Give your students a Biblical perspective assessment that SCOREs
03/06/08 12:19 Filed in: Good assessment
Like you, I want students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. Like you, I want students to understand the importance of connecting what they study and Biblical principles, and I want students to proficiently connect what they study and Biblical principles.
How can you help your students understand the importance of connecting what they study and Biblical principles?
Use the same strategy you use for helping your students know what course content is important—give an assessment. That’s right. Give a Biblical perspective assessment.
This is reasonable. After all, you’ve taught your students a Biblical perspective of what they’re studying. You’re doing the same thing you do with other material you deem important.
By assessing Biblical perspective, you demonstrate that you think it’s important, and you help students think it’s important. Trust me—students correlate what’s assessed with what’s important. (If you don’t assess Biblical perspective, your students will probably conclude that Biblical perspective is as important as other things that come up in class that you don’t assess. Not good.)
How can you help your students proficiently connect what they study and Biblical teaching?
Use the same strategy you use for helping your students get proficient—give your students practice. You know practice helps:
Why am I telling you this? Here’s why: Essays, concerts, and presentations help your students improve. Essays, concerts, and speeches are forms of assessment. Assessment helps your students improve.
What's the connection? Assessment helps your students connect what they study and Biblical principles. That’s right. Your students will improve their connections as they complete assessments.
What type of assessment can you give your students?
Any type—provided the assessment prompt SCOREs.
What do I mean by “any type”? I mean you can give more than just tests. For example, you can ask your students to write essays, do projects, and give presentations.
What do I mean by “provided the assessment prompt SCOREs”? I mean that the assessment prompt needs to:
What’s an effective Biblical perspective assessment look like?
Here’s a prompt for a 750-word essay: 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? Support your answer with (1) examples from literature, history/current events, and your own experience, and (2) the Biblical principles of respecting God’s image bearers and loving our neighbors. (54 words)
Bottom line: Assessment help students to understand the importance of connecting what they study and Biblical principles and to proficiently connect what they study and Biblical principles.
Action step: Develop a Biblical perspective assessment that SCOREs. Prepare your students for this assessment and then have them take it.
How can you help your students understand the importance of connecting what they study and Biblical principles?
Use the same strategy you use for helping your students know what course content is important—give an assessment. That’s right. Give a Biblical perspective assessment.
This is reasonable. After all, you’ve taught your students a Biblical perspective of what they’re studying. You’re doing the same thing you do with other material you deem important.
By assessing Biblical perspective, you demonstrate that you think it’s important, and you help students think it’s important. Trust me—students correlate what’s assessed with what’s important. (If you don’t assess Biblical perspective, your students will probably conclude that Biblical perspective is as important as other things that come up in class that you don’t assess. Not good.)
How can you help your students proficiently connect what they study and Biblical teaching?
Use the same strategy you use for helping your students get proficient—give your students practice. You know practice helps:
- Writing essays helps your students improve their writing.
- Singing in concerts helps your students improve their singing.
- Giving speeches helps your students improve their speaking skills.
Why am I telling you this? Here’s why: Essays, concerts, and presentations help your students improve. Essays, concerts, and speeches are forms of assessment. Assessment helps your students improve.
What's the connection? Assessment helps your students connect what they study and Biblical principles. That’s right. Your students will improve their connections as they complete assessments.
What type of assessment can you give your students?
Any type—provided the assessment prompt SCOREs.
What do I mean by “any type”? I mean you can give more than just tests. For example, you can ask your students to write essays, do projects, and give presentations.
What do I mean by “provided the assessment prompt SCOREs”? I mean that the assessment prompt needs to:
- Be Student-friendly in terms of vocabulary and length (75 words or less). That’s right. The assessment needs to be student-friendly because students are taking the assessment. The assessment doesn’t need to be teacher-friendly because the teacher isn’t taking the assessment. What do I mean by teacher friendly? I mean the prompt is written for the teacher. I’ve seen prompts only the teacher could really understand—500 words with no clear point.
- Require students to Connect content/skills, Biblical principle(s), and life. Don't give an assessment that leaves things disconnected. That’s like putting chocolate chip cookie ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and chocolate chips) in a bowl, but not stirring them together to make dough. Which would you rather eat: chocolate chip cookie dough or unmixed ingredients?
- Give Opportunities for student choice, as appropriate. Giving students the opportunity to make choices unleashes student learning and potential. I’ve seen this repeatedly. So have you.
- Be Rigorous. A rigorous assessment inspires student learning. In my experience, students enjoy challenging assessments and don’t enjoy easy assessments.
- Be Even worthy of being taught to. Prepare your students by teaching to the assessment. Just make sure your assessment is actually worthy of being taught to!
What’s an effective Biblical perspective assessment look like?
Here’s a prompt for a 750-word essay: 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? Support your answer with (1) examples from literature, history/current events, and your own experience, and (2) the Biblical principles of respecting God’s image bearers and loving our neighbors. (54 words)
Bottom line: Assessment help students to understand the importance of connecting what they study and Biblical principles and to proficiently connect what they study and Biblical principles.
Action step: Develop a Biblical perspective assessment that SCOREs. Prepare your students for this assessment and then have them take it.