Overview of Instruction and Assessment

Teaching in a broad sense can be broken into two sections, instruction and assessment. While

these are both crucial processes for learner success, they are not completely separate.

Instruction is ongoing, so assessment should be as well. Assessment is a useful tool for

monitoring student progress and understanding how they learn most effectively.

Assessments do not always have to be delivered with a formal mark; in fact, non formal

assessments are just as important and can provide students with constructive feedback on how

to progress. Assessments ​for​ and ​as​ learning can demonstrate (Ministry of Education, 2010):

● where the learners are going in their learning;

● where they are in their learning;

● what needs to be done to get them to where they are going

Teachers can use this information to alter their instruction practices. For example, if a teacher

uses an exit card halfway through a unit, they can receive feedback about which lessons

worked well, clarify learning goals and objectives, determine the areas of difficulty, and they can

also return feedback to the learners. While this information won’t be placed in the report card, it

can be used to adjust instruction techniques.

Many teachers stick to basic assessment ​of​ learning because they are required to summarize

students’ learning with a mark. By solely using this assessment strategy, you are only gathering

information about how well students can regurgitate material. This system only tells students if

they are on the right track or not. With no feedback given by the student, it is near impossible for

teachers to discover how students will learn best. By gathering feedback frequently and
continuously through a course, teachers are given the opportunity to differentiate instruction and

assessment in response to specific student needs.

Assessment ​as​ learning can be useful by allowing students to be critical of their own learning.

Instead of always being told what to change (complete all homework, stop using run-on

sentences, give more detail, ect.), self-assessment “leads a student to a greater awareness and

understanding of himself or herself as a learner” (Ministry of Education, 2002). Students can

improve their metacognition through reflection and can begin to develop their understanding of

their own thinking processes (The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, 2007). They can then

take learning into their own hands by setting goals and choosing a path that will support their

success.

Assessments have the ability to either foster growth in the learning process or to block it. Many

students set up barriers in their mind when pieces of paper tell them that they are wrong. As

educators, it is our duty to encourage growth in a positive manner and provide opportunities for

reflection. Teachers are lifelong learners who are always growing and changing; and so are our

practices. As long as we can maintain the connection between instruction and assessment, our

students have the chance to use the best learning strategies specifically suited to them.

References

Ministry of Education (2010) ​Growing Success assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario
schools​ (1st ed.). Toronto, ON: Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education (2002). The Ontario Curriculum unit planner. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer
for Ontario
The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. (2007). Student Self-Assessment. ​Capacity Building
Series​, ​4​.