Giving Middle School Students Choice in Assessment
Major
Educational Studies
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Educational Studies
Expected Graduation Date
2023
Location
SFH Lobby 1.3
Start Date
4-15-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
4-15-2023 10:00 AM
Abstract
The effectiveness of student choice and its impact on student achievement and engagement is a well-explored topic in academic literature. Studies in higher education have endeavored to specifically address the impact of choice provision on assessment, a topic that is relatively untouched in elementary and middle-level education literature. Choice assessment can be implemented in many different ways, including choice of methods, topics, criteria such as rubrics, exam questions, submission times, and weighting, and has produced generally favorable results in higher education cohorts (O’Neill, 2017; Pretorius, van Mourik, & Barratt, 2017). During my student teaching semester in a sixth grade classroom, I implemented two choice assessment strategies and measured their effects on student achievement and engagement. In this study, choice assessment is defined as a presentation to students of two or more equivalent methods of showing knowledge and understanding (O’Neill & Padden, 2021; Irwin & Hepplestone, 2012). I used self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which posits that human beings are most likely to be intrinsically motivated when their inherent needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness are met. I analyzed anecdotal records, student assessment scores, and student work samples to determine the impact of choice assessment on student outcomes.
Giving Middle School Students Choice in Assessment
SFH Lobby 1.3
The effectiveness of student choice and its impact on student achievement and engagement is a well-explored topic in academic literature. Studies in higher education have endeavored to specifically address the impact of choice provision on assessment, a topic that is relatively untouched in elementary and middle-level education literature. Choice assessment can be implemented in many different ways, including choice of methods, topics, criteria such as rubrics, exam questions, submission times, and weighting, and has produced generally favorable results in higher education cohorts (O’Neill, 2017; Pretorius, van Mourik, & Barratt, 2017). During my student teaching semester in a sixth grade classroom, I implemented two choice assessment strategies and measured their effects on student achievement and engagement. In this study, choice assessment is defined as a presentation to students of two or more equivalent methods of showing knowledge and understanding (O’Neill & Padden, 2021; Irwin & Hepplestone, 2012). I used self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which posits that human beings are most likely to be intrinsically motivated when their inherent needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness are met. I analyzed anecdotal records, student assessment scores, and student work samples to determine the impact of choice assessment on student outcomes.