Collaborative Assessment: Middle School Case Study

Utilizing a participant observer research model, a case study of the efficacy of a collaborative assessment methodology within a middle school social studies class was conducted. A review of existing research revealed that students' perceptions of assessment, evaluation, and accountability influence their intrinsic motivation to learn. A collaborative assessment methodology was developed to provide a means to involve the students in the decision-making processes of instruction: lesson planning, goal and objective identification, assessment, and evaluation. Changing extrinsic motivators like assessment and evaluation into intrinsic motivators was the ultimate goal of the collaborative assessment methodology. The collaborative assessment methodology utilized a cyclical information flow so that all assessments and evaluations became formative. The study was highly influenced by the instructor's belief in constructivist curriculum tradition and existentialist philosophy.