Assessing Student Learning TSS Participants: Dana Bradley Cheryl Hitchcock Arlecia Sewell
Jan 17, 2016
Assessing Student Learning
TSS Participants:
Dana Bradley
Cheryl Hitchcock
Arlecia Sewell
The primary purpose of any student assessment should to be improve student learning.
Reference: Packing a Parachute p. 1
Davies, 2000. Making Classroom Assessment Work
Assessment vs. Evaluation
When we assess, we gather information about student learning that informs our teaching and helps students learn more.
When we evaluate, we decide whether or not students have learned what they need to learn and how well they have learned it.
From Making Classroom Assessment Work (A. Davies, 2000)
Assessment should confirm, reinforce, and support ideas of what students should be learning.
Students should always know how they are going to be assessed, before learning takes place.
Assessment drives instruction!
Can we have some feedback?
Descriptive feedback- gives information that enables the learner to adjust what the learner is doing in order to get better.
Evaluative feedback- tells the learner how he or she has performed to others or to some standard.
Who’s Involved in Assessment? Students
“Test Talks” Peers Teachers Mentors Administrators
“Test Talks” Parents (Involvement is critical in the partnership of
students in elementary grades)
(Pre- K students are assessed through anecdotal notes and work samples. Work samples are organized in portfolios.)
3 Stages of Assessing Student Achievement
1. Diagnostic Assessment
2. Formative Assessment
3. Summative Assessment
Diagnostic Assessment
Sometimes called pre-assessment.
The assessment of the student’s knowledge and skills before the new instruction.
Formative Assessment
The assessment FOR learning during the instruction.
Examples of Formative Assessment
Triangulation MethodWritten
Observation
•Projects
•Oral presentation
•Debates
Oral
•Reports
•Projects
•Essays
•Tests
•Presentations
•Debates
Summative Assessment
The assessment OF learning after the instruction.
Represented by the student’s final term, semester, or year’s achievement grade.
Summative IF…….
The end of a chapter or unit test represents the absolute end of the student’s learning of materials for that instructional unit.
Sample Assessments
Portfolios Pretests/ Posttests Self- Assessments Rubrics Mini- Assessments Benchmarks
For any type of assessment used to assign student grades, it is recommended that
scoring rubrics are used!
State-Mandated Assessments
Criterion Referenced Competency Test Georgia High School Graduation Test Georgia Writing Test Iowa Test of Basic Skills GKAP-R High School End of Course Test
Resources Marzano R., et.al, 2001. Classroom Instruction That Works Davies, A., 2000. Making Classroom Assessment Work Kellough, R. Secondary Methods