Linking Assessment to Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Linking Assessment to Learning Outcomes

Including Students in the Assessment Process

An important part of planning for assessment includes making sure your students know what they are supposed to do and how they will be assessed or graded before the assessment takes place. The rubric the teacher uses to assess students' work (as discussed in screen 1) is also a tool teachers can use before the lesson begins. It is a good idea to give students a rubric or similar information before they begin the activities.

Students benefit from knowing how you will assess their work. Providing students with the clear criteria on the rubric informs them of the quality of work that you expect. These criteria show them how their performance will be graded. For example, if the learning outcome is can tell a funny story about the past, criteria for an assessment might be uses correct past forms for past events, story has a beginning, middle and end. These criteria can be in the form of checklists or rubrics.

Students can also assess their own work as well as the work of other students. In the writing lesson in screen 1, for example, students reviewed and commented on a partner's writing. When students are part of the assessment process, they develop a clearer understanding of what they are expected to learn and to do. They can also develop a stronger sense of responsibility for their own learning.

This involvement can motivate students to improve, even outside the classroom. Learning outcomes and clear criteria help students feel responsible and engaged and, thus, build learner autonomy.