Effective Classroom Assessment and Grading Practices

1. Classroom Assessment, Grading, and Standardized Testing Cluster 14 Modules 38 – 40

2. Focus Questions • How will you test students on a unit of work? • How can you evaluate tests that accompany textbooks and teachers’ manuals? • How should you create multiple-choice and essay tests for your subject area? • Will you use authentic assessment approaches, including portfolios, performances, exhibitions, and scoring rubrics? • What are the potential positive and negative effects of grades on students? • What are examples of criterion-referenced and norm-referenced grading systems? • How will you explain your grading system to parents or caregivers who do not understand their children’s grades?

3. What Would You Do? • Refer to page 603 Teacher’s Casebook • What would be your major graded assignments and projects? • Would you include credit for behaviors such as group participation and effort? • How would you put all the elements together to determine a grade for every student for every marking period? • How would you justify your system to the principal and to students’ families? • How will these issues affect the grade levels you will teach?

4. Basics of Assessment • Measurement • Quantitative • Process of gathering information about students’ learning • Formal • Informal

5. Formative and Summative Assessment • Formative Assessment • Occurs before or during instruction • Summative Assessment • Occurs after instruction

6. Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Testing • Norm-Referenced • Comparison based on average performance of others • Criterion-Referenced • Comparison based on set standard

7. Assessing Assessments: Reliability and Validity • Reliability • Likelihood that scores remain constant across time and conditions • Validity • Likelihood that test is measuring what it is intended to measure • Error in scores • Higher reliability=lower error

8. Using Tests from Textbooks • Designed for the typical classroom • Do test questions match what teacher focused on in class?

9. Objective Testing • Multiple Choice, Matching, True/False • Stem • Distractors • Used by half of teachers, even though 3/4 of education professors reject them

10. Essay Tests • Should be focused on important, complex learning objectives • Students require more time to answer • Expectations should be clear

11. Evaluating Essays • Use scoring criteria (rubrics) to help eliminate subjectivity • Grade all responses to one question before moving to other questions • Ask students to put name on back of paper • Have a second reader check for reliability

12. Authentic Assessment • Require students to apply skills as they would in real life • Includes assessment on writing, speaking, listening, creating, critical thinking, research, and application

13. Portfolios • A systematic collection of work • Includes work in progress, revisions, work analysis, and self-reflections • Document learning and progress

14. Exhibitions • Public display of work • A culminating experience • Issues of equity should be considered • Judgment should be kept as objective as possible

15. Informal Assessments • Journals • Checklists • Observations • Rating scales

16. Norm-Referenced v. Criterion Referenced Grading • Norm-referenced grading • Student standing compared to other students • Criterion-referenced grading • Student standing compared to a set standard or list of accomplishments

17. Effects of Grading on Students • Value of failing • Some failure may be beneficial • Retention in grade • 20% of high-school seniors have been “held back” • Affiliated with dropout, low self-esteem, lack of job opportunities

18. Grades and Motivation • Assessments should enhance motivation • Assessments should reflect meaningful learning • Educator’s job: to select talent, or develop talent?

19. Beyond Grading: Communicating with Families • Should be more than sending home grades • Notes • Phone calls for good news • Open houses • Websites • Portfolios

20. Standardized Testing • NCLB • Policy • Concerns among politicians • Global competition • Knowledge about standardized tests

21. Types of Scores • Measurements of Central Tendency and Standard Deviation • Mean, median, mode • Standard Deviation • How widely scores vary from mean

22. Normal Distribution • Bell curve • See Fig. 40.1 on p. 637 • 68% of scores fall between 1 standard deviation above and 1 standard deviation below

23. Percentile Rank Scores • Raw score compared to raw scores of norm group • Caution in interpreting percentile scores

24. Other Scores • Grade Equivalent Scores • Standard Scores • Raw Scores

25. Interpreting Standardized Test Reports • See Fig. 40.3 on p. 641

26. Accountability and High-Stakes Testing • Quality of test and way test is used • Values/ethics of test • High-stakes testing • Helpful or harmful?

27. Problems with High Stakes Testing • Very little test material overlaps with curriculum • Narrows curriculum • Takes up valuable instructional time • Could be damaging to student beliefs

28. Use High-Stakes Tests Well • Match content standards • Be part of larger assessment plan • Test complex thinking • Provide alternate assessment strategies • Provide opportunities for retesting • Include all students • Provide appropriate remediation • Take language into account

29. Help Students with Disabilities with High-Stakes Tests • Preparation should start earlier • Preparation should align closely with problems presented on test • Better equip students with necessary skills

30. Diversity and Convergences • Teachers may hold lower expectations for minority students • Be cautious with information that will enter student file