Peer assessment of student constructed posters: assessment alternatives in preservice mathematics education

Abstract

In this article I discuss a four-year action research project that involved the development of effective assessment tools for preservice mathematics teachers. The focus of the article is on peer assessment in which students reviewed posters created by their peers. The article discusses the strategies that were used and the implications that arose from the project. I argue that peer assessment is an effective tool for assessment in preservice mathematics teacher education but must not be seen as an alternative to teacher-based assessment due to the variability in marks between and within student cohorts. The value of peer assessment is its potential as a learning tool.