Know Thyself: Using Student Self-Assessment to Increase Student Learning Outcomes

Student assessment in the classroom is necessary to support student growth and increase students' content knowledge. Formative assessment, or assessment that helps guide instruction and learning, can take many forms. One widely-used form is student self-assessment, in which students assess their own learning and set goals to increase their understanding of a topic. While experts agree that the process of self-assessment is valuable, this value is dependent on the teaching methods, practice and support provided by teachers for students in the classroom throughout the school year. A number of research-based best practices were incorporated into a middle-school science self-assessment, which was used throughout the 2016-207 school year. Teacher observations are discussed and next steps for further student growth are identified.