Chapter 15 - Standards and Assessment

when should the formative assessment be used?

DURING an instructional unit

Alternative form reliability

involves giving a group of students one test and an alternative version of the same test during the same test session

Test-retest reliability

involves giving the same test twice to the same group, usually one to three weeks apart and correlating scores on the first test to those on the second test

performance assessment

requires students to produce, create, analyze, perform, problem solve, experiment, explain, debate, demonstrate or otherwise perform a task to demonstrate their skills and understanding

Why are students ranked or compared?

selection for honors, scholarships, college admissions or entrance to special classes or programs

name some preassessment tools

skills charts, concept maps, pretests of content knowledge and K-W-L(Know-Want to Learn-Learn) charts

Opportunity to learn standard

specifies the resources and conditions necessary for students to achieve the performance standards

portfolio assessment

student product, a portfolio that is a planned collection of student work, kept for a period of time to document learning

Best-work portfolio

student work selected by the teacher that showcases the student's best work

What is the most common form of classroom assessment?

teacher-made tests and quizzes

Who develops standardized tests?

test construction experts

What are the most common ways to determine the reliability of a standardized test?

test-retest reliability, alternative form reliability, inter-method reliability and inter-rater reliability

Curriculum content standards

the appropriate content of a particular academic discipline that students at a specific grade level are expected to learn or be able to do

Reliability as it relates to standardized tests

the degree to which students will earn the same score if their responses are scored by another scorer or if they take another test that is intended to measure exactly the same knowledge and skill

Content validity

the extent to which the items on a test are representative of the content area and the curriculum target being assessed

What do fair and accurate assessments provide?

the information that teachers need to plan and evaluate instruction; diagnose and meet learner needs; and provide appropriate feedback to students, parents and policymakers

Observation assessment

the most common and under-rated classroom assessment

What does the bias of an assessment refer to?

the qualities of an assessment instrument that offend or unfairly penalize a group of students because of the students' gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, or other such group defining characteristics

What are the two principal types of standardized assessments?

the standardized achievement test and the standardized aptitude test or IQ (intelligent quotient) test

Absence of bias

the tool provides an accurate assessment of different subgroups and that each student being assessed has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge or skills relative to the subject of the assessment

T/F - Results of the NAEP are reported by school and district

FALSE - only by state, grade, level and selected student variables

How do rubrics serve teachers?

-by providing clear expectations for performance -as the basis for feedback and improvement -to make the assessment consistent and objective

What are the 3 general criteria used to determine whether an assessment tool is fair and accurate?

1. Absence of bias 2. Reliability 3. Validity

What are the 3 most commonly used methods to determine validity of standardized tests?

1. Content validity 2. Concurrent validity 3. Predictive validity

4 standards for determining reliability of classroom assessments

1. Generalizability 2. Sufficiency of evidence 3. Clarity of directions and expectations 4. Quality of scoring

Name at least 5 advantages of portfolio assessment

1. Provide criteria for grading 2. Motivate students to monitor and improve their performance 3. Measure students' specific strengths and weaknesses 4. Allow for adjustment in individual differences 5. Encourage dialogue, reflection, and collaboration among teachers, parents and students

What are the 6 validity standards for classroom assessment?

1. Representation and fidelity 2. Cognitive demands 3. Consistency across assessments 4. Alignment with instruction 5. Enhancing fairness and minimizing bias 6. Consequences of the interpretation and use of assessment results

what are the 6 major purposes of the assessment?

1. to inform instruction and promote student learning 2. to diagnose individual student learning strengths and weaknesses 3. to assess student achievement 4. to compare the performance of students 5. to assist students in making decisions about courses of study or career planning 6. to evaluate schools, inform program decisions and evaluate teachers

The NAEP is delivered nationwide annually to what grades?

4th, 8th and 12th grades

What can a teacher do to provide fair and unbiased assessments to ELLs?

Teachers should conduct multiple forms of assessment using a variety of assessment tools

After comparing the 2 scores on the alternative form test, what shows its reliability?

A coefficient closer to 1.0 means the more reliable the test

Validity 6: Consequences of the Interpretation and Use of Assessment Results

Addresses the issue of whether the assessment has negative consequences for students in terms of lower self-concept; decreased motivation; loss of interest in learning; or, in the case of misdiagnosis or misscoring, improper placement, failure to be promoted, or failure to graduate from high school

Validity

Addresses the issue of whether the assessment tool measures what it is intended to measure

What does standard-base education propose?

All students can achieve the standards, albeit at different rates and different ways: no student is exempt or "left behind"

What do the results of the NAEP provide?

An indicator of how students are achieving nationwide as well as over time.

What test is required by the IDEA for diagnosis and determination of eligibility for several classifications of special education services?

Aptitude tests

Standards

Bench marks used to to compare curriculum, instruction, and student learning

Inter-rater reliability

Concerned with consistency. The consistency in scoring between or among two or more scorers. Calculated by comparing the number of items raters agreed on to the total number of items on the evaluation.

Predictive validity

Concerned with how well the assessment predicts the student's performance on some future behavior that is represented by the test content and is determined by administering a test prior to the student's performance and the comparing the results to data obtained about the student's performance at a later date

Reliability

Concerned with whether the tool consistently yields the same result

Name some teacher-made tests and quizzes

Essay, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, true-false, and matching

T/F- A test is generally considered reliable if the correlation coefficient calculated for the two sets of scores is .70 or higher

FALSE - .80 - 1.0 being the maximum value

T/F - NCLB requires schools in corrective action to allocate at least 25% of their Title 1-A funds to staff improvement

FALSE - 10%

T/F - the NAEP assesses a specific set of standards

FALSE - it is a general assessment of student knowledge in several subject areas

T/F - Performance assessment and authentic assessment are the same thing

FALSE - performance assessment refers to what student response is being assessed, while authentic assessment refers to assessment based on tasks that are "authentic," "real life" or meaningful to the student.

Standard-based education

Focus shifts from the teacher and a curriculum decided in large part by the teacher and the school to student learning and student experiences that allow learners to progress at their own pace toward meeting standards

Internal consistency reliability

Is not concerned with the consistency of scores but whether the items on the test function consistently. Based on the assumption that if a test is measuring a single concept then each of the items on the test is basically assessing the same thing

What happens to a school that doesn't make AYP for two years in a row?

It is classified as "needs improvement" and must implement a school improvement plan

what describes the things students can perform or do once the content standards are learned?

Performance standards

What does poor performance by ELLs do to the students?

Places them at increased risk of being misdiagnosed with a learning disability and placed in special education programs

T/F - there are assessment alternatives that teachers need to be knowledgeable about

TRUE

Quality of scoring

Requires that the rules for scoring and the scoring process are specific and clear enough so they can be consistently applied across students and similar tasks

What does the observation assessment require?

Systematic collecting, recording, and scoring of observable student behavior

T/F - Norm-referenced tests are usually multiple choice and provide little information that can be used to develop specific instructional programs

TRUE

T/F - Standard-based education allows teachers, students and parents to know what students are expected to learn and are able to do before instruction begins

TRUE

T/F - Standards-based education has now become the organizing principle and driving force behind educational policies at the federal, state, and local levels.

TRUE

T/F - Teacher-made tests and quizzes should be directly related to state and district standards and to the curriculum

TRUE

T/F - The NCLB allows alternative standards of assessments or developmentally appropriate versions of the state test for children with severe cognitive disabilities

TRUE

T/F - The issue of fairness is of particular concern in assessing English language learners and students with disabilities

TRUE

T/F - the results of an assessment can be used to measure a school's effectiveness

TRUE

What is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) referred to as?

The Nation's Report Card

What are norm-referenced tests?

They compare the performance of one student to that of other students of the same age and grade (norm group).

What do properly conducted teacher-made tests and quizzes allow the teacher to do?

To target assessment to specific standards and what was actually taught and to direct attention to any area that the teacher feels would provide information valuable to the improvement of instruction or learning

T/F - State standards provide the framework for what is taught in schools

True

T/F - the NCLB requirement that every child be taught be a highly qualified teacher is an example of an opportunity to learn standard

True

T/F - the purpose of assessment is referred to as formative assessment

True

Table of specifications

a simple table that addresses two essential questions regarding the standard: (1) What must students learn (standards/benchmarks) and (2) What level or type of skills is required (knowledge, comprehension , application or analysis

assessment

any process or activity used to collect information about students' knowledge, skills, aptitude or attitudes

Validity 5: Enhancing Fairness and Minimizing Bias

asks whether the assessment process and tools provide students from all the subgroups with an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Requires that the assessment not only be free of obvious bias content, but also that student abilities, disabilities, and learning styles be considered in developing the assessment process

Validity 2: Cognitive Demands

asks whether the assessment tool requires students to demonstrate knowledge and skills at the cognitive level specified in the performance standard

Analytic Rubric

assess individual components of the project or activity

summative assessment

assesses students' knowledge level or proficiency and is often made for reporting purposes

why is a formative assessment a loop?

because students and teachers focus on a learning target, evaluate current student work against the target, act to move the work closer to the target and repeat.

Criterion-referenced tests

compare scores to a performance standard or criterion of mastery

clarity of directions and expectations

concerned that assessment directions are clear and that expectations are unambiguous so students can respond in a way that accurately reflects their knowledge and skills

Validity 4: Alignment with Instruction

concerned with the fundamental question of whether the assessment is aligned with the curriculum

Validity 1: Representation and Fidelity

concerned with whether the knowledge and skills students are required to demonstrate on the assessment represent the knowledge and skills embedded in the curriculum standard

genralizability

concerned with whether the student's performance is consistent over time and on different measures of the same knowledge or skill

Validity 3: Consistency Across Assessments

consistency of results which asks whether students respond similarly on different assessments that are intended to measure the same standards

what may opportunity to learn standards include?

curriculum, educational experiences, instructional materials, facilities, information resources and teachers as well as class size

rubric

details the desired performance criteria for the task, the levels of performance and the grades or points assigned to each level of performance

Concurrent validity

determined by administering an established test and a new test at the same time, to the same group of people, then calculating a correlation coefficient for the two sets of results

Sufficiency of evidence

determines whether there is enough high-quality assessment information to make reliable decisions about students' knowledge and skills

norm-referenced assessments

facilitate the comparison of students by reporting student scores in terms of percentile ranks, grade equivalent scores, or other measures that can be used for comparison purposes

What are norm-referenced tests used for?

generally used for accountability and reporting purposes or for screening purposes to determine eligibility for special programs

What does the formative assessment provide?

information needed to know whether to move ahead to the next unit or review more and insight into the effectiveness of the way students are trying to learn

Performance Standards

levels of achievement expected of students at specific grade levels on specific assessments

Growth portfolio

monitor progress and show student growth in meeting specific standards or goals across a period of time

What is the most commonly used standardized test?

multilevel battery achievement test

primary goal of assessment

to gather information about student understanding and skills so that decisions can be made about what and how to teach next

diagnostic assessment or preassessment

used before instruction begins to assess the level of the student's knowledge and skills and to identify students interest and learning-style prferences

Classroom assessment

used to assess student progress and inform practice. It is usually designed by the teacher.

Aptitude tests

used to determine an individual's intelligence quotient (IQ) and to predict success in a future setting

Holistic Rubric

used to evaluate an entire project

what can diagnostic assessments help students do?

what courses of study or careers to study