In any program of study there will always questions relating to how the student will be assessed. In a traditional graded classroom there is more emphasis on summative assessment; assessment which uses grades to measure a student's progress throughout the year.

Multiage classrooms focus on authentic assessment using qualitative tools which are meaningful for both the teacher and student and assessment helps to guide instruction.





In a multiage program educators might ask these questions regarding assessment:

"If students are in an non-graded classroom, how will we know what they have learned and how will it be demonstrated?"

"How will students be assessed without being given a grade on a report card?


In her article, "Assessment in Multiage Primary Classrooms" Dr. Nita Lester explains that "Now, we accept that individuals do learn in different ways and the teaching and learning aspects of the current education system has fully embraced learning differences although assessment in many schools does not reflect the changing understanding of individuals' learning patterns (pg 2)

The assessment process in a multiage classroom is where individual learning differences are reflected not only in a differentiated curriculum, but in the variety of assessment tools used.


Authentic Assessment: Authentic assessment looks at the student as a whole and considers all aspects of the student. "It is any type of assessment that requires students to demonstrate skills and competencies that realistically represent problems and situations likely to be encountered in daily life. Students are required to produce ideas, integrate knowledge, and complete tasks that have real-world applications. Such assessment is ongoing and diagnostic, yielding information on a student's strengths and weaknesses so that the teacher can tailor lessons to the student's specific needs. Authentic assessment considers the child as a whole (socially, emotionally, physically, and academically)" (Anderson & Pavan, 1993, McLoughlin, 1969 as cited by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory). Authentic Assessment includes a variety of methods to assess student learning:


Qualitative assessment tools:

• Portfolios: An assessment of students work over a certain amount of time. Portfolios not only high-lite the student's "best" work, but they can show a progression of learning from the beginning of the year to the end and they also show a student's day-to-day work and learning. In addition, students are actively involved in the process of choosing which pieces will be in their portfolio and are an important part of the assessment process.
• Presentations
• Projects
• Student self-assessments
• Rubrics
• Narrative reports
• Interviews and conferencing
• Anecdotal notes

This kind of qualitative assessment is not only a way to document the student's growth, but to provides a framework and guide to appropriate instruction for each student based on their needs.