that student educational needs can be met by utilizing an assessment that can cover an entire school year. "Actual assessment does not always need to be time consuming and overly involved. Informal assessment methods, for example, are often better suited to measure objectives in the affective domain."
(Rasmussen & Rasmussen) The selected journal article gave a brief description on how to integrate Christianity into the classroom by using several methods including assessments. The journal article also suggested that educators should be intentional about their integration. "If educators take faith-learning-life integration as seriously as they do the conveyance of discipline specific knowledge, we believe that we need to be equally intentional about approaches to integration" (Rasmussen & Rasmussen) for those working in public schools it can be a challenge integrating Christianity in the classroom. As educators we can also integrate the fruits of the spirit by discussing character development in the classroom. Once the students have discussed the character traits, students can read different text that relate to the character trait. And students can be assessed on the character traits based on how they display them through the course of the day. These faith-based assessments suggestions can be beneficial in in the classroom. As Christian educators it is our duty to always exemplify Christ through how we teach, assess, and interact with the students.
Kubiszyn, T., &Borich, G. D. (2016). Educational Test &Measurment. Danvers: Wiley.
Rasmussen, J. B., & Rasmussen, R. H. (n.d.). The Challenge of Integrating Faith-Learning-Living in Teacher Education. A Journal of the International Christian Community for Teacher Education, 11.