Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

18 Assessment: A Roundtable Discussion T ina Smith, Chief Operations Officer at UAPCS, recently invited leaders from three dif- ferent charter schools to offer their insights into the purpose and effectiveness of student assessment, state academic measurements, and the future of student assessment. The participants included: Hanifi Oguz - Principal of Beehive Science and Technology Academy, Jamie McKay - Director of Promontory School of Expeditionary Learning, and Tana Archer - School Director of North Star Academy. What is the purpose of student assess- ment? Tana Archer: Student assessments really have two pur- poses. One is on the state level and one is on the school and classroom level. 1. The state’s interest is in assessing thousands of students to determine whether the schools they attend are effec- tive in teaching students necessary skills. Assessments are intended to determine the quality of a school’s performance and to hold educators accountable for their efforts. 2. On a school or classroom level, assessments are intended to collect enough data to determine whether the students are learning what they are supposed to learn; the assessments can then help teachers determine where they need to focus their efforts. For teachers, frequent assessments are more effective than less frequent assessments. What have you found to be the best mechanisms to meet that purpose? Hanifi Oguz: The best mechanisms for testing depend on what is being tested, but having good teachers is essential. Effective teaching requires the support of school administra- tors for teachers so that the teachers are free to be creative, innovative, and flexible. It is important to create a culture where teachers are helping their students to reach the academic standards that have been set, and where students are doing their best within the classroom.