March/April Action Research

Student Self-Assessment
April 2015
MED 515
Samantha Frame
Student Self-Assessment
For my March Action Research I posed the question: Will the use of student
self-assessment result in improvement in responsibility for quality work? To set
this up I had students complete various forms of self-assessment both prior to handing
in work and after receiving teacher graded work back. The first self-assessment I had
students participate in was with their Independent Reading Project. Each student has
had a reading project grading rubric that they received at the beginning of the project
introduction. The day before the project was due and expected to present, I dedicated
the class period to self-assessment. I presented a past student project to give an
example of a quality project, then had students take their copy of the rubric for the
project and scores themselves on their individual projects. Because each category is
listed with a point value, it gave students an opportunity to recognize what parts they
were missing and add that piece into their project before presenting the following day. I
noticed that most of the students went through grading their project pretty meticulously.
This process took a little longer than I budgeted for because a few students were
making those changes to improve their project. One student in my sub-group was
considered an outlier in this success as he was not completed with his project and did
not have the opportunity to self-assess prior to presenting. What I found especially
interesting with this project is how they graded themselves and how accurate a couple
of the scores were to my scoring. Some students made comments when they received
their scoring rubrics back from me saying wow, I scored myself way harder than Mrs.
Frame scored me or I scored myself the same exact score that Mrs. Frame scored
me. One thing I would like students to recognize about their self-scoring is taking that
next step and fixing what they downgraded themselves on instead of leaving it as is. I
also noted that a couple students have not practiced self-scoring before and filled out
the rubric by going through the motions instead of looking for missing pieces of info;
treating the exercise as an opportunity and not just another step.
I also incorporated the use of self-assessment in less formal ways too including a
one sentence response on what they would do different on a graded writing assignment
they got back. I also used self-assessment using their journals. After free writing in their
journal, I had them go back and make any grammar edits using a guide they were given
in the daily Language lesson. To mix it up I did not always collect their work that they
self-assessed. I would like to instill self-assessment as a common practice among my
students, so they start to set high standards of work for themselves.
Based on what I saw via observation, feedback, and the data I collected, I think
that self-assessment benefitted my group of students by making them more aware of
the quality of their work. I think so often they complete it and turn it in, without reviewing
their work and checking for errors or oversights. I think by incorporating self-assessment
more often and sporadically I will see a higher level of work in the long run. I think this

March/April Action Research

Student Self-Assessment
April 2015
MED 515
Samantha Frame
step is especially crucial for the clientele I work with. I have students with varying
disabilities that often rush through their work and struggle paying attention to detail or
remembering to review their work first. By providing this opportunity with structure, it
helps students practice this skill. I was also very motivated by how many opportunities
there were to incorporate self-assessment, whether formally or informally. Like any skill
among students, the more they practice this skill, the more likely they are going to
practice the skill independently to be successful in the future.
Independent Reading Project Rubric Data from sub-group of students:

/ 80pts. Total

Student:

Student Given Score:

Teacher Given Score:

K.C.:

78

72

D.D.

76

61

J.J.

78

78

W.H.

74

80

J.D.

0 (didnt get a chance to self-assess)

58