Module 4b assessment

Assessment

Objectives

List the purposes of assessment in science education.

Give numerous examples of ways to conduct formative and summative assessment.

Describe the process of developing an assessment (Learning by Design, LBD).

Create and evaluate rubrics for science education projects.

Key Components of the Assessment Process

Focus

Purpose

Process

Users


Focus – On what aspects of the teaching-learning process should we collect, describe, and quantify information?

Purpose – How will the information we collect be used?


Method – What methods will we use to collect the data?

Users – For whom are we collecting the data? Who will be provided with this information?

Focus (NSES, p. 88)

To describe and quantify:

Student achievement and attitude

Teacher preparation and quality

Program characteristics

Resource allocation

Policy instruments

Methods (NSES, p. 88)

Paper and pencil testing

Performance testing

Interviews

Portfolios

Performances

Observing programs, students, and teachers in classroom

Transcript analysis

Expert reviews of educational materials

Purpose (Use) (NSES, p. 88)

Plan teaching

Guide learning

Calculate grades

Make comparisons

Establish credential and licensure

Determine access to special programs

Develop education theory

Inform and monitor policy

Allocate resources

Evaluate quality of curricula, programs and teaching practices

Users (NSES, p. 88)

Teachers

Students

Educational administrators

Parents

Public

Policymakers

Institutions of higher education

Business and industry

Government

ASSESSMENT STANDARD A:(NSES, p. 89)

Assessments must be consistent with the decisions they are designed to inform.

Assessments are deliberately designed.

Assessments have explicitly stated purposes.

The relationship between the decisions and the data is clear.

Assessment procedures are internally consistent.

Assessments must be consistent with the decisions they are designed to inform.

This means that the purpose must match the process. For example, if you want to measure how well students understand the methods of scientific inquiry, they must be given an opportunity to engage in scientific inquiry as part of that assessment.

Assessments are deliberately designed.

This means that the assessment must clearly provide the kind and quality of data you need. For example, ―Classroom observation‖ might be ok to see if students understand the directions of an activity, they it would hardly provide any accurate data of student understanding of concepts or achievement.

Assessments are internally consistent.

This means that if something is measured several times in the same assessment, the degree of success should be similar. For example, if I ask a student multiple choice questions about a topic and he does well, but does very poorly over open-ended questions on the same content, the test is not accurately measuring his understanding of the concept.

ASSESSMENT STANDARD B:(NSES, p. 90)

Achievement and opportunity to learn science must be assessed.

Achievement data collected focus on the science content that is most important for students to learn.

Opportunity-to-learn data collected focus on the most powerful indicators.

Equal attention must be given to the assessment of opportunity to learn and to the assessment of student achievement.

…opportunity to learn science must be assessed.

This means that we cannot state the these students do poorly and these students do well unless we are also evaluating such factors as teacher quality, classroom climate, availability of resources, whether special needs are being addressed, etc.

Equity is an essential factor in interpreting any social science data.


When we design assessments, we must focus on:

The ability to inquire.

Knowing and understanding scientific facts, concepts, principles, laws, and theories.

The ability to reason scientifically.

The ability to use science to make personal decisions and to take positions on societal issues.

The ability to communicate effectively about science.


Do not test what is easy to test. Test what is important to know.

Assessment

At its best, it is an opportunity to learn:

what students know in order to congratulate them.

what students do not know in order to help them learn it.

what direction your teaching should take.

Assessment

At its best is

Feedback

Assessment

According to the National Science Education Standards:

Assessment and learning are two sides of the same coin.

Assessment methods define what teachers should teach and students should learn.

Students should not just demonstrate learning during assessment; they should learn from assessments.

Assessment

According to the National Science Education Standards:

All aspects of science achievement—ability to

inquire, scientific understanding of the natural

world, understanding of the nature and utility of science—are measured using multiple methods such as performances and portfolios, as well as conventional paper-and-pencil tests.

Assessment

At its worst, assessment is:

An opportunity compare and rank students.

An opportunity to punish students for not learning.

When do you develop the assessment?

According to ―Understanding by Design,‖ assessment is the SECOND step in curriculum design.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (nd) Understanding by Design: A brief introduction. Center for Technology & School Change at Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved 6/7/07.

Wikipedia (2010). Understanding by Design. Retrieved on February 18, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_by_Design

http://www.iearn.org/civics/may2003workshop/Understanding by Design Teaching Ellen Meier CTSC.pdf

http://www.iearn.org/civics/may2003workshop/Understanding by Design Teaching Ellen Meier CTSC.pdf

When do you develop the assessment?

FIRST: Select your objectives.

SECOND: Decide what proof you will accept that the student has mastered the targeted knowledge and skills. Your assessment must provide that proof.

This is a very important concept. If your assessment cannot provide that proof, it is inadequate.

Characteristics of Assessment

Formative or Summative

Authentic – i.e. ―real world‖ – or artificial

Should be tested as much as possible in the way it will actually be used, BUT

Should also be tested as much as possible in the way it was taught

Developing Assessment

ASK:

What are the essential skills and knowledge I am trying to teach?

How can I find out whether students are learning them?

How can I help students learn better?

Key to the process

Refer back to your objectives. Does your assessment test THESE items and to the DEPTH you targeted?

Provide abundant feedback

Assessments should teach, not just test prior teaching.

Assessments should help students internalize what competency ―looks like.‖

Feedback provides this.

Which of the following BEST describes the role of assessment?

A. Assessments reveal to the teacher what the student does and does not know.

B. Assessments tell the teacher how to design the curriculum.

C. Assessments provide data about the students’ current levels of knowledge and skills for the purpose of improving those levels.

D. Assessments provide a way to assess school quality.


Assessments show the teacher what the student does not know.

Although this is true, it does not BEST describe the role of assessment. It is actually more important for the student to have this information. Can you explain why?


Assessments tell the teacher how to design the curriculum.

Although this is true, it is not the BEST answer. Teachers should use this information to make needed improvements in the curriculum, but it is also essential that assessment provide the student information about his current knowledge and skills. Can you explain why?


Assessments provide data about the students’ current levels of knowledge and skills.

This is the best of the four statements. Students, teachers, and perhaps parents and administrators can and should use such data to improve learning. The most important of these, however, is always the student. Can you explain why?


Assessments provide a way to assess school quality.

Although this is true, it is not the BEST answer. Feedback to others in the educational community is important, but most important is feedback to students. Can you explain why?

ASSESSMENT STANDARD C

The technical quality of the data collected is well matched to the decisions and actions taken on the basis of their interpretation.

ASSESSMENT STANDARD C

Assessments are:

Valid

Reliable

Stable

Authentic

Multiple measures

Sufficient opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills

ASSESSMENT STANDARD D

Assessments must be:

Fair

Without bias or stereotype

Modified appropriately for special needs

set in a variety of contexts

engaging to students with different interests and experiences

ASSESSMENT STANDARD E

The inferences made from assessments must be reasonable and well-supported.

Assessment should develop students as independent learners. Students should:

Select a piece of their own work to provide evidence of understanding of a scientific concept, principle, or law—or their ability to conduct scientific inquiry.

Explain orally, in writing, or through illustration how a work sample provides evidence of understanding.


Critique a sample of their own work using the teacher’s standards and criteria for quality.

Critique the work of other students in constructive ways.


Involve students in the assessment process!

For example: Let students to develop the assessment instrument.

―Design your own‖ rubric.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Hints for effective assessment

Assess often (formative assessment) so that you can modify instruction to fit student needs.

ALWAYS let students know in advance how they will be assessed.

Use assessment for its primary purpose, to provide feedback to you and to the students.

What can you do for formative assessment?

Exit questions: "your ticket out the door―

Write a paragraph

Journaling

Graphic organizers

Text-based questions

Notebook checks

Quizzes

Worksheets

Diagrams/drawings/cartons

Oral questioning

Nerf basketball review game

Pass-the-ball review

What did you learn?" closure questions

Vocabulary/concept skits

Daily warm-up review questions

What can you do for formative assessment?

Homework assignments

Review games

Group work updates

Timelines

Compare answers from students of different achievement levels

Compare answers from students of different learning styles

"Ask the Teacher" forms

Pictionary

Idea webs

Making and supporting predictions

Metacognitive reports

Minneapolis Public Schools (2010). Retrieved on February 17, 2010, from http://aaa.mpls.k12.mn.us/formative.html

What can you do for summative assessment?

Pencil-paper tests

Multiple choice

Essay

Matching

True/False

Etc.

Other ideas….


Debate

Models

Perform a television show

Perform a television commercial/infomercial

Improvisational role-play

Create advertisementsplay

Poetry (dialogue poem:

Students create books

Letters dialogue

Plan a museum exhibit/commemorative stamps/historical markers

Research paper

Minneapolis Public Schools (2010). Retrieved on February 17, 2010, from http://aaa.mpls.k12.mn.us/summative.html


Role-play journals/diaries

Stand-up comedy routine

Present and support a new way of doing something

Present and support your answer to a "what if" scenario

Compare/contrasts

Postcards from time/places with art and text

Create and support a metaphor

Minneapolis Public Schools (2010). Retrieved on February 17, 2010, from http://aaa.mpls.k12.mn.us.summative.html

How do you assess these other (alternative) forms of assessment?

Rubrics

How do you make a rubric?

Decide on the criteria that are important for this assignment. Examples:

Content

Inquiry

Use of resources

Higher level thinking

Communication/Presentation


Put them in order from the most important to the least important. Example:

Content (most important)

Inquiry

Use of resources

Higher level thinking

Communication/Presentation (least important)


Decide how many levels you will describe (usually 3-5).

Decide what scale you will use.

Example:

1 = needs improvement

2 = satisfactory

3 = exceeds expectations

4 = clearly outstanding


Describe each level for each criteria.

Example:

Content

1=many serious errors in content

2 =a few serious errors in content

3 = most content correct, a few minor errors

4 = no content errors; clear evidence of understanding

Examples of science rubrics. Which to you think is best?

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=1696498&











Key Points

Assessment drives the learning process.

Your assessment methods should be decided even before the activities for the lesson have been chosen.

Formative and summative assessments are necessary to give students the important feedback all during the learning process.

All assessments must be fair, rigorous, valid, and reliable.

Assessment Resources

Authentic Assessment http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

How to Write Tests http://www.uleth.ca/edu/runte/tests/

Portfolio Assessment

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/assess6.html

http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

http://www.uleth.ca/edu/runte/tests/

Module 4b assessment

Education

Transcript of Module 4b assessment