Linking instruction Essay

Teaching is always perceived as a straightforward process whereby teachers provide instruction and students learn. With this perspective, teaching is seen as a simple instruction–learning process. In actual practice, it is more realistic to view assessment as an integral component of the teaching process. In fact, it has been estimated that teachers devote at least one-third of their professional time to assessment-related activities (Stiggins & Conklin, 1992). Assessment can and should provide relevant information that both enhances instruction and promotes learning. In other words, there should be a close alignment between theory, instruction and assessment. With this expanded conceptualization of teaching, instruction and assessment are integrally related, with assessment providing objective feedback about what the students have learned, how well they have learned it, how effective the instruction has been, and what information, concepts, and objectives require more attention. Instead of teaching being limited to an instruction–learning process, it is conceptualized more accurately as an instruction–learning–assessment process. For example, a misaligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment had been seen as one factor that led to poor student achievement. In the past, standardized norm-referenced tests, used traditionally for accountability, have only partially aligned with curricular materials and classroom instruction. These conditions obviously result in poor test scores (Burger, n. d. ). Using the standards-led alignment approach, this policy sought to align, integrate, and connect components of schools as systems (e. g. , assessments, curriculum, instruction, and accountability). According to Linn & Herman (1997), standards-led alignment should use local content standards as the focal point to: †¢ foster the use of multiple assessment sources and methods, †¢ describe how classroom and accountability assessment relate to each other, †¢ align accountability and classroom assessment with learner outcomes, and †¢ ensure that teachers and administrators use appropriate forms of assessment, are skilled in interpreting data, can plan for re-teaching activities using data, and can evaluate the impact of specific programs and instructional strategies. To begin the alignment process, Allington and Cunningham (2002) advocated a comprehensive policy review to determine where all system elements connect (e. g. , curriculum, instruction, and leadership). Stiggins and Conklin (1992) illustrated the important role that teachers play in the process of aligning instruction and assessment methods with theory: As a nation, we spend billions of dollars on educational assessment, including hundreds of millions for international and national assessments, and additional hundreds of millions for statewide testing programs. On top of these, the standardized tests that form the basis of district-wide testing programs represent a billion dollar industry. If we total all of these expensive, highly visible, politically important assessments, we still account for less than 1 percent of all the assessments conducted in America’s schools. The other 99 percent are conducted by teachers in their classrooms on a moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and week-to-week basis. In summary, if an educational institution wants to have effective teachers, they needs incorporate in their educational paradigm to link theory in the methods of instruction and assessment. Instruction and assessment are both instrumental parts of the teaching process, and assessment is a major component of a teacher’s day-to-day job. Knowing the connection of these, teachers can obtain information that promotes self-understanding and they will have more ability to help students plan for the future. For example, parents and students can use assessment information to make educational plans and select careers that best match a student’s abilities and interests. References Allington, R. L. , & Cunningham, P. M. (2002). Schools that work: Where All Children Read and Write.Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Linn, R. , & Herman, J. L. (1997, February). A Policy Maker’s Guide to Standards-Led Assessment. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Burger, D. (n. d. ). Using Standards-Led Policy to Align Assessment and Accountability Systems. Honolulu: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. Retrieved 2 November 2006 at http://www. prel. org/products/re_/standards-led. htm. Stiggins, R. & Conklin, N. (1992). In Teachers’ Hands: Investigating the Practice of Classroom Assessment. New York: SUNY Press.