Towards Balanced Assessment of Student Teaching Performance

Abstract

Assessment practices in schools have undergone dramatic changes over the last decade, and applying this knowledge to the assessment of student teachers is a challenge currently facing teacher preparation programs. K-12 assessment has moved towards a "backwards design" approach, greater student involvement, a wider range of strategies, and assessment systems that balance summative and formative assessment. However, the assessment of student teaching performance during field experiences has often overemphasized summative assessment, collecting data for making judgments, at the expense of formative assessment, gathering information to improve student teacher performance. Recently, one institution recognized the need to reexamine its approach to field experience assessment based on the thrust towards 21st century education, the growing knowledge base in assessment, and feedback from its educational partners. The article is a case study of this improvement initiative: the context, process involved, the outcomes of the improvement process, and implications for teacher education.