Preliminary Concepts and Recent Trends in Assessment - PDF

Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Preliminary Concepts and Recent Trends Assessment is one of the many tasks of the classroom teacher and this will give you an idea of w...

Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Preliminary Concepts and Recent Trends Assessment is one of the many tasks of the classroom teacher and this will give you an idea of what measures to take to improve the teaching and learning procedure. With this module, you will learn the basic concepts in assessment. You Overview will look into the different terms used in the classroom set-up more specifically in assessing student outcomes and the roles of assessment in classroom instruction, the types of tests, the modes of assessments, and the recent trends and focus of assessment. In the teaching and learning process, the teacher must be knowledgeable in assessing their students, hence their competence in assessing learning will give them an idea of what, how, where, and when to assess students. Assessing the students before, during, and after the discussion is our way of finding out if the strategies the teacher used are effective and if learning takes place. As a would-be teacher, you must understand the importance of studying the basic concepts in the assessment. Learning Outcomes At the end of this module, you are expected to: 1. Explain the basic concepts and principles in educational assessment; 2. Discuss on the role of assessment in making instructional decisions to improve teaching and learning; and 3. Reflect on and discuss the implications of assessment to teaching and learning 1 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Preliminary Concepts and Recent Trends Throughout the learning process, the teacher needs to track how well students understand the different subject matters being discussed. Educational assessments are one of the different methods and approaches that help the teacher realize this. It is an important part of learning and it provides useful feedback that improves pedagogy. What is Educational Assessment? Also known as educational evaluation, educational assessment is the systematic process of finding out about a student's knowledge, experience, skills, and beliefs using empirical data. The ultimate goal is to quantify and document how much a student knows. There are different ways to carry out educational assessments. For instance, you can ask students to write an exam that tests their knowledge or to execute tasks that show how much they have learned. Education assessment is a continuous process and the results help you improve teaching and learning experiences in the classroom. Educational evaluation can happen both online and offline. During this process, the teacher or evaluator can pay attention to one student at a time. They can also choose to consider the students as a group or assess the entire learning community at a go. Types of Educational Assessment Alternative Assessment Alternative assessment is an evaluation method that measures a student's ability based on how they use newly acquired knowledge to execute tasks. It is an instructor-led method of assessment that is specifically tailored to the needs and abilities of each student. Instead of asking students to take part in standardized tests and quizzes, the instructor gets them involved in complex tasks where they need to leverage what they have learned. Alternative assessment methods help the teacher to have a full grasp of the student's level of proficiency in a subject. 2 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 To get the best results from alternative assessments, you need to align your methods with the overall goals and objectives of the training or subject. Common alternative assessment methods include asking students to create concept maps, write reports or partake in collaborative testing. Advantages of Alternative Assessment 1. Alternative assessment methods objectively align with expected learning outcomes. 2. It pays attention to the quality of work from the students. Disadvantages of Alternative Assessment 1. It can be time-consuming. 2. It is very subjective. Authentic Assessment This is a realistic method of evaluation that places students in complex, real-life situations and asks them to use their knowledge to resolve them. As students put their knowledge to work, they gain a clearer understanding of the course content and subject matter. Unlike traditional assessment methods that focus just on the students' performance, authentic assessment is all about using one's knowledge to solve real-life tasks. Students find authentic assessments more interesting because they involve real-life contexts they can relate to. Authentic assessment is a two-way street. On one hand, it helps students to improve their skills and on the other hand, it evaluates how much a student knows in real-life contexts. As part of authentic assessment, students may be asked to develop a business plan for an existing organization or troubleshoot a problem. Advantages of Authentic Assessment 1. It converts students into active participants in the educational evaluation process. 2. While helping students to become better learners, it also empowers the instructors to be better teachers. Disadvantages of Authentic Assessment 1. It is highly subjective and this makes it difficult to grade students using authentic assessment methods. 2. Authentic assessments typically require detailed, personalized, and specific feedback which can take a lot of time; especially when you have a large class. 3 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Summative Assessment Summative evaluation is the most common method of classroom assessment. This method of evaluation involves using a standard or rubric to grade a students' performance at the end of a training course, or program. In summative assessment, the instructor compares what the student knows with what was taught, and uses the result to determine whether they move to the next level of a course. Summative evaluation monitors the student's performance against expected learning outcomes. Validity, reliability, and practicality are the most common features of summative assessment. Examples of summative assessment include end-of-term examinations, standardized tests, and creative portfolios. These high-stake methods produce results that define a learner's progress. Advantages of Summative Assessment 1. It is a standardized method of assessment. 2. Summative assessment plays an important role in moving students from one level to another. The disadvantage of Summative Assessment 1. It can discourage students; especially when the results do not turn out to be what they want. Formative Assessment Formative assessment is an ongoing educational evaluation method where the instructor assesses a student's knowledge during the learning process. It allows the instructor to keenly monitor learner's progress as they move from one learning phase to another. Formative assessment does not compare students' performance against some standard or rubric. 4  Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Because the teacher strictly monitors the student's performance, she can immediately recognize when the student starts struggling and step in to provide the right support. Formative assessment outcomes are non-graded and this means they do not produce results that define the learner's performance. As part of formative assessment, the instructor can ask students to respond to quick- fire impromptu quizzes at the end of a lesson. Polls, entry and exit slips, interviews, and focus groups are other popular examples of formative assessment. Advantages of Formative Assessment 1. Formative assessment empowers the instructors to make data-driven decisions. 2. It helps instructors to adjust their teaching methods to better suit the needs of the learners. Disadvantages of Formative Assessment 1. Formative assessment can be time-consuming because the teacher needs to implement several methods to effectively monitor students’ progress as they learn. 2. The more formative assessments you incorporate in the learning process, the lesser time there is for actual teaching. High stakes Assessment As the name suggests, high-stakes assessment is a method of evaluation that puts a lot of things on the line for the students. In other words, the results of high-stakes assessments are used to make important decisions about a learner's progress. High-stakes assessments have consequences for learners. Passing these tests means significant progress for the student like getting promoted to the next class or receiving a new certificate. In the same way, failing these tests can prevent a learner from getting a certificate or earning a practice license. Any method of evaluation that measures students' performance using some standard criteria is high-stakes. Because of the different consequences attached to a high-stakes test, students are motivated to give it their best shot and secure the best grades. The difference between a high stakes assessment and low stakes assessment is functionality. While a low-stakes test would measure academic achievement, identify learning problems, or inform instructional adjustments, high-stakes assessments are used to score learning outcomes. Summative assessment is a great example of high-stakes assessment. Advantages of High Stakes Assessments 1. It creates a standard performance evaluation and rating system. 2. It motivates students to put in their bests which helps to boost their performance. 5 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Disadvantages of High Stakes Assessments 1. It puts students under a lot of pressure which harms their performance. 2. The results may not be a true reflection of the student's knowledge. Pre-Assessment Before students start a new course or training, the instructor can administer a short assessment to find out how much they already know about the topic. This process of evaluation is known as pre-assessment. With the pre-assessment results, the teacher can adjust the learning curriculum to meet the students' needs. Pre-assessment should happen at every point where the student moves from one lesson to the other during the training or program. It allows the instructor to see things from the student's perspective and to adjust the course content to serve students effectively. It also helps to prevent redundant learning. If you spend time repeating information that students already know, they can lose interest in the program, class, or training entirely. You'll also be wasting time that can be used for relevant knowledge impartation. There are different ways to conduct pre-assessment during a program. For instance, you can ask students to share their thoughts about the new subject matter in a brief class discussion. Portfolio analysis, surveys, questionnaires, and concept maps are other ways to better understand what the learners already know. Advantages of Pre-assessment 1. It allows you to see how much students know and what they can do before the course starts. 2. It communicates the course expectations to the students beforehand. Disadvantages of Pre-assessment 1. Pre-assessments can eat deep into the actual instructional time and reduce the actual learning duration. 2. It generates large data sets that can be time-consuming to process. Performance Assessment Performance-based assessments ask students to show how much they have learned rather than providing responses that simply tell the instructor what they know. In many instances, instructors use this as an alternative to summative evaluation. Performance assessments allow students to own the overall evaluation process and it transforms them into active participants. By allowing the students to demonstrate their knowledge, performance assessments boost critical thinking and sharpen the students' analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills. 6 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 All authentic assessment methods are performance-based. Examples of tasks that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge include individual and group presentations, creative portfolios, journals and projects, and public speaking contests. Advantages of Performance-based Assessment 1. It promotes active student engagement in the classroom. 2. It is a flexible and direct method of assessment. Disadvantages of Performance-based Assessment 1. It relies on specific skill sets like creativity and public speaking which some students may not be great at. 2. The results of performance-based assessments are highly subjective. Portfolio-based Assessment In a portfolio-based assessment, the instructor asks students to submit a portfolio that details how much they have learned and the different projects they have worked on during the course. The instructor goes on to assess this portfolio to grade the student's knowledge and performance. A portfolio-based assessment allows students to show what they have learned outside the strict parameters of traditional assessment methods. You can create a simple online submission form to collect portfolio submissions as file uploads on Formplus. Portfolio assessment enables students to focus on their real performance, and show their strengths and weaknesses. It makes it easy for the instructor to observe the student's progress during the learning process. More than this, as students create their portfolios, they can reflect on their learning experiences and self-evaluate their abilities and performance. Advantages of Portfolio-based Assessment 1. It provides real-time feedback on students' growth and progress during the course. 2. It allows the teacher to assess individual talent. Disadvantages of Portfolio-based Assessment 1. Grading portfolio-based assessment can be highly subjective. 2. It is time-consuming. Diagnostic Assessment A diagnostic assessment is a method of educational evaluation that instructors use to find out how much a student knows about a topic. It happens before a new training, 7 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 course, or lesson, and it helps the teacher to kick start teaching and learning on the right note. Diagnostic assessments are quite similar to formative evaluation methods. However, the big difference is while formative assessment happens as learning takes place, diagnostic evaluation analyses what students have learned in the past. It sets the mood for learning by creating knowledge expectations. Advantages of Diagnostic Evaluation 1. It gives the teacher a concise overview of how much the students know. 2. It creates an effective context that improves learning. Disadvantages of Diagnostic Evaluation 1. It is time-consuming. 2. It may not provide a true reflection of the student's knowledge. Assessment Assessment is the logical collection, and use of data about educational curricula undertaken to improve student learning and growth. It is a foundational process that centers on student learning. It is also the process of gathering and interpreting data about student learning. The purpose of the assessment is to understand how educational curricula are working and to determine whether they are contributing to student growth and development. The most common form of assessment is giving a test. The test is considered as a formal and systematic instrument, usually, a paper and pencil process aimed to assess the quality, ability, skill, or knowledge of the students by giving a set of questions uniformly. Testing is one of the different methods used to measure the level of performance or achievement of the learners. It refers to the administration, scoring, and interpretation of the procedures designed to get information about the extent of the performance of the students. The following are the six assessment and grading practices for effective learning (Gronlund, 2003): 1. Show criteria and models in advance. Rubrics and multiple models showing both strong and weak points help learners judge their performances. 2. Assess before teaching. 3. Offer appropriate choices. While keeping goals in mind, options are judiciously offered to enable student’s different opportunities for best demonstrating their learning. 4. Provide feedback early and often. Learners will benefit from opportunities to act on the feedback – to refine, revise, practice, and retry. 8 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 5. Encourage self-assessment and goal setting. 6. Allow new evidence of achievement to replace old evidence. In the Department of Education, there are components of giving grades to students like quizzes, projects, assignments, quarter examinations, and other performance-based activities. With this, the teacher provides different activities or tasks in the classroom like what you’ve enumerated in your activity. This is what we so-called data or information gathering to assess the students in the teaching and learning process particularly in measuring learning outcomes. Assessment FOR, OF, and AS Learning Assessment and evaluation require thoughtful planning and implementation to support the learning process and to inform teaching. All assessments and evaluations of student achievement must be based on the outcomes in the provincial curriculum and allow for flexibility determined by the needs of the student. There are three interrelated purposes of assessment. Each type of assessment, systematically implemented, contributes to an overall picture of an individual student’s achievement. Assessment for learning (formative assessment) involves the use of information about student progress to support and improve student learning, inform instructional practices, and:  is teacher-driven for student, teacher, and parent use;  occurs throughout the teaching and learning process, using a variety of tools; and  engages teachers in providing differentiated instruction, feedback to students to enhance their learning, and information to parents in support of learning. Assessment as learning (formative assessment) actively involves student reflection on learning, monitoring of his/her progress, and:  supports students in critically analyzing learning related to curricular outcomes;  is student-driven with teacher guidance; and  occurs throughout the learning process. Assessment of learning (summative assessment) involves teachers’ use of evidence of student learning to make judgments about student achievement and:  provides an opportunity to report evidence of achievement related to curricular outcomes;  occurs at the end of a learning cycle using a variety of tools; 9 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1  provides the foundation for discussions on placement or promotion. The evaluation compares assessment information against criteria based on curriculum outcomes to communicate to students, teachers, parents/caregivers, and others about student progress; and to make informed decisions about the teaching and learning process. https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/wp-content/uploads/Picture1-1.png Measurement Measurement is the process of quantifying observations or descriptions about a quantity or attribute of a thing or person. The process of measurement involves three steps: 1. Identifying and defining the quality or attribute that is to be measured. 2. Determining a set of operations by which the attribute may be made manifest and perceivable; and 3. Establishing a set of procedures or definitions for translating observations into a quantitative statement of degree or amount. Methods of Data Collection Data are generally collected through one or more of the following methods: 10 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 1. Paper and Pencil. Collection of data through self-reports, interviews, questionnaires, tests, or other instruments. 2. Systematic observation. The researcher looks for specific actions or activities but it is not involved in the actions being observed. 3. Participant observation. The researcher is actively involved in the process being described and writes observations at a later time. 4. Clinical. Data are collected by specialists in the process of treatment. Uses of Educational Measurement (Mehrens and Lehmann, 1991) 1. Direct Instructional Decisions. Observing, measuring, and drawing conclusions are ongoing activities in most classrooms. Teachers not only test students to see what they have learned, but they also observe the learning process. 2. Instructional Management Decisions. Classification and placement decisions or counseling and guidance decisions. 3. Entry-Exit Decisions. Tests are used to help educators decide who should enter particular educational institutions or programs of study and who has completed the requirements to leave the program. 4. Program, Administrative, and Policy Decisions. Decisions that affect educational programs, curricula, and systems. 5. Decisions Associated with Expanding Our Knowledge Base. Testing for educational research. Measurement is the process of making empirical observations of some attributes, characteristics, or phenomena and translating those observations into quantifiable or categorical form according to clearly specified procedures or rules (Gredler, 1997). Evaluation Evaluation is a process of summing up the results of measurements or tests, giving them some meaning based on value judgments (Hopkins and Stanley, 1981); while educational evaluation is the process of characterizing and appraising some aspect or aspects of an educational process. It is a systematic determination of the merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards. 11  Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Through the process of evaluation, teachers can interpret evidence of learning, make judgments, and give value to the results gathered through assessment in the form of scores or grades for reporting purposes. If a picture of student achievement is required, the evaluation report is needed. Educational institutions usually require evaluation data to demonstrate the effectiveness and to provide a measure of performance. After the assessment, it is a requirement to immediately return all the activities of the students for them to be aware of their performances and by that, they have the chance to improve their works and they will see their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers in this aspect are mandated to conduct a teacher-student conference to address learning errors. Also in this aspect, the teacher may evaluate the strategies and the materials used in the teaching and learning process. Therefore, evaluation in all the activities helps the teachers and students in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Types of Assessment Procedures Classroom assessment procedures can be classified according to the nature of assessment, the format of assessment, use in the classroom instruction, and methods of interpreting the results (Gronlund and Linn, 2000). Function of Examples of Classification Type of Assessment Assessment Instruments It is used to determine Aptitude test, what individuals can do Achievement tests Maximum Performance when performing at their best. Nature of assessment It is used to determine Attitude, interest, and what individuals will do personality inventories; Typical Performance under natural observational conditions. techniques; peer appraisal An assessment is used Standard multiple- to measure knowledge choice test Fixed-choice test and skills effectively and efficiently An assessment Hands-on laboratory Format of assessment procedure is used to experiment, projects, measure the essays, oral Complex-performance performance of the presentation assessment learner in contexts and on problems valued in their own right. An assessment Readiness tests, procedure is used to Aptitude tests, Use in classroom determine the learner’s Pretests, Placement Instruction pre-requisite skills, Self inventories, degree of mastery of the Observational techniques 12 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 course goals, and/or best modes of learning. An assessment Teacher-made tests, procedure is used to custom-made test determine the learner’s Formative learning progress; provides feedback to reinforce learning, and corrects learning errors. An assessment Published diagnostic procedure is used to test, determine the causes of Teacher-made a learner’s persistent diagnostic tests, Diagnostic learning difficulties such Observational as intellectual, physical, techniques emotional, and environmental difficulties. An assessment Teacher-made survey procedure used to test, determine the end-of- Performance rating Summative course achievement for scales, assigning grades or Product scales certifying mastery of objectives It is used to describe Teacher-made tests, student performance Custom-made tests Criterion-referenced according to a specified domain of clearly defined learning tasks. Methods of Interpreting It is used to describe the Standardized aptitude Results student’s performance and achievement tests, according to a relative teacher-made survey Norm-referenced position in some known tests, interest group. inventories, adjustment inventories Other Types of Tests Other types of descriptive terms used to describe tests in contrasting types such as non-standardized versus standardized tests; objective versus subjective tests; supply versus fixed-response tests; individual versus group tests; mastery versus survey tests; and speed versus power tests (Gabuyo, 2012). Non-standardized Test versus Standardized Test 1. Non-standardized test is a type of test developed by classroom teachers. 2. Standardized test is a type of test developed by test specialists. It is administered, scored, and interpreted using a certain standard condition. 13 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Objective Test versus Subjective Test 1. Objective test is a type of test in which two or more evaluators give an examinee the same score. 2. Subjective test is a type of test in which the scores are influenced by the judgment of the evaluators, meaning there is no one correct answer. Supply Test versus Fixed-response Test 1. Supply test is a type of test that requires the examinees to supply an answer, such as an essay test item or completion or short answer test item. 2. Fixed-response test is a type of test that requires the examinees to select an answer from a given option such as multiple-choice tests, matching type of test, or true/false test. Individual Test versus Group Test 1. Individual test is a type of test administered to submit on a one-on-one basis using oral questioning. 2. Group test is a type of test administered to a group of individuals or groups of students. Mastery Test versus Survey Test 1. Mastery test is a type of achievement test that measures the degree of mastery of a limited set of learning outcomes using criterion-referenced to interpret the result. 2. Survey test is a type of test that measures students’ general achievement over a broad range of learning outcomes using norm-referenced to interpret the result. Speed Test versus Power Test 1. Speed test is designed to measure the number of items an individual can complete over a certain period. 2. Power test is designed to measure the level of performance rather than speed of response. It contains test items that are arranged according to the increasing degree of difficulty. Five Keys to High-Quality Classroom Assessment 14 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Classroom Assessment Competencies The following chart reflects the competencies needed to implement each of the keys effectively. Keys to Quality Competencies 1. Clear Purpose a. Identify the key users of classroom assessment Assessment processes and information and know what their information needs are. results serve clear and b. Understand formative and summative assessment uses appropriate purposes. and know when to use each. 2. Clear Targets a. Know how to identify the five kinds of learning targets. Assessments reflect clear b. Know how to turn broad statements of content standards student learning targets. into classroom-level learning targets. c. Begin instructional planning with clear learning targets. d. Translate learning targets into student-friendly language. 3. Sound Design a. Design assessments to serve intended formative and Learning targets are translated summative purposes. into assessments that yield b. Select assessment methods to match intended learning accurate results. targets. c. Understand and apply principles of sampling learning appropriately. d. Write and/or select assessment items, tasks, scoring guides, and rubrics that meet standards of quality. e. Know and avoid sources of bias that distort results. 4. Effective Communication a. Use assessment information to plan instruction. Assessment results function to b. Offer effective feedback to students during the learning. increase student achievement. c. Record formative and summative assessment Results are managed well, information accurately. combined appropriately, and d. Combine and summarize information appropriately to communicated effectively. accurately reflect the current level of student learning. 5. Student Involvement a. Identify students as important users of assessment Students are active information. participants in the assessment b. Share learning targets and standards of quality with process. students. c. Design assessments so students can offer peer feedback, self-assess, and set goals for further learning based on the results. d. Involve students in tracking, reflecting on, and sharing their learning progress. 15 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Recent Trends and Focus Accountability and Fairness Accountability means informing parents and the public about how well a school is educating its students and about the quality of the social and learning environment. Too often, accountability has been reduced to standardized tests that measure a limited range of academic skills, thereby narrowing curriculum and teaching. This approach has been used to attack rather than help educators, parents, and students. Fair Test supports authentic accountability systems that provide a rich array of information on academic and social aspects of education to parents and the public, and use that information to improve schools. Standards-Based Education Traditional grading approaches provide a letter and/or number grades meant to show a student’s overall academic standing, yet this offers students, teachers, and parents little to no insight into what the student has learned. Standards-based learning greatly benefits students by changing the conversation from “What is my grade?” to “What do I know?” This seemingly subtle difference leads to not-so-subtle shifts in how educators approach learning and address student levels of understanding. When focused on what students know and don’t know, teachers and stakeholders realize the need to identify deficiencies in a student’s learning, using these insights to adjust instruction. Students can work to achieve mastery before moving on to more complicated skills and concepts. Progression is now based on understanding and readiness, rather than by some other schedule disconnected from the student’s needs. More than just a tactic, the standards-based model supports the growth mindset behind authentic, life-long learning. Outcome-based Education Outcome-based education is a model of education that rejects the traditional focus on what the school provides to students, in favor of making students demonstrate that they "know and can do" whatever the required outcomes are. OBE reforms emphasize setting clear standards for observable, measurable outcomes. Nothing about OBE demands the adoption of any specific outcome. For example, 16  Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 many countries write their OBE standards so that they focus strictly on mathematics, language, science, and history, without ever referring to attitudes, social skills, or moral values. The key features which may be used to judge if a system has implemented an outcomes-based education system are: Creation of a curriculum framework that outlines specific, measurable outcomes. The standards included in the frameworks are usually chosen through the area's normal political process. A commitment not only to provide an opportunity for education but to require learning outcomes for advancement. Promotion to the next grade, a diploma, or other reward is granted upon achievement of the standards, while extra classes, repeating the year, or other consequences entail upon those who do not meet the standards. Standards-based assessments determine whether students have achieved the stated standard. Assessments may take any form, so long as the assessments measure whether the student knows the required information or can perform the required task. A commitment that all students of all groups will ultimately reach the same minimum standards. Schools may not "give up" on unsuccessful students. Approaches to grading, reporting and promoting An important by-product of this approach is that students are assessed against external, absolute objectives, instead of reporting the students' relative achievements. The traditional model of grading on a curve (top student gets the best grade, the worst student always fails (even if they know all the material), everyone else is evenly distributed in the middle) is never accepted in OBE or standards-based education. Instead, a student's performance is related in absolute terms: "Jane knows how to write the letters of the alphabet" or "Jane answered 80% of questions correctly" instead of "Jane answered more questions correctly than Mary." Under OBE, teachers can use any objective grading system they choose, including letter grades. Many schools adopt OBE methods and use the same grading systems that they have always used. However, for graduation, advancement, and retention, a fully developed OBE system generally tracks and reports not just a single overall grade for a subject, but also gives information about several specific outcomes within that subject. For example, rather than just getting a passing grade for mathematics, a student might be 17  Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 assessed as level 4 for number sense, level 5 for algebraic concepts, level 3 for measurement skills, etc. This approach is valuable to schools and parents by specifically identifying a student's strengths and weaknesses. In one alternate grading approach, a student is awarded "levels" instead of letter grades. From Kindergarten to year 12, the student will receive either a Foundational level (which is pre-institutional) or be evidenced at levels 1 through to 8. In the simplest implementation, earning a "level" indicates that the teacher believes that a student has learned enough of the current material to be able to succeed in the next level of work. A student technically cannot flunk in this system: a student who needs to review the current material will simply not achieve the next level at the same time as most of his same-age peers. This acknowledges differential growth at different stages and focuses the teacher on the individual needs of the students. In this approach, students and their parents are better able to track progress from year to year, since the levels are based on criteria that remain constant for a student's whole time at school. However, this experience is perceived by some as a flaw in the system: While it is entirely normal for some students to work on the same level of outcomes for more than one year parents and students have been socialized into the expectation of constant, steady progress through schoolwork. Parents and students, therefore, interpret the normal experience as a failure. OBE-oriented teachers think about the individual needs of each student and give opportunities for each student to achieve at a variety of levels. Thus, in theory, weaker students are given work within their grasp and exceptionally strong students are extended. In practice, managing independent study programs for thirty or more individuals is difficult. Adjusting to students' abilities is something that good teachers have always done: OBE simply makes the approach explicit and reflects the approach in marking and reporting. Item Response Theory One of the most challenging tasks of the educational domain is performing an accurate assessment of a student's knowledge level, which consists of quantitatively understanding “how good” a student is. However, this might seem a trivial problem: we all attended school and took some exams, every time receiving a mark supposed to measure our skill level. Sometimes, these marks are even used for rankings, awards, etc. But what is their actual meaning? Can we be sure that students with the same mark have equal skill levels in a certain topic? No, we cannot: their exams might have contained different questions, or they might have had the same exam but failed different questions. Exam marks only measure how well each student performed on the exam he/she was given, providing only a suggestion of his/her skill level, which is a non-observable value (technically defined “latent trait”). 18 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 In many cases, it is reasonable to use exam results as approximations of the actual students’ skill level: it is easily explainable and doesn’t require much effort to be computed. Still, something better could and should be done. Educational institutions often consider final grades as a metric for evaluating and comparing courses and academic years, but they should instead focus on the knowledge level of the students. Indeed, the objective of educational institutions should be maximizing the knowledge level of the students enrolled or — more precisely — maximize their learning gain, which is the difference between the initial and the final knowledge level. That’s the whole point with them: students are there for learning, and the only way to measure how well they are doing is focusing on the students’ skill levels, not on the marks. How can we measure this skill, in practice? The concept of skill can only exist together with the concept of difficulty of assessment items (i.e. questions, problems, exams, etc.). Item Response Theory (IRT) is a statistical technique that can be used to estimate latent traits of students and questions. In its simplest implementation — named Rasch model — it leverages the answers given by a set of students to a set of assessment items to estimate the skill level of each student and the difficulty of each item, but other models estimate other parameters as well, which we will see later. Once these latent traits are known, they can be used in place of the exam grades, since they are a much more accurate estimation. Let’s Play Crossword Puzzle Take a break and familiarize yourself with the basic concepts in assessment by playing CROSSWORD Puzzle. 5 1 2 3 4 6 19 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 7 8 9 Down: 1. It is designed to measure the number of items an individual can complete over a certain period. 3. It is a foundational process that centers on student learning. 4. A process of summing up the results of measurements or tests, giving them some meaning based on value judgments 5. It contains test items that are arranged according to the increasing degree of difficulty. 6. A formal and systematic instrument, usually, paper and pencil process aimed to assess the quality, ability, skill, or knowledge of the students by giving a set of questions uniformly. 7. An assessment procedure used to determine the end-of-course achievement for assigning grades or certifying mastery of objectives. Across: 2. An assessment procedure used to determine the learner’s pre-requisite skills, degree of mastery of the course goals, and/or best modes of learning. 7. Type of test that measures students’ general achievement over a broad range of learning outcomes using norm-referenced to interpret the result. 8. It is used to describe the student’s performance according to a relative position in some known group. 9. It is used to determine what individuals will do under natural conditions. 20 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Evaluation Answer the following using the rubric in this module on page 24. 1. Explain the basic concepts and principles in educational assessment. (10 points) 2. Discuss the role of assessment in making instructional decisions to improve teaching and learning. (10 points) 3. Reflect and discuss the applications and implications of assessment to teaching and learning. (10 points). Do you believe that assessment and evaluation My are necessary for improving the teaching and learning Reflection process? Justify your answer ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 21 ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Distinguish assessment FOR, OF, and AS learning by way of a graphic organizer. My Portfolio 22 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Summary The success of the individual learner is a result of effective assessment and evaluation procedures. This assessment and evaluation procedure must ensure a comprehensive process whereby the results will greatly influence decision making particularly on the strategies the teacher must utilize to improve the teaching and learning process. The knowledge of the teachers on the different assessment tools, evaluation procedures, and the effective guidelines for student assessment will ensure quality assessment. Assessment is the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken to improve student learning and development. It is a formative process that focuses on student learning. It is also an act or process of collecting and interpreting information about student learning. Assessment FOR Learning, teachers use assessment results to inform or adjust their teaching. Assessment OF Learning is usually given at the end of a unit, grading period, or a term like a semester. It is meant to assess learning for grading purposes. Assessment AS Learning is associates with self-assessment. As the term implies, assessment by itself is already a form of learning for the students. Measurement is the process of making empirical observations of some attributes, characteristics, or phenomena and translating those observations into quantifiable or categorical form according to clearly specified procedures or rules. Evaluation is a systematic determination of the merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards. The type of assessment in the classroom setup depends on what the teacher intends to measure. The tests are classified according to their nature, format, use, and methods of interpretation. Other types of descriptive terms are used to describe tests in contrasting types such as non-standardized versus standardized tests; objective versus subjective tests; supply versus fixed-response tests; individual versus group tests; mastery versus survey tests; and speed versus power tests. 23 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Rubric Performance Level of Performance Criteria Very Good (4) Good (3) Poor (2) Very Poor(1) Demonstrated Show Show The response The response knowledge complete substantial shows some shows a understanding understanding understanding complete lack of the of the of the of questions, questions, questions. understanding ideas and ideas, and of the processes processes questions. Content and The main The main The main The main Development points are well points are well points are points lack developed with developed with present with detailed high quality quality limited detail development. and quantity supporting and Ideas are support. details and development. vague with Reveals a high quantity. Some critical little evidence thinking is degree of Critical of critical present. critical thinking is thinking. thinking. weaved into points Organization The ideas are The ideas are In general, The writing is arranged arranged the writing is not logically logically to logically to arranged organized. support the support the logically, Frequently, ideas, ideas, although ideas fail to questions, questions, occasionally make sense and and ideas fail to together. processes processes make sense together. Critical thinking The statement The statement The statement The statement and analysis is very well- is thoughtful engages poorly is swallowed formed with and has some with course and analysis evidence from evidence to concepts or may be good, modules or support it. assignment but do not other sources questions. respond to the to support it. assignment prompt. 24 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Suggested Readings https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/educational-measurement-assessment- evaluation.aspx https://www.slideshare.net/SWATHYMA1/differences-between-measurement-evaluation- and-assessment https://www.adprima.com/measurement.htm https://www.uio.no/english/studies/programmes/assessment-evaluation- master/assessment-evaluation/ https://curriculum.gov.mt/en/Assessment/Assessment-of- Learning/Documents/assessment_of_for_as_learning.pdf https://teachingcommons.lakeheadu.ca/assessment-and-learning https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/assessments/09_s2_01_intro_secti on.html https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html https://resourced.prometheanworld.com/types-of-summative-formative-assessment/ https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/2 86/Formative-and-Summative-Assessments-in-the-Classroom.aspx http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/types.html https://www.slideshare.net/jheraldynmontano/alternative-mode-of-assessment Suggested Video clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElW13xnbmnI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UjiHA3g39g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wePut0cfzA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-YgK-l4Sg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5hJNpO0JPE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sacuuqjHPXo References Buendicho, F., (2013). Assessment of Learning 1, Rex Printing Company Inc., Quezon City, Manila Philippines. Chappuis, J., R. Stiggins, S. Chappuis, & J. Arter. 2012. , 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, p. 11.Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing De Guzman-Santos, R. (2007). Assessment of Learning 1, Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City, Manila Philippines Gabuyo, Y., (2012). Assessment of Learning 1, Rex Printing Company Inc., Quezon City, Manila Philippines. Gredler, M.E. (1997). Classroom Assessment and Learning. New York: Longman. Retrieved from: http://www.sciepub.com/reference/145606. 25 Module 1 Assessment in Learning 1 Gronlund, N.E. (2003). Assessment of Student Achievement. London: Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved from: https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/product/Gronlund- Assessment-of-Student-Achievement-8th-Edition/9780205457274.html. https://www.fairtest.org/how-principles-and-indicators-student-assessment-s https://www.fairtest.org/k-12/authentic+assessment https://www.formpl.us/blog/educational-assessment https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/assessment-trends-in-education-for-students/ https://medium.com/@lucabenedetto/advantages-in-using-item-response-theory-for- assessing-students-and-more-4a9665258863 https://www.k12academics.com/education-reform/outcome-based-education/what-obe Hopkins, H., and Stanley, I. !981). Taking Assessment Matters into Our Own Hands. Retrieved from: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001529.htm Mehrens, W.A., and Lehmann I. J. (1991). Measurement and Evaluation in Education and Psychology. 4th ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Navarro, R., De Guzman-Santos, R., Corpuz, B.,(2017). Assessment of Learning 1, Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City, Manila Philippines Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, (2010) Assessment For, As, Of Learning Retrieved from https://saskatchewanreads.wordpress.com/assessment-for-as-of-learning/ 26