21st century assessments

Hands on assessments are a good idea for elementary students. Instead of filling in bubbles on a sheet or circling answers, hands on assessments let the students actually perform what they know and have learned. In my social studies methods class for elementary students we have recently been talking about these types of assessments. Students learn and do better when they actually get to perform their work and show what they know. There was an example in our social studies book from an assessment for 4th grade. It showed a map and it asked the students to draw certain things at certain points and locations on the map. A question on a test like this would be more interesting and fun for the students. It would also show how well students read instructions and follow instructions. Hands on assessments are something that are becoming more popular as 21st century education starts to make its way into elementary classrooms.