Ways of seeing children as literacy learners in an independent elementary school: Implications for assessment and change

To a much greater degree than in traditional assessment, the quality of alternative assessment is directly affected by how well teachers are prepared in the relevant assessment skills, specifically observation of children\u27s literate activity. It is this focus on informal assessment as a key component of Hamilton School\u27s instructional program, and of education in general, that prompts my investigation. I argue that the quality of informal assessment will be directly affected by how well teachers understand that they must be willing to go beyond the initial assumptions about what they observe. What teachers see is deeply affected by what they bring to the act of seeing. Critical and careful examination of beliefs and values is necessary if teachers are to put students\u27 best interests first. My intervention as a principal and staff developer is designed to explore how broad the teachers\u27 conception of literacy is at Hamilton School. I plan to investigate the congruence between the teachers\u27 dialogue about students literacy learning and their actual assessment practices with regard to children\u27s reading and writing development. I also propose to encourage teachers to examine their beliefs and values about literacy and assessment. By working collaboratively to observe, document, reflect on, and discuss teachers\u27 direct observations of the students\u27 learning, the teachers as inquirers may be able to use the evidence obtained through this co-investigation as the basis for making improvements in assessment. This research investigates that possibility and the implications for professional development