Curriculum design expert Grant Wiggins makes this heretical statement in a recent Edutopia magazine article -- and we think you'll agree! He writes: "Seem crazy? Substitute *feedback* for *assessment*, and you'll better understand what I mean. The point of assessment in education is to advance learning, not to merely audit absorption of facts." Wiggins highlights the work of two British researchers who found that improving the quality of classroom feedback offers the greatest performance gains of any single instructional approach. "This just makes sense. The more you teach without finding out who understands the information and who doesn't, the greater the likelihood that only already-proficient students will succeed."
Wiggins, G. (2006). Healthier testing made easy: The idea of authentic assessment. Edutopia (April 2006). Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 13 May 2008. http://www.edutopia.org/healthier-testing-made-easy