Summary of Best Practices

What are some overall best practices for using proficiency-based approaches to assessment with post-secondary learners?

Although each type of assessment requires a different approach, here are some general practices we recommend when using proficiency-based approaches to assessment in post-secondary contexts:

• Understand the linguistic and cultural profiles of your students and their motivations for learning
• Align your assessment practices with your unit or course goals/objectives and instructional practices
• Design assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate their abilities in multiple ways over time
• Use a common language and benchmarks to measure and evaluate proficiency across courses and programs
• Include students in the assessment process through ongoing goal-setting, self-assessment, and reflection activities

More specific best practices for placement testing and developing assessment plans are provided in the following sections of this module.