Maximizing the potential of digital assessments: Best practices for educators

January 1, 2024, 15:37 , 15:37

As schools and districts aim to provide high-quality learning experiences for all students, digital assessments play a critical role in determining where gaps might exist. Today, traditional paper-based assessments are at times found to be inefficient and inflexible for monitoring and evaluating student learning progress. In contrast, digital assessments can improve the process, ensuring students who need additional support are identified while easing the workloads of overburdened educators in understaffed schools and districts.

Here are some tips to help make the most of digital assessments in the classroom.

1. Choose assessments that align with school/district learning goals and standards.

A broad range of assessments is available to educators, but how do you know which one will give you the most actionable information? By selecting assessments that directly align with learning objectives and education standards, you’ll be able to discover where students are achieving and where they’re struggling. This vital data can inform your teaching practices and strategies.

2. Prioritize data security when selecting a partner and solution.

Individual privacy is paramount to any edtech tool, so the procurement process must put safety and security at the top of the list. When evaluating your options, some of the top considerations to keep in mind should be a supplier with strict data governance, encryption, access controls and policies that protect sensitive student assessment data and preserve privacy to maintain trust with families and the school community.

To ensure your partner has best-in-class data security policies, ask them to explain to your information technology staff exactly what protections are in place. Features and qualities to look for include:

Data encryption when data is in a database and is transmitted.
Password protection and log management to minimize and detect unauthorized access attempts.
A data collection policy that ensures personally identifiable information isn’t used without permission.
Flexibility in how long test data is retained.

3. Implement universal screening to ensure all students receive the help they need.

As an educator, you may do your best to follow each student’s learning journey and identify possible gaps in progress. However, the many competing demands for your time and focus can make it challenging to recognize every warning sign without help. Universal screening ensures that no child inadvertently falls through the cracks and misses out on needed support.

4. Recognize and manage students’ pre-assessment anxiety.

Many students exhibit test anxiety. You can defuse pre-assessment stress by employing various strategies. For example:

Acknowledge student’s concerns by discussing how these feelings and emotions could manifest, such as “butterflies in their stomach.”
Guide students through anxiety-reducing methods, such as relaxation techniques and positive self-talk, before you deploy assessments.
Ease their minds about the assessment’s impact on their future by putting it into context and reminding them that it’s merely a tool to discover where they might need extra support.

5. Communicate with caregivers about when and how assessments will be used.

Establishing consistent, transparent communication with families about assessment logistics will underscore their role as partners in their child’s education. Furthermore, knowing when assessments will happen offers a caregiver the opportunity to help their child prepare physically, mentally and emotionally by promoting adequate sleep and nutrition and soothing potential test anxiety.

6. Partner with caregivers and fellow educators to share results and create support plans as needed.

Collaborating with caregivers and school staff to interpret results and develop personalized support plans is key to helping students thrive. When families are kept informed, they feel empowered to be actively involved in their child’s education, including advocating for interventions and supporting educational goals that have been jointly identified when students are at home.

Navigating the digital assessment provider landscape

Choosing the right digital assessment solution for your classroom can be challenging. One study on educational technology procurement policy and practice in Canada recommends that procurement stakeholders collaborate across provinces and territories to share best practices and vet solutions. It also stresses the importance of adopting a total-cost approach, taking into account considerations like training and professional development, privacy and security as districts look to achieve the best possible outcomes through widespread adoption and improved student achievement.

Pearson’s Digital Assessment Library (DAL) enables all schools in a district to have the same unlimited access to over 40 assessments so educators can identify and help every student who needs support. Other Pearson digital assessment solutions include:

Q-interactive, a one-to-one iPad-based testing system that helps administer, score and report over 20 different clinical assessments.
Q-global, a web-based system for administering, scoring and reporting Pearson assessments.

To learn more about how tools like Pearson’s DAL, Q-interactive, and Q-global can help your school, contact Pearson’s Assessment Consultant for your region.