What Does Your Assessment Assess?

I tweeted something the other day after having a conversation about testing via devices. There was concern by a few teachers that there wasn’t anything stopping students from simply Googling answers to the test questions.

This was my thought regarding that concern:

Assessments are important. They give us and, most importantly, our students a snapshot as to how learning has progressed. That said, in order to be able to use the data derived from our assessments, we need to make sure we are asking the right questions.

Are the questions on your assessments Googleable? If so, are they indicative of the learning goals you had for your students?

There are two things that I feel educators aren’t (without training, of course). Curriculum writers and assessment writers. Be critical of the assessments you’re giving and don’t be afraid to share them with colleagues or your leadership team. Sometimes they can point out weaknesses or suggest varying question styles to increase rigor or shift from testing content to assessing skill.

What is your process for writing an assessment?