Let’s talk about assessment. Oh, come on, don’t leave. There’s humor ahead (I hope) and Batman, not to mention Glinda and Elphaba! Assessment has a reputation for being the broccoli of Higher Ed. It’s necessary and good for us, but no one’s exactly running toward the buffet shouting, “More, please!” But I’m here to try to convince you it doesn’t have to be that way. Because, like any good PAIR, assessment works best when you partner it with purpose, people, and maybe a dash of humor, the way wine and cheese go together. Opposites for sure, but when they PAIR up? It’s like Glinda and Elphaba, magic.
You may recall that in the past, we used the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) model to frame our assessment cycle. But as we prepared for the next three-year assessment cycle that kicks off this fall, we started asking: Does that model really reflect how we work? Is it intuitive? Engaging? Did it come with a cape or a bubble? Well, clearly the answer was NO. So, because we want our assessment processes to reflect what we are doing, a DAC (#DebbieLeedyRocks!) proposed something that made sense to us and we hope it will for you too: PAIR = Prepare, Assess, Intervene, Reassess.
To make it memorable (and, I hope, mildly entertaining), let’s ponder some famous pairs who mastered the art of observation, investigation, and iteration as our inspiration:
- Batman & Robin – Dynamic, tactical, driven, constantly decoding Gotham’s chaos.
- Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson – Inquisitive, focused on data and narrative, logic and instinct, as well as tea and occasional explosions.
- Glinda & Elphaba – The Good Witch and the Wicked Witch (depending on who’s telling the story), with fundamentally different approaches but shared goals, learning from and transforming each other.
These are the ultimate fictional partners in discovery, and they all reflect what assessment can be when we PAIR up our work in the real world. Whether you’re Batman and Robin zeroing in on a single crime scene (course or student event), Sherlock and Watson connecting clues across a web of cases (program), or Glinda and Elphaba teaming up to transform all of Oz (general education and cocurriculum), PAIR is the yellow brick road that gets you from preparation to proof; cape, magnifying glass, or magic wand optional.
P = Prepare: Before you can measure learning, you need to define what you’re looking for, because even the best heroes (or witches) don’t go into battle without a plan. Solid preparation makes everything else more effective.
A = Assess: Collect and examine student results to identify patterns and draw conclusions. Think of it as your moment of discovery, part detective, part spellcaster.
I = Intervene: Using the data to make informed changes, it’s the step that turns assessment from a static report into a dynamic tool for improvement; it’s your “let’s try something better” moment.
R = Reassess: Checking to see if learning improved, held steady, or vanished into Gotham’s shadows. This step closes the loop, reinforces reflective teaching, and keeps the focus on continuous improvement, ensuring that your instructional spell has the intended impact.
Remember, the tools are the same, only the scale changes. From solving a single case to untangling the whole web of clues, assessment turns learning intentions into lived student experiences, so the impact is real and lasting.
#CurriculumThatCounts
Stay tuned for Post 2 of this 5-part series: P = Prepare, all good assessment is intentional.