Classroom Assessment

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Classroom Assessment 1

• EDU 330 Educational Psychology
• Daniel Moos

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Classroom Assessment Opening discussion

• What makes a good assessment?
• To what extent does assessment increase,
  decrease, or have no effect on learning? How is
  assessment related to motivation? Identify
  specific aspects of motivation that may be
  affected by assessment.

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Classroom Assessment Overview

• Reliability and Validity The road to a good
  assessment...
• Multiple-choice tests Should you consider using
  them...
• Essay-based questions Carefully considering
  construction...
• Classroom assessment Identifying typical testing
  issues...

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Classroom Assessment Validity reliability
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Classroom Assessment Testing validity

• 1. Write items with specific learning objectives
  in mind
• 2. Match items to learning objectives
• 3. Construct test items during planning to ensure
  instructional alignment
• 4. Continually keep validity and reliability in
  mind as you construct, administer, and revise
  assessment items

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Classroom Assessment Multiple-choice tests

• 1. Present one clear problem in the stem of the
  item. Make sure vocabulary is age/content
  appropriate.
• 2. Make all distracters plausible to the
  uninformed.
• 3. Make sure difference between distracters is
  meaningful not trivial
• 4. Vary the position of the correct choice
  randomly, and be careful to avoid overusing
  choice c.
• 5. Avoid similar wording in the stem and the
  correct choice.

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Classroom Assessment Multiple-choice tests,
continued

• 6. Keep the correct answer and the distracters
  similar in length.
• 7. Avoid using absolute terms, such as always or
  never in a distracter.
• 8. Keep the stem and the distracters
  grammatically consistent.
• 9. Avoid using two distracters with the same
  meaning.
• 10. Emphasize negative wording if it is used.
• Use none of the above with care, and avoid all
  of the above as a choice.

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Classroom Assessment Essay-based questions

• 1. Elicit higher order thinking
• explain compare defend
• 2. Write a model answer for each item
• scoring and providing feedback
• 3. Prepare criteria for scoring in advance
• 4. Score all students answers to a single item
  before moving to the next item.

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Classroom Assessment Essay-based questions,
continued

• 5. Score all responses in a single sitting if
  possible
• 6. Score answers without knowing the identity of
  the student.
• 7. Develop a model answer complete with points,
  and compare a few students responses to it, to
  see if any adjustments are needed in the scoring
  criteria.

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Classroom Assessment Testing Issues

• Teachers test items commonly include many
  technical errors, such misleading information.
•  
• Teachers rarely analyze their items after
  having given them, and they rarely exam validity.
  
•  
• Teachers reuse items without revision.
•  
• Teachers state that higher-order objectives are
  important, but in areas outside of math and
  science items are rarely written above the
  knowledge/recall level.
•  
• Very few teachers use the essay format in areas
  other than English.
•  
• The short-answer format is most common.

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Classroom Assessment Ending thought questions

• Would an ideal assessment system for your level
  and/or content area use the following items? If
  so, how could they be used?
• Essay
• Multiple choice
• Short answer
• True/false
• Portfolios
• Some teachers tend to rely heavily on
  commercially prepared test items. Why do you
  think that is the case? How appropriate is the
  practice of using commercially prepared items?