As a student, I have never been the biggest fan of assessments. Like many of my peers, my least favorite were the standardized tests. Although they do serve a good purpose, most of the time I never felt I could get everything I knew about a topic across when taking them. I was a much bigger fan of projects and things of that nature, where I could truly express myself and everything I knew. From the education classes I have taken, I have learned that those projects are known as a performance assessment.
From my own experience and observations I honestly think that the best assessments are performance assessments. Whether it's a student standing in front of a class presenting a powerpoint, poem, or possibly a poster they have put together, I think that performance assessments allow for creativity and knowledge to be shown.
Another reason I like performance assessments is that they offer something other assessments don't when it comes to deaf individuals, the ability for them to share their knowledge in their native language. One of the biggest issues with assessments when it comes to deaf students is that there is a barrier in the language. The assessments are written in English, and even with an interpreters help, sometimes assessments are still difficult for students to understand. When it comes to performance assessments, the interpreter would be there to translate the student's thoughts into English for the class, however, the idea that the deaf student could freely express themselves in their native language is what is so great. I think performance assessments are one of the best ways for deaf individuals to get their ideas and knowledge across.
They could also demonstrate knowledge by making a project and being creative not just standing in front of the class. There are so many different types of performance assessments as well, that the possibilities are endless. I think it's also a great time for teachers to talk to the deaf students and see what works for them, and how they would like to demonstrate their skills. Would the student like to make a powerpoint? Would they like to create a model? Or a picture book? This goes the same for students who aren't deaf as well. Performance assessments could help a lot of students relieve their test anxiety.
I'm sure that their are other assessments that work for deaf individuals, for like hearing individuals no two deaf people are alike. However, from my own experience and observation I am a big fan of performance assessment both for the deaf and hearing students.
Jenny, I really like how you expanded on performance assessments and the role of the interpreter. I think that performance assessments would also allow the deaf student to show more of their personality to the class, which would really help them in the end. Great ideas, and great evaluation of the assessments in their relation to deaf students.
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