ABSTRACT
When most people think of assessment, the first image that usually comes to mind is tests. This chapter, however, will not discuss tests at all. Rather, alternative approaches to assessing students’ thinking and learning will be examined in some detail. By using alternative assessment strategies, the idea is to develop an extensive understanding of each individual student in our classes. As we proceed through the school year, we want to find out what children understand, how they think and develop understandings, how they relate to classroom activities, how they work with one another, what their individual strengths are, and how they view themselves. Any one method of assessment is not adequate to develop such a broad and in-depth understanding of our individual students. This chapter will provide a basis for approaching assessment in the class through a variety of approaches. As you read through each section, you should consider which approaches fit with the kinds of information you would like to accumulate for your students.
