As the new millennium unfolds, we are awash in the problems arising from yesterday's solutions. As humans, we search to find the simple within the complex. It is elusive, so when we find it, we tend to hold on tight.

More than a hundred years ago there was a problem – how to rank, sort, and group learners for their roles in the industrial world. Assessment became a large part of the solution. Although the problem has changed, many of the old solutions continue to be used.

As Willard Daggart (1991) said, "We are speeding towards the future while looking in the rear-view mirror." This is not safe. Our past, while informing our actions, should not dictate them.

As we discover more about the challenges we face, we seek to ensure that each person leaves his or her family, community, and school prepared to be an independent, self-directed, lifelong learner – a person who is prepared to have many careers over a lifetime.

Making classroom assessment work means reframing the conversation about ranking and sorting students to assessing learning in the context of our students' futures. It means talking with and listening to learners, their parents, and the community about learning and about assessment. It means involving students and parents, giving choices, and sharing control.

When it comes to classroom assessment, solutions can only be found in thoughtful, informed conversation as we work together on behalf of students and their learning.

As we explore and discover new ideas, we need to be cautious in our enthusiasm to share what we learn. When we find something that works for us, we need to refrain from thinking it is the answer and then packaging it for others.

Like the difference between sheet music which makes everyone play the same tune no matter what kind of music they like and a collection of notes which allows everyone to find a tune that works for them, the "right answer" limits others unnecessarily.

Teachers, students, and parents require the flexibility to address the individual needs as well as provide for choice and diversity in order to support each student's learning. Classroom assessment that supports student learning and informs parents guides us.

Anne Davies – adapted from Making Classroom Assessment Work – pp. 77-78. (C) Copyright – All Rights Reserved

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