EDUC 4454 – Class 13P/J Methods

Methods Principle: Assessment & Evaluation

Bell Work: As a group,Share your placement experiences!

1. If you marked anything, what strategy & recording device did you use?

2. What is Authentic Assessment? See Wiggins (1990) pp. 276-277 in CT & M

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION - are the foundations upon which you build

your classroom program -drive your program and set the direction &

flow of your decisions and actions -help you to compare what you know about

your students to what you must teach -provide you with the essential information

you need to program effectively & appropriately

(Schwartz & Pollishuke, Creating the Dynamic Classroom – p.169)

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

Teachers use three forms of assessment during the instructional

cycle…

FORMS OF ASSESSMENT

THREE TYPES

DIAGNOSTIC FORMATIVE SUMMATIVE

Diagnostic Assessment

- gathers data about the strengths, weaknesses, and interests of your students

- used to plan and select topics and strategies to match needs and interests to maximize motivation

- It gives teachers specific information about when & how to proceed with instruction

- It establishes a baseline from which to observe growth

- It is assessment for learning

Formative Assessment

Used in an ongoing way throughout the teaching cycle

Helps you adjust your instruction to better meet learners’ needs and interests as a unit progresses.

It encourages self-directed learning by giving students specific feedback.

It assists with programming decisions. It is assessment for learning

Summative Assessment An opportunity for students to demonstrate

their learning. May happen at the end of unit, frequently

throughout the unit, or both. May involve a culminating task that is

designed to demonstrate big ideas learned (i.e., Overall Expectations or several

expectations integrated from two or more subject areas)

Summative Assessment

It provides information which can be used to evaluate student achievement

It is used to determine an overall grade/level to a student's performance

It provides feedback for reflection to judge the effectiveness of a unit of study

It is assessment of learning.

EXEMPLARS – models that are typical of the various levels Used to demonstrate work at different levels

in relation to an expectation. Levels 1 to 4 Level 3 demonstrates the “provincial

standard” Samples are available for teachers on the

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/curriculum.html site and in hard copy documents sent to schools

Samples are expanded continuously.

EXEMPLARS

Students’ exposure to exemplars is beneficial to help them set learning goals and “see the target” they are aiming for.

Involving students in the development of leveled rubrics for complex expectations, helps them see the rubric as a growth scheme and guides their work.

Exemplars and rubrics have been very successfully used by strong teachers, as outlined above.

EXEMPLARS

Arrive in booklet form at schools in limited copies when they are released.

Are available in the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum Web Site at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/curriculum.html

Click on view by subject

ASSESSMENT VS. EVALUATION Evaluation follows assessment. Assessment refers to the data, including

observation comments, that you make on an ongoing basis.

Evaluation refers to the value/ mark/ grade you place on that data, using your professional judgment.

Continuous assessment allows you to… Determine current strengths, needs and

interests Monitor growth over time Determine how a child solves problems Celebrate learning/ achievements Identify and document achievement of

curriculum expectations in order to plan, implement, and revise the program (e.g., modify or extend)

Diagnose specific difficulties Provide information for parents, support

personnel, and other teachers Evaluate curriculum and methodology (formative evaluation) Enhance teaching

Letter Grades To Levels….

Level 3 is meeting the expectation

Level 2 is approaching the expectation

Level 1 is experiencing difficulty in some manner

Level 4 is exceeding the expectation

Level R (whether it is on the Rubric or not) means the student did not get a level 1 and needs remedial (either the verb or the noun)

….And the more specific the criterion the better!Prof. J. Pitt

Understanding Levels

If the student meets the expectation exactly it is a Level 3

If the student is approaching the expectation (they’re getting there) it is a Level 2

If the student needs assistance or is experiencing limited success it is a Level 1

If the student surpasses expectation it is a Level 4 The achievement level charts explain each level with

criteria.

Creating Opportunities for a Level 4

Just as we accommodate and modify for certain students, we must also provide opportunity for students to show the ability to apply / demonstrate what we have taught to a high degree

How do we do this?:•Create applications which allow for advanced thought

•Prompt and probe during class discussions while sending the message that all answers are valuable and you love to see students thinking.

•For a student who is consistent in achieving with the information we provide, orally we prompt and probe to get them to think outside the box; for written, give more advanced questions (not in addition to, but in lieu of)

•For a test set at a level 3, throw in some level 4 questions or add a level 4 page at the end

Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Expectations &

Questions for Quality Thinking

EvaluationEvaluation

SynthesisSynthesis

AnalysisAnalysis

ApplicationApplication

ComprehensionComprehension

KnowledgeKnowledge Recall of specifics

Understanding the material itself

Using in new situations

Breaking it down into elements

Putting together parts to form a whole

Judging the value, materials and methods; Applying standards and criteria

Selective the Cognitive Level

Level R

From the Ontario Report Card: The student has not demonstrated the

required knowledge and skills. Extensive remediation is required. (R)

Assessment vs. Evaluation(the most confused terms in education) .

Evaluation

Conducted to determine competence / an application of a value, or judgment about student performance & ability at certain end points during the learning process

Puts a value on the sum total of all that a student has demonstrated through the various assessment strategies

Forms the basis for reporting

Prof. J. Pitt– Methods

Assessment Conducted to determine growth and needs of

student(s) and / or program

Summative Conducted at the end of a unit or term Conducted to evaluate student knowledge

Formative Conducted throughout a unit or term Conducted to reflect on and assess student knowledge and program success

Diagnostic Conducted usually at the beginning of the year or a unit to get a baseline Should be conducted at the end to demonstrate / measure success Should be conducted in the middle to make sure what you are doing is working Usually focuses on basic skills or knowledge; never used for report cards

Assessment Strategies Ways to involve students in activities that yield information about their

achievement

Defined as the method used to determine if the knowledge, skills or affective elements stated in the expectations have been achieved

A means to provide information about the progress of the student

A means to provide information to the teacher about the program

Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner – Library - Browse Teacher Companions – Assessment companion and under it click on assessment strategies – click assessment strategies again

Exit planner on this screen by clicking Done on the top right hand corner

4 Assessment Recording DevicesAnecdotal Record Checklist Rating Scale Rubric

- Descriptive language used to explain student

achievement of the curriculum

expectations. By observing the

students’ actions while they are completing

tasks or by noting something during class time or in their written work, the teacher can

create these notes.- Notes (Date!)

-Use a class list with spaces to write in

- post-its and place in a folder

-Notebooks with the individual student’s name

on it-Paper in a File folder

-Computer file (hard copy)-Any other means – i.e.

flip chart

-Collection of data that contain lists of

behaviour, traits, characteristics that can

be scored present / absent

- Curriculum data with specifics that can be

checked off when done

Page 92

John Smith - Scored on a

yes/no, present/absent

basis on a class list that has specific

tasks / behaviours listed

- Rating scales address if the

student has achieved a high/low

degree of correctness in attaining the

curriculum expectationJohn 1 2 3

Mary 1 2 3 Sue 1 2 3

John 1Mary 2Sue 1

-A set of performance

descriptors are incorporated into specific

levels of achievement.

-Minimizes the arbitrariness of

judgments while holding learners

to a high standard of

achievement-Student knows exactly what to

do to get a specific level

Considerations….1. Rubrics are best used to assess numerous

expectations at once – and are best for targeting more complex tasks

2. Correctly made Rubrics are strong in Reliability because they are specific to the task which appears in the student task – therefore generic or prefab rubrics do not have this reliability.

3. Due to the number of expectations being assessed, Rubrics should be given to the students before they do the task so they know how and on what they are being assessed.

4. Correctly making a Rubric is time-consuming – this, combined with the number of expectations they assess, means they are best used only a few times in a term, usually for a final piece / project / cumulative task.

Lesson Plan RubricCriteria /Expectation

Level 1Needs additional time (etc) to meet expectation

Level 2Approaching expectation

Level 3At expectation

Level 4Goes beyond the expectation

Sang “O’Canada”

Sang “O’Canada”

10 minutes in length

10 minutes in length

Chose one simple expectation

Chose one simple expectation

All individuals appear to contribute equally

All individuals appear to contribute equally

Can count orally to 100

Can count orally to 100

From the Practice Teaching HandbookFrom the Practice Teaching Handbook “What are the components of this assessment tool?”“What are the components of this assessment tool?”

Reflective Practice Activity

At your table (discuss) Page # 271 in CT & M How does backward design assist or inhibit

planning for authentic assessment? Why is this so? Be prepared to share with the class

Based on what you have learned today, what do you think is the best method for grading?

Assigned Readings:Read pp. 267-292 in CT & M “Assessment & Evaluation: The Glass is

Half Full”