🎯 Rethinking Assessment: What If Reflection Is the Data?
- vanessa speigle
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
By Vanessa Speigle | Rekla Consulting and Learning Studios
You’ve set the tone for your classroom.
The sticker charts are gone.
The students have built their agreements.
The calm space is ready.
And you're leading with trust.
Now comes the next shift:
How will you know if it's working?
In most schools, the answer would be:
“Check the behavior logs.”
“Track the number of disruptions.”
“Send home a daily color code.”
But at Rekla, we ask a different question:
What if assessment isn’t about judgment? What if it’s about listening?
💭 From Punishment to Insight
When students act out, we don’t need to measure how bad it was. We need to uncover what it meant. That’s why every one of our new Behavior & Belonging lesson bundles treats behavior as communication not defiance.
These 5-day tool kits include:
Sketch-based reflections instead of behavior citations
Reset rituals instead of detentions
Student-designed blueprints for growth, not correction
Peer feedback stations that build self-awareness, not shame
Each activity gives teachers real insight into how students are feeling, where they’re growing, and what supports they need next.
📚 Assessment in Action: What It Really Looks Like
Assessment isn’t just academic. It's happening when:
A child draws what their “reset button” looks like
A teen stands in the “masking emotions” corner during a reflection walk
A group role-plays how to respond when power is misused in a peer conflict
A student builds their “Behavior Blueprint” to track emotional triggers and coping tools
These moments aren’t fluff. They’re feedback. They’re data. And most importantly, they’re formative guiding students toward who they want to become, not punishing who they’ve been.
🧠 What Assessment Should Really Ask:
Is this child building self-awareness?
Can they name their needs, emotions, and boundaries?
Are they using the tools we've taught them?
Are we noticing growth over time, even if it looks messy?
This kind of assessment doesn’t need a red pen. It needs curiosity, consistency, and reflection.
📎 Temporarily Free Resource: Rekla’s Behavior & Belonging Bundles
To help you begin this shift, we’re offering our Behavior & Belonging bundles for free in the Rekla Library — for a limited time.
These 5-day sets include separate versions for:
Lower + Upper Primary
Junior Secondary / Teens
Whether you’re a first-year teacher or a school leader trying to shift culture, these bundles will help you:
Set expectations without rewards or punishments
Use student voice to shape classroom norms
Turn behavior into teachable, assessable moments
🌱 Final Thought
If we want behavior to improve,
we have to stop tracking how often students fall
and start celebrating how often they get back up.
Because every reset,
every reflection,
every repaired moment
is learning.
When we treat behavior as a source of insight, not evidence of failure, our classrooms become places of possibility for every learner, every day.
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