Rethinking assessment through Creative Constraints

When I was given the challenge of designing an assessment that combined a standardized test and a concept map, I initially felt stuck. These two formats seemed to belong to opposite worlds—one rigid and summative, the other open and exploratory. Standardized tests are often seen as endpoints, the final measure of what students know. Concept maps, on the other hand, are tools for building and showing connections between ideas.

Yet it was precisely this tension—the constraint of two seemingly mismatched forms—that pushed my thinking in new directions.

My creative assessment combining concept maps and standardized tests

Turning a Test into a Thinking Tool

In designing my “Fingerprint Identification and Comparison” assessment, I imagined the multiple-choice questions serving as prompts rather than judgments. Each question represented a portion of the concept map students would later create—one node, one step, or one link in the process of how forensic scientists identify and compare fingerprints.

Instead of ending with the test, students used it as a foundation to construct a visual representation of their understanding. The test became a scaffold, not a score.

“The purpose of assessment is not to finalize learning but to make it visible.”

From Grades to Growth

This process helped me rethink what assessment is for. Education writer Alfie Kohn argues that grades often limit curiosity and reduce learning to compliance. By flipping the test into a thinking tool, I aimed to move away from the notion of assessment as a ranking system and toward assessment as a process of uncovering understanding.

The test itself had no impact on grades; its purpose was to spark thinking.

This mirrors Jesse Stommel’s work on ungrading, which encourages separating feedback from scores so students can focus on growth rather than performance. In this assessment, the rubric guided reflection rather than evaluation—asking students to check for connections, vocabulary accuracy, and logical flow. The goal was not perfection but awareness of how their thinking developed.

Alfie Kohn discusses the impact of grades on students.

Designing for Multiple Entry Points

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework helped me consider multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding. By combining structured recall (through multiple-choice) with open-ended representation (through concept mapping), I created space for different learners to succeed.

Students who might struggle with traditional tests could still show deep conceptual thinking through visual organization and explanation. This aligns with UDL’s call for multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression—allowing every learner to enter the task from a position of strength.

Creativity Through Constraint

What felt at first like a mismatch turned into an exercise in creative assessment design. Working within constraints made me more intentional about what I wanted students to learn and how I wanted them to think.

When we reimagine traditional tools—not as endings but as beginnings—we open the door for students to see assessment as a process of meaning-making, not measurement, echoing Kohn’s belief that the deepest learning comes when grades get out of the way.

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References

Kohn, A. (2011). The case against grades. Alfie Kohn. https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/case-grades/

Fiddlestick Productions. (2016, February 21). Why grades shouldn't exist - Alfie Kohn [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfRALeA3mdU&t=54s.

Stommel, J. (2018, March 11). How to ungrade. Jesse Stommel. https://www.jessestommel.com/how-to-ungrade/

University of Virginia. (2024, March). Alternative grading practices. Teaching Hub. https://teaching.virginia.edu/collections/alternative-grading-practices.

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. CAST.