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Summary: Developing Thoughtful Assessment
Review: In this book, Marzano begins to refine an assessment model that ten years later has become widely embraced in the profession. Because he is basing it on his Dimensions of Learning model, it is unbelievably complex--that is, unbelievable to the classroom educator he hopes will use it to painstakingly analyze the multiple components of learning articulated by the model. As an exercise in developing the concept of performance assessment and challenging the prevailing use of concrete tasks to infer learning, it was groundbreaking. Published by ASCD, the ranking organ for teacher practitioner literature, it joined the canon. However, in the meantime there have been three editions to texts by Richard Stiggins (Student-involved classroom assessment) and Vicky Spandel (Creating writers through Six-Trait Writing assessment and instruction)as well as many volumes and articles praising the use of rubrics to articulate specific learning targets. Ultimately they are focused on process skills rather than 'factoid' content mastery, and so are developmental: they acknowledge the progress from exploring and emerging to developing on to fluent or experienced expression. The indicators for each level of progress are used to probe, clarify, elaborate, redirect, and support student thought. Thus, Marzano's mission to use assessment as a vehicle for instruction is served. The philosophical commitment to 'lifelong learning' is underscored by the emphasis on continuous improvement and gradual change. These are timeless issues. However, the writing predates No Child Left Behind, and while it was timely for response to the wave of reforms cresting a decade ago, it is now lacking in the context of classroom teachers inundated by accountability mandates to spend most instructional time on 'drill and kill' preparation for standardized tests.
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