Learning ASSESSMENT Basics

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Learning ASSESSMENTBasics Paradoxes
From Gronlund, N. 1998, The Assessment of Student
Acheivement
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Agenda

• Three Stages of Instruction/ Assessment
  Decisions
• Beginning - Readiness and Placement Assessment
• Middle - Formative evlauation
• End - Summative evaluation
• The Nature of Student Assessment
• Performance Assessment
• Testing
• Normative
• Criteria Based

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The Calgary Board of Education StandardizedTest
Results Grades 3, 6, 9 12(Alberta Learning
Exams)http//www.cbe.ab.ca/ch_supt/acc_serv/acht
est.asp
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(No Transcript)
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Some Terms..

• Performance Assessment
• Requires students to demonstrate their
  achievement of understandings and skills by
  actually performing tasks (story writing,
  speaking, operating a machine).
• Alternative Assessment
• Performance assessments that emphasizes that we
  provide alternatives to traditional
  paper-and-pencil assessments
• Include real world contextual settings

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Some Types of Assessments

• Achievement
• Test the extent to which a student is achieving
  the intended learning outcomes
• Aptitude
• Test the students preference for certain
  learning situations.

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Comparing Instruction to Assessment
Instruction
Assessment

• Creates clearly defined learning outcomes
• Uses methods and materials congruent with the
  learning outcomes to be achieved
• Fits the characteristics and needs of the
  students
• Decisions are based on info. That is meaningful,
  dependable and relevant
• Students are periodically informed about their
  learning progress
• 6. Remediation is provided for students not
  meeting the learning objectives

• Assesses the clearly defined learning outcomes
• Is congruent with the methods and materials of
  instruction
• 3. Fits the relevant student characteristics,
  fairly to all
• 4. Provides info. That is meaningful, dependable
  and relevant.
• 5. Early feedback helps learners adjust and
  achieve
• 6. Specific learning weaknesses are revealed

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Mini Lesson One Placement, Formative and
Summative Assessment

• Learning Objectives
• The student will be able to (TSWBAT)
• State a definition of placement assessment and
• Give an example for their own practice
• State a definition of formative assessment and
• Give an example for their own practice
• State a definition of Summative assessment and
• Give an example for their own practice
• Distinguish among the various roles of assessment
  in
• the 3 different instructional processes
  mentioned.

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Assessment Decision Making 3 Stages

1. At the beginning of instruction
2. During instruction
3. At the end of instruction

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Assessment at the Beginning of Instruction
Beginning

• Ask yourself, as teacher
• THE READINESS QUESTION
• To what extent do the students already possess
  the skills and abilities that we need to begin
  instruction?
• 2. THE PLACEMENT QUESTION
• To what extent have the students already
  achieved the intended learning outcomes of the
  planned instruction?
• (could you ask this at the end of instruction?
  Why?)

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Activity One

• In Groups of Two, (grade-alike), create
• 1. One readiness question for each of 3 subjects
  you will teach
• (be sure to state the grade level)
• (be sure to state the skill that you are looking
  for in each question
• Example Skill Assessed
  Readiness Question
• TSWBAT Add single digit numbers Show me
  what Adding means.
• 2. One placement question for each of 3 subjects
  you will teach
• (be sure to state the grade level).
• (be sure to state the intended learning outcome
  for each question
• Example Learning Outcome Placement Question
• TSWBAT wash hands after recess What do you do
  right after recess I is over?

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Placement Assessment
Beginning
(to determine entry performance)
Readiness ConcernDo the students have
the Prerequisite skills?
Placement Concern Have the students
already Achieved the intended Outcomes?
yes
no
yes
no
Provide readiness experiences
Proceed with The instruction
Advance Students To a higher level
Discuss Math vs. Social Studies (criterion?)
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During Instruction Formative and Diagnostic
Assessment
During Instruction

• During Instruction, ask yourself as teacher
• On which learning tasks are the students
  progressing satisfactorily? On which learning
  tasks do the students need help?
• Formative assessments measure student mastery by
  measuring
• The intended outcomes of the UNIT of instruction
• Using the results to improve learning (not give
  grades, necessarily)
• May involve assessment of a product - writing,
  portfolios, videos,art, music, welding,speech.
• Which students are having such sever learning
  problems that they need remedial work?
• Diagnostic assessments Focus on a common source
  of error for students in a learning process.
  Tests with slight variations between them that
  indicate where the students learning is a
  problem for them.
• For example, you would ask yourself
• Are students having trouble adding because they
  dont know certain number combinations, or
  because they cant carry a number?
• Are students struggling with German because of
  inadequate vocabulary or because they do not
  grasp the elements of grammar?

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The instructional role of Formative Assessment
During Instruction
During Instruction
(to monitor learning progress)
Are the students achieving the intended Learning
outcomes?
no
yes
Provide Group or Individual remediation
Provide feedback to reinforce learning
Proceed with The planned instruction
DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT (to study persistent
difficulties
Discuss
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End
Assessment at the End of Instruction

• Ask yourself, as teacher
• Which students have mastered the learning tasks
  to such a degree that they should proceed to the
  next course or unit of instruction?
• What grade should be assigned to each student?
• Summative Assessment Occurs at the end of
  instruction for the purpose of certifying mastery
  or assigning grades.
• - Is also part of the course redesign.

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End
Summative Assessment (to monitor learning
progress)
Have the students achieved The intended
outcomes Of instruction?
no
yes
Provide additional learning experiences
Assign grades to certify mastery
Evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction
Discuss
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Other ways that assessments can aid learning

1. Motivation
2. Provides students with short term goals
3. Clarifies the types of tasks to be learned
4. Provide feedback concerning their learning
   progress
5. Retention and Transfer of learning
6. Because tasks are focused and repeat to mastery
   (sometimes)
7. Student Self Assessment
8. Self image and students value of the learning
   process can occur if the student internalizes
   learning outcome achievements.
9. Evaluating Instructional Effectiveness
10. Determine the extent to which learning objectives
    are realistic
11. Determine the extent to which instruction is
    appropriate
12. Determine the extent to which students have the
    prerequisite learning for the event design

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The Nature of Student Assessment

• Two assessment methods are presented
• Performance Assessment
• Testing

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Testing

• 1. Testing (of knowledge)
• Type 1 Selected Response
• Multiple choice
• True and false
• Matching
• Benefits fast administration time
• -easy to score
• -easy to report the findings (s)
• Drawbacks 80-90 focus on knowledge (facts)
• -tend not to be on realistic situations (if we
  arent careful)
• -depend heavily on language skills of the
  student
• Type 2 Supply Response
• Word response
• Short Phrase
• Essay Answer

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Performance Assessment

• 2. Performance Assessment ( of skills or
  behavior)
• Type 1 Restricted Performance
• Performance of a limited task that is highly
  structured such as
• - selecting equipment, high jump.
• Type 2 Extended Performance
• Performance of more complex and less structured
  tasks such as
• - writing a paragraph on the topic, writing a
  short story, writing a journal, doing a web site
  -)
• - requires student to integrate and apply
  knowledge and skills in a realistic setting.
  Students may have to do more than create a
  product - they might have to review and revise
  the product themselves.

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Some info about learner (assessment) tasks

• Realism the extent to which the test simulates
  the real world.
• Complexity low cplxty Yes/No. High
  compare/contrast or drive
• Assessment time needed for the task Selected
  response tests are FAST. Essays are SLOW
• Judgment in Scoring
• Higher subjectivity higher demand on teacher
  judgment.
• Criteria for quality performance helps the
  teacher and the student at times
• Set a rating scale for each criteria
• Or set a rubric up
• Problems? What if creativity in the learner gives
  you a product so far outside your criteria that
  you cant use the criteria?

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Assessment Methods
Performance Assessment
Testing
Selected Response
Supply Response
Restricted Performance
Extended Performance
Realism of Tasks
Low
High
Complexity of Tasks
Low
High
Assessment Time Needed
High
Low
Judgment in Scoring
Low
High
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Guidelines for Effective Student Assessment

1. Have a clear idea of all intended learning
   outcomes
2. Use a variety of assessment procedures
3. Use relevant instructional procedures
4. Get an adequate sample of student performance
5. Procedures must be fair to all learners
6. Specify the criteria for successful performance
7. Provide learner feedback showing performance
   strength and weaknesses. Good feedback should
8. Give such feedback right away
9. Give detailed and understandable feedback
10. Focus on the successful elements AND the
    improvement areas
11. Provide remedial suggestions to correct mistakes
12. Be positive and provide a guide fo improving both
    performance and self assessment.
13. Use a good grading and reporting system (to
    communicate results)

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Validity and Reliability of Assessments

• Validity the appropriateness and meaningfulness
  of the inferences we make from assessment results
  for some intended use. Validity is easiest to
  accomplish in performance testing.
• Reliability can this assessment result be
  duplicated with confidence? (consistency).

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Norm Referenced Assessment Criterion
Referenced Assessment

• A brief Overview

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Recall The one and the many
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The Distribution Curve Defining Normal
Norm
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The Distribution Curve Defining Normal
Norm
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Normative Achievement testing can provide

• A relative ranking of students
• A description of the learning tasks a student
  cannot do
• A description of the learning tasks a student can
  do
• Criticism
• I had spent much of my professional life
  criticizing standardized tests. I knew that they
  were biased in hundreds of important ways, that
  they measured the narrowest band of cognition,
  and that they did even that crudely (Ayers,
  2001, p. 109)

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Criterion Referenced Interpretation
Criterion

• Mastery testing Learning is evaluated compared
  to a standard that is set. The evaluation is
  about the degree of achievement of the student,
  not about a comparison to the achievement of the
  group.
• Carla is capable of using correct paragraph form
  with a high degree of mastery, doing this 8 out
  of 10 times.
• The determination of what tasks students can and
  can not perform.
• Carla uses incorrect paragraph form when she
  writes narrative paragraphs.
• An evaluation of the instruction can occur as
  well.
• More instruction is required where students get
  to practice writing the narrative paragraph.

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Criterion Referenced Interpretation Including
and extending beyond Norm Ref Critieria
Referencing

• Projects
• Portfolios
• Performance
• A more constructivist approach Internal
  Assessment
• Regular oral reports
• Enactments
• Constructions
• Allows for affective domain evaluation - the
  whole child can get feedback on creativity,
  imagination, conceptual thinking, commitment
  social interaction

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Recall The one and the many
Am I assessing for the student? For the teachers?
For myself? For the class? For parents? For
administration? For the principal? For
better Instruction? .