Whole Picture Not Included

A light haze spread across the early morning sky. The sun emerged in the corner of the horizon, producing shades of pink, purple, blue, and silver. Windmills, trees, and barns were silhouetted in the distance. It was breathtaking! As we drove, we opened the window, leaned out a little, and tried to capture it all with our phones, but none of the pictures portrayed what we were seeing with our eyes. Not one of them accurately captured what we saw.

As we continued, our discussion led to an educational connection. This experience felt analogous to student assessments. There is a good chance that the snapshot we get of students with a single assessment on any given day does not capture them either. Formal assessments don’t tell us everything we need to know about our students. They are a snapshot of one day, under specific conditions, of what a student is able to do in that moment. However, when we take that snapshot and combine it with conversation, observation, and other snapshots, we have a more complete picture—a true picture that allows us to see them clearly so we can accurately meet their instructional needs.

That morning, we realized the images from our cameras would never accurately depict the landscape in our view. Similarly, there are times we receive student assessment data that isn’t reflective of what we know to be true about our students. In both cases, what we have is informative. The image on our camera serves as a reminder of that morning, and while not an exact replica, it still holds beauty. Assessment results provide information, and while they may not be a completely accurate representation of a student, they can provide information that is helpful in determining student strengths and areas of need.  

Whether one-on-one informal check-ins, or the season of high-stakes testing, we can do ourselves and our students a favor by putting each snapshot in its proper perspective, a frame if you will, decorated with the words, Whole picture not included.