Teacher Discussion Forums

However a teacher assesses or tests their classroom’s comprehension is important. There seems to be a checklist for what constitutes a valid assessment. In my opinion, making sure a test is valid is probably the most important aspect of the assessment. According to Brown’s Teaching by Principles, validity is “the degree to which the test actually measures what it is intended to measure.” This definition is the exact reason why I feel the most important component of an assessment is its validity: it would be pointless to test students in a math class on their spelling. It is imperative to create a test that measures exactly what was taught, especially to ELLs.

As I've argued, the problem originates in initial teacher training and the industry in general: Did your training adequately cover assessment?

Admittedly, assessing math or any other subject is a much easier proposition than assessing acquired language skills.