Last week Planet Improv passed out a sheet to its’ students asking them what grade they believed they earned for the first and second quarter of their drama elective classes.

As you can imagine, many students may vastly over or underestimate the grade that they deserve for their work/participation or lack there of.

We do our best to emphasis “participation, not perfection” to our students in our classes and over the entirety of the period of time that they are in our classes because we understand that progress is most important and that art, creativity and imagination and its’ grading can be so subjective.

So, why not ask the student what they think and examine their thoughts and justifications on the matter?

(Below) is a post at info.rcampus.com that discusses student grading self-assessments.

Student Self-Assessments: Importance, Benefits, and Implementation

by rs_admin

Student self-assessment is a powerful approach that empowers learners to take an active role in their education. It involves students reflecting on their own learning, skills, and progress, and evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. By engaging in self-assessment, students develop metacognitive skills, foster a growth mindset, and become more self-directed in their learning. This process can also encourage students to take ownership of their educational journey, set meaningful goals, and make informed decisions about their learning strategies. Through self-reflection and self-evaluation, students gain a deeper understanding of their own abilities, enhance their critical thinking skills, and cultivate lifelong learning habits. In this guide, we will explore the concept of student self-assessment, its benefits, and various tools and methods that can be utilized to facilitate this process. By embracing student self-assessment, educators can empower learners to become active participants in their own educational success.

Benefits of Student Self-Assessments:

Student self-assessment is a process in which students evaluate their own learning progress, skills, and knowledge. It may involve students reflecting on their own work, setting goals, and identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses. This assessment method encourages students to take an active role in their learning and develop a deeper understanding of their own abilities and learning processes.  There are several benefits to student self-assessment:

Enhanced metacognition: Self-assessment helps students develop metacognitive skills, which involve understanding one’s own thinking processes and learning strategies. By reflecting on their work and progress, students gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their learning strategies.

Ownership of learning: Self-assessment empowers students to take ownership of their learning journey. It shifts the responsibility for evaluating progress from the teacher to the student, fostering a sense of independence and self-direction in their education. This sense of ownership can increase motivation and engagement in the learning process.

Improved self-reflection: Self-assessment encourages students to reflect on their learning experiences, achievements, and areas for improvement. It promotes critical thinking skills and helps students develop the ability to identify their own learning needs and set meaningful goals. Through this reflection, students can make adjustments to their learning strategies and work towards continuous improvement.

Targeted feedback: When students engage in self-assessment, they gain insights into their own learning gaps and areas that need improvement. This self-awareness allows them to seek targeted feedback from teachers or peers, focusing on specific aspects of their learning. Targeted feedback can be more personalized and meaningful, leading to more effective learning and growth.

Development of lifelong learning skills: By engaging in self-assessment, students develop skills that are valuable beyond the classroom. They learn how to set goals, monitor progress, and make adjustments to their learning strategies. These skills are essential for lifelong learning, enabling individuals to take charge of their own professional and personal development.

Overall, student self-assessment promotes a growth mindset, self-reflection, and active engagement in the learning process. It supports students in becoming more self-directed learners who are better equipped to monitor and improve their own progress.

Implementing Student Self-Assessments

Implementing student self-assessments involves a series of steps to ensure a meaningful and effective process. Here is a suggested sequence of steps to implement student self-assessments:

  1. Educate students about self-assessment: Start by explaining the concept of self-assessment to students and its purpose. Discuss how self-assessment empowers them to take ownership of their learning and develop a deeper understanding of their progress and areas for improvement.
  2. Set clear learning objectives: Clearly define the learning objectives for the students. These objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals). When students have a clear understanding of what they are expected to achieve, they can better assess their progress towards those objectives.
  3. Teach self-reflection skills: Provide guidance on self-reflection techniques and strategies. Teach students how to critically evaluate their own work, identify strengths and weaknesses, and set meaningful goals for improvement. Model the process of self-reflection through examples and encourage students to think deeply about their learning experiences.
  4. Introduce self-assessment tools and methods: Familiarize students with various self-assessment tools and methods that they can utilize. Introduce rubrics, checklists, reflection journals, or other tools that align with the learning objectives. Explain how each tool can be used for self-assessment and guide students on their effective implementation.
  5. Provide examples and criteria: Share examples of high-quality work or performances with students, along with specific criteria for assessment. These examples and criteria act as reference points for students to compare their own work and evaluate their progress. Clearly communicate the expectations and standards for each assessment.
  6. Scaffold the self-assessment process: Initially, provide scaffolding and support to help students navigate the self-assessment process. Offer guidance on how to use the self-assessment tools and methods effectively. Model self-assessment by completing sample assessments together as a class, discussing the criteria, and providing feedback.
  7. Facilitate peer and teacher feedback: Encourage students to engage in peer feedback and assessment. Peer feedback provides additional perspectives and helps students develop their evaluative skills. Additionally, provide timely and constructive feedback as a teacher to guide students’ self-assessment process and offer insights for improvement.
  8. Reflect on the self-assessment outcomes: Encourage students to reflect on the results of their self-assessment. Help them analyze their strengths, areas for improvement, and progress towards their goals. Discuss strategies to address identified weaknesses and celebrate successes.
  9. Adjust learning strategies: Encourage students to make adjustments to their learning strategies based on their self-assessment outcomes. Help them develop action plans to address areas for improvement and set new goals. Encourage reflection on the effectiveness of these strategies in subsequent self-assessments.
  10. Foster a supportive classroom environment:Create a safe and supportive classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their self-assessment experiences. Encourage peer collaboration, open discussions, and provide ongoing encouragement and guidance throughout the self-assessment process.

Remember, implementing student self-assessments is an iterative process. Continuously refine and adapt the approach based on student feedback and assessment outcomes, ensuring that self-assessment becomes an integral part of the learning journey.

# # #

Planet Improv believes that the most important things that students should learn throughout their educational journey is bettering their creative communication, thinking and problem-solving skills.

And the best way to do this is through introspection and encouraging self, peer and educator’s discussions and respectful debates, when applicable.

Will we give every student the grade they request?  No.  Will be overjoyed to read and contemplate the rationales that the students offer to us as to why they earned/deserved the grade they should get?  Definitely!