Basic Concepts in Assessment How can we use assessment as a tool to improve our teaching?

Assessments as Tools Assessment is a process of observing a sample of students behavior and drawing inferences about their knowledge and abilities. We use a sample of student behavior to draw inferences about student achievement. Forms of Educational Assessment Informal vs. formal assessment Paper-pencil assessment vs. performance assessment Traditional assessment vs. authentic assessment Standardized test vs. teacher-developed assessment Informal vs. formal assessment Informal assessments are spontaneous, day-to-day observations of students performance in class. Formal assessment is planned in advance & used for a specific purpose to determine what is learned in a specific domain. Paper-pencil vs. Performance assessment Paper-pencil: asks students to respond in writing to questions. Performance: asks students to demonstrate knowledge or skills in some other fashion. Students perform in some way. Traditional vs. authentic assessment Traditional: assesses basic knowledge & skills separate from realworld tasks. Authentic: assesses students ability to use what theyve learned in tasks similar to those in the outside world. Standardized test vs. teacher-developed test Standardized test: developed by test experts, published for use in many schools. Teacher-developed tests: developed by a teacher for use in individual classroom.

Purposes for assessment Formative evaluation: assessing what students know before & during instruction. We can redesign lesson plans as needed. Summative evaluation: assessment after instruction to determine what students have learned, to compute grades. Promoting learning Assessments as motivators Assessments as mechanisms for review Assessments as influences on cognitive processing- studying more effectively for types of test items. Assessments as learning experiences Assessments as feedback Qualities of good assessments- RSVP Reliability Standardization Validity Practicality Reliability The extent to which the instrument gives consistent information about the abilities being measured. Reliability coefficient- correlation coefficient +1 to -1 Standard error of measurement SEM- shows how close a students score is to what it should be. A true score is the ideal score for a student on a subject based on past performance. The test manual will compute common errors in the scoring. Scores must be given within this range- the confidence interval. Enhancing the reliability of classroom assessments Use several tasks in each instrument

 Define each task clearly enough so students know what is being asked. Use specific, concrete criteria Keep expectations out of judgment. Avoid assessing a child when s/he is ill, tired, out of sorts in some way. Use the same techniques and environment for assessing all kids. Standardization The concept that assessment instruments must have similar, consistent content, format, & be administered & scored in the same way for everyone. Standardized tests reduce error in assessment results & are considered to be more reliable. Validity The extent an instrument measures what it is designed to measure. Content validity- items are representative of skills described Predictive validity- how well an instrument predicts future performance. SAT, ACT Construct validity- how well an instrument measures an abstract, internal characteristic- motivation, intelligence, visual-spatial ability. Essentials of testing An assessment tool may be more valid for some purposes than for others. Reliability is necessary to produce validity. But reliability doesnt guarantee validity. Practicality The extent to which instruments are easy to use. How much time will it take? How easily is it administered to a group of children? Are expensive materials needed? How much time will it take?

 How easily can performance be evaluated?

Standardized tests Criterion-referenced scores show what a student can do in accord with certain standards. Norm-referenced scores compare a students performance with other students on the same task. Norms are derived from testing large numbers of students. Types of standardized tests Achievement tests- to assess how much students have learned of what has been taught Scholastic aptitude tests- to assess students capability to learn, to predict general academic success. Specific aptitude tests- to predict how students are likely to perform in a content area. Technology and Assessment Allows adaptive testing Can include animation, simulation, videos, audios Enables easy assessment of specific problems Assesses students abilities with varying levels of support Provides immediate scoring Guidelines for choosing standardized tests Choose a test with high validity for your purpose & high reliability. Be sure the tests norm group is relevant to your population. Follow directions closely. Types of test scores Raw scores- based on number of correct responses. Criterion-referenced scores- compare performance to criteria or standards for success.

 Norm-referenced scores- compare students performance to the average of students the same age.

Norm-referenced scores Grade-equivalents and age-equivalents compare a students performance to the average performance of students at the same age/ grade. Percentile ranks- show the percentage of students at the same age/ grade who made lower scores than the individual. Standard scores- show how far the individual performance is from the mean by standard deviation units. Standard scores Normal distribution- bell curve Mean Standard deviation- variability of a set of scores. IQ scores ETS scores Stanines Z-scores Standard deviation IQ scores- mean of 100, SD of 15 ETS scores- (Educational Testing Service tests- SAT, GRE) mean of 500, SD of 100 Stanines- for standardized achievement tests- mean- 5, SD- 2 z-scores- mean of 0, SD of 1- used statistically Norm- vs. criterion-referenced scores Norm-referenced scores- grading on the curve, based on the class average. Sets up a competitive environment, not a sense of community. May be used in performance tests- who gets to be first chair in band. Criterion-referenced scores show if students have mastered objectives.

Interpreting test scores Compare 2 norm-referenced test scores only when those scored come from equivalent norm groups. Have a clear rationale for cutoff scores for acceptable performance. Never use a single test score to make important decisions. High-stakes testing and accountability High-stakes testing- Making major decisions on the basis of a single assessment. Accountability- holding teachers, administrators responsible for students performance on those tests. Some tests have determined passing a grade or graduation. Problems with high-stakes testing Tests dont always show instructional objectives. Teachers spend time teaching to the tests. Low achievers or special ed students are often not included. Criteria often bias against students from lower SES. Not enough emphasis on helping schools/ students improve. Potential solutions to the problems Identify what is most important for students to know. Educate the public about what tests scores can do. Look at alternatives to tests. Use multiple measures in making high-stakes decisions. Identify what is most important for students to know. Educate the public about what tests scores can do. Look at alternatives to tests. Use multiple measures in making high-stakes decisions. Confidentiality & communication of test results Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act- limits testing to achievement/ scholastic aptitude. Restricts test results to students, parents, & teachers.

 Restricts students grading others papers, posting scores publicly, or going through student papers to find ones own paper. Parents/ students can review test scores & school records. Communicating classroom assessment results Assessment is primarily to help students learn & achieve more effectively. Class results must be communicated to parents to enable student success. Explaining standardized test results Be sure you understand the test results yourself. It may be sufficient to explain test results in general terms. Use percentile ranks rather than IQ or grade equivalents. Describe the SEM & confidence intervals if you know them. Taking student diversity into account Developmental differences Test anxiety Cultural bias Language differences Testwiseness Accommodating students with special needs Modify format of test Modify response format Modify timing Modify setting Administering part, not all test Use instruments that are more compatible with students level