Assess for Growth: With Patience and Persistence

First task: Let’s bury the negative feelings we’ve learned to have toward the word “assessment,” although we do have a right to feel this way because our human nature often marries judgment with assessment. If we keep the purpose of assessment to solely spur growth and development, then it should be something we’re drawn to instead of fleeing from.

KNOW YOUR STUDENTS

Because God is so intimately in tune with our heart and desires he constructs tests in our life that perfectly align with our current capabilities. Never has He given a challenge for the purpose of judgment but for reflection and development. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.” We too must know our children and be able to supply the appropriate resources and preparation that promise progress for the individual.

To build purposeful assessments and evaluation tools, we must first provide abundant opportunities for observation and reflection. This then allows us to provide challenges or assignments that match the child’s capabilities and offer avenues for deep growth.

Look at God’s response as Adam and Eve colossally bombed the most important test in the history of mankind. God came close to Adam and Eve, reflected together with them in order to reveal their level of understanding (or misunderstanding in this case). He then adjusted the course ahead to produce further opportunities for development.

Note: The test that initially brought sin into the world may have a different set of ramifications than those found in classroom assessments.

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RESPOND WITH PATIENCE

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentence?” Rom. 2:4

A teacher’s or parent’s kindness and patience leads to development. This isn’t alluding to being soft and care-free, I think it is referring to the persistent opportunities for development we should be offering our children. Intently observing skills and behaviors and then continue to present challenging chances for their growth.

Attaching consequences to the results of an evaluation only stall development. We must provide alternative instruction, modeling, discussion, reflection, whatever it takes to achieve progress. And I proudly proclaim that many of my son’s developments in character have come because his parents have diligently applied the trial and error approach. I just know that breakthroughs are witnessed because of persistence, patience, and actively engaging the child in learning opportunities. Anytime we concede and accept a deficiency without exhausting every resource, we’re failing a child’s future.     

I hope my students can count on me for patience and persistence because I know I’d be lost and sunken if not for the patience God’s afforded me. Hugh Halter describes it as this, “He understood all the barriers and dilemmas and difficulties they would face in finding Him. He was amazingly understanding of their stories and knew that each person was in a process.”

BUILDING ASSESSMENTS FOR GROWTH NOT JUDGEMENT

 Progressive educational leader Will Richardson said, “Little about learning is quantifiable. We need to see learning rather than measure it.”

The skill or behavior shouldn’t be the end goal. The ability to utilize those tools to create something should be the purpose. Whatever the subject matter may be, it is much better when considered a tool rather than a goal.

How we observe and evaluate understanding needs to be done differently in this era. A regurgitation of information is about as useful as anything that has physically been regurgitated. In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, the narrator is a teenage boy with autism who has a way of stating things frankly. He says this about intelligence, “Being clever was when you looked at how things were and used the evidence to work out something new.” So why are our students not asked to display their learning through creation? I believe we shy away from these higher order thinking skills because it becomes more difficult to measure this type of work.

Daniel Pink in his book Drive tells about the common “mismatch between what people must do and what people can do. When what they must do exceeds their capabilities, the result is anxiety. When what they must do falls short of their capabilities, the result is boredom.” I’ve witnessed student anxiety and worry due to standardized tests and unfortunately I’ve caused student boredom by giving rote tasks instead of authentic challenges. 

Lack of patience is the main reason why I don’t consider fishing a prized hobby of mine (worms and fins have also contributed to this). Though I think there are many similarities between successful fishermen and productive assessors. They are observant, persistent, and definitely patient. 

Observe, reflect, and KEEP CASTING!

Peace in the process.

A Lesson for Educational Leadership

Another Biblical Parallel to the World of Education

Most books have the ability to awaken one’s imagination. The Bible, through God, has the ability to awaken one’s reality on a completely different level. I’ve once again sensed this power, as God has uniquely given me a parallel in the Old Testament, in the man of Nehemiah. 

Like Nehemiah in his quest to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, I’m journeying to find the optimal approach to education. I plan to start in the same way as Nehemiah, with a purpose and a passion.

Much of Nehemiah’s example can be applied to chasing a goal of any kind, but I’ll specifically apply it in terms of educational leadership.

Purpose and Passion

Nehemiah was so concerned about the broken down Jerusalem walls that he “mourned and fasted and prayed”. He was deeply concerned that without these walls his people would lose their God-given identity, purpose and hope.

This divinely aligns with the burden I feel for the kids in today’s schools. Based on your personal experience, you can determine for yourself the state of the figurative walls of our educational system. But I must believe they’re at the very least vulnerable; and at their very worst, crumbled ruins. As long as the protection, support, and encouragement of these walls are absent, so too are a child’s God-given identity, purpose and hope missing.

So, what did Nehemiah do with his load of passion? Knowing the only way to reach entire restoration, Nehemiah began to fervently pray, confessing and repenting. The result was that when the door was open for action, he was more than prepared, knowing exactly what needed to happen. It’s almost comical the laundry list of requests Nehemiah makes to the king. Not surprisingly, the king grants them without hesitation (Nehemiah 2:4-9).

This example of thorough reflection and preparation is what schools need on every level. Legislators, administrators, and teachers are so quick to act on what’s perceived to be a quick fix or a step in the right direction. See Common Core State Standards, the most recent teacher evaluation systems, schools’ approach to intervention, and the list goes on.

-Reflect Constantly- 

Common Vision

Nehemiah was continuously working hard to maintain a common vision amongst every individual involved, no matter leader or laborer. He always gave each person support from the whole and reminded them of the purpose! Nehemiah had to fight hard to eliminate all traces of personal greed in the project. He recognized that the task God had assigned was far too important to allow distractions to interfere with its work.

            The sense of community and maintaining a common vision is possibly the most important concept to the education system, but it’s also the most difficult to achieve. The vision varies in every state, district, school building, and down to every classroom. We must be reminded of the purpose and eliminate greed and distractions that prevent the possibilities of the purpose.

            This reminds me of a quote from The Alchemist. “A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.” In its current state, educational leadership is enamored with trending methods or the latest popular resources. I’m afraid we’re forgetting the children.

Our School's Product: Serviceable or Dynamic?

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The students the public school system develops could be described as an abandoned toolbox. The ability of the tools all depends on the person using them. For the tools to create something dynamic and unique, they rely on someone to tell them what to do. Our system is creating a generation of stuffed toolboxes just waiting for a designer, a carpenter, anyone that can tell them what to do. 

Each tool strategically and individually processed for the purpose of one job. Resulting in an overwhelming amount of potential when found in the same toolbox as many varying tools! Tragically there is no ownership of this set of tools (skills or talents). These tools are starving for interaction with each other, looking for opportunities to explore, create, construct, and experiment.

Only, much time is spent improving and evaluating an already adequate tool. Instead of utilizing school to show what capabilities a toolbox allows for, when paired with the special talents of a unique individual.

Measurable goals produce predictable measurable results. In this case the result or outcome produced from the public education system, is a serviceable person. SERVICEABLE. Is that how we would want our children to be described?

They’ve learned what to think instead of how to think. They’ve admirably developed their skillset but have no clue how these can be used together to produce something authentic.

The measureable standards and skills are important but should not be our priority. I'm going to attempt to teach in a way that engages the way students are made to learn.

I’ve been reading  a novel that could probably also be found in the self-help section. I love those types of books! It is flooded with powerful themes of producing results through perspective and decision-making. In The Noticer Returns, the character with great perspective suggests that an end result must first be agreed upon. This drives the process. Every decision and activity must drive us closer to that end result.

Unfortunately, the end result agreed upon by the educational system is mastery of isolated skills on a standardized assessment. This drives the process everyday in every classroom.  

In the book by Andy Andrews, a small group of parents identify traits and characteristics that they would desire for their children.

Some were:

To be divinely guided, to have a grateful spirit, to have a joyful spirit, to be loyal, responsible, humble, to be a creative thinker, to have a servant’s heart (p.91).

The list went on with about a total of twenty characteristics. And the point is, none of them are very measurable, concrete traits. And surely none of them are listed in the state or national standards for the classroom.

How would our results change, if we put these types of abilities and traits as our priority and the needed measurable skills and objectives were still developed with intent but now served a supporting role. This would allow our children’s lives to result in dynamic, creative accomplishments according to their uniqueness.

What great contrast between the ideas of a “dynamic” individual and a “serviceable” person. Lets agree on what we desire for an end result so that our process and decisions can align with that. Great conversation to have for every school, community and household!

What do you want your child’s school to produce?