Assessment

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Assessment
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Classroom Assessment

• Classroom assessment is the collection,
  evaluation, and use of information to help
  teachers make better decisions.

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Four Components of Assessment

• Purpose
• Why am I doing this?
• Measurement
• What techniques should I use to gather
  information?
• Evaluation
• How will I interpret the results? What
  performance standards criteria will I use?
• Use
• How will I use the results?

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Benefits

• Benefits students
• Benefits parents
• Benefits teachers

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Assessment Types

• Selected Response
• Students choose the answer from 2 or more
  possible responses (multiple choice, true/false,
  matching).
• Short Answer or Constructed Response
• Students give a brief answer in writing or by
  drawing (fill in the blank, draw a diagram,
  outline concepts, draw a picture, solve a math
  problem).
• Written or Oral Response
• Students write or say the complete answer
  (compare contrast two concepts, describe how
  to, choose from a set of alternatives).

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Assessment Types

• Performance Assessment
• Students do, create, or perform the answer (not
  write about it). Performance assessment is more
  elaborate and related to real life. Examples
  do a science experiment, perform a historical
  analysis, write a short story, formal essay, real
  life math problem, playing a music piece, paint,
  acting in a play
• Personal Communication and Observation
• The teacher answers questions or watches students
  (journals, discussions, questions, conferences,
  nonverbal).
• Video Personal Communication
• Student Self-Assessment
• Students reflect on their own learning (attitude
  surveys, self-concept questionnaires, interest
  inventories).

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Alternative Assessment

• Includes
• Authentic Assessment (knowledge, thinking,
  skills similar to what is done in real life).
• The purpose of authentic assessment is to assess
  abilities in contexts that closely resemble
  actual situations.
• Students are asked to perform meaningful tasks.
• Tasks include engaging problems of worth.
• Examples Develop and run a business, Organize a
  healthy luncheon, design an informational
  videotape, balance finances.

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Alternative Assessment

• Includes
• Performance-based assessments (students perform
  an activity or create a product)
• Portfolios (collection of student products to
  assess progress)
• Exhibitions
• Demonstrations
• Journals

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More on Types of Assessment Strategies
http//www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/assessme/definit
i.htm
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Assessment Types
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Establishing Learning Targets

• Goals, Objectives and Targets
• Educational goals
• Objectives
• Standards
• Expectations
• Criteria
• Learning Targets

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Types of Learning Targets

• Knowledge and simple understanding
• Deep understanding reasoning
• Skills
• Products
• Affect

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Sources for Learning Targets

• Blooms Taxonomy
• Professional preparation
• Textbooks
• Lists of objectives
• District curriculum
• State standards

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Criteria for Selecting Targets

• Choose the right number of targets.
• The targets should be comprehensive.
• The targets should reflect school goals.
• The targets should be challenging yet realistic
• The targets should be consistent with teaching
  and learning.

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Creating an Assessment

• Quality
• Validity
• Reliability

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Quality

• Assessment quality issues include
• Choosing the appropriate assessment tool
• Establishing clear learning targets
• Fairness
• Practicality and efficiency of the assessment
• Positive Consequences for Teachers and Students

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QualityAppropriate Assessment Tool

• Certain methods of assessment match the learning
  target better than other methods.
• Match the Assessment with the Targets
• Example assessment type Knowledge Simple
  Understanding Target
• Selected response
• Constructed response

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QualityMatching Assessment with Targets

• Match the Assessment with the Targets (contd)
• Example assessment type Deep Understanding
  Reasoning
• Essays
• Performance-based
• Selected and constructed response-can work

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QualityMatching Assessment Targets

• Match the Assessment with the Targets (contd)
• Example assessment type Skills
• Performance-based
• Selected, constructed response, questioning
  work too
• Example assessment type Products
• Performance-based
• Essay oral questioning can work

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QualityMatching Assessment Targets

• Match the Assessment with the Targets (contd)
• Example assessment type Affect
• Observation
• Self-assessment (reports and questionnaires)

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QualityClear Learning Targets

• Learning targets should provide the right level
  of difficulty to motivate students.
• Targets should be consistent with goals,
  curriculum, and standards.
• Targets should be comprehensive enough to cover
  all major areas you hope to change.

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QualityFairness

• Fairness is established when all students have an
  equal opportunity to show achievement.
• Assessments should be unbiased and
  nondiscriminatory.
• Fairness is established when the assessment
  matches what the students are told to do.

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QualityPractical Efficient

• Ask yourself
• Is the assessment worth the time and resources?
• What is my familiarity with the type of
  assessment I wish to implement?
• What is the time needed to complete the
  assessment?

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QualityPractical Efficient

• Ask yourself
• What is the complexity of administering the
  assessment?
• What is the ease of scoring?
• What is the cost?

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QualityPositive Consequences for Teachers and
Students

• Students will learn and study.
• There are positive consequences on student
  motivation.
• The relationship between student teacher is
  strengthened.

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QualityPositive Consequences for Teachers and
Students

• Teachers focus teaching towards the assessment.
• Better decisions are made about student needs.
• Teachers get accurate perceptions of others.

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Validity

• The assessment measures what it is supposed to
  measure

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Enhancing Validity

• Ask others to judge the clarity (how well the
  task matches the assessment).
• Ask easy questions first.
• Ensure appropriate vocabulary, sentence structure
  and item difficulty.

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Enhancing Validity

• Use different methods to asses the same thing.
• Check to see if other ways of assessing will get
  same results
• Sample a sufficient number of examples.

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Evaluating Validity

• Content validity
• the match between was is taught and what is
  assessed

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Evaluating Validity

• Criterion validity
• The results are consistent with the results of
  another measure.
• For example Assess student knowledge of a
  microscope using both a hands- on test and a
  paper test.

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Evaluating Validity

• Construct validity
• The extent to which an assessment corresponds to
  another variable. Other variables can be
  unobservable traits or characteristics.
• Examples of unobservable traits and
  characteristics would be intelligence,
  reasoning, and honesty.

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Reliability

• Consistency, stability, and dependability of the
  results

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Enhancing Reliability

• Have clear criteria.
• Be sure the scorer understands the criteria.
• Use a sufficient number of items or tasks.
• Use independent raters or scorers.

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Enhancing Reliability

• Have items and tasks that clearly differentiate
  students on what is being assessed
• Make assessment procedures and scoring as
  objective as possible.
• Continue assessing until results are consistent
• Eliminate or reduce extraneous factors.

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Evaluating Reliability

• Use inter-rater reliability
• 3 people score the same samples
• Use individual rater reliability
• Slide the paper back into the pile and see if you
  get the same score.
• Determine the statistical measurement of error in
  standardized assessments.

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Other Assessment Issues
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Formative vs. Summative Assessment

• Formative Assessment
• Formative assessment is immediate.
• Teachers give information to the students that
  helps the students learn better, or helps them
  engage in self-reflection.
• The teacher also receives feedback from the
  students to help the quality of instruction.
• Formative assessment focuses on the task, not the
  student. The students must also understand the
  feedback

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Formative vs. Summative Assessment

• Suggestions for Formative Assessment
• Think-pair-share
• Students discuss their thinking in a small group
  and then a representative presents everyones
  ideas.
• Design activities that shore up gaps in
  knowledge.
• Quiz, test, or assign performance tasks during
  the activity/unit.
• Give task-specific feedback while
  instructing/facilitating.

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Formative vs. Summative Assessment

• Summative Assessment
• Summative assessment is an attempt to summarize
  student learning at a particular point.
• Summative assessments include
• End of chapter tests
• Final exams
• Standardized tests
• Summary exercises

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Formative vs. Summative Assessment

• Summative Assessment
• Summative assessments are good for
• Accountability
• Course and curriculum design
• Diagnostic information
• A basis for comparing student achievement
• Summative assessments are not good for
• Immediate feedback
• Contextualized feedback
• Assisting in the learning process

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Assessment Tools

• Rubrics (criteria for differentiating between
  levels of proficiency)
• Assessment Lists (List of criteria by which
  quality is assessed)
• Checklists (components that must be present in a
  product or performance)
• Likert Scales

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Rubrics

• Analytic
• The performance or product is evaluated on
  several traits, each receiving a separate score
• Holistic
• A single score is assigned based on overall
  impression of a product or performance.
• Video Teachers on Rubrics

http//www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/assessme/identif
y.htm? http//www.edutopia.org/teachingmodules/Ass
essment/rubrics.php
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Considerations when Writing Assessments

• Start with the section that you consider to be a
  proficient performance (what youd like everyone
  to achieve)
• Descriptions should match the objectives and
  targets of the task.
• Dont use comparative or value terms (better,
  poor, etc.)
• Be clear, precise, and accurate

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Considerations when Writing Assessments

• State items using positive language
• State items objectively.
• Look for consistency, accuracy, and level of
  understanding throughout the assessment
• Make clear distinctions between any levels of
  understanding.
• Keep the elements small in number, specific, and
  directly related to the objectives of the task.

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Assessment Sites

• Week 3 Activities link on class wiki

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Assessment OF vs FOR LEARNING

• Video Assessment OF/FOR Learning

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References

• Arter, J. McTiche, J. (2000). Scoring rubrics
  in the classroom. Thousand Oaks Corwin Press,
  Inc.
• Hibbard, K. et al. (1996). Performance-based
  learning and assessment. Alexandria
  Association for Supervision and Development.
• McMillan, J. (2001). Classroom assessment
  Principles and practice for effective instruction
  (2nd ed.). Needham Heights Allyn Bacon.
• Ronis, D. (2000). Brain-compatible assessments.
  Arlington Heights SkyLight Professional
  Development.
• Stiggins, R. (1997). Student-involved classroom
  assessment (3rd Edition). Upper Saddle River
  Merrill Prentice Hall.