How to Use Assessment as a Tool

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Assessment is Not a Grade

• How to Use Assessment as a Tool
• for Achieving Learning Outcomes

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Resource

• Classroom Assessment for Student Learning Doing
  It Right-Using It Well
• Richard J. Stiggins, Judith A. Arter, Jan
  Chappuis, and Stephen Chappuis

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What is assessment?

• A tool used to measure student learning
• It is not simply a grade or a score
• It does not always have to be counted
• It can motivate and stimulate learning, not
  punish students or diminish their motivation

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Why assess?

• To serve all stakeholders individual needs
• Stakeholders include
• Students
• Instructor
• Department
• Administrators
• State and Federal agencies

5
What should be assessed?

• Clear, good learning targets
• We must have a clear sense of the achievement
  expectations we wish our students to master
• --Classroom Assessment for Student Learning

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Effectively Communicating Results

• In a timely and understandable manner
• Students must understand symbols used in
  assessment i.e. letter grades, raw scores,
  teachers comments
• Communication must be tailored to the intended
  audience
• Students must understand why they got an answer
  incorrect, so that they may correct it in the
  future

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Self-Assessment Chart
Test Question Correct Incorrect Knew it Guessed No Idea
1. X X
2. X X
3. X X
4. X X
5. X X
6. X X
7. X X
8. X X
9. X X
10 X X
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Involving Students in Assessment

• The most important instructional decisions
  which contribute most to student learning are
  made by the students themselves. Students decide
  whether the learning is worth the effort required
  to attain it. --Classroom Assessment for
  Student Learning
• Students decide if they are capable of
  achievement
• As instructors we must keep students believing in
  themselves as learners through effective
  assessments

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The Two Types of Assessment

• Formative
• Informational for both the student and instructor
• Does not count toward a grade or score
• Provides opportunity for student correction and
  supports ongoing growth
• Summative
• Document individual or group achievement
• Measures learning at a specific point in time
  (what do you know today)

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Formative Assessment

• Assessment for learning
• A Process during learning
• What do I know? What do I need to know? What do I
  need to learn before it counts?
• Provides students insight to improve achievement
• Helps teachers diagnose and respond to students
  needs
• Acts as a primary motivator in the belief that
  success in learning is achievable
• No penalty for making mistakes

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Formative Assessment

• Instructors Role
• Instructor transforms learning outcomes or
  objectives into learning targets
• Adjusts instruction based on results
• Offer frequent and descriptive feedback to
  students
• Students Role
• Self-assess and keep track of improvement
• Set individual learning goals
• Use as a means of self-correction

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Formative Assessment

• Learning targets are statements of what we want
  students to be able to know and to do
• Students can hit any clear target that stands
  still
• Communicate with students what they must know
  before they need to know it
• Example
• I will write simple sentences using a subject and
  a verb.
• I will write complex sentences using
  subordinating conjunction.

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Formative Assessment

• No Count Quizzes
• Verbal Feedback
• Student Signals (Thumbs up/Thumbs Down)
• Student Post-It Notes
• Discussion Logs
• Think-Pair-Share

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Reflection Journal for Discussions
Date What I Originally Thought New Information from others What I think Now

Classroom Discussion. Dixie Lee Spiegel. 2005
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Formative Assessment

• What is Effective Feedback?
• Descriptive, criterion-based feedback
• Emphasize it is the learning that is important,
  not what looks good or how it is comparable to
  others
• Focuses on strengths and weaknesses, or areas
  needing improvement
• Does not use arbitrary symbols, such as letter
  grades or numerical scores, that do not reflect
  specific criteria.

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Summative Assessment

• Assessment of Learning
• An Event after learning Documents achievement
  or mastery of learning targets
• Provides information about level of learning to
  both students and others outside of the classroom
  
• Certifies student competence, sorts students
  according to achievement, provides a mode for
  grading

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Summative Assessment

• Instructors Role
• Administer assessment to carefully ensure
  accuracy, quality, and comparability
• Use results to help students meet student
  outcomes
• Use as a means of report card grading
• Students Role
• Strive for highest possible score
• Avoid failure

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Summative Assessment

• In-class essay
• Unit test
• Mid-term or final examination
• Placement tests
• Achievement tests

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Assessment Development

1. Plan Assess why (purpose)? Assess what (focus)?
   Assess how (method)? How Important?
2. Develop Determine the sample. Select, create, or
   modify test items or tasks and scoring
   mechanisms.
3. Critique Evaluate for Quality
4. Administer Administer the assessment
5. Revise Evaluate test quality based on results
   and revise as needed

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Potential Sources of Inaccuracy

• Barriers that can occur within a student
• i.e. language barriers physical handicap lack
  of test-taking skills lack of confidence lack
  of literacy skills
• Barriers that can occur within the assessment
  context
• i.e. distractions poor lighting cultural
  insensitivity lack of proper equipment
• Barriers that can occur within the assessment
  itself
• i.e. lack of or vague directions poorly worded
  questions poor reproduction of test missing
  information

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Potential Barriers in Methods

• Multiple Choice Tests
• more than one correct choice incorrect bubbling
  on answer sheet clues to the answer in the item
  or choices
• Extended Written Responses
• no or inappropriate scoring criteria biased
  scoring insufficient time to read or score
  carefully students dont know the criteria by
  which they will be judged

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Rubrics as Evaluation Tools

• A RUBRIC is a scoring scale used to assess
  student performance along a task-specific set of
  criteria
• A contract between students and instructor. An
  agreement of how students will be evaluated and
  the level of expectation clearly communicated
  prior to completion of task.
• Comprised of three components  criteria, levels
  of performance, and descriptors
• Quality Not Quantity. Instead of applying a
  number number of references, concrete examples,
  paragraphs, etc., describe the quality of the
  criteria. Cant two good examples be better than
  five poor examples?
• Clear, Objective, and Consistent. Everyone feels
  graded the same

http//jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbo
x/rubrics.htmversus
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Analytical vs. Holistic

• Analytical - assesses levels of performance for
  each criteria separately and equally. Breaks down
  and examines various parts.
• Analytical is formative it provide students with
  detailed information of individuals strengths
  and weaknesses detailed feedback explains how
  student can improve.
• Holistic - evaluates a level of performance by
  assessing performance of all criteria as a whole.
  
• Holistic is summative it is a snapshot of what a
  student can do at that moment.

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Analytical Rubric
Criteria 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Has a plan for Investigation The plan is thorough The plan is lacking a few details The plan is missing major details The plan is incomplete and limited
Use of Materials Manages all materials responsibly Uses the materials responsibly most of the time Mishandles some of the materials Does not use materials properly
Collects the Data Demonstrates thorough collection of data Exhibits some of the data Major portions of the data are missing The data collection consists of a few points
Georgia State University www.gsu.edu/mstnrhx/457
/rubric.htm
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Holistic Rubric
Proficient- 3 points The student's project has a hypothesis, a procedure, collected data, and analyzed results. The project is thorough and the findings are in agreement with the data collected. There are minor inaccuracies that do not affect the quality of the project.
Adequate- 2 points The student's project may have a hypothesis, a procedure, collected data, and analyzed results. The project is not as thorough as it could be there are a few overlooked areas. The project has a few inaccuracies that affect the quality of the project.
Limited- 1 point The student's project may have a hypothesis, a procedure, collected data, and analyzed results. The project has several inaccuracies that affect the quality of the project.
Georgia State University www.gsu.edu/mstnrhx/457
/rubric.htm
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How To Apply Methods in the Classroom

• Begin by clearly stating what students must be
  able to DO
• (state in syllabus, verbalize in lecture, post on
  Blackboard.)
• Determine and create appropriate summative
  assessment based on learning targets
• (written response, speech, project, multiple
  choice exam)
• Design lesson plans to specifically meet learning
  targets
• Implement daily formative assessment of learning
  targets
• (diagnostic test, verbal feedback, no-penalty
  quiz, discussion log)

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Email Address

• Hollie.villanueva_at_azwestern.edu