When students are involved in their own assessment, they participate in their learning and can monitor their own achievement. Teachers should have a clear vision of what they want their students to achieve, and then allow students to assist in developing the criteria by which their work is evaluated. As students learn to apply these criteria, they are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in their work. This helps to eliminate surprises and excuses and builds trust and confidence.
Repeated self-assessment allows students to monitor improvements in their performance over a period of time. Students can nurture their own growth as they chart their progress and see the changes in their achievements. They gain a sense of control over their own learning with self-monitoring approaches, such as building growth portfolios of evidence of their success over time.
Students are proud and confident when they can share their self-assessments with others, especially when they are involved with parent/teacher conferences. They experience a sense of responsibility for their own success and pride in being able to relate a positive story of their success. Likewise, when they have not done as well as they could have, they are induced to exert more effort for more productive work.
Students must practice regularly in order to meaningfully assess themselves. Teachers can support their students' efforts by providing regular, uninterrupted time for students to think about their progress. They should encourage the students to ask questions, such as, "What did I learn today and with what do I need help? What did I do well and what else do I want to know about it?" Have your students collect writing samples, which will give them the opportunity to evaluate their work as part of their overall self-assessment.