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Remember Professional Judgment?
The core of public assurance
A very significant element of teacher preparation programs involves the development of a skill set devoted to making professional judgments as a teacher. How does a teacher exercise judgment? What are the elements? Given different elements, how does a teacher consider various factors and exercise judgment? For any profession, the exercise of professional judgment is a key element to learn, and it is particularly important for teachers in the context of assessing student learning. The development of professional judgment continues through one’s career.
My understanding of the importance of professional judgment reflects my own experiences and was coloured by a very significant event in my first year of university. I always did well in English language arts, but my English 30 experience wasn’t an enjoyable one, and I really looked forward to my first-year English course, which would allow me to demonstrate that I could do well in English. I was devastated when my first paper was returned. My English professor, Dr Bill Latta, a very distinguished professor at the University of Lethbridge, awarded my effort a C- and invited me to sit down and talk about the essay. The analysis of the literature, never mind the structure of the essay, left much to be desired. Dr Latta went through the essay in considerable detail and I started to understand what I needed to do to successfully complete such an assignment. My next paper was much better—it was a B—and once again Dr Latta endured my company to outline what I could do to be more successful with the task. I learned an enormous amount about writing, analysis and the mechanics of good argument. By my fourth assignment, I earned an A and I did just as well on the last assignment of the term. I also felt that I had gained so much on this journey in multiple respects: I was a better writer, I was much sharper at analysis and I could structure an argument. I truly benefited from Dr Latta’s superb teaching and commitment to his students.
I did well on the final examination, but I was aware that the best I could do in the introductory English course was a final mark of B. The first few assignments, in particular, had a negative impact on calculating the final mark—the C- and Bs brought down the mark, and offset the As that I earned in the latter portion of the course. Just the same, I wanted to know my final mark. In those days, so long ago it was even before dirt was invented, students learned their final mark by reviewing a posted list of marks on the professor’s office door. So I journeyed to Dr Latta’s office to confirm that my final mark was a B. I carefully reviewed the marks on Dr Latta’s door, looking for my student identification number. Suffice it to say that I was quite surprised to discover that my final mark was an A. I looked several times because it just wasn’t possible, but there was no mistake about the letter of the alphabet that appeared beside my student identification number. I was even more surprised when the office door opened and there was Dr Latta.
It’s hard to know what to say in such a situation, so I fessed up that my English final mark was much higher than it could possibly be, given the full range of marks through the year. There must have been a mistake. Dr Latta, probably eager to get out of his office, expressed his philosophy very clearly. He noted that I had learned more than anyone else in the class and that he had decided that he wouldn’t “hold my learning against me.” I started with a C- and ended with a solid A. Dr Latta said he chose the latter because it most fairly represented my skills at the end of the course. I had learned so very much and that’s what counted—each student was there to learn.
In my days as a classroom teacher, I proudly applied Dr Latta’s approach and exercised professional judgment in my assessment of student learning. A final mark wasn’t an arithmetic endeavour—it was an exercise in professional judgment. Like Dr Latta, I tried not to hold students’ learning against them. It’s very much at the centre of professional judgment.
At the end of the day, a professional assurance model relies extensively on professional judgment, but that should also be a hallmark of teaching practice. That’s not to say that there are no quantitative measures in public assurance—there are. The most descriptive scorecards combine multiple assessments and produce much more meaningful data for the core question about how we are doing. Relying on public assurance models begins with professional judgment and provides more valid, reliable and meaningful data that can actually help us answer that vital question, improve our professional practice and foster community engagement.
