Reflections on On-going Assessment:
Documenting Self-Esteem and More

Eileen Barry
and Pat F.
Workplace Education Project, Labor Education Center
UMass Dartmouth

...To have good dreams when everyone has the same chance to grow, to learn, and to love... To have good dreams that instead of just giving people material things, we also teach them to help themselves...To have these good dreams but most of all to see all these good dreams come true for all.
Pat L.F., Sharing Our Thoughts

In the summer of 1991, Pat came to class. She was a very timid, anxious woman who told me she had recently been laid off and wanted a GED to help improve her chances of finding work. She asked if she could meet with an individual tutor since groups made her nervous. I explained that our program could not provide this service but invited her to observe a class. Although she was hesitant, she did sit in the back of the room and watch.
Pat came to the next class and joined us at the table. She listened intently and at times seemed as though she wanted to speak. After a few more sessions, Pat began to participate in classes. Within a few months, she was an active member of the group and was encouraging others in their efforts to learn. Since that evening two years ago, Pat has moved from the Pre-GED to the GED class, has had three pieces published in Sharing Our Thoughts, the SABES southeast learner-generated magazine, has worked with a group of five learners to write and produce a book about environmental issues, and has presented her work to a group of learners and teachers who were interested in doing similar projects. Most recently, Pat attended a Student Advisory Board meeting to make decisions about the classes and the project.

While Pat’s development of self-esteem and sense of community are apparent from her accomplishments and conversations we have had, I am troubled by the fact that the assessment tools and procedures used in our program do not reflect these achievements adequately back to the learner. This concern was highlighted for me when Pat recently experienced personal problems which prompted her to consider leaving class. As she struggled with family issues and missed quite a bit of class, I tried to convince her that she had come too far to give up on her goal of passing the GED test. As I turned to her reading and writing folders and journals, I felt that I did not have enough tools to reflect her progress and to encourage her to persist. I became disillusioned with the assessment tools and procedures we had been using and began to question whether the tools were truly providing information which is important. I wondered how they could be revised to offer more pertinent data or even whether they should be discarded.
Fortunately, Pat did return to class after working out some of her problems. I was determined to discuss this matter of assessment with Pat and the other members of class to learn how they feel about the various tools we use to assess progress. In particular, I wanted to know if the folders and journals demonstrate progress towards reaching individual goals. I wanted to learn how we could use these folders and journals more effectively or if we should use them at all. I also hoped to learn if Pat and the others felt they were making progress and how they knew when they were progressing. Finally, I hoped to measure the development of a community in the class and to discover ways to record increased self-esteem.

Assessing Our Assessment Tools

In this article, I focus on Pat’s experience to represent my general dissatisfaction with the assessment procedures we use.

In the pre-GED and GED classes, teachers and learners periodically set learning goals and assess progress. Presently, this on-going assessment involves four components.

Writing Folder:

• Topics to Write About
• Writing Skills

Reading Folder:

• Reading Progress Checklist
• Reading Log

Student Journal
Teacher Log

Writing Folders. Each student in the class keeps his or her writing in a writing folder. Topics to Write About and Writing Skills forms are also included. I attempt to meet with each learner monthly to discuss the contents of the form. In reality, our conferences usually occur every other month.
During the conference, the student and I review his or her self-assigned writing goals. Students’ goals are often to master specific writing skills such as revising after writing a first draft or editing run-on sentences. Sometimes the goals are more personal such as writing a letter to a friend. Together we determine whether the goals were met or if more work is required. If the goals were accomplished, new writing goals are set. During this meeting, we also look at samples of the learner’s writing.

I suspected Pat would value this tool because she is a prolific writer and uses the folder faithfully to store work and to order drafts. She confirmed this by noting that the writing folder “is a good idea. It lets the teacher know how much we can do and understand.” This answer was surprising for I had always intended the folders to be used by learners to track their own progress. When I mentioned this to Pat, she said that “the folders do let us know how far along we’re getting. It lets me know I’m making progress because I am doing more skills.” She added that looking at all of the drafts in the folder reminded her that “I did get to write quite a bit.” She then added that she enjoys reading my individualized responses to her work, which include compliments, questions, and suggestions for revision. She said that she likes to know what she is doing well and the areas that she personally needs to address.

From our discussion, I realized the value of reviewing the contents of the folder regularly and became determined to have writing conferences on a more consistent, monthly basis. I found that I had a good sense of the progress the learners were making because I reviewed and responded to much of their writing. It is necessary to have more conferences however, so the students become more comfortable with using the writing folder as a tool to help them measure their own progress. During the conferences, they will have more time to review their old writing and compare it to newer work. This will allow them to better observe their own progress and to identify their strengths and weaknesses. It became clear to me that the folders can serve a useful purpose, but adequate time for review is essential.

Reading Folders. Reading Progress Checklists and Reading Logs are included in the Reading Folder. Again, learners are supposed to meet on a monthly basis with me to review progress and to discuss their reading experiences. Reading goals are reviewed and if the learner has met his or her goals, new ones are established. The checklist we use was adapted from one developed by Janet Kelly from Read/Write/Now (see Adventures in Assessment, Volume 1). Learners may also record material they read in or out of class which is of particular interest or importance to them.

When meeting with Pat, I asked why she had not used this folder as regularly as the writing folder. Pat responded that she still couldn’t do all the reading strategies and that some were confusing. Listening to Pat, I was reminded of a comment Susan Lytle made at a workshop I had recently attended. She asked, “Where did these objectives come from on the checklists?” I realized that I had determined that these reading strategies were important for comprehension and I emphasize them in instruction. I had not asked the learners to develop this list of strategies with me, however, and therefore risked asking them to measure themselves against objectives which may not be realistic goals for them or which simply may not be their goals.

In the future, I will introduce a new reading comprehension strategy and ask learners to experiment with it for a couple of weeks. I will then ask them to reflect on whether the strategy is useful for them and to determine whether this strategy should be included in their personal checklists. It is also my intention to work with learners to reflect more on what helps them to comprehend what they read and to develop more individualized reading goals.

When I asked Pat if this folder was at all useful, she said that “It’s good to have these charts. It lets the instructor see what’s going on and how far they’re going.” Again, I was struck by the fact that she viewed the reading folder as a tool to be used by the teacher. She did not seem to realize that she could gain useful information from reviewing it as well. When we reviewed two progress checklists, one from January and one from March, she observed that “I can see I’m making progress. These folders are good if students get to check back on old papers.” This comment highlighted a major concern I have had when using the reading folder. Because I believed that the students should keep the folders with them to review their own progress, I asked them to use the folders at home and to bring them to class. Frequently when it was time for reading conferences, however, students would have left their folders at home. They would complete a new Progress Checklist but would not have past data with which to compare their answers. I would remind them to review the folder at home or to bring it to the next class, but this did not always happen. As in the case of Pat, I realized I had not adequately assisted her in reviewing the data which demonstrated her progress and became determined to allot more time for this analysis. After discussing this issue with my colleagues during a staff meeting, I have decided to keep all folders in class so that when we have conferences, the students and I can review all important information. I will explain to them that they have access to the folders at all other class times during the month. (If we had a copier on site, I could duplicate all forms so students could keep one and I could file one.)

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Student Journals/Logs

I just thought I would look into this program to what it was all about. I don’t know what will come of this...to learn for me has always been hard...
Pat (journal entry, 7/91)

Students write about a wide range of topics in their journals. Some write about personal issues while others reflect on their learning experiences in class. They write about what they understood and what they need to practice. They also comment on learning strategies that were useful and those they didn’t like. Students write with the understanding that I will respond to the entry but will not correct it. They write in their journals at the end of every class for approximately five to ten minutes.

Pat is now working on her fourth journal. She said that her journal provides “good (writing) practice and keeps communication open. Students can let teachers know about the night’s class and what was interesting or hard.”

I agree with Pat’s assessment of the strengths of journals. I gain valuable information from reading journal entries. I learn when materials or learning methods were useful and when students feel they need more review. I also get insight into the personal lives of the students so that I better understand their goals, interests, and difficulties.

I enjoyed it when the class works together... I think in this way we get the help we need...It was nice to see my writing again... I hope others enjoy them as I did putting them down on paper...
Pat (journal entry, 5/11/92)

Teacher Log/anecdotal reporting

We reviewed writing folders today and once again I was troubled by their use...some use them to organize and set goals...others have not been using them to organize their drafts. I have to take some of the blame because we have not reviewed them for a while...As I write this, everyone is consulting each other for spelling and word usage for their own journals. This group helps each other and relies on each other more than they ask me for help.
Eileen (teacher log, 5/24/93)

For the past five months. I have been keeping a teacher log. I make my entries while the rest of the class write in their journals. In the log, I describe the day-to-day events of the class. I record GED test scores, breakthroughs in understanding, and comments and suggestions students make about the class. I also try to record anything students tell me that reflects on their progress or difficulties.

When I asked Pat whether she thought she was progressing, she responded, “Sometimes. I need confidence. When I look at folders I feel confident but it’s different going for the test.” She is very concerned she will not have enough time to complete the exam. She did feel that she could see progress when she looked at the papers she does in class and when she corrects them. She added, “I still have a hard time with those maps and charts!”

Pat reflected on specific times that she knew she was learning. When remembering the time spent collaborating with others to write the environ- mental book, she said, “It was nice to work as a group with my fellow students. We shared ideas and were enthusiastic.” When I asked her how it felt to offer a workshop to other teachers and students, she said, “That was different! If we were able to explain to others and get our message across, it means we all learned together.” She described having her work published in Sharing Our Thoughts as “...a miracle! I couldn’t get over it. Seeing it in a book, I must have made some progress!”

The importance of recording these types of comments is obvious to me. This is the data which reflects development of self-esteem while also noting hesitations and self-doubt. It is my hope that by recording segments of conversations with students, over time, I will gather a true reflection of their views of themselves as learners. I recently learned of a teacher who leaves her log on her desk for students to read. Learners get to know what observations the teacher thinks are important and receive reinforcement about their progress and work in class. I plan to make my log available so that, just as with the other assessment tools, the log is not a device for a teacher to measure a student’s progress, but a method through which learners can assess their own growth.

Community Development

When examining the assessment tools for this article with Pat, I asked her how we could measure community development. She became highly animated and said, “You have to have more (than studying GED subjects). Young kids just don’t go to class to study but to talk to each other, express opinions, and have a laugh or two...a lot have left but originally we had a community and friendship. I was going through some old papers the other day and thinking of those I knew who left and felt so blue and really empty inside. We formed some kind of friendship with people we never knew. We shared times trying to learn. We said our opinions. When something was new or hard we taught each other. Sometimes we laughed together and sometimes we got upset with each other, but that’s how it was. We shared good and bad times...It’s hard that the group is moving on but it made me think that I should try again.”

Pat’s views confirmed my belief in the importance of developing community. She highlighted the value of teaching and learning from each other, supporting each other, and developing a sense of responsibility towards each other. Her sadness at students leaving and the inspiration she gained from their success reinforced my belief in the importance of learners returning to the class as tutors to remain part of the community and to serve as inspiration to others. I also realized that Pat uses language that expresses a sense of commitment to the groups and the project such as “fellow students” and “taught each other.” In the future, it will be important to record this language and to trace, over time, how and when learners use it. Mostly, however, I still feel frustrated by my limited attempts to measure what I believe is the key to learning. I will continue to look to learners and other colleagues for ways in which to measure this progress.

I am grateful to Pat for agreeing to discuss these issues with me and to collaborate on this piece. I am in the process of discussing similar questions with the rest of the group. What I learned from our discussions is that we need to talk about and reflect more on assessment in class. We need to have more frequent conversations about learning moments and more time together to analyze the data gained from these checklists. The danger of using only teacher-generated checklists has become more clear to me. I am still uncertain about the best ways to document the development of self-esteem and community, but I do feel that my teacher log will play an important part. Most importantly, I will ask learners for feedback about the tools we use. Their insights help me to realize just who this information is for and for what purposes.

When I asked Pat if there was anything I could do to motivate her to continue to come to class and to feel confident enough to take the GED tests, she said, pointing to her heart, “No, it has to come from in here.” I believe this most eloquently expresses the need for learners to be in charge of assessing themselves and monitoring their own progress.

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To see how Pat filled out her forms see the PDF version pages 85-88.

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This article was published in Adventures in Assessment, Volume 5 (October 1993), SABES/World Education, Boston, MA, Copyright 1993.

Funding support for the publication of this document on the Web provided in part by the Ohio State Literacy Resource Center as part of the LINCS Assessment Special Collection.