Means to an End

"Teachers who do not assess themselves should not be assessing students."

To assess students effectively, teachers must plan with the end in mind. The more a teacher can design a lesson based on the final product, the clearer his/her lesson will be. Thus, it is imperative that as a teacher I reflect carefully on my own teaching. Did I witness the students producing the end product that I initially had in mind? Whether it’s a student quiz, a PowerPoint, a dramatic reenactment, or an essay, I need to consider what I want my students to do and deliver instruction and learning opportunities that lead students to this point.

The only way I can do this effectively is to have a clear idea of where I’m going, and that’s exactly what state standards and district curriculum maps are designed to do. If I consult these important documents and collaborate with knowledgeable peers, I can have an appropriate end in mind, and then I can design, execute, reflect upon, and tweak my strategies.

Thus, as a teacher, I truly have no business assessing student work if I haven’t assessed my own instructional process. If I have a random willy-nilly approach to teaching, chances are my students will have a scattered and incomplete grasp on the subject. If I haven’t self-assessed to figure out the very best way to get to where I want to go, then how can I expect students to get there successfully?