Student assessments drive education. Academics are carefully measured with every student to determine at what level he is learning and if any interventions are needed to assist him for improved learning.
If a student demonstrates learning difficulties that persist after a systematic plan of interventions has been used and measured, the student may be referred for special education services. It is at this point that a student is examined in a deeper manner:
- What were the student's biological beginnings?
- What about physical development?
- What is known of the family background?
- What about cognitive, intelligence, language and emotional development?
- What is known about the student's development of self and social understanding?
These areas are all questioned and measured, and a conclusion is drawn regarding the student's instruction. A diagnosis from one of the many categories within special education is then determined and additional specialized instruction is delineated in an individualized educational plan (IEP).
The student then begins a new trajectory for his education.
Student self-assessment is an important component of self-understanding. Many developmental aspects of self-understanding help a student to cultivate the ability to learn successfully. Among these are:
- self-concept — who a student is
- self-esteem — how good a student is at skills and learning
- self-efficacy — a student's ability to meet challenges and goals
- the autobiographical self — a personal history of how a student conceptualizes himself
Self-assessment can involve using surveys and questionnaires that question students' learning styles, likes and dislikes, favorite and not-so-favorite things about life and school. These can be readily purchased or even self-designed for a classroom. Using this type of resource can give the student a way to begin processing the "self" by answering questions.
A section of open-ended questions can provide for the student to offer his or her own ideas. This resource can be added to a student profile or file as an artifact for the student and special education team to reflect on concerning educational planning.
Self-assessment is essential for a student as she joins her teacher in the IEP process. The IEP is not just a document. Rather, it is an action plan that must be embraced by the student and educational team for the student to experience academic and behavioral accomplishments. The student must answer, "Who am I?" and "Where do I need to improve?" questions as she follows her plan.
To begin student self-assessment the teacher must engage the student in a discussion about her learning perspectives. Students must be intentionally asked the questions that cause them to assess their own learning. In doing this, the teacher is guiding the student to think about her own learning metacognitively — to think about her own thinking. Teachers must ask guiding questions to help the student begin to think about her own self-understanding.
Students must be taught how to self-assess realistically. They need to consider what others are telling them about their academic skills and behaviors. They need to decide if they agree with their assessments of them. They need to ask questions of themselves such as:
- How can I invest in my own learning?
- Can I work harder to meet my IEP goals?
- Can I agree with the teachers in the goals they have written for me?
- Can I add my own ideas to areas I need to improve?
- Can I suggest ways to collect data for my goals in which I can participate?
- Can I share my own dreams and ideas for the future?
Students should be encouraged to self-evaluate their progress on their own IEP goals. Self-assessment can lead to student investment in an IEP. As a student invests in the IEP, he can work to meet his goals and experience success.
One way to help students think about their own self-understanding regarding their IEP goals is to embed "self" concepts into instruction. Students can make predictive "self" comments regarding what is about to be learned.
For example, if a teacher is introducing a new math concept that connects to an IEP goal, she could ask the student to comment about how well he thinks he understands the ideas of this new concept and make a connection to something he already knows. The teacher could also ask the student to formulate several questions that he hopes will be answered in this instruction.
Then, at the conclusion of the lesson, the student can form evaluative or reflective "self" comments regarding the accuracy of the comments made at the beginning of the instruction as well as comments that may indicate how well he learned this information. These comments should be recorded in some way, possibly in a portfolio, as a record of self-assessment.
Teachers can encourage the development of student self-assessment by collaborating with the student to attain the goal of greater student understanding and engaging the student in the daily IEP process. Once the student engages in self-assessment, he or she will develop the many components of self-understanding and improve learning intentionally.
