Assessment: Test 2

What is assessment?

a systematic process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine the extent to which outcomes meet established expectations, used in various fields to evaluate knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance.

Assessment for educational decision-making

providing data that informs instruction, identifies student needs, and evaluates the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies.

Formative

is on-going collection of evidence of students’ learning, is conducted during instruction, and has low stakes or no stakes for students (e.g., worksheets, homework assignments, Q&As, exit slips, games, etc.)

Summative

is given at the end of instruction or a portion of instruction (e.g., unit test; final exam); the results are high stakes for students (contributes to the final grade)

Performance

An assessment in which the child demonstrates knowledge by applying it
to a task or problem-solving activity
› Measures what a child can do or apply, in addition to what the child knows
› Includes completion of a task in a realistic context
› Reflects higher-order thinking skills.

Examples: projects, presentations, contextualized math problems

Observation

watching individuals perform tasks or demonstrate skills in authentic contexts. purposes:
1. to understand children’s behavior,
2. to evaluate children’s development, and
3. to evaluate learning progress

Authentic

type of assessment that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge and skills in meaningful, real-world contexts. 

Validity

the evaluation of how accurately a test measures what it is intended to measure and whether the results are meaningful and relevant.

Reliability

refers to the consistency and dependability of the results, meaning that the same assessment should yield similar results when administered repeatedly under the same conditions.

Fairness

absence of bias, ensuring that all individuals are evaluated equitably, considering their unique circumstances and needs, to accurately reflect their abilities and achievements. 

Test blueprints

a detailed plan or guide used to construct a balanced and effective test that aligns with learning objectives and ensures fair assessment of student knowledge

validity (alignment)

degree to which there is a meaningful agreement between ... the following: curriculum (outcomes), assessment, and instruction.

Scoring rubrics

a tool that outlines specific criteria and expectations for student work, providing a structured and objective way to assess and grade assignments

Distractors

incorrect answer options designed to mislead respondents

Understanding by Design/Backward Design framework

to ensure that teaching and learning activities are purposefully aligned with desired student outcomes, focusing on what students should know and be able to do before planning instruction and assessments

Step 1:  Deciding on desirable outcomes (identify desired results):
“The more clearly you state your [desirable outcomes]/... (unit goals,
chapter objectives, lesson objectives), the more useful they will be to
you an answering the what-to-assess question.”

A - Audience
B - Behavior
C - Condition
D – Degree or level of mastery

Step 2: Designing assessment (determine acceptable evidence)/deciding what
evidence will you as a teacher collect to make sure that students met desirable learning
outcomes.
Step 3: Designing unit plans/lesson plans/what methods (plan learning experiences & instruction) to use to achieve the desirable outcomes.

Standards

concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education, serving as a framework for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

type of framework used to identify the level of rigor for an assessment using 4 categories (recall and reproduction, basic skills and concepts, strategic thinking, extended thinking.)

Objectives

clear statements outlining what students are expected to know, understand, or be able to do after a specific learning experience. 

Test blueprints

a structured guide used to design tests, outlining the topics, skills, and cognitive levels to be assessed, ensuring alignment with learning outcomes and promoting balanced assessment.

Writing propositions

statements that capture (1) the content you wish to assess and (2) stipulate the kind of cognitive operation respondents must carry out.

Writing selected response items (true/false, multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank) and constructed response items

1. Multiple Choice Item: convert the statement into a question;
   provide four alternatives. In construction of distractors, think
   of typical misconceptions.
   2. True-False Item: convert one part of the proposition into a
   false statement or keep a proposition true.
   3. Matching Items: draw from related propositions that can
   include homogenous premises and responses
   4. Fill-in-the-Blank Items: omit the phrase defining the term or
   concept (or other important information) and ask a question
   5. Constructed Response (short response): simply convert the
   proposition into a question

Performance assessments (observations) for young children

An assessment in which the child demonstrates knowledge by applying it to a task or problem-solving activity
› Measures what a child can do or apply, in addition to what the child knows
› Includes completion of a task in a realistic context
› Reflects higher-order thinking skills.

Examples: projects, presentations, contextualized math problems.
Useful with young children (measures progress as well as achievement)
› Teacher interprets and uses data to inform instruction
› Can be used for formative and summative assessment purposes
› Performance assessment can occur throughout day or over time
› Takes place in the real context of children’s learning.

Purposes and characteristics of performance assessments and projects

aim to evaluate student learning through practical demonstrations, focusing on higher order thinking and real-world application, while also providing opportunities for students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. Purposes: Demonstrate Understanding, Evaluate Learning, Promote Higher-Order Thinking, Encourage Reflection, Provide Authentic Learning Experiences.

Authentic assessment

type of assessment that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge and skills in meaningful, real-world contexts. Example: student portfolios, presentations, debates, simulations, and project-based assessments. 

Holistic rubrics

The method of scoring a student’s constructed responses that calls for the synthesized application of multiple evaluative criteria that is, simultaneously using several distinguishable factors to arrive at an overall judgment about the quality of a student’s response

analytic rubrics

A method of scoring a student’s constructed responses involving the application of multiple evaluative criteria, one criterion at a time. After the evaluative criteria have been employed separately, there may be an aggregation of these separate judgments into a final, overall evaluation.

Performace Criterion levels

(e.g., excellent/exemplary, satisfactory/meets expectations, emerging/approaching expectations, etc.). Write Descriptors for each Level of Performance for each.

Criterion

the specific, measurable traits or characteristics that define the quality of work being assessed, acting as the standards against which performance is judged. 

descriptors

are descriptions (what is observed) NOT judgments
• “thorough treatment of the topic” NOT “excellent treatment of the topic”
• should include gradations of quantity and quality per levels of performance.

Guidelines for writing high-quality rubrics

1.Determine Criteria (look to objectives)
2. Determine, write Descriptor for highest level of performance for one criterion
3. Write Descriptors with decreasing gradations of quantity and
quality for each level of performance for the Criterion
4. Continue process of writing Descriptors for all Criteria
5. Review rubric to ensure that all objectives are assessed and can
be scored reliably
6. Review rubric for point allocation and scoring
7. Check and edit rubric for writing errors.

Three major purposes of observation

1. to understand children’s behavior,
2. to evaluate children’s development, and
3. to evaluate learning progress

anecdotal record

brief, descriptive notes teachers take to document specific student behaviors or interactions

running record

includes all behaviors that are done biological which helps with progression in literacy (everything)  and things they do not know yet. Can be used in a short/long period of time. Left column is objective and is very descriptive and the right column is notes or comment (subjective) and commentary. Advantages: adaptable for different areas because it is everything that is happening in the time frame. Disadvantage: must be scheduled and timed.

time sampling

record the frequency of a behavior in a set time. Observer choses a behavior to observe and a time to see it. Other behaviors are completely ignored besides the one decided. Advantages: clear, easily focused on the one, helps reduce distractions and identity patterns in the behavior and what needs to be helped. Disatanges: student may become aware and alter behavior by the students and the observer may be biased and lack of spontaneously. Example: A girl had problems completing tasks and wanted to see more closely and saw that she didn't move from tasks and had problem ending, so verbal rewards and prizes helpes. Left side: objective right side: subjective

event sampling

 used instead of time sampling when a behavior occurs in a setting and not a time period. Spontaneous, can happen at any time. ABC analysis to observe, ANTECEDENT: what actions causes the behavior BEHAVIOR: what it is CONSEQUENCE: what the student does after. pro:Find out why this happens and focus on s trigger behavior and anticipate how to make it stop. Con: Difficult to predict and timing of the behavior (time consuming)

Guidelines for observing

(e.g., be factual, descriptive, objective; ethical behaviors; etc.) establish clear objectives, choose an appropriate method, maintain objectivity, and document findings accurately and ethically, while respecting the privacy and individuality of those being observed.

What is a modification

refer to practices that change, lower, or reduce learning expectations. may change the underlying construct of an assessment.

Examples:
—Removing distractors from multiple choice
—Including word banks or letter banks for fill-in-the-blank and/or matching items
—Providing ideas to frame responses
—Including fewer problems or questions to complete.

What is an accommodation? Examples of testing accommodations

are practices and procedures that ensure that educators, as well as students and parents, have a valid measure of what students with disabilities know and can do. use is applied to classroom instruction. In addition, students with IEPs, 504 plans, and ESL plans may be provided

—“ do not reduce expectations for learning.”
—E.g., no change to the assessment

– “changes made in the presentation, setting, response, or timing/scheduling of a test that allow for more accurate measurement of the intended skills and knowledge among the particular students to whom they are provided.”

Four categories of accommodation

1.)   Presentation Accommodations
– Visual: magnified print, magnification devices
– Auditory: audio recording, human reader

2.)   Response Accommodations
– Scribe, responding in test booklet, calculator, word processor.

3.)   Setting Accommodations
– Reduce distractions to student, change setting.

4.)   Timing and Scheduling Accommodations
– Extended time, multiple breaks, change schedule.

Checklists

identifies whether a behavior is present or absent

 Rating Scales

makes a quantitative judgment about the extent to which a behavior is present.