Assessment & Evaluation

1. Assessment & Evaluation Assessment: Evaluation • A measurement tool • Non-judgmental* • On-going • Answers the questions: • How much did they learn? • How well did they learn it? • How well was it taught? • A judgment tool • Two strategies : • Summative • Final • Formative • On-going

2. Assessment Methods and Tools

3. Three Methods of Assessment 1. Portfolio Examples: • A collection of student work • Chosen by student • Is applicable across many fields – not just the arts! • Examples of essays with brainstorming and editing notes • 10 examples/photos of welds completed • Examples of business proposals • Examples of activities planned for ECE placement

4. Three Methods of Assessment 2. Projects Examples: • Projects are designed to draw upon a range of skills • May be done in groups or individually • Can be creative and varied as the teacher that assigns them or as the student who chooses them • Create a computer game that teaches math facts. • Research the topic of animal rights, take a position on it, and defend your position in a paper and a class debate. • Create a business plan for an at home daycare centre.

5. Three Methods of Assessment 3. Performance Assessment Examples Include: • Performance assessment is a way to document and evaluate the work that students have accomplished during some fixed period of time. • It tends to take the form of (multidisciplinary) problem-solving activities. • Short answer • Open ended prompts • Quizzes • Tests • Oral questions • Demonstrations

6. Formative Evaluation Methods and Tools

7. What is Formative Evaluation? • At its most basic, formative evaluation is an assessment of efforts prior to their completion for the purpose of improving those efforts. • Formative Assessment, Formative Evaluation & Performance Assessment are closely related and often interchangeable terms. • For our purposes I will use the term “Formative Assessment” (to avoid confusion! )

8. The difference • The option with formative evaluation is often to assign a grade or mark for work completed. • After all, exercises, projects, group work, demonstrations tests and quizzes are all considered tools for the purposes of formative evaluation. • Allow for adequate assessment opportunities to take place • Make mid-terms and finals a success!

9. Summative Evaluation Methods and Tools

10. Summative Evaluation Summative Examples • Given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. • Provence benchmark or interim assessments • End-of-unit or chapter tests • End-of-term or semester exams • Scores that are used for accountability for schools (AYP) and students (GPA’s).

11. Student Involvement In Formative Assessment

12. Students & Formative Assessment Student’s Role Instructor’s Role • Self-assessment • Peer resource • Engagement • Ownership • Motivation to learn • Identify learning goals • Set criteria for success • Design assessment tasks • Ensure evidence of student learning

13. Instructional Strategies For Formative Assessment

14. Criteria and goal setting • Engages students in instruction and the learning process by creating clear expectations. • In order to be successful, students need to understand and know the learning target/goal and the criteria for reaching it. • Using student work, classroom tests, or exemplars of what is expected helps students understand where they are, where they need to be, and an effective process for getting there.

15. Observations • Go beyond walking around the room to see if students are on task or need clarification. • Observations assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional planning. • This evidence can be recorded and used as feedback for students about their learning or as anecdotal data shared with them during conferences.

16. Questioning strategies • Should be embedded in lesson/unit planning. Asking better questions allows an opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of understanding. • Questions of this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that both uncovers and expands learning. • Helping students ask better questions is another aspect of this formative assessment strategy.

17. Self and peer assessment • Helps to create a learning community within a classroom. • Students who can reflect while engaged in metacognitive thinking are involved in their learning. • When students have been involved in criteria and goal setting, self-evaluation is a logical step in the learning process. • With peer evaluation, students see each other as resources for understanding and checking for quality work against previously established criteria.