"In this age of 'accountability, ' teachers have been treated as
targets of assessment rather than agents of it; assessment is something
that is done to teachers, not something they do."
And this state of affairs, argue Chris W. Gallagher and Eric D. Turley,
must not continue if we want our students to develop the skills that
will enable them to succeed in this brave new world of technological and
global literacy. Teachers do have a role in writing assessment, the
authors suggest, and we have much to gain if we move assessment to the
center of our professional practice, especially if we approach writing
assessment through an inquiry framework that allows us to collaborate
with students, other teachers, and community members to build our own
assessment literacy, expertise, and leadership.
Based on the IRA-NCTE Standards for the Assessment of Reading and
Writing, Revised Edition, this book brings us inside teachers' local
contexts-classrooms, schools, and communities-to illustrate how teachers
are taking the reins of writing assessment, guiding and improving the
writing and literacy practices of their students while simultaneously
reflecting on and revising their own instructional practices.
As part of NCTE's Principles in Practice imprint, Our Better Judgment
shows us what is possible when teachers practice leadership in writing
assessment and challenges us to speak out about what our students really
need.
