Student-Engaged Assessment

Student-engaged assessment is a strategy that helps students understand and take ownership of their own growth as learners. Student-engaged assessment changes the primary role of assessment from evaluating and ranking students to motivating them to learn. It empowers students to identify where they need to go as learners and the steps they need to take to get there by challenging and engaging them, transforming everyday teaching and learning. It also builds the independence, critical thinking skills, perseverance, and self-reflective understanding students need for college and careers and that is required by the Common Core State Standards. Student-engaged assessment at WESS is implemented through high-quality learning targets, checks for understanding, standards-based grading, student-led conferences, portfolios and passages, and celebrations of learning — which all position students to be leaders of their own learning journey.