Student Peer Assessment

Peer assessment is a process during which students consider the quality of a peer’s work or performance, judge the extent to which it reflects targeted goals or criteria, and make suggestions for revision (Topping 2013). Peer assessment is task specific; the assessment is of the quality of the peer’s work, not a student’s abilities or personal qualities. The peers can be in the same or different grade, of similar or different ability levels, and can be randomly assigned, teacher assigned, or self-chosen. Although peer assessment can serve both formative and summative functions, it is important to emphasize the richness of information that comes from formative, non-evaluative peer feedback (Topping 2013).