Short History of Assessment

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Short History of Assessment

• By Jeanne Pfeifer

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Major Changes in Assessment

• Norm Referenced Tests
• Criterion Referenced Tests
• Authentic Assessment

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Norm Referenced
1920
World War IIQ Screening
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Norm Referenced

• Based on the Bell Curve
• Use standardized tests
• Comparing students to students
• Want to create a spread
• Item analysis
• Distinguish items High achievers get correct
  and low achievers get wrong
• Used for screening people in and out

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Criterion Referenced
1970
1920
Criterion Referenced Testing Began
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Criterion Referenced

• Specific standards established
• Certain information/learning is necessary to
  continue the next steps of learning.
• Students learning is compared to the criteria or
  standards (NOT to each other)
• Assumption If students do not reach standards,
  find other means of teaching students
• Banks of testing items created to match different
  types of curriculum (mostly multiple items)

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Authentic Assessment
1980s
1970
1920
Authentic Assessment
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Authentic Assessment

• Not all of what we teach can be assessed by paper
  and pencil tests nor by multiple choice items
• Students need to demonstrate what they learned
  performance based (based on constructivist
  learning theory)
• Assessment is different than testing or grading
  (closer to diagnosis)
• Multiple means of assessment

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Examples of Authentic Assessment

• Rubrics (specific criteriateaching is planned
  around criteria)
• Includes attention to non-academic or difficult
  to assess
• Cooperative learning
• Critical thinking skills
• Social learning
• Differentiates summative vs. formative assessment
• Portfolios

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Rubrics

• Have layers
• May be based on developmental levels
• May be weighted for different categories at
  different times of the years
• Need to be sensitive to the time to present to
  learners
• Too earlyoverwhelming (havent taught it yet)
• Too latenot useful for modifying or developing
  products
• Eventually students can develop rubrics (they
  have internalized the criteria)