To ensure students conduct useful peer/self-assessments, what should you do?

• A. Let them do them with very little guidance
• B. Do not include self-assessment at all
• C. Train them in the expectations for the assessment
• D. Have them start by grading each others' tests

Answer: (C)

Clear expectations and structured guidance are essential for peer and self-assessments to be meaningful. When students know exactly what quality work looks like and how to judge it, they can apply the criteria consistently and give useful, actionable feedback. Providing a rubric with clear criteria, exemplars of different performance levels, and modeling of how to assess and comment helps calibrate their judgments and build their ability to reflect on their own work.

Training also supports metacognition: students learn to compare their performance to the standards, identify specific strengths and areas for improvement, and articulate targeted next steps. This preparation makes peer and self-assessment more reliable and fair, and it fosters the skills students need to improve in future tasks.

Other approaches fall short because little guidance leaves assessments subjective and inconsistent; not including self-assessment misses important practice in reflection and self-regulation; and jumping straight into grading others’ work without training can reinforce unclear criteria and biased feedback.