Is there such a thing as too much assessment? Yes!
There is also the idea of appropriate or mindful assessment. You don't want this stuff to take over to the point that you are having to do more, more, more assessment and not get your primary work done.
So part of what we do is evaluate the effectiveness of our assessment designs. Yes, it's recursive, but useful.
Once the cycle of assessment is done and you've had time to review those results, you also want to get your gang to reflect upon the process itself. What went well? Badly? Not at all? Where did you get good clear information to support your decisions, and where did you wish you had asked different questions to begin with?
You have time now to devise clever fixes or improvements for the next cycle, and you will get credit for all the diagnosing and building up. Be sure to keep your meeting minutes and notes about how you decided to amend your assessment processes, and why. Those are evidence of good practice.
Likewise, if you are assessing some things and then NEVER using the results for decision making...uh....perhaps you could let that go for now, and only bring it back later if you find a practical need for that information. Again, document the basis for the decision...
Over time, as your needs change, you can focus and refine your measurements so that they are manageable and targeted to the specific goals and outcomes that matter most to your team and unit.
In the new year, I'll talk about how this can integrate with your strategic planning...happy holidays to everyone!
