Traditional teaching methods can rely too heavily on cumulative tests. As a result, a student's grade can be affected greatly if he does not do well on the unit test. In addition, instead of breaking down the skills to see if mastery has been achieved, teachers sometimes use tests to wrap up a unit rather than to see if specific skills need to be retaught. Assessment needs to be given throughout the marking period to truly assess progress.
Tests and quizzes represent the majority of assessments given by classroom teachers. Another challenge with assessment is to vary it. Project-based learning offers a way for teachers to assess students and to appeal to their different learning styles. The integration of projects involves time, creativity and a different approach than some teachers are accustomed to using in their classrooms. Teachers need to find new ways to truly assess students.
Another challenge of classroom assessment lies in authenticity. If the assessment is not authentic or valid, the student's score is irrelevant. Teachers need to examine test questions by using an item analysis. In other words, teachers need to see how many students answered the question correctly. If more than half of the students answered incorrectly, a new question needs to be made. Some teachers fail to assess their questions to make sure they are valid ones.
With class numbers on the rise, teachers need to budget time and cannot always use open-ended assessment. Open-ended responses, or short answer, allows students to explain their point of view and showcase what they have learned. This type of response reveals more about what a student understands than a multiple-choice question. But grading writing takes much more time than objective assessments, and teachers often resort to these less conducive measures to manage large class sizes.