Learning Effective Assessment and Testing Techniques for Beauty School Instructors

People interested in a cosmetology career attend beauty school in order to gain the knowledge and skills they need to take the state board exams and become licensed in their specific field of interest. However, a top-quality beauty school education is more than just a cramming session for the licensing exam.

After beauty school graduates become licensed beauty professionals, they need to have effective, familiar recollections from their education to use in daily career practices. Cosmetology professionals who had a beneficial beauty college experience draw upon their hundreds of hours of education as they encounter new situations in their careers. The way that you deliver information and instruct your students matters greatly, and so does the way you assess whether students have learned what they need to know.

Types of Beauty School Student Assessments

Some elements of beauty school education require specific mastery, like knowing how to perform a zero cut. Others require the ability to apply reason to a situation with multiple variables, such as color correction. Different assessments allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in various contexts. The following are some types of assessments you may learn about during cosmetology instructor training. Each of these methods can help you instruct your students more effectively and make learning fun.

Case studies
Contract learning
Essays
Interviewing
Journaling
Multiple choice questions
Oral reports/presentations
Poster presentations
Practicum
Projects
Short answer questions
Written reports

Getting Creative with Beauty School Student Assessments

A beauty school lesson plan developed by Ohio State University uses a client service as a practicum combined with the "secret shopper" concept often used in the retail industry. Beauty school clients are randomly--and secretly--selected to help students develop their professionalism and customer service skills. This type of training method could be modified further, so you could choose another assessment--such as journaling or an interview--and students can process and learn from secret shopper client feedback.

Preparing Beauty School Students for Future Exams

All of the lesson planning, testing, and assessment techniques indeed culminate in what could be most students' final exam of their careers: the state licensing exam. Some students may go on to take professional certification exams, as well.

It is important that you know the state or states where your students plan to take the test so you can help them prepare for each particular type used; many states now are using a computer-based exam with multiple choice questions instead of a pen-and-paper version. Integrating the same type of assessment into your lesson plans can help reduce exam anxiety and give students confidence.

Assessment and testing techniques are an important part of learning and teaching. As a cosmetology instructor, you can better prepare your students if you have a solid understanding of the assessment and testing techniques best suited for various educational outcomes.