Assessing Students

1. Assessing Students Testing Scoring Reporting

2. Teacher - Evaluator • Evaluating students is an important part of the classroom teacher’s responsibilities. • Evaluation serves several purposes: • Allows teacher to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching • Serves as basis of students grades • Can be used for decisions on upgrading and improving the program • Gives teacher feedback on which tasks need more or less time for instruction • Gives students feedback

3. Teacher - Evaluator • Tips as the Evaluator: • Leave prejudice, bias, and subjectiveness out of the process • Be consistent • Test when necessary • Do not over-test • Teacher is accountable for evaluating and must be able to support grades given to students

4. How Do You Develop Tests? • Look at material covered • Decide how many questions are needed • Write questions and right answer • Struggle to come up with 3 wrong answers • Decide to go with fewer questions • Give the test and grade it • Put the test away and record scores

5. Steps to Develop a Good Test • List the objective(s) you want to evaluate • Determine what is called for in behavior statement • Examine content of lesson plan • Specify method of evaluating objective and percent of grade objective will comprise • Construct evaluation items • Assemble like-items together; organize from easy to difficult • Add directions for student • Give test, grade it, and evaluate validity of test questions

6. Student Evaluations • How do you rate student progress? • Grading procedures • Daily grades • Written tests • Performance tests/Observations • Other factors that affect grade

7. Types of Tests • Observation • Matching • Multiple-Choice • Discussion (Essay) • Fill-in-the-Blank (Completion) • True-False • Performance • Group Assessment

8. Student Observation • Examine process of learning • Includes series of actions and behaviors –leads to result • Interaction and action observed • Meets a deadline • process skills • attitude • safety rule • Does not always end with a product

9. Student Observation • Group work as a whole? • Cooperation and assistance? • Follow instructions? • Make decisions based on previous lessons? • Leader for the group chosen? • Satisfactory use of materials? • Plan developed first?

10. Student Observation • Please NOTE: • Process skills must be taught • Teamwork • Collaboration • Listening • Students need to know expectations • Rubrics/checklist used for observation evaluation • Can teach students or direct students • Correct, expected behavior

11. Written Evaluations • How often do you test? • What type of test to use is your prerogative. • Only test when necessary. Every Friday is a test day???? • Some test cover only one or two tasks, others consists of 25-50. • Give consideration to the purpose of the test: • If purpose is to determine if students are keeping up or quick review – give short quiz and then don’t count it. • If purpose is to determine what the students have learned – give a comprehensive test that covers all tasks or topics and record the grade.

12. Matching Tests • Advantages • Easily scored; objective; very little guessing factor; don’t need much time; easy to construct • Disadvantages • Measure low levels of cognitive ability; measure facts more than knowledge; clues are sometimes given; may require high level of reading ability

13. Matching Tests

14. Multiple-Choice Tests • Advantages • Students like them; measure all types of content; reduces chance of guessing; can be scored quickly; can be taken in short time • Disadvantages • Require more time to construct; takes lots of space for question and 4 responses; may measure reading ability

15. Multiple-Choice Tests

16. Discussion (Essay) Tests • Advantages • Measures learning outcomes better than other tests; provides opportunity for student feedback; easy to construct; easy to give • Disadvantages • Time consuming to take; student must respond in writing; may measure student’s ability to write; difficult to score

17. Discussion (Essay) Tests

18. Fill-in-the-Blank Test • Advantages • Good if recall is to be measured; most guessing is eliminated; can be constructed in various ways; easy to construct • Disadvantages • Can measure trivial facts more than important information; requires students to write and spell; must be worded carefully for right answer; takes longer to answer; takes longer to score; requires reading ability from student

19. Fill-in-the-Blank Test

20. True-False Test • Advantages • Everyone knows how to take them; short time to answer; easy to construct, give and score; provide quick glimpse of student accomplishment • Disadvantages • Require memorization of facts; answer may be obvious due to wording; measures only cognitive content; low in reliability; may measure reading level more than ability level

21. True-False Test

22. Performance Test • Can cover one task/topic or several • Must be hands-on • Must have evaluation criteria • Culminates with a concrete product

23. Defrost a Freezer • Given a freezer in need of defrosting and the necessary supplies and equipment, the student will defrost the freezer. The freezer must be defrosted according to manufacturer's directions, and when completed, the freezer will be completely free of ice, without damage to the freezer surface, and all melted ice will be cleaned up. ____ Manufacturer’s directions followed ____ Freezer completely free of ice ____ No damage to freezer surface ____ Melted ice cleaned up ____ Proper tools used ____ Work habits ____ Instructor’s directions followed

24. Collaborative/Group Learning • New teaching methods need new assessment procedures • Procedures involve teacher observation and student-produced products • Appropriate method determined by professional judgment

25. Collaborative/Group Learning • Involvement • Everyone, most, one or two • Listening • Group is attentive to whose speaking • Staying on task • No distractions • Conduct • Polite speech, • No interruptions, members behave impulsively

26. Groups of Students – Look For: • Clearly understands their roles in the team • Understands the assignment • Follows established guidelines • Sticks to task • Completes the assignment on time • Assignment satisfactorily achieved • Team members interact well • Each team member assumes an equal role

27. Types of Assessment • Methods that can be used • Teacher observation, Observation checklists, Rubrics, Rating scales, Student self-assessment • Activities that can be graded • Student journals, Written reports, Oral reports, Class presentations, Portfolios, Homework • Performance that can be observed • Meeting deadlines, Process skills (critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, team work, social skills, delegating, etc.), Attitude, Observing safety rules

28. Determining Assessment Criteria • Break down parts of assignment into task • Define expected outcomes of each task • How you want to assess?

29. Rubrics • Definition - Uniform set of precisely defined criteria and guidelines used to judge student work • Rubrics will become your most useful assessment tool • Takes subjectivity out of grade • Fair for student • Grade is based on predetermined standards which are the same for all students • Gives the teacher a sound defense for grades given

30. Rubrics • Give to student ahead of time • Understand what is expected, what must be accomplished to receive a passing grade • Target to aim for • Difference between quality work and unacceptable work

31. Developing Rubrics • Decide on the performance to be assessed (task) • Decide on the assessment criteria • Make as detailed as you need it to be • Ask yourself what you look for when grading • Watch a student perform the task • You may miss something important just listing criteria from memory

32. Example of Criteria • Task: Apply a bandage • Proper bandage selected? • Wound cleansed properly? • Safety precautions observed? • Applied properly; too tight or loose? • Bandage stay on after applied? • Wound properly covered? • Patient comfort taken into account?

33. Define Criteria/Develop Ratings • What exactly are you looking for? • Observe safety precautions • Exactly what safety precautions are to be observed • Rating scale for each criteria • 4 – Excellent • 3 – Good • 2 – Needs improvement • 1 – Very poor

34. Determining Criteria • Decide what is the best performance, the poorest performance, fill in the middle • Few rating scales (2-3) – harder to differentiate between small differences • Large rating scales (6-7) - harder to use, takes longer • Short scales – pass or fail • Longer scales – detailed information • Can be columns and rows or a checklist

35. Rating Example • You determine criteria through your own judgment

36. Checklist Example • Use a belt sander to sand surfaces and edges • ___ All safety precautions observed___ Proper tools selected___ Tools inspected for operating condition prior to use___ Tools used correctly___ Appropriate size belt sander selected for job___ Appropriate abrasive belt selected for job___ Surface sanded smooth___ No burn marks exist___ Surface free of cross-grain marks___ Surface sanded to predetermined size___ Surface sanded to predetermined shape___ Instructor's instructions followed accurately___ Work area cleaned after completing task___ Tools cleaned after use___ Tools properly stored after use • Total score – add number of checks or assign points to each check

37. Pilot, Evaluate, Refine • Evaluate finished rubric • Fair and unbiased • Relates only to the task being performed • Covers all aspects of the performance • Has well-defined criteria and rating scales • Is useful and practical • Pilot test rubric on actual student work and make any needed adjustments

38. Rubric for Group Performance

39. Rubric Activity • Read the following assignment and construct a Rubric for grading the assignment

40. Class Assignment –100 points Log onto the Internet and conduct a search for five career tech schools that have a web page for each of the occupational training programs offered at the school. Make a list of each school site and prepare a one page summary of what you found and make comments on what you liked and disliked about the school web pages. Put your name and course number on the paper and submit by October 15.

41. Rubric Scale • On time 5 points • Name on paper 5 points • Course number on paper 5 points • Listed five web sites 15 points • One page summary 50 points • Likes 10 points • Dislikes 10 points • Total Points 100 points

42. Websites for Rubrics http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Education/K_through_12/Educators/Rubrics/ http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ www.teach-nology.com http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

43. Arriving at a Grade • What do you grade? • Tests, homework, classwork, projects, labs, problem solving, critical thinking, group work, etc. • Grades based on individual weight, category weight, or straight point system

44. Recording Student Progress Grade book v. software programs Use grade book for attendance records Use software for grades and lesson plans Microsoft Works has a grading template Shareware – free to try Microsoft Excel

45. Reporting Student Assessment Progress Reports – 4 ½ weeks 9 Weeks Tests Report Cards – every 9 weeks/4 times a year Call parents Email/Letters Parent conferences

46. Recognition of Students • Bring attention to a student’s success and accomplishments to the class members. • Be creative in your style: • Payday and Zero candy bars • Student of the Week!

47. Recognition of Students • Compliment students as often as you can: • Dress • Appearance • Good presentation – verbal recognition • Good work • Good suggestion • Staying on task • Write short message on papers, reports, etc. • Post notice on bulletin board • Display work in classroom/lab • Give feedback as often as you can!!!!!!

48. Websites www.quizlet.com www.logmein.com www.teachervision.fen.com