You want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. You’ve heard that assessment can help. So, you want to learn more. Good.

Question: How can you learn more about using assessment?

Answer: By exploring the following list of 12 questions.

1. How does assessment impact student learning?
2. What type of assessment can you use?
3. What makes a good assessment good?
4. How good is your assessment?
5. How can you make your assessment even better?
6. How proficiently do you want your students to use a Biblical perspective?
7. How much practice do your students need?
8. What makes a good rubric good?
9. How can you use a rubric?
10. How can you use assessment data?
11. What's your vision for using assessment?
12. How committed are you to having your students apply a Biblical perspective to what they learn?

Remember: The real question isn't "How can you learn more about using assessment?" The real question is "How will you use assessment help your students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study?”


Additional resources:

1. Videos: Teach and assess Biblical perspective, Biblical perspective assessment helps, Assessment helps students value and get proficient at Biblical perspective,
2. Teacher testimonials regarding using assessment
3. Self-assessment: To get started with using assessment, take this self-assessment
4. Tutorial: Use assessment to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
5. Use assessment

You want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. You’ve heard that assessment can help. So, you want to use assessment.

Question: How can you get started?

Answer: By taking the following self-assessment. Rate each item, using the following scale:

4: Strongly agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly disagree

___ I understand how assessment impacts student application of a Biblical perspective.
___ I know what type of assessment to use to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.

___ I know what makes a good assessment good.
___ The assessments I give my students are good.
___ I work to make my assessments even better.

___ My students proficiently apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.
___ My students apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration to what they study.
___ My students get sufficient practice in applying a Biblical perspective to what they study.

___ The rubrics I use to score my assessments are good.
___ I use my rubrics effectively.
___ I use my assessment data to modify instruction.

___ I use assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I have a clear vision for using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I want to learn more about using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I am committed to helping my students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.


Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:

1. How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
2. What satisfies/concerns me about the data?
3. Which items would it be helpful to learn more about?
4. What will I do?

Additional resources:

1. Videos: Teach and assess Biblical perspective, Biblical perspective assessment helps, Assessment helps students value and get proficient at Biblical perspective,
2. Teacher testimonials regarding using assessment
3. Tutorial: Use assessment to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
4. Use assessment
5. To learn more about using assessment, explore these 12 questions

Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, responds:

I use assessments to see how well my students are connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches—and I use assessments to give my students practice making connections. I give a total of 9 Biblical perspective assessments. I assess content/Bible connections in 2 of 4 presentations, 2 of 9 unit tests, and 5 of 8 essays.
 
Here are the prompts for my 9 assessments:
 
Presentation prompt (used at the end of first and second semester): Connect to something you studied this semester in English 10, develop that connection as your project, connect a Biblical principle to the topic, and connect the Biblical principle to your life in a way you can implement and report on. This may be done as an individual (5-8 min. presentation) or in a group (8-10 min. presentation).
 
Unit test prompts:
(1) Short story unit (12/100 points): Describe Camus’s existentialism. Be sure to include:

• A definition of existentialism.
• The juxtaposition that makes humanity’s situation absurd.
• The 2 things the author says give meaning, illustrating them from the story.
• A response to “What of truth (from a Biblical perspective) has the author seen, and what has he missed?”

(2) Night unit (6/60 points): What can a Christian say to someone whose painful experience causes him or her to question the existence of a good God? In your answer, be sure to list and briefly explain 3 of the points in the letter “What Can Speak to Our Wounds?”
 
Essay prompts:
(1) Cry, the Beloved Country unit (750-1000 words): Compare/contrast how 2 of the characters from Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country illuminate the Biblical concept of shalom. Next, apply insights gained from your comparison/contrast to a current event or personal situation.
 
(2) Night unit (750-1000 words): How significant a part of what’s wrong with the world is the tendency to disregard the human dignity of others, and how should a Christian respond? Illustrate your answer from literature, history, current events, and your own experience. Be sure to address the relevance of the Biblical concepts of the image of God and the second greatest commandment.
 
(3) Short story unit (500 words): For one of the short stories you read, identify a theme, analyze how the author uses literary conventions to communicate it, and evaluate it from a Biblical perspective.
 
(4) Poetry unit (500 words): Using the poetry analysis skills we practiced, critique the lyrics of a favorite song: what the lyrics say, how they say it, and what God might think of what they say.
 
(5) A Doll's House unit (750-1000 words): What kind of individual are you, why, what kind do you want to be, and what will help or hinder you in becoming that individual? In your answer, be sure to include responses to the following 3 questions:
(A) Who are you spiritually, personality-wise, and culturally? (See below.)

• Spiritually: How does God define you, to what extent do you agree (if not, what’s your alternate definition?), and what practical implications does that have? (Cite the Bible at least 3 times.)
• Personality-wise: How does the Meyers-Briggs assessment define you, to what extent do you agree (why/why not), and what practical implications does that have? (Cite personality information at least 2 times.)
• Culturally: Which of Kohls’ cultural values are strongest for you? Why? (Influence of home culture? Japanese culture? US culture? CAJ culture?) (Cite Kohls at least 2 times.)

(B) How do these aspects of you interact?
(C) How does understanding these things about yourself help you determine your mission in life and how to attain it?

Knowledge: You know that assessment can help your students increase their application of a biblical perspective to course content.

Vision: You are committed to achieving the vision—every student in every class proficiently applying a biblical perspective to course content.

Action: You want to act. You want to design and give your students an effective assessment.

Question: You ask, “What type of assessment can I use?”

Your answer: Before I respond to your question, please identify 3 types of assessment you could use. Right now. Please stop reading and identify 3 types of assessment.

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Good. Now that you’ve identified 3 types of assessment, keep reading.

My answer: Here are 4 types of assessment you can use—presentations, projects, tests, and writing. You can use these types of assessment to help your students increase their application of a biblical perspective to course content. At Christian Academy in Japan, for example, departments use the following types of assessment:

• Art: writing
  
• Bible: presentations
  
• Computer: projects
  
• English: tests, writing
  
• ESL: writing
  
• Math: projects
  
• Music: tests
  
• Social Studies: presentations, tests
  
• Science: writing

What might a given type of assessment look like? Here are 7 examples:

1. Presentation in English 8: Using a book that you’ve already read for independent reading this year, prepare a 2- to 3-minute presentation in which you give an exciting introduction to the plot, a brief explanation of the conflict and theme, a biblical perspective of the conflict and theme (including how the book shows “taking a stand”), and a satisfying conclusion.
   
2. Project in Math 8: Mr. Hall wants to buy an Apple computer and does not have enough money to pay up front. As Mr. Hall’s financial adviser, develop a poster that outlines what he payment plan your recommend that he should use. The poster should include a spreadsheet analysis that explains a credit card payment plan, the Apple credit account plan, and the Apple education lease plan. The poster should include your recommendation of payment plan Mr. Hall should choose and an explanation of how you used a biblical perspective to arrive at this recommendation, giving at least 1 Bible reference. (Use the biblical perspective of wealth and material goods we studied in class.)
   
3. Project in Science 9: Use three carbon footprint calculators to estimate your family’s and your greenhouse gas emissions and compare your results with national averages. In the context of using your learning to care for God’s creation, identify three ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Next, make an A3-size poster that shows what you learned, including your calculations for greenhouse gas emissions, a graph of your personal footprint, and a written explanation of a biblical perspective on why Christians should be concerned about the size of their carbon footprint and three or more steps you are taking or could take to reduce the size of your carbon footprint.
   
4. Test in English 10: (Short Answer) In this unit we studied “What’s the significance of words?” In a well-written paragraph, answer the question. In your paragraph, refer to 2 authors studied and the biblical perspective lesson we did.
   
5. Writing in Science 2: Write a 1–2 paragraph report about a dinosaur of your choice. Include where the dinosaur lived, when it lived, what it ate, what it looked like, its size, how it got its name, who found it, and any other interesting facts you found. Give three examples of how your dinosaur shows God’s creativity and power.
   
6. Writing in Social Studies 5: Write a one-page essay about the following: Based on what the Bible teaches about war, would you have fought in the Revolutionary War on the side of the colonists? In your answer, explain what the Bible teaches (cite two Bible verses). Next, use what the Bible teaches to evaluate reasons colonists fought in the war. Conclude with what you would do and why.
   
7. Writing in English 10: Write a 1000-word essay to answer the following questions: Who are you? How does knowing who you are help you love your neighbor and/or heal what’s wrong in the world? In your answer use first-person, use six quotations (three from the literature studied in class and three from the Bible) and cite a minimum of seven sources (including works of literature, the Bible, and a dictionary of theology).

Take action: You know assessment can help your students. You are committed to the vision of your students using a biblical perspective. You want to take action, and you now have several answers to your question, “What type of assessment can I use?”

Take action. Now. Determine the type of assessment you will use. Develop an assessment. Prepare your students for the assessment. Give your students the assessment. Completing an effective assessment helps your students