s any way they choose. This allows students to utilize their literacies; it gives every student a chance to be successful.I believe that a great deal of assessment should be done on an individual student basis. This is a tough call, because some students in our classes are at completely different levels. Does a second language student who may write a page paper full of errors deserve a “c” when another student writes a page with no errors? One student is doing everything he can while another is barely tapping the potential-well. I struggle with this. They are on completely different levels; however, one is maximizing his potential while the other student is barely hitting the minimum. I believe that we need to set goals and plateaus for each student. Students, themselves, need to set goals. They should strive to be at a certain place, master certain skills, attempt new discourses. Each student is at a different level, and each will set different goals. Let’s face it: to set goals and objectives for your class of thirty-five when students 1 and 35 are at completely different phases of their language development is useless. What’s the point? You know that student 35 will not get there; why put that pressure on her to climb that mountain. Although these goals should push students, they need to be reachable.This is why I believe in Writers’ Workshop. Each student is at a different level, and that’s okay. Each works at his or her own pace; each is trying to reach personal goals. Each student is trying to grow and improve. The same can be said for some of the reading we do. Students get to choose which books they want to read on their own. Students choose books that serve their interests; not only do they choose books they want to read, but they choose books that are appropriate for their reading level. The teacher, of course, makes recommendations.As teachers, we must assess our studen...
