Classroom Assessment and Grading PDF

Classroom Assessment and Grading  The Classroom as an Assessment Context TOPICS Traditional Tests Alternative/ Authentic Assessment Grading The Classroom as an Assessment Context Assessment as an Integral Part of Teaching § Educators an...

Classroom Assessment and Grading  The Classroom as an Assessment Context TOPICS Traditional Tests Alternative/ Authentic Assessment Grading The Classroom as an Assessment Context Assessment as an Integral Part of Teaching § Educators and students both value assessment but say that assessment should support learning. § Teachers use assessment results frequently to inform teaching. § Teachers state that students’ performance on classroom tests provides better feedback for students and more instructional support than state accountability tests. Teacher decision-making to Improve Assessment  Pre-instruction § Informal observation - students’ characteristic and behavior; nonverbal behavior or cues § Make expectations realistic § Treat initial impressions as hypothesis to be supported or modified by subsequent observation and information § May administer diagnostic pretests to examine students’ level of knowledge and skills Formative Assessment This is assessment during The teacher needs to monitor the pace instruction. of the activity, decide which students need to call on, evaluate answer quality, This helps the teacher sets and structure the sequence of content. his/her teaching at a level that challenges students and With small groups, the teacher might stretches their thinking. need to be aware of several activities simultaneously. It also helps to detect which Oral questions are needed to stimulate students need individual students’ thinking and inquiry and attention. assess their knowledge and skills. It requires listening to student Encourage students to assess their own answers, observing students for progress to increase their self- indication of understanding or confidence and motivation to learn. confusion, framing next Getting students to be reflective and question, and looking around monitor their progress is a key aspect for misbehavior. of student self-assessment. Summative Assessment This is post-instruction assessment or formal assessment which purpose is to document student performance. This provides information how well the students have mastered the material, what grades they should be given, and how you should adapt instruction.  Trends in Classroom Assessment Objective tests – multiple-choice Performance assessment – students create answers or products that demonstrate their knowledge or skill, e.g. essay, conducting an experiment, carrying out a project, etc. This uses a rubric – specific criteria for grading. Multiple assessment methods – objective test and performance assessment Traditional Tests Selected Response Constructed Response Items – require students to Items – have an write out information rather than select a response objective format from a menu that allow students’ Ø Short-answer item – define, complete a sentence responses to be scored quickly Ø Essay items – good for assessing students understanding of material, higher-level thinking Ø Multiple-choice skills, ability to organize information and writing items skills Ø True/False Ø Matching items Authentic Assessment This means evaluating a student’s knowledge or skill in a context that approximates the real world or real life as closely as possible. Grading Grading means translating descriptive assessment information into letters, numbers, or other marks that indicate the quality of a student’s learning or performance. Purposes: ØAdministrative – Grades help determine students’ class rank, credits for graduation, and whether a student should be promoted to the next grade ØInformational – Grades can be used to communicate with students, parents, and others (such as admission officer for subsequent schooling) about a student’s work. A grade represents the teacher’s overall conclusion about how well a student has met instructional objectives and learning targets. ØMotivational – Many students work harder because they are extrinsically motivated by a desire for high grades and a fear of low grades. ØGuidance - Grades help students, parents, and counselors to select appropriate courses and levels of work for students.  Should a missed assignment or paper be given a zero? Should teachers go strictly by Some issues in the numbers in grading? Grading Should grading be abolished? Is there too much grade inflation?  Should a missed assignment or Some issues in paper be given a zero? Grading - School policy and grading system  Should teachers go strictly by the numbers in grading? - No matter how objective the process is for averaging scores and grades, grading is Some issues in a matter of professional judgment Grading - It is important for teachers to be confident that the grade they give reflects what the student knows, understands, and is able to do in relation to standards of performance.  Should grading be abolished? - Grades are powerful symbols in our society that are taken Some issues in seriously by students, teachers and the public. Grading Always base students’ grades on how well they have learned the subject matter, based on objective evidence of learning.  Is there too much grade inflation? - Some teachers do not like to give low grades because they point out that they diminish the student’s motivation to learn. However, some critics argue that grade Some issues in inflation, especially in the form of giving high grades for mediocre Grading performance, gives students a false belief that they are learning and achieving more than they actually are. The result is that many students discover that they can perform well below their ability and still achieve high grades. Assessment task Aira shows her grades to her parents. What purpose did the grades serve? a. Administrative b. Guidance c. Informational d. Motivational § Nicole has just been told that as part of her teacher certification process, there will be a performance assessment. Which of the following is the best performance assessment of Nicole’s teaching skills? a multiple-choice item b. an essay exam c. an exam based on case studies d. direct observation of classroom teaching