Winners vs. Losers?

Stiggins' article on the assessment crisis and assessment through the student's eyes bring attention to very important ideas that policy makers and even us as teachers may overlook when we are creating and implementing our assessments.  He explains that politicians are not exposed to the every day demands of the classroom, which results in standards that are difficult to apply to every student due to the diversity of every classroom.  One idea that really caught my attention was that assessment can create this idea of winners and losers among the student.  Students are continuing to build off of their classroom accomplishments and produce "winning streaks," while other students fall behind more and more as time goes on. From the high achieving students' perspective, what they are asked of in class makes sense to them right off the bat, it's like second nature to them.  On the other hand, there are struggling students who feel puzzled, are discouraged by the continual evidence of their failures, and do not feel motivated or able to learn.  Stiggins argues that this must be combated through more attention to the individual abilities and needs of students as well as finding ways to help students turn failure into success.  He also mentions that it can be very beneficial to have students to participate in the assessment process so that they are well-informed about what is expected of them and are able to build confidence through the tasks they are asked to do.

Another idea that stood out to me was Stiggins' mention of assessment being used as an intimidator in the classroom.  I personally remember in my middle and high school days that I actually was often intimidated by formal assessments, as were my peers around me.  There was always talk about how much everyone was dreading an exam, or how our lives would be over if we got an unsatisfactory grade.  I thankfully got a satisfactory grade on most of my assessments, with the exception of a few classes that I just did not like at all, but now I think of my other classmates who may have not been completely prepared or did not have a solid understanding of the material.  I would imagine that they would fall into the thought process that Stiggins describes through the idea of winners vs. losers in assessment where a student who is continually facing confusion and feelings of failure falls deeper into the cycle of hopelesness, frustration, and loss of motivation.

And so, I would like to know, what ideas do you have for implementing more student-centered assessment in your classrooms that will motivate your students and help them feel able to learn? What roles would you like your students to play in the process? What are some struggles you believe you may encounter with assessment and how do you plan to approach them?