Education Commons^™

Self-Assessment And Democratization, Betty Mcdonald Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This paper takes the stance that self-assessment is an integral part of democratization in classrooms. Defined as ‘the involvement of students in identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgments about the extent to which they met these criteria and standards’ (Boud 1986, p. 5), self-assessment uses principles that promote democracy. Freedom of expression and participation in decision making propel the student to a level outside of the norm that results in excellence in all areas of endeavor, within and without the classroom. Implications for education and society are discussed.