Evaluation in elementary schools

Perceived by most students as a stressful and anxious situation, the idea of taking an assessment can be nauseating. Although this activity is an integral part of the school or academic curriculum, the fear remains the same. This is because, for the learner, it represents something other than what it really is, i.e. an index of progress enabling him to situate himself in his learning path, and for the teacher to perpetually question his way of assessing his learners, rather than a tool for classifying good and bad pupils.

In order to clarify the real purpose of assessment and make it less stressful for the student, Miotte Jérémy's Master's thesis sets out to answer the following question: What are the alternatives to summative evaluation that would reduce student anxiety, with the aim of ensuring their well-being? He put forward the hypothesis that summative assessments could be replaced by formative ones, which would be less stressful than the former.

To answer this question, the researcher opts for a three-pronged approach: theoretical framework, methodology and results.

1. Theoretical framework
   
   In this section, the researcher defines the notion of evaluation, questions its place in the school, sets out a typology of evaluation and, finally, highlights its limitations by proposing an alternative.
   
   To access the meaning of "evaluation", Miotte Jérémy uses the verb "évaluer", which derives from the Old French "esvaluer" meaning to estimate the value of something, to value.
   
   Thus, estimating the value of students responds to a very precise regulation, centered on the acquisition of skills and knowledge. With a view to assessing the quality of what has been acquired, a system of grading out of 20 has been introduced in the French system, although it is disputed to the detriment of an overall literate assessment, or even of no grading at all.
   
   Why evaluate? There are several reasons for assessment: to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses, with a view to training and guiding him or her; to test the validity of the teacher's teaching; and to verify the learner's mastery of knowledge and skills. As a result, there are three types of assessment: diagnostic assessment, which consists of checking students' achievements and weaknesses; formative assessment, which provides information on what has been learned and is being learned; and summative assessment, the French option, which is a stress factor for the student, since the grade here is seen as a sanction and may or may not lead to certification.
   
   This sanction is relative, however, as De Vicchi has pointed out through the notion of docimology, given that several factors influence it: the position of the copy, bearing in mind that the corrector may tend to overestimate the former and undervalue the latter, the student's gender, the corrector's degree of fatigue and stress, among others.
   
   While stress is not experienced in the same way by all students, it can be the cause of failure for many. Indeed, in a competitive French education system that gives primacy to excellence, knowing that the teacher is guided by the "macabre constant" - this obliges the teacher to award a high quota of bad marks to pupils for fear of being called lax - it is easier for the pupil to perceive the assessment as a stressful element, which negatively affects the pleasure of learning, self-esteem and the perception of error, which is seen as inevitable.
   
   And yet, mistakes are an "incomplete success", a step towards success, which takes on its full meaning outside a selective French education system that downplays students' efforts by highlighting errors that are a source of ridicule.
   
   Contrary to this tradition, André Antibi proposes to create a climate of trust between teacher and students, a climate that eradicates the macabre constant by minimizing the consequences of error and stress, and increases the success rate, without however promoting a "miracle evaluation system", which the Finnish model reflects.
   
   
2. Methodology
   
   To carry out his study, the researcher opted for a sample of 13 teachers with experience in cycle 2 and 3 from the Besançon academy, to whom he submitted a questionnaire, in order to gather information on their professional background, evaluation methods throughout their career, stress among pupils, and finally on alternatives to summative evaluation. After distributing the questionnaire, Miotte Jérémy arrived at some results.
   
   
3. Results
   
   - Formative assessment is an alternative to summative assessment, but it is time-consuming;
   
   - Student self-assessment using tablets is one possibility, as is the use of several different assessments (MCQ type, assessment with the possibility of using the lesson);
   
   - Continuous assessment, with a pass book listing only the skills acquired, could also be an alternative to traditional assessment;
   
   - The use of the same assessment system for all grades was also mentioned;
   
   - The implementation of an educational system like the one proposed in Finland.

In conclusion, for students to perform at their best during an assessment, they need to be in a confident environment, far from sources of stress, but this is not the case with summative assessment.

Illustration: Joasouza - DepositPhotos

Reference

Miotte Jérémy, 2021, L'évaluation à l'école élémentaire : Source d'anxiété auprès des élèves, Education, online https://univ-fcomte.hal.science/hal-03449095