THEDILEMMAOFASSESSMENTINEDUCATION.docVIP

THE DILEMMA OF ASSESSMENT IN EDUCATION Introduction In the American psyche, assessment and evaluation are closely associated with grades. A grade represents the measure of completeness or goodness of an object that is being assessed or evaluated. The FDA meat grading system provides a rich metaphor that illuminates the power of a grade.A slab of meat slides up to the inspector. He quickly scans the meat, looking for maggots, discolorization, or any other visual sign of contamination. Putting his face close to the meat, he feels the chill drift toward him from the carcass as he sniffs, alert for a rancid miasma. Finally, he swipes his hands across the cold, dead flesh seeking the tell tale slippery feel of decay. His time is short. Another slab awaits. His senses tell him everythings all right. The meat is tagged, graded based on this one mans senses at a particular moment in time. The grade received is an A. Based on this grade, the meat can be sold. The consumer, seeing the grade, is reassured that the meat is safe to eat, but how safe is it really? Are there things that defy the inspectors senses? Could he make a mistake? Has anyone ever gotten sick or even died from meat that bore the grade of A? We have faith that meat that passes inspection is good, yet even this faith has been shaken recently by numerous deaths attributed to tainted meat. In response to these various incidents, the government has set up new guidelines and is in the process of reexamining the inspection system. By reexamining the grading procedure for meat, the government is acknowledging that the grade is no guarantee of safety. How does this metaphor relate to education? Teachers are asked to inspect students for quantity of content absorbed. Knowledge is assessed through various instruments, usually tests. Tests act as the teachers senses. Each test is an instantaneous swipe across the surface of the students brain. What lies below the surface, beyond the ability of the test to measure