Assessing Student Learning
Standardized testing is a requirement in some states in the U.S. due in part to the _____.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
analytical rubric
*used to assess different types of skills based on the student's level of mastery. *rates students work * Not Meeting Criteria, Needs Improvement, Satisfactory, and/or Exemplary.
holistic rubric
*uses one scale that works off of terms, such as Needs Improvement, Developing, Meets Criteria, and Exceeds. * works on a point system of 1-4, 1 being low, 4 high
method bias
* refers to factors surrounding the administration of the test that may impact the results. * environment, length of test and assistance provided * EXAMPLE: if a student from one culture is used to, and expects to, receive assistance on standardized tests, but is faced with a situation in which the teacher is unable to provide any guidance, this may lead to inaccurate test results.
physical or sensory challenge
* Have a tendency to get tired during a test * Have less developed language skills *Have poor listening skills *Have slower learning and cognitive processing skills
cognitive or academic difficulties will often:
* Have poor listening, reading and writing skills * Perform inconsistently on tests due to off-task behaviors, such as daydreaming and doodling * Have higher than average test anxiety
delays in cognitive processing
* Have slow learning and cognitive processing * Have limited reading and writing skills * Have poor listening skills
social or behavioral difficulties
* Perform inconsistently on tests due to off-task behaviors * Have lower than average motivation for testing
Developmental rubrics
* measure skill based on a weighted system, just like analytical * assessing student weakness, connecting to the idea of, ''what are my students not taking away from my lessons?''
formative assessment
* often used in the middle of a unit to check student understanding * helps determine who is learning and who is struggling.
Factors that impact validity
* reading ability * self-efficacy * anxiety level
Item Bias
* refers to problems that occur with individual items on the assessment. * poor grammar, choice of phrases, poorly written
Types of Test Bias
1. Construct Bias 2. Method Bias 3. Item Bias
3 important steps to assuring that learning objectives and assessments fit one another
1. Make sure assessments match instruction. As educators, we should never hold students accountable for material that has not been taught. 2. Our assessments must be valid. A valid assessment offers a true measurement of student progress toward the learning objective. The assessment must take into account your stated objective. 3. Our assessments must have depth. They must assess all aspects of the learning objective to ensure goals are being met.
4 Qualifies of GOOD assessments
1. Reliability 2. Standardization 3. Validity 4. Practicality
What can assessment data help you identify?
1. Students who have mastered a skill 2. Students who are still struggling with a skill 3. Effective or ineffective teaching strategies
types of RUBRICS
1. analytical 2. Development 3. Holistic
conditions that impact reliability
1. day-to-day changes-energy, motivation, emotion, hunger 2. Physical environment-temp., noises.. 3. admin of assessment-changes in tests, subjective
types of formative assessments
1. quizzes 2. exit slips 3. KWL charts (know, want to know, learned) 4. Observation & Questions 5. SOS-statement, opinion, support
standardization
1. same instructions and time limit 2. same/similar questions 3. scored/evaluated with same criteria
2 types of reflection assessments
1. self-assessment 2. Peer assessment
How can teachers plan for ongoing assessments?
1. write them in lesson plans 2. prepare materials 3. make copies before class
What is ability tests?
Ability tests measure a student's performance on tasks he or she has not been taught.
How can an ecological assessment be used to compliment an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?
Data is collected about how a child functions in different settings, then it may be used to determine why a child may act or perform well in a setting but have difficulty in others.
pros and cons analytical rubric
PROS * assesses a student's strengths and weaknesses * can weight each skill based on importance CONS * take up time to create *can be evaluated differently from teacher to teacher
pros cons holistic
PROS: * assess what student can vs cannot do * easy to create CONS: * not much feedback *criteria not weighed
Construct bias
Self-esteem, intelligence and motivation yields significantly different results for test-takers from the original culture for which the test was developed and test-takers from a new culture.
What should you do to ensure students are conducting useful peer/self-assessment
Train them in the expectations for the assessment
What do standardized assessments measure?
Which skills students have acquired that are aligned with state standards
what does achievement tests measure?
a student's content knowledge
Validity
accuracy of the assessment. Does the assessment accurately measure what it is intended to measure?
A question by question analysis of assessment data, using technology as a tool, _____ .
allows teachers to identify common mistakes or misconceptions with speed and efficiency.
Cognitive abilities tests (CogAT)
are frequently used for placement in special services, such as gifted education programs.
Practicality
assessment is easy to administer and score. 1. How long to develop/administer assessment? 2. How expensive? 3. How much time will it take away from lesson?
Sanjay stopped taking the test when he came upon several questions with words that had different meanings and contexts to him. This is an example of:
constructive bias
Rubric
document that explains the expectations of a student on an assignment or project. The rubric can analyze the skill, content knowledge, or behavior of a student and provide a graded outcome.
assessment
evaluation tool intended to glean data about student learning and areas of difficulty.
Which type of formative assessment requires students to write something they learned in order to leave the class?
exit slip
Summative assessments are _____ and formative assessments are _____.
high stakes; low stakes
An ecological assessment is a comprehensive process in which data about _____ is collected.
how a child functions in different settings
Technology enhances a teacher's ability to collect and use assessment data by _____.
making data collection and analysis more efficient.
abilities tests
measure a student's ability to perform tasks without having received specific training on that task.
Achievement tests
measure a student's mastery of required content
The main goal of formative assessments is to:
monitor learning
multiple measures
more than one assessment type, to get a comprehensive view of the student
A school principal wants to know the cost and length of time needed to administer an exam. This refers to the _____ of the exam.
practicality
Reliability
same results are yielded each time the test is administered.
Which formative assessment requires students back up their opinions with supporting evidence?
sos
When an assessment has similar administration procedures, instructions and questions, it is considered to be a _____ assessment.
standardized
cultural bias
test offends or penalizes some students based on their ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic status.
item-analysis
this is an analysis breakdown that's used to show how many students selected each answer. That way you can be sure to identify the problems your students are having.
assessment data
used to to drive instruction. 1. shows which students have mastered a skill or need more help and where to adjust instructions 2. helps plan future lessons-what works and what does not.
A developmental rubric focuses on a student's _____.
weaknesses