Summative Assessment: Concept Paper

Figure 1: Simulacrum about elements contributing to the success in students’ learning process

Success in the students’ learning process will be possible and attainable if we give them
ample opportunities to engage in meaningful learning experiences. However, how can we tell if
the learner is successful? Receiving high grades does connote that students are automatically
successful in their learning process – that is just one part of it. Success in the learning process
may be a result of the student's ability to apply what they have learned through the skills that
developed throughout the process. One way to do this is to give them an avenue where students
can engage directly in their learning. If we relate our teaching instruction to John Dewey’s theory
of "Learning by doing," we provide our students a platform to participate actively in their
learning process and develop intrinsic motivation for learning (Leopold, 2016). We can
incorporate this kind of method
inside the teaching and learning paradigm if teachers reflect on different elements that influence
the success of student learning. In the diagram above, each plays a significant role in determining
student success. It is interconnected with one another to make sure that these elements are on the
same page. Teachers should consider and reflect on various factors when constructing learning
outcomes to ensure success in the student's learning process. The problem is some teachers tend
to overlook how they create it. The verbs used are sometimes unobservable, unmeasurable, and
vague. The parameters for learning are not clear. These issues may bring discrepancies in how
students will meet these goals, which could affect their learning process (University of
California, n.d.). However, one can create an effective outcome while considering these factors:
Does it tap the higher order thinking skills of the students? Is it written from a student's
perspective? Does it communicate the skills expected to be developed by the students? If we
think through these, we are one step closer to student success in learning.
When teachers have established the learning outcomes for the students, this is where the
instruction enters the picture – the learning content. Weimer (2002) mentioned that teachers
should utilize content as a foundation of knowledge. It should also be a "vehicle" to hone the
students' learning skills. Learning outcomes is the goal to be met after the teaching and learning
process. With that, content should function as a medium to develop and enhance the skills salient
for these learners to meet the expected learning outcome. However, what was happening in
today’s context of education in the Philippines is contradictory to what Maryellen Weimer aims
to do with content. Teachers teach it for the sake of preparing the students for their examinations.
In addition to that, the curriculum offered by the Department of Education seems congested, and
it requires too many competencies, which results in teachers rushing through it while
compromising deeper learning for students. It may be attributed to the fear that not being able to
cover it may affect students’ results in the standardized testing handed down by their respective
division offices. This issue also hampers the development of necessary learning skills, such as
the 3R’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic (Senate of the Philippines, 2020). Engagement in the
classroom also reduces when teachers are too focused on "covering" all the contents. As a result,
learners become merely receivers of information passed on to them. This is where their intrinsic
motivation for learning starts to lose.
However, teachers may still mitigate this by being able to identify and determine the
various assessments that create meaningful engagement inside their classrooms. When
developing these assessments, there are three approaches that teachers need to consider:
assessment for learning, assessment of learning, and assessment as learning. Moreover, it should
always align with the learning outcomes/objectives we set for our students. For the first
approach, teachers may use diagnostic tests to identify the areas of learning they need to focus
on. Moreover, employing these assessments helps teachers strategize how they would utilize the
contents to produce deeper learning and increase engagement inside the classroom. Another kind
of assessment that falls under this approach is the formative assessment. The common notion that
we have regarding formative assessments is that they should always be graded. However, a
simple brainstorming or
jigsaw puzzle discussion may be noted as a formative assessment. Williams (2019) stated that
formative assessments help hone new skills necessary for their learning process. Through this,
they can assimilate the content taught to them. It allows students to enhance their performance
through real-time feedbacking. Formative assessments also give teachers a chance to modify
their approach to teaching. The second approach is the assessment of learning or what we know
as a summative assessment. One way we can do this is to provide an authentic assessment or the
performance task. According to Indiana University (n.d.), an authentic assessment allows the
students to apply what they have learned in response to an unfamiliar situation. Most of the time,
it leans toward the practical side of learning and requires the students to be the judge of specific
circumstances that enables them to innovate and use complex skills (e.g., critical thinking).
Authentic assessments can influence success in the learning process of the student if it is
meaningful and evaluated through explicit criteria and evidence. This is where assessment as
learning occurs.
Feedback and rubrics always go together, especially when teachers need to evaluate the
assessments of the learner. These are also essential tools for students to grasp how they can use
assessments as learning. Hattie and Yates (2014) reiterated that when giving feedback to the
learner, it should describe what the learners should and should not do with their output.
Providing this to the students raises self-awareness about their performance, thus allowing them
to plan and make interventions to improve further. In addition, rubrics may also serve as a self-
assessment tool to assess and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Through this, they may
see how they progress in terms of the criterion provided and reflect on what students can do
more to address the areas they lack. Doyle (2008) also mentioned that teachers should include
learners while constructing the rubrics. Giving them a platform where they can share their
perspectives gives the students a sense of autonomy in their learning, thus, making them
accountable and active participants in their learning process. Teachers may also use the SOLO
taxonomy as their reference in creating the rubrics to explicitly show the criteria assessed while
also considering the expected learning outcomes. It is also essential that the students understand
how they would use it to assess and evaluate their performance accurately. Triumphantly
evaluating themselves, taking note of their teachers' feedback, and applying what they have
learned ensures success for these students.
Attaining and ensuring success for student learning is not an overnight process – it
requires time, effort, and understanding of what our students need. In the current situation, we
cannot always blame the teacher for the recurring problems in the assessment process in schools
– they've come to slowly accept it because it is embedded in the system for a long time. Grading,
the validity of the tests, limited resources, and teacher training emerge as concerns in the
assessment process (Lasaten, 2016). It is high time for policymakers, school administrators, and
even teachers to reevaluate the current practices integrated into the classroom to address the
concerns mentioned. Moreover, teachers should also step forward to reflect on their teaching
practices by assessing the results of their learners’ performance and by giving students an avenue
where they can freely share how the teaching dynamic affects their learning processes.
Reflecting on this helps the teachers recalibrate and determine how they can be effective
facilitators of learning inside the classroom.
The challenge for them is to debunk the old and inefficient ways embedded in their teaching
system and to innovate methods that can contribute to the success of the learning process of the
students. While doing this, they should reflect on the following questions: a.)"What is
their goal in teaching?" b.)"How will they create an environment where meaningful learning
experiences will emerge?" c.) "How will they practice reflective teaching?" Embodying these
questions in the assessment process, and even in the overall teaching and learning dynamic, will
push the students to be active participants in their learning and strive toward learning success.

References:
Doyle, T. (2008). Student Evaluations – Themselves, Others, and the Teacher. In Helping
Students Learn in a Learner-Centered Environment (pp. 149-160). Sterling, VA: Stylus
Publishing
Hattie, J. & Yates, G. (2014). The Role of Feedback. In Visible Learning and the Science of How
We Learn (pp. 64-71). New York, NY: Routledge.
Indiana University. (n.d.). Authentic Assessment. Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/assessing-student-learning/authentic-
assessment/index.html

Lasaten, R. C. S. (2016). Assessment Methods, Problems and Training Needs of Public High
School Teachers in English. International Journal of Languages, Literature and
Linguistics, 2(2). http://www.ijlll.org/vol2/67-LL0007.pdf

Leopold, H. (2016). Learning through meaningful experiences with self, others, and the
environment: A curriculum framework tailored to the needs of English language learners.
Senior Honors Projects. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1196&context=honors201019

Senate of the Philippines. (2020a, February 10). Gatchalian calls for urgent K-12 curriculum
reform [Press release].
https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2020/0210_gatchalian1.asp

University of California. (n.d.). Typical Problems Encountered When Writing Objectives:

Weimer, M. (2002). The Function of Content. In Learner-Centered Teaching. Five Key Changes
to Practice (pp. 46-71). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Williams, C. (2019, October 15). How formative assessments can improve student success in the
2021–2022 school year. Center for Student Achievement Solutions.
https://www.studentachievementsolutions.com/how-formative-assessments-can-improve-
student-success-in-the-2019-2020-school-year/