Week 3: What Type of Assessment?

I’ve learned that no single type of assessment is universally “best.” Instead, the effectiveness depends on the learning goal. Selected-response assessments are efficient for checking foundational knowledge, but they often fall short in measuring deeper understanding. Open-ended assessments allow students to explain their thinking, while performance-based assessments provide the richest insight into student learning. Personally, I lean toward performance assessments because research shows they allow students to demonstrate skills in authentic ways and better capture complex thinking and real-world application (Pellegrino, 2014).