The word “assess” comes from a Latin word meaning “to sit beside.” While the concept of assessment has taken on a life of its own, especially in the world of education, the word’s etymology reminds us of the true intent. As a teacher, if you are not sitting beside a learner when you set out to assess, you are actually grading, not assessing. The difference matters. 

As discussed in our recent post on conferring, much of our culture at Long-View centers around talk. Across the day, learners are expected to say more about their thinking. It is not enough, for example, to say that you think that the midpoint between 8 and 46 is 27. There’s always the follow-up question: “How did you think about that?” Early on, learners may respond by saying, “I am not sure,” or “It just seems like it should be.” As teachers, we lean into these responses and support learners in developing their metacognitive processes so that they can articulate the thinking by which they arrive at understanding….

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