The three things I’ve learned

I value assessment as a critical tool for learning and professional growth, but oftentimes, concerns about test results and newspaper headlines make you reconsider, How is this possible? What do they really mean? Thus, I’ve learned to interpret test results taking into account context and intent, e.g. PISA overall test results may offer a general sense about the performance of a group on a given subject, but we know that percentiles and scale scores are most meaningful when  associated with performance levels. At the classroom level, it is important to aggregate subscores, do item analysis and triangulate data from different sources. Most importantly, I’ve learned that the results of individual students can only be effectively interpreted within the context of their classroom environment  -–What were the learning expectations for this student? How rigorous and relevant was the instruction? We need to refrain from spontaneous interpretations; the more we extrapolate, the likely it is to develop an antagonism against this critical aspect of the teaching-learning process.