Impact of Assessment on Curriculum and Instruction

1444 Words6 Pages
Impact of Assessment on Curriculum and Instruction Vanessa Canty University of Phoenix Impact of Assessment on Curriculum and Instruction In this time of increase accountability and demand for demonstrated results, assessments are a common practice in providing records of how students performed on various assessments. This paper will outline three researchers’ philosophies on the impact that assessments has on contemporary curriculum and instruction. The researchers include views as cited in Reeves (2007), from Dr. Rick Stiggins, the founder and executive director of the ETS Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Oregon, Larry Ainsworth, an executive director of professional development of the Leadership and Learning Center in Englewood, CO, and finally Dr. Douglas Reeves, founder of The Leadership and Learning Center and editor of Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. With the widespread use of high-stakes assessments and the escalation of penalties and rewards tied to the results the effective use of assessments is vital to educators, students, parents, and the communities of these learning institutions. Stiggins, Using Assessments to Encourage Learning According to Stiggins (2007), the recommended use of assessments in contemporary education systems focuses on its use by educators and students as a learning tool to place all students on a winning path. Stiggins suggest that educators stop using assessments as tools to verify students’ learning to the use of assessments to support students’ learning. According to Stiggins (2007), (as cited in Reeves, 2007) assessments that are truly productive should not only be used for their quality as instruments to measure students’ success but must also be used to focus on the impact of the score on the individual learner. Stiggins suggest it is the educator’s job to
Open Document