Using Student Choice to Create Assessment Options

This workshop explores how incorporating student choice into assessment practices can enhance authenticity, engagement, and ownership of learning. Participants examine the what, why, and how of student choice assessments, considering key factors in designing and implementing them effectively. The session introduces practical tools such as choice boards, grading options for choice-based work, portfolios, and alternatives to traditional assessments. By the end, educators will understand how to create varied opportunities for student choice and how to embed these practices into lessons and units.

• Overreliance on one-size-fits-all assessments that fail to reflect diverse student strengths.
  
  
• Limited student engagement in traditional assessments due to lack of autonomy or voice.
  
  
• Insufficient teacher strategies for managing and grading varied assessment options fairly and effectively.

1. Designing Student Choice Assessments
   Participants will learn how to design assessments that provide students with authentic choices—such as projects, portfolios, and choice boards—while maintaining rigor and alignment to learning goals.
   
   
2. Managing and Grading Student Choice
   Educators will explore grading options and tools for choice-based assessments, including strategies to ensure fairness, clarity, and consistency when evaluating varied student work.
   
   
3. Implementing Student Choice Across Lessons and Units
   Teachers will leave with strategies for embedding student choice in assessments throughout instructional units, fostering greater student ownership, motivation, and accountability in their learning.