Assessing Projects : Assessment Strategies
Goals for an Effective Assessment Plan
Assessment for project-based learning should be planned to:
- Use a variety of assessment methods to meet different purposes
- Embed assessment throughout the learning cycle
- Assess the important assessment standards and learning goals of the project
- Assess higher-order thinking
- Engage learners in assessment processes
An assessment plan ensures a project stays focused on intended learning goals and should be developed before the project activities and tasks. Because project tasks allow for broader expression of individual learning, assessment strategies need to be open enough to accommodate a range of learner work, yet focused on expected results.
An assessment plan outlines methods and tools that define clear expectations and standards for quality in products and performances. It also defines project monitoring checkpoints and methods to both inform the teacher and keep learners on track. The plan should involve learners in setting goals, reviewing and managing their learning progress during the project, and self-reflecting after the project. A plan will answer key questions:
- What methods will you use to gauge learner readiness for the project?
- What product or performance task will engage your learners and best demonstrate your intended learning goals and targeted thinking skills?
- What will quality work look like? How will you involve learners in understanding the project expectations and criteria?
- In what ways will you address and assess higher-order thinking in this project?
- What reporting and monitoring methods will you use to encourage learner self-management and progress during independent and group work? What monitoring and reporting tools will you need to create?
- How will you monitor learner understanding and adjust if necessary?
- What methods of assessment will help learners reflect on their learning (metacognition) and for you to check understanding? What assessment tools will you need to create?
- What methods will you use to assess final understanding and demonstration of learning? What will quality look like?
- How will you and your learners know they have met the learning goals?
