Module 8: Introduction to the Relationship between Objectives, Taxonomies, and Assessment

Aligning assessment (higher level)

Analyze Differentiate Organize Attribute Activities such as case studies, critiques, labs, papers, projects, debates, or concept maps that require students to: • discriminate or select relevant and irrelevant parts • determine how elements function together • determine bias, values, or underlying intent in presented material Evaluate Check Critique Assess Activities such as journals, diaries, critiques, problem sets, product reviews, or studies that require students to: • test, monitor, judge, or critique readings, performances, or products against established criteria or standards Create Generate Plan Produce Design Activities such as research projects, musical compositions, performances, essays, business plans, website designs, or set designs that require students to: • make, build, design or generate something new

Constructivism (Social and Cognitive) and Assessment

Approach to assessment: • uses collaborative learning and mentoring concepts like the "zone of proximal development" • learning is a group activity so is testing • create their own understanding of the content • advanced knowledge acquisition. Examples of assessments used: After presenting a lesson on the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a teacher assigns two groups of students to debate this statement: The U.S. Constitution is the best form of government ever devised.

Instructional Strategies

Basic teaching formats, such as lectures and discussions, used to develop specific learning activities.

Remember

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 1 Description: Recall facts and concepts, Memorize Skills/ Action words: define, list, state, identify, duplicate, memorize, repeat, will be word for word

Understand

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 2 Description: Explain ideas or concepts, can put in own words Skills/ Action words: explain, predict, interpret, classify, describe, discuss, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate, paraphrase

Apply

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 3 Description: Use information in new situations, can use it Skills/ Action words: modify, demonstrate, solve, apply, execute, implement, use, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch, word problems, questions never seen before

Analyze

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 4 Description: Draw connections between ideas, can take idea and break it down into its components Skills/ Action words: differentiate, compare and contrast, organize, attribute, relate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test, pros and cons

Evaluate

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 5 Description: Justify a stand or decision, look at 2 ideas and determine the best Skills / Action words: justify, evaluate, appraise, argue, judge/make a judgment, select, support, value, critique, weigh, defend your position

Create

Bloom Revised Taxonomy Level 6 Description: Produce a new or original work, come up with own theories Skills/ Action words: design, develop, assemble, construct, conjecture, formulate, author, investigate, write a research paper

Competency-based assessments (CBA)

CBA allows students to demonstrate their competency in a variety of ways. It focuses on students mastering the skills being taught, in whatever way works best for each individual student. CBA also allows students to select their preferred learning style in their attempt to demonstrate the particular competency. Perhaps the biggest advantage of CBA is that it transfers ownership of learning from the teacher to the student. It puts the responsibility of demonstrating competency squarely on the student.

When to Assess - Formative Assessment

Check FOR Learning • Focus is on learning progress • Occurs during instruction • Provides feedback to determine student learning • Provides feedback to inform instruction and reteaching

difference between classroom and standardized tests

Classroom assessments -is designed to see if students have learned from a lesson. Standardized assessments - is designed to measure skills and knowledge a student has mastered.

4 Types of Formative Assessments

Exit Slips Give students a question to answer that targets the big idea of the lesson, and have them write a sentence or two. Stand by the door and collect them as they leave. Go through them and make three stacks: they get it, kind of get it, and don't get it all. The size of the stacks will tell you what to do next. Student Checklist Give your students a checklist and have them self-assess. Make sure they write a sentence or two explaining how they know they've got it, or why they think they are still struggling. The Three-Minute Paper "Take out a piece of paper, and tell me what you have learned so far about ____________." I assess these the same way as the exit slip, by making the three stacks. One-Sentence Summary Ask students to write a summary sentence that answers the "who, what where, when, why, how" questions about the topic.

Purpose of Learning Objectives

Goals: - general aims of a course, project, or activity - given by state or school district Objectives: - what to teach today - lay out the plan for how the goals will be met - what the instructor puts into the course - what students will be learning and are a "map" of what teachers use to achieve goals. Learning Outcomes: - after taught the objective, how will I know the students learned this information? - what students will achieve or produce after learning the objective - must be measurable and observable - action word, learning statement, criterion (ex: formats, document, using MSWord)

How to Assess - Written Assessment

Grading is objective (right/wrong, use answer key) Measures degree of knowledge, lower level skills Selected-Response • Multiple choice • True/false • Matching Constructed-Response • Short answer • Essay

How to Assess - Performance Assessment

Grading is subjective (based on judgement, use rubric) Measures ability to do something, higher level skills Direct Writing- Open response, writing to a prompt Exhibitions Portfolios Demonstrations

In praise of assessments

High-stakes testing gets a lot of criticism, for good reason. But, when done right, assessment can be a valuable tool for educators and students. Different types of assessments can improve learning by revealing learning problems in real time, improving student retention through the "retrieval effect," and enabling teachers to leverage peer instruction. They can also be used to promote a growth mindset by giving students ways to see and monitor their own progress. Conversation with schools will more easily shift to learning results and prevent knowledge and skill gaps as teachers collaborate around assessment results and school leaders become more aware of where students are.

Subjective Assessment

Is a form of questioning which may have more than one correct answer (or more than one way of expressing the correct answer). Require a rubric. - help control teacher bias - focus feedback - identify strengths and weaknesses Examples: extended-response questions and essays. study tip: S in Subjective = squishy, slightly different answers possible.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Lower Level: remembering understanding applying Upper Level: analyzing evaluating creating Tip: Think of Bloom's as a guide to plan lessons and create assessments that range from lower to higher levels of cognitive skills.

How to Score or Report Results of Assessment

Norm-Referenced Grading • Based on a "normed" score • Compares students' scores to each other • Grading on a curve, bell curve • Reports as a percentage of how well you did compared to how well you could have done Criterion-Referenced Grading • Based on standards or set criteria • Pass based on mastery or proficiency like your OA • Reports information about strengths and weaknesses like your coaching report

Performance-based assessment

PBAs are complex. Students are presented with open-ended questions that may produce several correct answers. PBAs are often designed to be carried out in a real-world setting. They are not typical paper and pencil examinations taken in a traditional classroom. PBAs are a valid alternative to traditional multiple-choice tests. They can be as valid and reliable as any traditional assessment. Performance assessments support transfer of knowledge students learn in school to a real-world application by requiring students to create a product, presentation, performance, or portfolio and to grapple with problems that have real-world relevance for them.

Aligning assessment (lower level)

Remember Recall Recognize Identify Objective test items such as fill-in-the-blank, matching, labeling, or multiple-choice questions that require students to: • recall or recognize terms, facts, and concepts Understand Interpret Exemplify Classify Summarize Infer Compare Explain Activities such as papers, exams, problem sets, class discussions, or concept maps that require students to: • summarize readings, films, or speeches • compare and contrast two or more theories, events, or processes • classify or categorize cases, elements, or events using established criteria • paraphrase documents or speeches • find or identify examples or illustrations of a concept or principle Apply Execute Implement Activities such as problem sets, performances, labs, prototyping, or simulations that require students to: • use procedures to solve or complete familiar or unfamiliar tasks • determine which procedure(s) are most appropriate for a given task

Objective Assessment

Selected response (objective) assessment One correct answer very efficient - once the items are created, you can assess and score a great deal of content rather quickly. Examples: Objective question types include true/false answers, multiple choice, multiple-response and matching questions. study tip: O in Objective = One right answer

Standardized Assessment

State-mandated standardized tests - everything is standard - the questions, the length of time, time of year the test is taken/given - norm-referenced, so the results can be compared for students in different schools, districts, and states, and sometimes even different countries. Standardized tests should not be confused with the standards movement, which advocates specific grade-level content and performance standards in key subject areas. Often, in fact, standardized tests are not aligned with state and district content standards, causing considerable disconnect between what is being taught and what is being tested.

When to Assess - Summative Assessment

Sum OF Learning • Focus is on outcome of learning or result • Occurs after instruction • Provides grades • Measures overall student achievement

Summative Assessment

The final assessment in a unit of study. Allows one to draw a judgement that someone has learned. It is done after all instruction has been administered. As the name implies, it is the summary of what students have learned over a unit of study. It is done at the completion of a unit. Typically, there will be no more specific instruction on that unit's content. Examples: • authentic problem solving (ask open ended question), applied learning projects • comprehensive assessment: performance based assessment (research paper, give a speech, tri-fold board presentation), project based learning, portfolio (work from beginning, middle, and end of unit great for students not on grade level, shows individual growth), • competency based exams (work until master) • standardized assessments (multiple choice. often norm referenced.)

Review of Behaviorism

View of knowledge: Knowledge is a repertoire of behavioral responses to environment al stimuli. View of learning: Passive absorption of a predefined body of knowledge by the learner. Promoted by repetition and positive reinforcement. View of motivation: Extrinsic, involving positive and negative reinforcement. Implications for Teaching: Correct behavioral responses are transmitted by the teacher and absorbed by the students.

Review of Social Constructivism

View of knowledge: Knowledge is constructed within social contexts through interactions with a knowledge community. View of learning: Integration of students into a knowledge community. Collaborative assimilation and accommodation of new information. View of motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic. Learning goals and motives are determined both by learners and extrinsic rewards provided by the knowledge community. Implications for Teaching: Collaborative learning is facilitated and guided by the teacher. Group work is encouraged.

Review of Cognitive Constructivism

View of knowledge: Knowledge systems of cognitive structures are actively constructed by learners based on preexisting cognitive structures View of learning: Active assimilation and accommodation of new information to existing cognitive structures. Discovery by learners is emphasized. View of motivation: Intrinsic; learners set their own goals and motivate themselves to learn. Implications for Teaching: The teacher facilitates learning by providing an environment that promotes discovery and assimilation/accommodation.

Written vs Performance Assessments

Written Assessments: Written Response Assessment/Written Assessment/ Written Test Objective • Selected Response - t/f, multiple choice, matching • Short Answer • Essay usually timed and with no notes/resources Performance Assessments: Authentic/Performance/Performance-based/Alternative Assessment Subjective • Direct writing (like a research paper) • Exhibition • Demonstration • Portfolio given lots of time and have access to resources Assessment = Test

Objectives and standards

You are using the standards as a foundation for what you teach so that your students are learning the material they should be learning; that's the science of teaching. Then you take the standards and create objectives for your students; that's the art of teaching. You think about the question: "What do I want students to learn, and how will they demonstrate that learning?"

self-report inventory

a personality assessment technique in which subjects answer questions about their behaviors and feelings

acheivement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

Cognitivism and Assessments

approach to assessment: Requires students to actively engage with the material they have learned. examples of assessments used: • Most fitting to test students' problem-solving skills or new connections made with the material by using essays or some type of performance assessment • After presenting a lesson on ancient Athens and Sparta, a teacher asks students to write an essay explaining in which city they would prefer to live.

Behaviorism and Assessments

approach to assessment: • measures students' ability to recall isolated facts • recall of basic facts and concepts examples of assessments used: After presenting lessons on the state capitals, a teacher administers a test asking students to correctly identify the capitals of 20 states.

Classroom Assessment

designed by the teacher to gauge students' understanding of material. Include formative and summative assessments. Content of the assessment matches the content of the instruction. Examples: open-ended questions, written compositions, oral presentations, projects, experiments, and portfolios of student work.

intelligence test

diagnostic tool designed to measure overall thinking ability

Assessment

helps teachers know if students have mastered the objectives. Assessment should be deliberately designed to improve and educate student performance. Lets teacher know what students have learned and what they are missing. Then teacher adjusts lesson plan. Review or move on?

Selected response assessments (SRAs)

selected response assessments (SRAs) items are very efficient and easy to score. Once the items are created, the teacher can assess and score a great deal of content rather quickly. These test items are considered "objective" because each question has a right and wrong answer and can be impartially scored. In fact, SRAs can be scored via a scanner to save time. There are several forms of SRAs, including multiple choice, matching, and true/false. Regardless of the form selected, teachers should be sure the items are clearly worded at the appropriate reading level and do not include unintentional clues.

Diagnostic Assessment

• Pretest • Before instruction takes place • what do students know already? • Informs the teacher's lesson planning, learning objectives, and identify areas that may need to spend more time on • identify strengths and areas of improvement for the student • low-stakes assessment (usually not a grade) Example: Give a multiplication test before start division to see if students are ready to learn to divide.

Cognitive Constructivism and Teaching

• aim to assist students in assimilating new information to existing knowledge • enabling students to make the appropriate modifications to their existing intellectual framework to accommodate that information. • used "skill and drill" exercises in the memorization of facts, formulae, and lists • place greater importance on strategies that help students to actively assimilate and accommodate new material. • require students to monitor their own learning. For example, use ungraded tests and study questions so students can monitor their own understanding of the material. Or use a learning journal to monitor progress, to highlight any recurring difficulties, and to analyze study habits.

Social Constructivist Assessment Model

• align learning outcomes, learning and teaching methods, and assessments (teach to the test) • have clear and explicit learning outcomes • have clearly defined and explicit assessment criteria • involving students in a marking exercise where they actually use the criteria in marking sample pieces of work and then discuss the results • students setting criteria may not be a good idea • provide timely effective feedback • three conditions for effective feedback. ( 1) a knowledge of the standards ( 2) having to compare those standards to one's own work ( 3) taking action to close the gap between the two • Always explain clearly to the students why you are doing it and the pedagogic reasons behind the process. • share research or evaluation evidence of its effectiveness.

Formative Assessment

• check for understanding • guides instruction • feedback on student learning • used during instruction • low-stakes (usually no grade) Examples • ask questions • exit slips • student check list • 3 minute paper (write everything you know) • 1 sentence summary • misconception check (can they catch a mistake) • watch, look and listen (to see if students are learning)

Norm-Referenced Assessment

• compares a student's knowledge or skills to the knowledge or skills of the norm group. Are you normal? Above normal? • designed to rank students based on test achievement. • individual student's percentile rank is calculated according to the performance of their peers. • measures only the relative performance of individuals within a class, not the progress of the entire class as a whole. • designed to compare scores on the same test across a wide range of students. Purpose: compares a student's gains from one period to another with the gains of their academic peers nationwide during a similar time span Example: Student growth percentile Grade on a curve above average, average, below average

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

• designed to measure skills and knowledge a student has mastered. • used in an individual class and not widely distributed like norm-referenced assessment. • It does not rank students. • can be used to measure the performance of an entire class of students • "cut scores" to place students into categories such as "basic," "proficient," and "advanced." • shows student strengths and weaknesses, mastery, progress Example: traditional testing

Behaviorism and Teaching

• rely on so-called "skill and drill" exercises to provide the consistent repetition necessary for effective reinforcement of response patterns. • also question and answer where questions are of gradually increasing difficulty; guided practice; and regular reviews of material. • use of positive reinforcements such as verbal praise, good grades, and prizes. • assessments measure observable behavior such as exam performance. • most successful in areas where there is a "correct" response or easily memorized material.

Social Constructivism and Teaching

• require learners to develop teamwork skills and to see individual learning as essentially related to the success of group learning. • size for small group learning is four or five people. • students may be split into groups that are then required to choose and research a topic from a limited area. They are then held responsible for researching the topic and presenting their findings to the class. • collaborative learning is as a process of peer interaction that is mediated and structured by the teacher. • discussion is promoted by the presentation of specific concepts, problems, or scenarios; it is guided by means of effectively directed questions, the introduction and clarification of concepts and information, and references to previously learned material.