Assessing Learning Chapters 3 & 4

Take notes on wkbk. pages 47 - 49

The Purposes of Assessment
A process that may take place at the start,
during, and after instruction to determine grades.
An accountability tool for evaluating teacher and
school effectiveness.
Assessment is an important and essential
ingredient of the instructional process.
Evidence of success motivates learners to
continue working and creates an expectation
for future success.

Assessment
Purposeful collection of data from a variety of
sources for the purpose of rendering a
judgment.
Measurement tools include tests,
observations, projects, daily assignments, etc.
The process of documentation.
Grades communicate the academic
achievement of the learners.
Helps communicate achievement to parents.

Evaluation
Evaluation refers to making a judgment about the worth or value of
something. Scores tell you little until you interpret them. You need
criteria.
Norm-Referenced Evaluation Criteria 1

You make judgments about individual learners levels of

performance by comparing an individuals scores to the
scores of others.
Standardization tends to form a normal distribution (Bell
Curve) Most scores will be near the mean or average.
Raw scores (numbers student got right) should be pretty
close to the Derived scores (representative sample)
80th percentile 80% of the comparison population
would have test results at or below this persons score.
20% would be at or above this persons score.

Evaluation
Criterion-Referenced Evaluation- criteria 2
Judgments are based on how well each
individual compares to a standard or set of
criteria rather than how they compare to others.
Identifies an individuals level of proficiency to
pre-established standard of knowledge or skill.
Setting the criterion level in the class is a matter
of professional judgment.

Grades
Grades communicate the results of evaluation. Teachers
must be able to explain their grading system because of
other interested parties.
Criterion-Referenced evaluations are used when a standard
is set to qualify for each grade. If 90% of objectives are met
= A. Its possible for all students to receive any grade.
Critics of letter grades say they do not provide enough detail.
Should the following variables be entered into a grade?
Aptitude/ability, effort, behavior/compliance, attitude,
cheating, extra credit, or poor attendance, etc. as part of a
childs grade? (Poll our class discuss) R. Stiggens
Should we use grades as motivators? What about homework?
*Teacher comments on Grading - Middleweb listserv
Discussion Complete wkbk. Pg. 58

Placement Assessment
Where do I begin?
Use pretest at the beginning of a new unit
or course of study to establish a baseline.
Allows teachers to make decisions about
the level of knowledge or skill prior to
instruction.
Helps teachers know where to start and or
which motivational strategy to use in the
classroom.

Formative Assessment
Occurs throughout instruction.
A tool used to check for understanding and
comprehension as knowledge builds.
Daily assignments, work samples, & short
quizzes to help review learner progress and
whether the teacher needs to modify
instructional approaches; fine tune.
Diagnostic Assessment (specialist) may be
used to probe for specific causes of failure.

Summative Assessment
This assessment takes place at the
conclusion of an instructional unit.
To assess the amount of knowledge or skill
retained by the learner. The teacher can use
results to communicate with others what
students have learned. (parents, admin.)
Teacher will use the Summative assessment
as a basis for assigning grades.
* Commandments of testing in Middle Grades

Classifying Educational Outcomes

Taxonomy refers to a classification scheme.
Taxonomies emphasize three domains of
learning A. affective: attitudes, feelings, interests,
values
B. cognitive: thinking associated with
remembering and processing information.
C. psychomotor: muscular coordination, motor
skills

Blooms Taxonomy
Cognitive Domain
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Knowledge Recalling.
Comprehension Interpreting-translating
Application Completing a process.
Analysis Showing relationships.
Synthesis Creating composing.
Evaluation Making a judgment.

Krathwohls Taxonomy
Affective Domain
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Schools seek to engender positive attitudes, interests,

& values.
Receiving Aware or willing to receive information.
Responding Make a response or participate.
Valuing Begin to internalize interest in
commitment to activities.
Organization Integrate personal beliefs make
choices between two or more values,etc.
Characterization Attitudes, beliefs, & values have
become internalized & a way of life.

No prominent psychomotor taxonomy is used extensively

Developing Criteria
Are the important outcomes assessed?
Validity Are we measuring what we want?
Are there sufficient samples to allow for a fair
judgment?
Reliability design is good so that various
evaluators will reach a similar conclusion.
Are assessments appropriate for the developmental
level of the learners?
Are assessments free of bias?
How are the results of the assessments interpreted
and used?
How many of you have been trained in developing
effective & reliable assessments?

Testing
Testing consists of either Standardized or teacher-Made
tests.
Construction of tests:
Selected response Tests Where learners choose
from responses provided (Two- response, multiple
choice, & matching tests) Knowledge & comprehension
categories
Free-response Tests Learner supplies the answer
(short answer or essay tests).
Authentic Assessment Learner turns in a product,
performs a skill, presentations, etc.
Application, analysis, synthesis, & evaluation categories
* What are some of your questions?????

(From your Notebook) Selected & free response

Performance Assessment
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in
assessing tasks in more realistic and relevant ways.
This type of assessment is called performance,
authentic, or product assessment.
Students can be evaluated by working with others, giving oral presentations,
participating in discussions, demonstrations, conducting
experiments, etc.
Rubrics, checklists, or rating scales are used to develop
criteria to judge the learners performance.
Learner Portfolio Assessment is now a popular approach
to evaluating learners progress. Its a purposeful
collection of products and performances that tells a story
about a learners effort, progress, or achievement.

Chapter 4

Designing Instruction

1.
2.
3.

4.

Instruction is the daily bread of classroom

life, composed of the tools, strategies,
lessons, & activities teachers & students use
to learn.
What should students know & be able to do?
Develop a curriculum based on standards
Decide on assessments to show
achievement.
Design instruction to prepare students to do
well, to learn, and to apply their skills.

Effectiveness of Instruction
Three key ingredients
The curriculum must be based on the
standards, and how students learn best.
The assessments
The needs, interests, and concerns of the
students themselves.

Heterogeneous vs. Homogeneous

Grouping
Tracking, or placing students in distinct
classes or groups based on actual or
perceived evidence of capacity to learn, by
research, is wrong. However, flexible
grouping to differentiate instruction, is ok.
Students from all ability levels can prosper in
heterogeneous classes. Even the top 3 % or
bottom 3 % of learners perform better when
the curriculum & instruction are engaging.

3 Models for Organizing Instruction

After ten years of formal & informal
observations, Turning Points could not
identify a single existing model that pulls
together everything that they believe to be
important in making decisions about
instruction. They did discuss 3 models that
attempt to organize instruction systematically,
based on knowledge about how people learn.
They include Authentic Instruction,
WHERE, and Differentiated Instruction.

Authentic Instruction
emphasis on curriculum
Criteria - to be authentic, achievement must
reflect three overreaching criteria
1. Students should construct, produce, and
evaluate their own knowledge not use or
accept just what others have created.
2. Engage in cognitive work, search for
understanding, and communicate their own
ideas & findings.
3. Accomplishments should have value
aesthetic, utilitarian (useful), or personal.

WHERE Design Tool - instruction

connected to assessment
W = Where are we headed? (teacher &
student)
H = Hook the students (build motivation &
excitement)
E = Explore the subject & equip the students
(debates, role playing, discussions, etc.)
R = Rethink our work & ideas (spiral
curriculum to rethink, rehearse & revise work)
E = Evaluate results (exhibit what was
learned through authentic assessment &
evaluate their own learning self assessment

Differentiated Instruction
attending to students ability

Teacher focuses on concepts & principals

Ongoing assessment to give feedback
Teacher modifies content to fit student needs
Students participate in work at their level
Teacher & student collaborate in learning
Both plan & set goals
Teacher must balance group & individual
norms by using a wide range of instructional
strategies for individual & small group
activities. (Chart on text pg. 81)

T.P. RECOMMENDATIONS

Meet students where they are

Center classrooms on the students
Provide rich learning environments
Organize content around concepts
Engage students in challenging work
Connect the classroom to the world
Differentiate the instruction
Students must do, not just hear
Students should work collaboratively, then reflect on what
they have learned
Assess students understanding using authentic & on-going
means.
Collaborate with colleagues & specialists in designing
instructional activities.

 Most reading instruction stops entirely after fifth

grade. Students read 25% fewer books now than
they did 20 years ago. (T.V.)
Reading is not mastered by the end of elementary
school. 30 % of students entering Middle School do
not have basic reading skills. People never stop
learning to read.
M.S. teachers are not prepared to teach reading.
Research shows that teaching reading across the
curriculum improves students ability to become
better readers, writers, & critical thinkers. Use
reading specialists & intensive supports for those
students who are behind in reading skills.

Reading across the curriculum

Weave reading strategies into content areas.
Find materials for your subject area that are
suitable for different reading levels.
Build your own library (magazines, brochures,
newsletters, print materials)
Devote 40 to 60 minutes a day to reading.
Focus on phonetic, comprehension, study,
vocabulary, & metacognitive skills.
Be able to norm books to find the reading
level.

* ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
As a team, develop an alternative assessment
for something that your team wants to teach.
Develop criteria, using a rubric or checklist,
to define mastery of the skill.
Show your rubric on the overhead to the class
Explain why this is a fair measurement tool.
Would your criteria be used mainly in
placement, formative, or summative
assessment?
Would it be used more in the affective,
cognitive or psychomotor domain?