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Chapter 4. Assessment and Evaluation . Looking Ahead. What role does assessment play in the social studies curriculum? What tools are necessary and/or available to teachers for assessing students? What is authentic assessment and why is it consistent with the problems approach?. Can You?.
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Chapter 4 Assessment and Evaluation
Looking Ahead • What role does assessment play in the social studies curriculum? • What tools are necessary and/or available to teachers for assessing students? • What is authentic assessment and why is it consistent with the problems approach?
Can You? • Explain why grades and test scores are so emphasized in schools? • Explain how teachers go about determining grades? • Explain authentic assessment?
Do You? • Know why evaluation is always comparative? • Know how evaluation should be different in the problems approach? • Know the strengths and weaknesses of objective and subjective tests?
Focus Activity • What was your favorite social studies assignment/project when you where a student? Why? • Discuss the details of assignment/project and compare with classmates. • Does your favorite social studies assignment/project share common attributes with others? If so, what attributes?
The Role of Assessment in Social Studies • What is assessment? • How are grades related to assessment? • What are the different ways of assessing? • Normative Performance • Criterion-Based
Principles of Assessment • Why has the job of assessment become much more complex in the 21st Century? • What are six major goals to assessment? • Aim of assessment is to improve learning • Assessment must be on-going and utilize a variety of tools • All assessment is imperfect and flawed • Student needs to develop ownership of the goals of assessment • All assessment needs to be related to the goals of the curriculum • Classroom evaluation should be based on what you intend to teach, what you actually teach, and what you intend for students to learn from that teaching.
Guidelines for Assessment • What are problems teachers face when assessing students? • Placing a numerical value to the assessments • Weighing the various assessments • Evaluating assessments in such a way as to yield definitive and objective grades
Guidelines for Assessment • What are the ten broad principles for assessment? • Base assessments on teaching objectives • Assess what we teach, not what we should teach • Focus assessment on what is important rather than on what is easy to measure • Ongoing assessment is preferable to endpoint • Assessment of teaching should be based on what students learn rather than on what they already know and can do
Guidelines for Assessment • Provide a clear understanding of the purposes and reasons for the assessment • Assessment should be fair and honest, not tricky • Assessment procedures should be built around the notion of finding ways of improving instruction • Effective assessment gets the student involved in self-evaluation, taking responsibility for his or her own learning • A teacher should always remember that assessment is, at its very best, a subjective and risky affair
Authentic Assessment and Portfolios • What does the term “authentic” describe? • What is the role of the student in this type of assessment? • What are some hurdles with this type of assessment?
Assessment Through Tests • What are the pros and cons to utilizing tests that utilize “objective measures”? • What are the similarities and differences between tests that utilize “objective measures” and “subjective measures”? • What considerations should a teacher have when deciding to use a test?
Assessing Projects and Reports • What are some inherent problems with project and report assessments? • What qualities are emphasized with project and report assessments? • How can teachers evaluate project and report assessments?
Subjective Assessment • What role does the teacher play in this type of assessment? • What role does the student play in this type of assessment? • What are the pros and cons for this type of assessment?
Peer Assessment and Self-Assessment • What role does the teacher play in this type of assessment? • What role does the student play in this type of assessment? • What are the pros and cons for this type of assessment?
Checklist and Rubric Assessment • What role does the teacher play in this type of assessment? • What role does the student play in this type of assessment? • What are the pros and cons for this type of assessment?
Analytical Assessment • What role does the teacher play in this type of assessment? • What role does the student play in this type of assessment? • What are the pros and cons for this type of assessment?
Teacher Observations and Anecdotal Records • What role does the teacher play in this type of assessment? • What role does the student play in this type of assessment? • What are the pros and cons for this type of assessment?
Looking Back • Assessment is important and complex and should be measured against objectives. • Teachers need to be constantly aware of the need to focus on what is important, not just on what is easy to measure. • Authentic assessment advocates argue that tests and other traditional measures do not measure in a "real" way what a child is capable of doing. • Teachers could use portfolios, rubrics/check-lists, and many other tools to diversify their assessment
Extension • Your principal, approaches you to talk as he has received numerous complaints regarding your grading procedures from parents and students. • Unaware of your grading procedures he asks to see your assessment plan for the assignment receiving the complaints; however you do not have one. • He explains that all effective teachers have an assessment plan and he expects you to create assessment plans in the future. • You apologize and promise to complete an assessment for the next social studies lesson and get it to him by next week.
Extension • Select a social studies lesson topic and create an assessment plan. • The assessment plan should include measurable learning objectives and multiple forms of assessments to measure those objectives. • Create assessments that align with the learning objectives.
Self-Test • What does the term "basis of comparison" mean in assessment? • Explain why both the method and the content of assessment should be based on the teaching objectives. • What is meant by the term authentic assessment? • Identify the criticisms of both objective and subjective tests. • What are the traits of a good test? • What are the steps in building a test?
Resources • NCSS. (1991). Position statement: testing and evaluation of social studies students. Social Education, 55 (September), 284-285. • Internet 4 Classrooms- http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm 157 • Rubistar for Teachers- http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ • Vinson, K. D., Ross, E. W., & Wilson, M. (2011). Standards-based educational reform and social studies education: A critical introduction. In Russell, W. (Ed.), Contemporary Social Studies: An essential reader, (pp. 153-172). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.