"But what's wrong with letter grades?"
Childhood Education; Washington; Spring 1999; Linda Doutt Culbertson; Mary Renck Jalongo;

Volume:	75
Issue:	3
Start Page:	130-135
ISSN:	00094056
Subject Terms:	Academic grading Parents & parenting Educational evaluation

Abstract:
Culbertson and Jalongo respond to parents' questions about why portfolios are superior to report cards. Alternative assessment is based upon the performance of a task that the child is likely to encounter outside the classroom, providing for a more natural and less stressful way of evaluating students.

Full Text:

Copyright Association for Childhood Education Spring 1999

[Headnote]
Responding to Parents' Questions About Alternative Assessment

Imagine attending a parent/teacher conference, this time as a parent without any professional training in the field of education. You have just been presented with a folder of information that documents your child's progress. This portfolio includes notes about daily achievement, checklists showing areas of strength, child-selected work samples, and even artwork and interest inventories that show that the school recognizes talents beyond academics. Your child enjoys coming to school and you have seen steady improvement in his or her reading and math capabilities; in fact, your child is blossoming not only in schoolwork, but also in everyday situations.

While you understand that the portfolio folder shows your child's academic growth for this term, nagging questions about the process of student evaluation remain. You wonder, "What is wrong with a simple letter grade? I had them in school and so did my parents. Why make a sudden change in the way my child is evaluated? Can you convince me that portfolios are superior to report cards?"

Parents are the most significant influence in a child's life (Gelfer, 1991), and they expect and deserve answers to questions about alternative assessment. This article attempts to answer some of parents' most common questions, including:

Why is there a need for change?

Just what is alternative assessment?

How can parents recognize an alternative assessment?

What contributions can alternative assessment make to a comprehensive evaluation plan?

Why Is There a Need for Change?

We all have experienced the pounding hearts and churning stomachs when we realize that the exam in front of us does not cover the material we studied. A feeling of powerlessness overcomes us, and we wish we were anywhere else but sitting in that chair taking that test. Thoughts such as "Why didn't I study something else?" and "Will I fail?" triumph over the more important questions of "What do I know?" and "How can I improve?" The feeling of panic that results can last for a day or for a lifetime, as when people say, "I always 'freeze up' on tests."

Unfortunately, the practice of testing specific material at one particular point in time is a common practice in many American classrooms. Our children are now experiencing the same feelings of powerlessness that we experienced as students when confronted by the pressures of testing. Schools' testing procedures often serve to both label and demoralize children by separating them into groups. Those who obtain high test scores are likely to be placed into the "academic" group and will receive the best teachers and the best learning opportunities; those who do not score as well often are left with drill-and-practice exercises, presumably to compensate for their deficiencies (Goodwin, 1997).

Because technology has expanded the amount of information available, we can no longer base education on a factory model of learning in which knowledge is poured into children, who memorize it for tests and forget it shortly thereafter. Fairness to children demands that we teach them the skills necessary to think and to make decisions about the knowledge that is available to them. Traditional testing offers no opportunity for a child to stop and say, "But wait! That test doesn't show what I can do! I didn't understand the question you were asking, but when you word it differently, I know the answer. Give me a chance to explain. . . then you'll see!" It is no longer reasonable to provide advantages only to those who are good test takers; we must base students' evaluations on the quality of their work and not merely on their ability to recall information for a test.

Just What Is AlternatiVe ASSessment?

What if you were asked to rate a loved one on a scale of 1 to 10? Perhaps you would use all kinds of information (e.g., emotional strength, physical appearance, social skills) to arrive at the final number. Now imagine that only the number itself is reported to your loved one. Would you feel comfortable sharing the number without any explanation?

In the same manner, it makes more sense for teachers to determine what children know and can do based upon experiences that can be explained and expanded upon, rather than on multiple-choice, true / false, or other traditional forms of testing that offer no opportunities for explanation. Alternative assessment is based upon the performance of a task that the child is likely to encounter outside the classroom (Hamayan, 1995); therefore, it provides for a more natural and less stressful way of evaluating students than traditional testing does. It makes more sense, for example, to evaluate students on their ability to make correct change by setting up a classroom store than by having them complete a worksheet of addition and subtraction problems. Too often, the abilities demanded on a simple task like basic computation do not "translate" well to a practical situation. If you go to a fast food restaurant, for example, you will see that the cash register is set up with icons of the food items and that the cash register distributes the correct change. This way of making change came about mainly because while employees could pass a simple math test, they still did not know how to handle money. Clearly, it is possible to master "the basics," yet still be unable to function well on the job.

Informal methods of assessment are an integral part of daily life. We evaluate waiters and waitresses on performance-their efficiency in taking our order and delivering our food. It would mean very little to us that they might get a good grade on a multiple-choice "Server's Examination." In the same manner, we evaluate our accountants based upon the amount of money they save us at tax time, and our children's teachers based upon how well our children respond to their instruction. In fact, a national survey (conducted by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching) found that parents' number one criterion for evaluating teachers was the teacher's ability to motivate their child to learn (Boyer, 1995), an ability that would be extremely difficult to measure on a test. Thus, basing evaluation on real-world evidence and actual job performance makes learning more relevant.

Figure 1 shows a traditional science examination given to assess lst-graders' knowledge of seasonal changes. Figure 2 provides an alternative assessment in which children made seasonal visits to an apple tree and then recorded their observations. Although the alternative assessment measures the same information as the traditional test does, it provides a much more meaningful, easily remembered way to learn about seasonal changes. Traditional and alternative methods of assessment are not necessarily in opposition to one another; rather, the alternative methods are ways of providing a more complete picture of children's knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply what has been learned.

How Can I Recognize an Alternative Assessment?

Alternative assessment operates on the assumption that students should be evaluated according to criteria that are important for the performance of a given task (Wiggins, 1989). The measures used should give teachers and parents a clear picture of what the child can or cannot do in order to help the child in a given area. Many parents are accustomed to seeing their children arrive home from school each day with a backpack full of worksheets and papers. They assume by the amount of paperwork that their child is learning certain skills. The notion of equating a large amount of paperwork with learning, however, is a false one; children are learning all of the time even without direct instruction. In fact, they learn best if they are actively involved in the process (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). Ironically, the same adults who speak despairingly of becoming "paper pushers" at work are often the first to demand that children begin doing this as soon as possible in school. Outside the classroom, the opposite assumption is made. When teaching children to use inline skates, play a musical instrument, or build a model airplane, we expect learning to occur when children are actively involved in firsthand experiences.

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Figure 1

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Figure 2

The specific form of alternative assessment will depend upon the subject area, the students being instructed, and an individual teacher's preference. The following examples provide insight into the most common types of alternative assessment (Darling-Hammond, Ancess, & Falk, 1995). They can be used to help parents recognize the many different ways that a child's effort, growth, and academic achievement are being recognized and documented.

Teacher Observation. Imagine calling your mechanic after your car has broken down on the freeway. After explaining how the car performed, you ask the mechanic to diagnose the problem over the telephone; your mechanic, however, insists upon actually seeing the car before making any kind of assessment. Although observing the car is not the only way to determine what is wrong, it certainly helps the mechanic make a more accurate assessment of the problem. Teachers likewise use observation to become more informed about children. It allows teachers to get to know students as individuals, with talents and abilities uniquely their own (Wortham, 1995). Observation is a way for teachers to familiarize themselves not only with the academic aspects of a child's development, but also with social, emotional, physical, and cultural influences on learning. Many circumstances-both in and out of school-influence learners, and observation paints a clearer picture than testing ever can.

Checklists. Think about your last visit to a physician's office. Did the receptionist ask you to fill out a checklist so that the doctor would know about your family history and prior illnesses? If you checked "yes" for an illness, you were probably asked to provide further information. The doctor could then refer to the checklist during your visit to make sure that all pertinent questions had been asked and that no possible factor had been overlooked. The checklist provided an easily accessible and consistent manner in which to record your medical history, and it gave the doctor concrete information with which to work.

For the classroom teacher, checklists provide a way to make sure that all areas of a child's education have been evaluated. Checklists are designed and based upon a particular grade level's curriculum, and they provide a framework for assessment that can be used to communicate a child's progress to parents (Wortham, 1995). By providing specific details concerning a child's performance, the checklist in Figure 3 provides parents with more information than a letter grade does. Brief comments also can be recorded on the checklist for elaboration.

Projects and Exhibitions. Think about the displays and exhibits that are used to advertise new products at a home show, grocery store, or shopping mall. Posters, videos, and photographs-along with actual samples-invite passersby to take a closer look. The displays provide succinct information about each product.

In the school setting, projects and exhibitions are types of alternative assessment that can furnish concrete evidence of a child's most significant accomplishments. Book reports, creative writing, computations, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, and other media are highly motivating, because these methods allow students to demonstrate and document understanding. They also enable children to share their successes as learners in a tangible way with peers and family members. Because projects and exhibitions provide a tangible measurement of learning, children can learn to take pride in their accomplishments and strive for excellence.

Portfolios. Did your parents proudly keep a folder stuffed with your papers, photographs, drawings, and so forth from kindergarten through 12th grade? Perhaps you still own some of these items or have since reviewed them with your child. Collections of documents like these are worth a second lookbecause they chronicle a child's developmental changes and new skills.

Unlike the folders kept by parents, classroom portfolios are organized, purposeful collections of student work that help to tell the story of a student's efforts, progress, or achievement in a given area. Portfolios provide an alternative to drill worksheets, standardized tests, and other measures that reflect skills development rather than developmental progress (Graves & Sunstein, 1992). Portfolios can represent all areas of the curriculum and may include papers, checklists, summaries, or other items that adequately demonstrate a student's performance. Portfolios offer a wonderful opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to not only see test scores, but also actually experience a child's growth. Figure 4 shows a sample letter sent home to parents to explain a child's portfolio.

When Does Alternative Assessment Occur?

In the workplace, you may have had a supervisor observe and assess your performance over a long period of time, perhaps for an entire year. Even if (or because) we know such evaluations are coming, our nervousness may impair our ability to perform. As adults, we appreciate it when the quality of our work is judged fairly, and in the right context. Most of us also prefer to have continuous feedback from supervisors rather than have everything depend upon one brief sample of behavior that may not be representative of our overall performance.

One of the greatest strengths of alternative assessment is its ability to allow the teacher to see the child as a whole person and not purely as a learner of basic skills. Instead of assessing children at one time on a given measure, alternative assessment allows the teacher to evaluate children's work on various projects as they proceed. The teacher is able to gain a comprehensive view of student progress from many sources and can collect varied work samples to gain an understanding of how students think about and learn new skills (Campbell, 1997).

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Figure 3

Many children, just like adults, grow apprehensive, become demoralized, or give up entirely when given only one "high stakes" chance to prove themselves.

Alternative assessment is based upon the premise that students grow and change continuously, and that measurement of their knowledge, abilities, and skills is seriously limited by a one-shot approach to testing (Isenberg & Jalongo, 1997).

How Does Alternative Assessment Contribute

1. Alternative assessment makes sense to students.

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Figure 4

would you be happy if you were given one test to determine your salary, benefits, and promotion opportunities for the upcoming year? Furthermore, would such a procedure make sense to you? Being judged by our performance is much more meaningful than being judged by a contrived measure that is unrelated to our daily lives. This concept makes sense to children as well.

Alternative assessment invites students to think about what they have learned, and it gives children the opportunity to make connections from classroom experiences to the outside world (Gardner, 1993). When learning is personally relevant, children can continuously monitor their progress and assess their own learning (Glazer, 1992). Because alternative assessment makes sense to students, they have a much better understanding of what is expected of them and, therefore, have a much better chance of meeting those expectations (Earl & LeMahieu, 1996).

2. Alternative assessment fosters responsibility in students. Students can develop responsibility for their own learning by having opportunities to choose work for portfolios, discuss their observations, and determine where they need help. Whereas multiple-choice tests promote competition among students, alternative assessment promotes skill in self- and peer evaluation. Students develop responsibility and independence by learning to help, share, cooperate, and care about others (Osin & Lesgold, 1996).

Alternative assessment allows children to make choices, and it gives them responsibility for living with those choices within a classroom setting where the teacher is a guide and facilitator. Before students are placed in real-life decision-making situations, alternative assessment provides them with plenty of practice in making decisions within classroom walls. Students become problem-solvers ina non-threatening atmosphere that encourages them to learn from their mistakes. 3. Alternative assessment emphasizes the process, rather than the product, of learning.

By focusing on the entire learning process, rather than on one small product (e.g., a test at the "end" of learning), alternative assessment helps children to realize that what they do each day in school is part of an important and ongoing process. By focusing on intense, concentrated involvement in an activity (Osin & Lesgold, 1996), students gain more information than they would from a single evaluation product or test. Rather than memorizing facts for a test that will soon be forgotten, children build upon their knowledge and are encouraged to evaluate their own growth. This meaningful process helps to create an environment in which learning is remembered. Alternative assessment provides opportunities for the process of work to be challenging, pleasurable, and rewarding (Osin & Lesgold, 1996).

4. Alternative assessment motivates children to continue learning. If each of us were assigned the task of constructing a birdhouse, we would probably approach it in very different ways. Some would prefer to work with a group; others would work better alone. Some would be able to create an original from materials found at home, while others would buy a kit and follow the directions to the letter. Most of us would want to find out which structures attract which birds and study examples of birdhouses before beginning our task. Having choices motivates us much more than being told, "Your birdhouse must look exactly like the other 25 in your neighborhood, and you must complete it at exactly the same time and in the same sequence as everyone else."

By the same token, students either can be motivated by having choices in reaching high standards, or they can be defeated by being forced to do things exactly as others in their class are doing. Alternative assessment allows for student selection of learning opportunities, based upon the assumption that having an interest in something will be motivation to learn more about it.

Teachers and parents can work together with the child to choose projects that are "natural challenges," and that lead to real accomplishments (Osin & Lesgold, 1996). Alternative assessment motivates children by giving them a voice in their own education (Schneider, 1996).

Conclusion

No parent wants his or her child to fail in the school system. Although looking at a letter grade on a report card or a percentage score from a traditional test is familiar, based on our own experiences as children, it does little to help us form accurate, detailed perceptions about a child's strengths or academic needs (Newman & Smolen, 1993). Alternative assessment can provide us with information about daily progress and insight into the process of learning. It also encourages children to become lifelong learners, rather than "memorizers and forgetters" of information. The major purposes of any assessment practices in schools should be to help children really understand what they are learning, enable them to concentrate and investigate ideas in depth, and encourage them to produce high-quality work that will be useful to them, not just in school but also throughout their lives (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). Although changes in assessment practices may be disconcerting at first, adults who really care about children and their learning will need to concentrate more on children's futures than on their distant pasts, if they are to improve education for all students.

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