Assessment sample
Students learn from writing essays
14/01/11 11:55
- I learned that doing devotions can help form my Biblical perspective in both my life and in essays.
- Writing this essay really got me thinking. It scares me that so many people passively disregard human dignity. What's scarier is that I'm one of them.
- I was able to acknowledge and see clearly how we so often do put others down to try to feel better about ourselves, but how that actually has the opposite effect. I re-learned once again that in God alone can we truly know (not only feel) that we are valuable.
- A Christian perspective helps any essay bring its points to a satisfying conclusion.
- I have known the words "human dignity” for really long but never knew what it truly meant till I had to write this essay.
- I learned that we don't have to kill millions of people to disregard human dignity. It happens every day when we gossip or bully.
Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan
9th graders apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration
18/05/10 08:39
At Christian Academy in Japan, Bible 9 students applied creation-fall-redemption-restoration to a variety of topics, including words and beauty. To think through how to do this, some students found it helpful to reflect on key questions.
Student applies Biblical perspective to geography
17/03/10 07:59
Want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study? If so, ask good questions on assessments. For example, ask “Why is it important to study ___?”
An 8th grade social studies teacher put this question on a geography quiz. Here’s a student response to “Why is it important to study geography?”
An 8th grade social studies teacher put this question on a geography quiz. Here’s a student response to “Why is it important to study geography?”
Geography helps us to learn more about where we live, where people around us live, and opens our eyes to where God has placed us. I believe it is very important to study geography especially since we are in a culturally diverse school. Learning geography helps us to build bridges with those around us. It opens ways and opportunities to understand where those around us have come from. It also shows us there is a bigger world out there, not just our own that revolves around school. Studying geography helps us see God's power and helps us through our lives.
What fun to see evidence of student learning!
08/03/10 23:51
I'm just reading 10th grade answers to the last question on the short story test: “What is something significant you learned this unit that you did not have an opportunity yet to demonstrate on this test?” If you're short on time, at least read the first quote.
(The big question for the unit was “How does fiction tell truth?” We explored it by reading Tolstoy’s “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”, Kafka’s “The Bucket Rider,” Camus’s “The Guest,” and Mori Ogai’s “Under Reconstruction.”)
Some student answers had to do with worldviews:
“I learned that it is important to understand others before trying to be understood. In a Christian community, we assume that everyone holds a Christian worldview, and we discuss topics according to that standard. Yet the world is full of nonChristians too. We study non-Christian worldviews so that we may understand people who do not believe in Christianity and may talk effectively to them. We can only give the right defense and impact others if we know what they are thinking.”
“I never knew the Bible actually said enjoy the present moment. That makes me happy that God created things for us to enjoy (without putting them before him). I hadn’t realized that till now. I look forward to better enjoying the moments that God gives me, but making sure I don’t turn it into an idol that I put before God.”
“Through this unit, I learned that all authors, despite their worldviews, show a part of truth (the Fall). Thus, even in a Christian school, it’s good to read stories written by other authors. It puts us into their shoes and can show how bleak the world may seem to them.”
“Through existentialism, I realized I was a bit like that and sometimes wondered about afterlife and life’s meaning. After reading stories like this, I figured out that we need to seek meaning through God and act to what we think is right.”
Students connect Holocaust memoir and Biblical teaching
19/11/09 17:30
Here are sample student answers to the final question on my English 10 test on Night, a Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel: What else did you learn this unit that you did not have a chance to show on the test?
- “Night changed my view of the sufferings of others and made me realize my sinful nature.”
- “I am blessed. I cannot repeat that enough even to realize it myself. Reading Night shocked me, and it made me realize God’s presence in my life. Now that I am more exposed to this realization, I feel like I want to do more for God and His people.”
- “God does try to help the suffering people by sending his people to help. He uses His people….That means that God could choose me or anybody to help the suffering. All we have to do is be ready to help.”
Teacher encouraged by assessment results
14/09/09 07:51
What assessment did you give your students?
Kim: I gave them an essay (750-1000 words) on “Who are you spiritually, temperamentally, and culturally, and why is this a significant question to consider?”
What were your assessment results?
Kim: My students did a good job of responding to the prompt. I was encouraged by their essays. They wrote things like:
"Jesus, my model, influences which cultural values I adopt."
“I thank God for His allowing me to live overseas; I see it as a blessing. I think it was His plan all along to reduce the shyness in me by thrusting me out into the unknown so many times.”
"As a human, I am a reflection of God and therefore have value (Gen. 1.27, Matt. 10.31). As a Christian, I am a child of God (Eph. 5.1). These truths are liberating because they mean that I do not need to focus on obtaining value and love—I already have them. Instead, I can work on making others feel valued and loved (I Cor. 10.24)."
"I have a bad habit of comparing myself with others and feeling insecure, but now I realize that God gives each person a precious gift. Knowing this, I began to gain confidence in what I like and am good at doing, such as music and making people feel welcomed."
"Being a student at Christian Academy in Japan has transformed me spiritually. Although my family is not Christian, being in a Christian environment has led me to become a Christian....”
Student apply Biblical perspective on introductory unit test
09/09/09 14:41
I just finished marking my introductory unit tests. I’m pleased with the results. Students understood the unit’s central idea—that as God’s image bearers, human beings are creative, communicative truth-seekers.
I included a 25-point essay question about the central idea on the 100-point unit test: Discuss the Cultural Mandate and its significance to this unit. Since it was the first test of the year and since I wanted to test their understanding of the central point (and not their writing and thinking skills), I decided to break the essay into 4 short-answer questions:
- What is the Cultural Mandate? (2 points)
- How is it rooted in who humans are as being made in the image of God? (4 points)
- How is it connected to literature as part of creation? (4 points)
- Give 3 examples of authors we read carrying out the Cultural Mandate (15 points).
(1) What is the Cultural Mandate? (2 points)
The Cultural Mandate says, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it.” We are to develop the social world (schools, governments, families, law, etc.) and use what we can from God’s creation to create culture and civilization.
(2) How is it rooted in who humans are as being made in the image of God? (4 points)
Like God, we are creative beings—because we are in His image. Therefore, it is in our nature to desire to create things using our imaginations—and thus develop the various cultures in the world
(3) How is it connected to literature as part of creation? (4 points)
God gave us the gift of language and the ability to read and write. So when authors write, they are doing what God intended—using language to spread their thoughts and ideas throughout the world.
(4) Give 3 examples of authors we read carrying out the Cultural Mandate (15 points).
Confucius’ ideas became a very big part of Chinese culture and have shaped it for 2,000 years. His teachings guide people in how they should live. Confucius used the ability of speaking and sharing his knowledge to influence mass numbers of people.
Allende said she wrote so people would love each other more. This shows her desire to improve the relationships between mankind. Through writing about experiences people may have in common, she hopes to bring people together.
Marquez was called the master of magical realism because he was the first author to use it a lot. In this way, he used his ability to imagine and create something which added to the world’s literature and language.
Student applies creation-fall-redemption-restortion to nature
25/05/09 07:25
Nidhi, a high school student at Christian Academy in Japan, goes to Bible 9 and receives a handout for an assignment:
- Prompt: Trace one part of God’s creation (music, animals, our intellect, families, etc.) through its creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
Teach to your assessment
11/05/09 08:52
Question: Is it OK to teach to an assessment?
Answer: Yes. In fact, teaching to an assessment is an effective practice. Read More...
Answer: Yes. In fact, teaching to an assessment is an effective practice. Read More...
Rigorous assessment inspires student learning
13/03/09 15:52
Question: What inspires students learning?
Answer: Rigor. Students may not want to admit it, but they enjoy rigorous education. So, make your Biblical perspective assessment rigorous, not easy. Read More...
Answer: Rigor. Students may not want to admit it, but they enjoy rigorous education. So, make your Biblical perspective assessment rigorous, not easy. Read More...
A case for quality faith integrated assessments
13/02/09 08:42
If one of the most important things in a Christian school is to nurture faith through the ability of a student to apply a Christian perspective (or worldview) to contemporary life, then we should make sure that our assessments are top notch and will drive our instruction. Additionally we need to make sure that the assessments involve the higher level thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Read More...
Students understand perspective and make connections
11/02/09 10:36
Here are sample student answers to the final question on my English 10 short story test: What else did you learn this unit that you did not have a chance to show on the test? I think understand that everyone has a perspective and that it’s important to connect literature and the Bible. Read More...
Give opportunities for student choice
23/01/09 09:11
You want to help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. You know that assessment helps your students learn, so you want to give your students good assessments. Specifically, you want to give your students assessments that give them opportunities to make choices—because you know making choices helps your students get engaged. Read More...
To help your students make connections, what unit assessments do you give?
10/01/09 12:38
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: Read More...
Require your students to make connections
20/11/08 07:44
At Christian schools, we want our students connecting:
- Content/skills and life. We want students connecting ecology with how they dispose of trash.
- Content/skills and Biblical principles. We want students connecting decisions made by government with Biblical principles regarding justice and peace.
- Biblical principles and life. We want students connecting Biblical principles regarding wealth, love, and the sanctity of life with the movies they watch.
Students grapple with shalom
03/11/08 17:30
