Differentiate assessment to empower the student being assessed.

For many learners, assessment is a source of chaos. It makes no sense to them. They endure it and ultimately reject it. As stated on the back cover of the book *Nudge: The Gentle Way to Inspire the Right Decision*:

“When things get complicated, ordinary people trip over their own feet.”

A nudge is a gentle push to help the learner get started on the activity. As the book’s introduction states

“small changes in context can have a major influence on children—as well as on adults—for better or for worse.”

Poorly explained assessments and ill-advised help are often stigmatizing. Success, therefore, hinges on effective communication—such as the text-messaging system implemented in the United States to help struggling students. It is therefore important to consider what kind of organizational structure is most effective for the student.

Assessment as a marathon…

A learning journey takes place over the long term. It should be viewed—by both the learner and the educator—through the lens of the ultimate goal. Just as a marathon runner does when setting up a training program, the journey should be planned using a backward-planning approach.

After assessing their current performance level, runners develop strategies for success: interval training, long runs, short runs, and the frequency and progression of their workouts. With the guidance of a coach, students thus develop a training program aimed at ultimate success.

Learning, like assessment, is a dynamic process. The training framework is a constantly evolving competency grid. It categorizes and thus allows the student to evaluate their progress along their learning journey. Organizing this journey therefore provides reassurance and freedom.

… a journey toward success?

The most difficult part is helping the student understand the purpose of assessment and gain an objective view of their progress curve. The act of learning is a dynamic process that is difficult to view objectively without the right tools.

Brigitte Cervoni has developed an assessment system designed as a journey—a kind of adventure toward success. She refers to “expert,” “scholar,” and “explorer” levels. The idea is to assign each term a corresponding level of difficulty that decreases for the learner. The instructions become less and less complex and more explicit. This type of assessment corresponds to the progression stages that a marathon runner outlines in their training program. Indeed, performance at each stage only makes sense in light of the ultimate goal. It is, therefore, up to the learner to choose the assessment that matches their profile. This means accepting challenges and taking a clear-eyed yet supportive look at oneself in order to make progress.

Differentiating to Assess One’s Level:

This process requires the student to engage in the dynamic journey of learning. Using the training grid, they set a performance level to achieve. The participant assesses themselves based on the goals they have personally set. The trainer/mentor thus recognizes individual performance and contextualizes it within the training program.

Each stage of evaluation is a milestone in the journey. Language elements are essential and help put the evaluation itself into perspective. In this process, being an explorer encourages one to become a scholar, just as being a scholar encourages one to become an expert. This is reminiscent of the philosophy behind video games. You can restart the game as many times as you want, increasing the difficulty level each time.

Classifying one’s success in terms of a final performance goal to achieve, assessing one’s position relative to one’s own journey, and considering one’s zone of proximal development—all of this helps the learner progress. Ultimately, differentiating and classifying assessments serves as a nudge that encourages students to become self-reliant and, in turn, empowers them.

References

Nudge: The Gentle Method to Inspire the Right Decision, Richard Thaler, Cass Sunstein, Vuibert, 2010.
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/2266227998

The United States Is Testing “Nudges” to Help Struggling Students, Fabien Soyez, vousnousils.fr, January 20, 2015.
http://www.vousnousils.fr/2015/01/20/les-etats-unis-testent-les-nudges-des-coups-de-pouce-aux-eleves-en-difficulte-561036