Online Assessment

In many environments it is beneficial for the teacher to implement online assessments in the classroom. For universities and collegiate level students this makes sense for exams that are strictly testing the knowledge and comprehension level of students. Unless the program is a distance learning classroom, an essay style test is not easier for the teacher or student if administered online. For the elementary level, online assessment really is not effective. Some students will work through computer programs on a computer that measure comprehension of books they are reading or check for understanding of a lesson they've learned in a program. It is great for students to learn these necessary computer skills. However, the teacher also needs to ensure that the student learns to bubble in scantron and take paper tests. The testing system in most states has not converted to computer systems and probably will not for quite some time. This means students need to learn basic test taking skills. Some students have mentioned the effectiveness of online assessments because they can be translated into other languages and balance the learning environment. My concern with this is that translating an assessment does not help the student learn the information, it assesses how much of the English instruction he was able to pick up and retain. If anything, as an English language learner students I would be frustrated by an assessment in my language but no instruction in my language. It would seem contradictory. I think that if a teacher uses this resource they need to ensure that the students is proficient enough in their native language to take the test (because often they lose fluency in their own language while learning another) and try to make sure that the instruction is offered in their own language. Otherwise, you are setting the child up for frustration. Online assessment has potential, but the instructor needs to be critical in determining the best use and most effective implementation of the assessment in this form.