Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 7: Standards and Assessment

“Teacher-Centered: Formal and informal tests are given to determine the student’s aptitude for and mastery of the subject matter that has been taught—the content and the skills. Contemporary teacher-centered schools make use of standardized tests of aptitude and achievement.

Student-Centered: There is an ambivalence about both standards and assessments. Standards are problematic because of the great emphasis on individual differences. There is a preference for qualitative and diagnostic tests and, more recently, for portfolios.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.