Enhancing assessment at school: design of an assessment tool

1. Assessment serves a range of purposes, traditionally categorized into three subsets according to the aim and timing: formative, diagnostic and summative assessment focusing on practice and guiding actions. In addition, self-assessment is labeled as a fourth category nowadays. The digital assessment tool could facilitate teachers and students to assess the quality of learning in several subjects, through versatile multi-faceted test items, adopt the assessment activities in accordance with the needs of a particular situation and users of the data, address the versatile needs of individual teachers and students Assessment tools as innovations The framework of the project is based on knowledge about the role of assessment in teaching and learning as well as on the diffusion and adoption of innovations. Factors affecting the adoption of an innovation are (i) the properties of the innovation, (ii) the local characteristics, e.g., the teacher, classroom, school administration; and (iii) the external factors, e.g., national education policy and availability of in-service training (Rogers, 2003). Design-based research approach Design-based research approach (DBR) is used as a framework for the process carried out in cooperation between researchers, school teachers and the company involved with the developmental work theoretical problem analysis regarding assessment empirical problem analysis based on teacher interviews and testing Towards adaptable design The perspectives to be considered (see Rogers, 2003) Pedagogical and technical usability of the innovation: a design including relevant and usable content The needs of school teachers and the adaptation process support for the adaptation process and models for the use Considering diverse external factors influencing the design a need for common principles and finding solutions addressing the diverse needs 3. Combine and name the components. The aim of the project is to design and examine the adoption of an assessment tool addressing the needs of school practice and enhancing the possibility to carry out diverse assessment processes. The type of use: test, summativeevaluation Contentarea:electricity The type of the item: linkage and naming Kognitiveprocess: remembering Difficulty: easy Points: 6 Enhancing assessment at school: design of an assessment tool An example of a testitem and descriptivemeta-information References Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. & William, D. (2003). Assessment for learning. Putting it into practice. Philadelphia: Open University Press. The Design-Based Research Collective ( 2003). Design-Based Research: An Emerging Paradigm for Educational Inquiry. In http://www.designbasedresearch.org/reppubs/DBRC2003.pdf Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (3rd edition). Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks. Reece, I. & Walker, S. (2007). Teaching, training & learning (6th ed.). A practical guide. Tune & Wear: Business Education Publishers. Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York : Free Press. Wellington, J. & Ireson, G. (2008). Science Learning, Science Teaching. New York: Routledge. The role of assesment in teaching and learning Department of Teacher Education Faculty of Behavioural Sciences Heidi Krzywacki (heidi.krzywacki@helsinki.fi) Jari Lavonen (jari.lavonen@helsinki.fi)