Principles of High Quality Assessment

• Module Title: Introduction to Principles of High Quality Assessment and Authentic Assessment - orienting students to learning outcomes, characteristics of good learning outcomes, cognitive domain levels, and authentic assessment.
• Students are expected to define student learning outcomes using their own understanding, identify sources, explain characteristics, distinguish cognitive domain levels, explain the importance of learning outcome classifications, write sample outcomes, define authentic assessment, and demonstrate understanding by adapting assessment tools.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Give meaning using their own understanding about Student Learning Outcomes
• Identify the sources of expected student learning outcomes.
• Explain the characteristics of good learning outcomes

Student learning outcomes

• Statements of the knowledge, skills and abilities students should have after a learning experience.
• For example, in the BS-Math program, CHED expects graduates to develop enhanced perception of math's importance and proficiency in problem-solving.
• Attainment of learning outcomes should be periodically assessed by teachers and students.
• This assessment helps students identify strengths and deficiencies, enabling active participation in outcome attainment.

Sources of Expected Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)

• Institution mission statements are relevant sources for learning expectations.
• Public and private schools follow their mission, serving as a source of learning based on their philosophy.
• Government education agencies like DepEd, TESDA, and CHED issue policies on competencies and standards as prescribed sources.
• Professions, business, and industry identify expected competencies.
• Expected competencies ensure that graduates can perform as expected in their workplaces and professions.
• National government's thrusts and development goals should be integrated into the identified competencies and expectations.
• International trends and development should be considered in determining student learning outcomes
• International trends and development ensure graduates' competitiveness in the employment and professional practice abroad.

Characteristics of Good Learning Outcome

• Good student learning outcomes center on what learners can do rather than on teaching techniques.
• Teaching strategies should be guided by the desired student competencies.
• For example, if SLO is for students to explain and illustrate patterns in Tinalak (T'boli's tribal dress), instructional techniques and activities might include:
  • Video presentation of making Tinalak.
  • Exhibit/gallery walk of patterns and geometrical figures of T'boli.
  • A field trip to a community in T'boli.
  • Submitting short literature on the history of Tinalak.
• Good learning outcomes should be based on the program mission statement.
• The program mission statement is agreed upon by faculty and stakeholders like alumni and professionals.
• Student learning outcomes should be based on issuances from government regulatory agencies like CHED.
• Good student learning outcomes must be well understood by both students and faculty.
• Agreement is a must on the importance of the competencies they will cooperatively develop.
• Steps that teachers and students can take together in monitoring progress can include:
  • Hooking students to the desired learning outcome
  • Exploring and experiencing the supporting student activities
  • Applying the ideas/knowledge in simulated or real-life situations
  • Refining, rehearsing, and reviewing the skills/competencies
  • Evaluating learning outcome performance
  • Deciding on the action, solution, or creative project to apply learning.
• Good learning outcomes include a spectrum of thinking skills from simple to higher order.
• Students' competencies must be expressed as transitive verbs and/or action words demonstrable and observable at various levels.

Three Types of Learning

• Distinguish the different levels of cognitive domains introduced by Bloom
• Give reasons why the three classification of learning outcomes must be emphasized in learning assessment.
• Write student learning outcome samples in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.

Overview Of Types of Learning

• Learning occurs in different forms, represented by three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
• In 1956, Benjamin Bloom and colleagues identified these domains of educational activities:
  • Cognitive (mental skills)
  • Affective (growth in feeling or emotion)
  • Psychomotor (manual or physical activities)
• The terms were simplified to knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA).

Bloom's Emphasis on Educational Objectives

• Educators emphasize the three educational objectives or domains to accommodate different learning types.
• These domains are organized into categories or levels arranged hierarchically from simplest to most complex behavior.
• For specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based learning outcomes, state outcomes as concrete, active verbs.
• Lorin Anderson reviewed cognitive domain objectives and changed the six subdivisions from noun to verb, slightly re-arranging the order.

Bloom's Domains

• Domain 1: Cognitive (Knowledge)
• Domain 2: Psychomotor (Skills)
• Domain 3: Affective (Attitude)

Authentic Assessment

• Give the meaning and discuss the characteristics of authentic assessment.
• In recent years, higher education focuses on the need to include in the teaching-learning process the assessment and documentationstudent learning outcomes.
• The focus recognizes the importance of information on learning in the improvement of educational experiences.
• Authentic assessments attempt to demonstrate student learning in class rather than ability to do well on traditional tests quizzes.
• This type of assessment is considered excellent means of evaluating a student's knowledge of subject matter.

Characteristics of Authentic Assessment

• Authentic assessment starts with clear, definite criteria of performance known to students.
• Authentic Assessment is criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced.
• Criterion-referenced identifies strengths and weaknesses, but does not compare students or rank performance levels.
• Authentic Assessment requires students to creates answers rather than select from given options.
• Open ended questions prompts students to use higher-order thinking skills (HOTS).
• Authentic Assessment often emphasizes performance; students demonstrate knowledge, skills, or competencies in real situations.
• The assessments do not rely on recalling facts or memorizing details.
• Instead Students are asked to demonstrate skills and concepts.
• Authentic Assessment encourages teachers and students to determine their rate of progress cooperatively.
• Authentic Assessment discourages rote learning and passive test-taking; instead, students demonstrate analytical skills, creativity, and group work, with oral and written communication.
• Authentic assessment values both finished products and the process of learning. Authentic Assessment changes students' roles from passive test-takers to active participants.

Phases of Authentic Assessment

• Identifying the most important knowledge and skills that students should demonstrate.
• Determining criteria and standards for outcomes performance and proof of attainment.
• Implementing supporting activities to facilitate the attainment of desired learning outcomes.
• Measuring the extent to which students are attaining the desired outcomes.
• Interpreting assessment results, evaluating attainment, and using results for continuous improvement.

Differences Between Traditional vs Authentic Assessment

• Traditional Assessment
  • Selecting a response
  • Contrived/ imagined setting
  • Recall/recognition
  • Teacher-structured
  • Indirect evidence
• Authentic Assessment:
  • Performing a task
  • Simulation/Real-Life setting
  • Construction/applications
  • Student- structured
  • Direct evidence
• Mastery of skills and knowledge that can be found in traditional assessment is important since this will serve as a foundation that will be used later.

Overview Of Authentic Assessment Tools

• There are three main modes of assessment:
• Observations
• Performance samples
• Actual performance.

Observation-Based Assessment Tools

• Diane Hart (1994) Guidelines for efficient and impartial observation-based assessment:
  • Observe all students, not just one.
  • Observe frequently and regularly.
  • Record observations in writing.
  • Cover both routine and exceptional occurrences.
  • Enhance observation record reliability by gathering and synthesizing multiple observations.
• Developmental checklists require teachers to record descriptions of traits or learning behaviors.
• Regular use during the school year provides a moving picture of student progress.
• An interview sheet is another tool for observation, also called a conference recording form.
• Interview sheets consist of questions and space for recording student's answers.

Performance Sample Assessment Tools

• A portfolio is a systematic collection of learner work, such as written assignments, drafts, artwork, and presentations.
• Represent competencies, exemplary work, or the learner's developmental progress.
• Serves to assess the growth and development of students, inform parents, and evaluate academic programs.
• Portfolios contain: essays, audio/video tapes, art work, conference notes, group reports, pictures, graphs, and field reports.

Student Performance Assessment

• Performance check list instrument to evaluate student achievements at a specific place and time
• Checklist is a list of behaviors that make up a certain type of performance (e.g. using a microscope, preparing a letter, solving mathematics performance, etc.)

Cognitive Learning

• Remembering - identify, label, match, list, name outline, recall, recognize, select, state
• Understanding - translate, interpret, summarize
• Applying - change, compute, construct, discover, modify, prepare, produce, show, solve, use
• Analyzing - compare, contrast, diagram, differentiate, distinguish, illustrate, outline, select
• Evaluating - conclude, criticize, critique, defend, evaluate, relate, support, justify
• Creating - combine, compile, compose, devise, design, plan, organize, revise, rearrange, generate, modify