Assessment is absolutely necessary for effective educational plans however, they often lead to anxiety and stress, effectively taking away what joy may have been found in the initial process of learning. Those students who are not skilled at taking many of the most standard of tests often find their self-esteem battered. There has been constant discussion and debate especially since the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Pressure on districts trickles down to the classroom and students and teachers alike must find a way to strike a balance between being adequately prepared for these tests and being adequately prepared for life.

Students who are under pressure to perform on tests instead of being encouraged to demonstrate their newly acquired understanding in ways that make sense to them are anxious children. Anxious children are feeling powerless and are less likely to be fully engaged in lessons, compounding the issue. They are more likely to communicate their heightened anxiety by exhibiting acting out behaviors or by simply fading into the distance.

As their teacher, I know it will be necessary to prepare my students for these mandated assessments however I will not allow that to be the driving force in my planning and preparation. My students will work diligently to learn curriculum laid out by my district and by the state but I will endeavor to give my students multiple ways of demonstrating their learning and understanding, and then help them to connect it to other "standard" means of demonstration – i.e. the standardized tests they have learned to dread. I will encourage them to see that they are well prepared. I will try to mitigate the damage to self-esteem by helping them to understand that we all learn differently, and we all demonstrate that learning differently. And even if this one type of assessment does not give us the opportunity to shine as other types of assessment do, that does not negate the learning.

One way I will evaluate the effectiveness of my informal assessments is by using this assessment check list. (Images/assessment checklist.pdf)

By recognizing the efforts made by my students and the accomplishments they have achieved, I can build their esteem and confidence. I can use this form as tangible recognition of a significant effort. (Images/certificate_achievement_award.doc)

Bottom line: Students whose self-esteem is battered, who feel inadequate, who are anxious and stressed have difficulty seeing the point of working. If students are not engaged, and see little value in the effort it takes to learn, they will not be motivated to participate and will exhibit behaviors that are contrary to a positive learning environment. That is why effective use of assessments is key to my Comprehensive Classroom Management Plan.