Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2024
Abstract
Elementary students lack choices within their assessments which limits their ability to effectively demonstrate their full scope of content knowledge. Standardized assessments restrict how students show their understanding which leads to discrepancies in achievement. Research has shown a positive impact with implementing choice-based assessments within higher education settings. This study aims to assess the advantages, disadvantages, and impact of choice-based assessments to improve academic achievement for the benefit of elementary-aged students. The following research questions were explored: What is the impact of choice-based assessments on elementary student achievement? What are the advantages and disadvantages of choice-based assessments for elementary students? Participants included 21 first graders who were given a pre-assessment and two post-assessments, one with choice and one without, to compare achievement growth. Additionally, field notes were collected to understand the student perception of choice-based assessments. The results indicate that choice-based assessments had an overall positive impact on the achievement and perceived emotions of elementary-aged students. The results show that while the level of support needed to complete assessments were decreased with choice, feelings of confusion were increased with the new method of choice-based assessments. Therefore, it is recommended that choice-based assessments be administered multiple times to further understand the impact after the process becomes more familiar to the students. Further qualitative research is needed to explicitly evaluate the elementary student perception of choice. Additionally, a larger sample size is recommended to diversify the data.