Rick Stiggins

This strange book hints at a conversion process gone awry: whether Productive Classroom Assessment in College Courses began its life as a PowerPoint presentation, or was hastily transcribed from one or more lectures, the 117-page final product is not a comfortable read. It’s a pity, as there is considerable appeal in Stiggins’ central point: that carefully selected and administered assessment can (and must) go beyond a traditional summative role in determining grades to become a teaching tool in itself, providing motivational feedback for students who are struggling as well as those who are excelling. The most useful section of the book analyzes possible methods of assessment (“selected response,” “essay,” “performance assessment,” “personal communication”) and their alignment with learning targets (“knowledge mastery,” “reasoning proficiency,” “skills,” “ability to create products”). That chapter may help instructors to articulate their expectations of student learning, and justify or reconsider the most appropriate methods.

Unfortunately, the book suffers from several irredeemable weaknesses. First, in declining to offer “concrete illustrations of quality assessments spanning the immense array of academic subjects,” Stiggins makes his argument abstract to an extent that may interfere with comprehension. The rationale for this choice (“I lack sufficient content expertise”) is unsatisfying, and some readers may feel that mentally translating a specific example from one discipline into the language of their own would be less onerous than having to imagine all examples from scratch. Also problematic is the insufficient explanation of the basis of Stiggins’ recommendations. Presumably, his thinking is largely informed by firsthand experience as a college instructor and as the founder and one-time leader of the Assessment Training Institute (Portland, OR). If any of his recommendations were informed by published research in educational psychology, however, that is not made clear: there are no references, no suggestions of further reading. In a work explicitly intended for an academic audience, this avoidance of academic conventions is awkward at best. Finally, the poor quality of writing throughout the book—-and perhaps even more troubling, the apparent lack of any copy-editing-—combine with the aforementioned difficulties to make for a painful reading experience.… (mehr)

Assessment is a topic many to most faculty don't like to think about. Most of us conceive assessment as a time-consuming "sorting" of student work that makes little obvious difference in future student performance. Stiggins goal is to help faculty think more about how and what they assess as well as how closely it resembles what they want students to know and be able to do by the end of the course. This book provides a basic primer in how to assess - especially useful for faculty who haven't explored the depths of psychometrics. A great easy read for those who want to know more about how to create and use assessments in the classroom.… (mehr)