The Importance of Self-Assessment

I read an interesting article called “Student Self- Evaluation: What Research Says and What Practice Shows” by Carol Rolheiser and John A. Ross. It was very comforting to read that standardized tests do not entirely provide all the information based on students’ understanding.  Many students do not perform well on standardized tests due to the pressure of the situation.   They may become nervous, thus making the test inaccurate at displaying their level of understanding of course material.  Other types of assessment can also inform teachers of different information that they could never find out from a standardized test. 

One assessment teachers can use to determine their students’ learning is self evaluation. Students can monitor their own work and progress and determine how well they are understanding course materials.  This type of assessment, also benefit students because It makes them responsible for their own learning.  I feel teachers have an important role to play in student learning, but it is up to students to take responsibility for themselves and their own learning.  A student can come to understand their strengths and weaknesses, thus helping improve their performance.

If you are interested in reading more about self-evaluation, follow this link to Rolheiser and Ross’ article.