CHAPTER TEN

1. CHAPTER TEN ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

2. CASE STUDY: AKEEM • What particular forms of assessment do you see in this case study? • What purpose might each of these assessments have served? • Why might Akeem’s performance on districtwide tests have remained low even though his reading and writing skills were improving?

3. USES OF ASSESSMENT WITH AKEEM • Different forms of assessment used with Akeem included citywide tests, previous teachers’ “unsatisfactory” ratings, Ms. Gordon’s ongoing observations of Akeem’s behavior, and Akeem’s portfolio. • The citywide tests and the portfolio created by Akeem and Ms. Gordon are formal assessments; Ms. Gordon’s ongoing observations of Akeem’s behaviors are informal assessments. • Akeem’s performance on districtwide tests probably remained low because of his occasional hyperactivity and because of his limited reading and writing skills.

4. ASSESSMENT * Assessment is a process of observing a sample of a student’s behavior and drawing inferences about the student’s knowledge and abilities. → Assessment is an observation of students’ behavior. → Assessment typically involves just a sample of behavior. → Assessment involves drawing inferences from observed behaviors to make judgments about overall classroom achievement.

5. PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT • Informal assessment involves spontaneous, day-to-day observations of what students say and do in the classroom. • Formal assessment is planned in advance and used for a specific purpose. It is “formal” because a particular time is set aside for it, students can prepare for it in advance, and it is intended to yield information about particular instructional objectives of content area standards.

6. FORMS OF ASSESSMENT 1. Formative evaluation involves assessment of what students know and can do before and during instruction. → Identifies students’ existing strengths and interests. → Determines what students already know and believe about the topic of a new unit. → Assesses students’ progress in mastering difficult subject matter. 2. Summative evaluation involves assessment after instruction to make final judgments about what students have achieved. → Determines whether students have mastered content of a lesson. → Determines what final grades to assign. → Identifies which students are eligible for more advanced classes and the like.

7. ROLES THAT ASSESSMENT PLAYS • Guiding instructional decision making. • Diagnosing learning and performance problems. • Determining what students have learned from instruction. • Evaluating the quality of instruction. • Promoting learning.

8. HOW SUMMATIVE EVALUATION INFLUENCES LEARNING • Assessments encourage review. • Assessments influence motivation. • Assessments influence students’ cognitive processes as they study. • Assessments can be learning experiences in and of themselves. • Assessments can provide feedback about learning progress. • Assessments can encourage intrinsic motivation and self-regulation if students play an active role in the process.

9. RSVP CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT • A good assessment is reliable. • A good assessment is standardized for most students. • A good assessment has validity for its purpose. • A good assessment is practical.

10. RELIABILITY, STANDARDIZATION, AND VALIDITY • Reliability:the extent to which an assessment instrument yields consistent information about the knowledge, skills, or characteristics being assessed. • Standardization:the extent to which the assessment involves similar content and format and is administered and scored in the same way for everyone. • Validity:the extent to which an assessment instrument measures what it is intended to measure, allowing us to draw appropriate inferences about the characteristic or ability in question.

11. STRATEGIES:Conducting Informal Assessments • Observe both verbal and nonverbal behaviors. • Ask yourself whether your existing beliefs and expectations might be biasing your judgments. • Keep a written record of your observations. • Don’t take any single observation too seriously; instead, look for a pattern over time.

12. SUGGESTIONS:Designing and Giving Formal Assessments • Get as much information as possible within reasonable time limits. • When practical, use authentic tasks. → authentic assessment • Use paper-pencil measures when they are consistent with instructional goals. • Use performance assessments when necessary to ensure validity. → dynamic assessment • Define tasks clearly, and give students some structure to guide their responses.

13. MORE SUGGESTIONS:Designing and Giving Formal Assessments • Carefully scrutinize items and tasks to be sure they are free from cultural bias. • Identify evaluation criteria in advance. → use a rubric • When testing, encourage students to do their best, but don’t arouse a lot of anxiety. • Establish conditions that enable students to maximize their performance. • Take reasonable steps to discourage cheating.

14. STRATEGIES:Evaluating Students’ Performance on Formal Assessments • After students have completed an assessment, review evaluation criteria to be sure they can adequately guide scoring. • Be as objective as possible. • Make note of any significant aspects of a student’s performance that a rubric doesn’t address. • Ask students to evaluate their performance as well. • When determining overall scores, don’t compare students to one another unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

15. MORE STRATEGIES:Evaluating Students’ Performance on Formal Assessments • Give detailed and constructive feedback. • Make allowances for risk taking and the occasional “bad day.” → Give students a chance to correct errors. • Respect students’ right to privacy. → Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

16. RECOMMENDATIONS:Using Grades and Portfolios • Base final grades largely on achievement and hard data. • Use many assessments to determine final grades. • Share grading criteria with students, and keep students continually apprised of their progress. • Keep parents in the loop as well. • Accompany grades with descriptions of what the grades reflect. • Accompany grades with additional qualitative information about students’ performance. • Use portfolios to show complex skills or improvements over time.

17. STANDARDIZED TESTS • A standardized test is developed by test construction experts and published for use in many different schools and classrooms. All students: → Are given the same instructions and time limits. → Respond to the same questions or tasks. → Have their responses evaluated in accordance with the same criteria. • A test manual describes the instructions to give students, the time limits to impose, and explicit scoring criteria to use.

18. HIGH-STAKES TESTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY • High-stakes testing involves making major decisions on the basis of single assessments. • Accountability is a mandated obligation of teachers, administrators, and other school personnel to accept responsibility for students’ performance on these assessments. • No Child Left Behind(NCLB), mandates both high-stakes testing and accountability in all elementary and secondary schools.

19. RECOMMENDATIONS:Using Standardized and High-Stakes Tests • When you have a choice in the test you use, choose a test that has high validity for your curriculum and students. • Teach to the test if, but only if, it reflects important instructional goals. • Make sure students are adequately prepared to take the test. • When administering the test, follow the directions closely and report any unusual circumstances. • Take students’ age and developmental level into account when interpreting test results. • Never use a single test score to make important decisions about students.