Chapter 15

Knowing in advance that I am meeting with Ingrid’s grandmother to discuss about her scores, I will make sure to get information from all teachers’ subject and compare their comments about Ingrid’s strength and weakness with the standardized achievement test results. It will help me to have a better criterion when discussing the scores with Ingrid’s grandmother, particularly in the “struggle” subjects.

I will start the meeting introducing myself following by talk a little bit about general aspect of Ingrid’s personality in class.  Then, I would explain what a standardized achievement test is, telling Ingrid’s grandmother that it is a test that compare Ingrid’s score with the average performance of students at her same grade level.  I would also explain that the purpose of this kind of tests is to help students to improve academically by letting them know how much they have learned in each subject area and for us, as teachers, has the valuable information that could help us to improve our instructional strategies, plus know better the strength and weakness of our students.  After this introduction, I will make sure that Ingrid’s grandmother understands what percentile and stanine means, by telling her that percentile is the percentage of students at Ingrid’s same grade level that score less than or equal to her; and stanine is based on a statistic which an average student scores is 5 with a standard deviation of 2.

I will then go over the each score beginning with Ingrid’s strength subjects ending with her weakness.  I would mention that Ingrid’s has accomplished above average students’ achievements in reading comprehension, science, and social studies; she has accomplished average students’ achievement in math concepts, and that I can notice that she is struggle with spelling and math computation, since her scores reflect achievement below average students’.  Hence, based on standardized achievement test results, we have to concentrate our efforts and work in the spelling and math computation areas, to bring her to the level she needs to be.

Honestly, I will avoid going into the national percentile bands chart, since this information is not as relevant as the percentile and stanine scores, and it can be confusing for Ingrid’s grandmother.

Finally, (1) I would suggest Ingrid’s grandmother to encourage Ingrid to have a word-book at home, so every day she can work a couple of words (definition, how to spell it, and use in a sentence) to help her level with her peers in the spelling area.  (2) I would also highly recommend that any math or spelling homework should be checked by her grandmother, so it can be corrected for any error when needed. (3) If they have access to internet, I would suggest several sites where she could practice either spelling or math computation abilities having the feeling that she is playing more than working in her weakness.  But, if internet is not available, suggest some math workbooks with fun activities that help Ingrid improve her math computational skills.

Chapter 14

Informal Assessment: An informal assessment can happen anywhere and at anytime within the classroom. For instance, if I am going over sight words with a class of kindergartens, I can call on them in turn and assess them on a few words to see where their skills lie at that point in time. I would record these data in order to better decide what review is needed and what we can/cannot move onto in the lesson.

Authentic Assessment: An authentic assessment in say, a foreign language class might involve two students collaborating on a dialogue for an everyday occurrence (meeting a new person, asking for directions, etc) and then acting that dialogue out in class. More in my line of study, a special education classroom would likely use a lot of authentic assessments in order to teach real-world life skills (brushing teeth, getting ready for the day independently, scheduling and managing time, etc).Modeling, demonstrating, and testing skills like these within a special education classroom ensure that students are ready to live by themselves. 

Performance Assessment: A performance assessment may consist of a portfolio with all the student's work from a certain unit. Performance Assessments are invaluable in a special education classroom, especially when you have a varied constellation with different writing abilities (both intellectual and physical difficulties must be considered). Collecting a portfolio for a unit allows a teacher to gauge progress and record it without having to test constantly.

Standardized Test vs Teacher Developed Tests: A standardized test would be something like the TCAP or the new Common Core test that the state will be switching to soon. Standardized tests are not often used in special education classrooms but special education students are often required by law to take certain standardized tests, and so a special education teacher needs to be able to prepare their students to take a standardized test, even if they don't want to use one in their classroom. Usually, a special educator will want to use a teacher developed test based on a students IEP goals and objectives in order to showcase the students achievement and either modify their curriculum or accommodate it depending on their needs within the classroom.

Norm-referenced Assessment vs Criteron-Based Assessment: Criterion-based assessments simply show whether or not a student meets a certain goal/objective/mastery of a certain area. Norm-referenced assessments compare students' progress to each other and show where each student is in comparison to their peers. In a special education classroom both can be useful but you will most likely use a criterion based assessment due to the variable skills within your classroom. Norm-referenced Assesments will not likely help show where a student should be in relation to their peers if the student and the student's peers are not all on the same level. 

Chapter 14

Informal Assessment- As students verbally volunteer ideas for soil conservation teacher gives thumbs up signal for positive reinforcement. Formal Assessment- Students research soil conservation ideas and develop a top five list. Teacher grades the list as a homework assignment. Paper-Pencil- Student must list the appropriate steps to raise tomato plants from seed. Teachers grades as class participation. Performance- Students must raise tomato seed following the appropriate sequence. Teacher grades as a project. Traditional- Students must raise tomato plants from seed following the appropriate sequence. Teacher grades as part of a project. Authentic- Students must follow their plans and take stock to market or write articles for the school paper explaining their project. Teacher counts this as other half of project. Standardized- Teacher uses test that cones with small engine text as a pre-test. This would serve as formative assessment and the teacher would use the results to identify areas to be stressed in the small engine unit. Teacher Developed- Teacher uses her own test focusing on areas the pre-test revealed as weakness. Teacher grades as test. Criterion Referenced Assessment- Teacher uses own test to identify if students met objectives in a small animal care unit. Lets teacher know if students have a grasp of the material. Criterion referenced assessment lets teachers know if students have understanding of objectives as they were presented. However, it does not represent a performance based out come and does not always take into consideration the different types of learners. Results can be misleading. Norm Referenced Assessments- Teacher administers a system-wide test used by all agriculture teachers in the school system. The test covers general agriculture knowledge and is used to compare students in different agriculture classes throughout the school system. Norm referenced assessments tells the student, teacher, and parents how the students compared with a large to very large group of peers. It does let the student know where she or he stands in relation to others. Norm referenced assessments do not often take into consideration socioeconomic and ethic backgrounds. This alone can cause results to be misleading.

Chapter 14

Informal Assessment

Special Education classrooms require significant application of informal assessments.  In most special education classrooms students are performing on various levels of academic achievement, which requires individual assessment and attention.  An example of an informal reading skill assessment in an elementary special education classroom is presented in observation of students working with matching word/picture cards.  The activity consists of students placing the correct written word card with the picture card displaying a visual description of each word.  When it is noticed that a specific student is randomly placing word cards with picture cards that do not belong together, it is a way of assessing potential reading skill progression.  That student may need some individual attention if the rest of the class is able to complete the exercise with at least a rate of 90%. 

Performance Assessment

In the same elementary education classroom a performance assessment is performed through students participating in a game that focuses on the understanding and recognition of various facial expressions and body language.  The lesson focuses on nonverbal communication and each student’s ability to understand various nonverbal cues. It also measures their individual ability to communicate to their peers using only nonverbal cues.  The students take turns standing in front of the classroom and use facial expressions and body language to send a message to the class.  The rest of the students then guess the emotional state of that student. 

Authentic Assessment

With the same students, authentic assessment can be a great tool in measuring the use of imagination and it’s application to life skills.  An example of an authentic assessment is giving the students specific instructions that also have room for added imagination.  The students are instructed to use as many art tools as they wish to create a small poster of where they want to live when they grow up.  This assignment should be different for each student.  The only specific criteria to be included are some type of dwelling (house, apt, loft, condo, cabin, tent, RV, etc.), at least one person (being themselves), and the geographic location of the dwelling.  The students can draw, use stickers, construction paper cut-outs, magazine cut-outs, etc.  They are to create what their dream home is. Create their dream family, pets, etc. The assessment will determine student’s level of application of imagination and goal setting to real life.

Teacher-Developed Assessment

Special education students generally respond more positively to teacher-developed assessment versus standardized testing.  Because special education students have specific individual needs, standardized test do not typically provide an accurate measurement of their actual skill level.  With teacher-developed assessments, teachers can construct the assessment to directly measure a specific skill taught in the lesson.  An example of this in the special education classroom is assessing addition and subtraction skills to determine if the students grasped an understanding of the concepts and processes they were taught.  This assessment can take place in groups of 2 students.  Students draw straws to be paired up with a random partner. Each group will be provided with a mini quiz that entails short addition and subtraction problems, a bucket of plastic counting chips, a mini chalkboard, several pieces of chalk, and a pencil to write down the answers.  The students will work together in their groups, using various approaches to answering the problems on the mini quiz.  The students will be given a decent amount of time to complete the quiz.  The groups will be observed during the assignment, to assure that each student is equally participating and displaying an understanding of the lesson. 

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Criterion-referenced assessments are more applicable and useful in the special education classroom than norm-referenced assessments.  Criterion-referenced assessments determine what students have and have not mastered in comparison to others in their grade/age level.  An example of a useful criterion-referenced assessment in the special education classroom is designed to assess each student’s mathematical skills regarding addition and subtraction, in comparison to standards set for them and their peers.  This is conducted by providing them with a written exam that includes various addition and subtraction problems.  Each problem on the exam will have several correct answers.  Students are to choose the best answer.  This will allow each student to be evaluated in comparison with his/her peers.  Because it is a special education classroom, students will be provided with accommodations such as counting chips, individual mini chalkboards and chalk.

Criterion-Referenced Assessment vs. Norm-Referenced Assessment

As criterion-referenced assessment provides what students have and have not achieved in comparison to standard criteria for their grade/age, norm-referenced assessment does not provide those details.  Norm-referenced assessment ranks students in a percentile amongst their peers across the country. There are advantages to both types of assessment, as well as disadvantages.  An advantage of Norm-referenced assessment is the ability to score geographic locations amongst one another and identify strengths and weaknesses in various areas.  A disadvantage is that many students do not respond well or perform at peak levels with standardized testing procedures.  This could heavily affect their percentile rating.  This specifically holds true with special education students.  Criterion-referenced assessment has a disadvantage in that they are measured against a certain standard of academic performance.  These can be negative when standards are applied too heavily in a special education environment.  The flip side is that the advantage of criterion-referenced assessments allows instructors to determine what specific content the students did not learn.  This helps them prepare for future instruction. 

Chapter 14 responses

Performance assessment
As a teacher of a foreign language, I am required to test students (even the most quiet ones) on their oral pronunciation of the language.  I try to to this in a number of different ways throughout my lessons and most importantly, on a daily basis.  These can serve as informal or formal assessments, depending on the material that is currently being covered.  At the beginning of the day, I might ask random students how they are doing and what the weather is like in order for us to review previous material and allow them to become more comfortable speaking the language and doing so in front of their peers.  I find that it has been important for me to set a routine so that students are comfortable and prepared to answer at any point.  I make an attempt to call upon every student at least once in each 90-minute block.  I also give students the opportunity to talk to their peers in Spanish using the material we are currently covering while I circulate and assess each group and group member on their progress and accuracy.

Authentic assessment
Also in pairs or in groups, students will use the conversational material that we have covered to first develop real-life scenarios (scenes in a café or meeting someone for the first time) and then perform them in front of the class.  This gives other students the opportunity to learn from one another and get new ideas.  I assess students on their ability to both use the vocabulary and grammar correctly as well as use proper pronunciation.  I challenge students to use their Spanish outside of the classroom, so I have found that "practicing" it in the classroom setting makes students more comfortable and apt to use it elsewhere.

Formal assessment
A formal assessment is a tangible assessment of how well students are receiving the information, however, it is not comprehensive by any means.  I will have students start with a bell ringer activity of some sort (usually just a simple question to get them thinking or reviewing previous material), and then, throughout the lesson, students will answer questions that pertain to the lesson and add to their response from the bell ringer.  I prefer to break up my lessons so each question will assess how well each particular student understood any given section.  I vary the questions to range from simple T/F to ones that challenge students to think more critically about the lesson overall.  At the end of the day, I can review the student feedback about each section to see what I will need to review more heavily and what I am confident that the students know.

Teacher-developed assessment
At the end of each chapter, I usually administer a test that is a combination of questions from the book and online book we use and questions that I have developed.  It is an easy way to assess what students have and have not mastered.  The teacher-made test allows me to pick and choose, depending on what we have covered, and include real-life scenarios (for example, "write to your pen pal and tell him/her about yourself in Spanish") to help students recognize the benefits of knowing how to use the language.

Criterion-referenced assessment
With new vocabulary, I prefer to use a simple test (sometimes matching, sometimes fill-in-the-blank-with word bank) to assess if students can identify and use a new word correctly.  These two options, while easier for students, may be a preliminary assessment that builds confidence before they move on to one with a more difficult format.  I find that criterion-referenced assessments are a reliable and predictable way to find out exactly which students might be struggling and on what specific information.  Each student learns differently and at different paces and levels, so it's important to vary formatting according to these things.

Criterion-referenced vs. Norm-referenced assessments
As I noted above, criterion-referenced assessments are a great way to assess each student individually.  Each student learns at a different pace and has different needs.  You can make modifications for students and you will still be able to see what the student does or does not know.  You would also be able to look at the results from one assessment and compare them with previous ones to look at student progress instead of student accuracy.  Mastery is very easy to assess with criterion-referenced assessments.  Norm-referenced assessments can be helpful in determining placement of students in honors or AP courses, but they will not show what any given student does or does not know.  I understand the goals of norm-referenced tests, but fear that they fail to take into consideration students' individual learning styles and needs as well as other factors that affect student performance.

Chapter 14 Reflexion

1.    Informal assessment

As a French teacher, I have to pay a very close attention to the daily evolution of each of my students’ acquisition of target language. Through informal assessment I can easily evaluate the mastery of new material for every learner. For example, I ask a question about a French grammar concept recently covered and from every learner’s answer I am able to assess his/ her mastery of that specific concept. On a daily basis I have students use mini-white boards to check their knowledge on the subject matter and diagnose their struggles on a covered material.

2.    Authentic assessment

For a French teacher in an Anglophone country, this is the most challenging way to evaluate my students learning achievement. I chose authentic assessment to give the learners a taste of the real world where French can be used and also to give life to the material we cover in classroom.

To do so, we use Skype to converse in the target language with teenagers from many Francophone countries. (They compare and contrast several aspects of life in their respective countries; they discuss topics of interest related to their age group; such as music, sports…) Sometimes, I invite a Francophone guest-speaker to class to share information about his/her own country (cuisine, traditions, history….); and to answer students’ inquiries about particular issues as well.

3.    Performance assessment

In order to produce French, I encourage my students to act in class to their peers.

With the beginners, I provide an authentic text, which they memorize at home to expand their vocabulary, then they perform in class. I assess their mastery through their gestures and confidence along their presentation. 

In the intermediate class, I announce simple situations (in the library, in the doctor office, in a department store…) then I ask two students or more to come to the front of the class to act out. They are allowed to ask for the French equivalent of a maximum of three words, and all their performance must be in French.  I evaluate their acquisition of L2 through the accuracy of the vocabulary used and consistency of grammar concepts chosen.

In the advanced level, I assign different topics from which groups of students choose one to come up with a skit or dialogue. Afterward, they come to class prepared to perform without any paper. I assess their mastery of the language while they are acting. I base my evaluation on correct usage of vocabulary, accurate ­­­­ choice of grammar and their pronunciation.

4.    Teacher-developed assessment

Since I am using a tailored curriculum to the needs of my classes, I make my own tests to assess their language acquisition.  Moreover, my students represent a different spectrum of levels. Some had been diagnosed with learning disabilities; others are speaking the language at home with their Francophone families.

 I never administrate the same test to the whole class. I always make a common test for the average students, and then I bring some modifications to it. One modified test is less challenging (reduce the number of choices in multiple-choice section) another more challenging test (Provide the correct information in true/ false statements Or increase the number of short answers).

I evaluate standards mastery and content comprehension of each student according to his/her level and abilities

5. Norm-referenced assessment 

The American Association of Teacher of French (AATF) organizes every year in spring a national French exam: Le Grand Concours. The students compete for a state rank and a national rank.

The top 10 of each state receive a special certificate. I like to use this national contest to compare their achievement to their peers from different local schools and also from other schools across the nation.  And also to evaluate my own performance; my students success reflects, to certain extinct my own accomplishment as a teacher.

Norm-referenced assessment and Criterion-referenced assessment: advantages and disadvantages.

I appreciate how norm-referenced assessments can measure a student's performance by comparing it to the accomplishment of other students taking the same test. However, I dislike exposing all the learners with different abilities to the exact same evaluation ignoring their own special needs and particular aptitudes.

Regarding Criterion-referenced assessment, I like the fact that it helps teachers diagnose, more or less, the exact deficiencies when the test-taker does not meet the established standards. However, I feel that sometimes the standards are arbitrary set and without an precise compliant with reasonable level of learners.

 

 

Chapter 14

Being a student myself I have experienced many if not all of these teaching assessments first hand. I found it interesting how the chapter pointed out that there are many times that students are being assessed and are unaware of it. Informal assessments are being done constantly on a daily basis just by observing the students. What was interesting to me was thinking how each of these assessments would play out in a deaf residential school working with deaf students. These assessments may vary but are often used for similar things as in the mainstream school (ex. plan for the future, assessing teaching skills, assessing performance) Informal Assessments are constantly being made with deaf students regarding their use of language, and social skills because each student it different. These students may come from hearing families with hearing parents and not know any sign language, or they may come from deaf families and not know any English. These are things that are noticed simply by observing the child in their natural environment using their comfortable language. Formal Assessments are usually altered based on the student and what is observed through the informal assessments. If students have no English skills the tests will have to be given in ASL, using an interpreter, or deaf teacher. These alterations make the line between the next two types of assessments (paper-pencil assessment vs performance assessment) very blurry. Paper and Pencil Assessment ASL actually does have a written form and the students are taught reading and writting so written tests and hypothetical situations are possible for them to be assessed. Performance Tests these are used often with deaf students. They do not have nearly as much experience with the hearing world as mainstreamed students so teachers and volunteer students (like myself) try to set up many "mock situations" in which they would be out in the world and need to use an interpreter and make sure they have the information on how to do so after graduation. Performance tests are extremely important for deaf students. Traditional vs. Authentic Assessment when deaf students reach high school, the amount of traditional assessment is very minimal. The focus is on authentic assessment. The sad truth is that everyone knows the deaf students are going to have a harder time finding employment than any of their hearing peers. To hopefully aid them in ensuring employment, the high school education is extremely authentic. It is always related to real world experiences, and applied to real situations that they can use later in the workplace. Standardized Tests deaf students in mainstream schools do participate in the same standardized tests that we have all endured. As I mentioned before, some students may have slightly differing language skills therefore deaf students are often allowed extra time, or an interpreter. This in no way makes the tests comprehensible to all deaf individuals, therefore bringing average deaf schools scores extremely low. Teacher-Developed Assessments these usually work much better in all settings involving deaf students. In residential schools, the teachers know each of the students language skills and can communicate with the directly and know how to communicate the assessment to the students. In a mainstream school the interpreter is with the student in the classroom and the language is somewhat familiar and can be understood more easily. When the language is familiar, it is much easier whether it be ASL, signed English, spoken English, etc. and that is the main problem with any kind of assessment given to deaf students, not the information. Criterion-Referenced vs. Norm-Referenced Assessments because of all of the challenges and barriers I have listed and the lack of resources for not only teachers of deaf students but even families of deaf children, it is clear that deaf students are extremely behind in criterion-referenced assessments. Most high school deaf children are assessed to be at a fourth grade reading level, but if you have a conversation with them in ASL they are extremely intelligent, they can have a full, intellectual, conversation with you. There are norm-referenced assessments within residential schools comparing deaf individuals to the other deaf students which are beneficial but when there is one deaf student in a mainstream hearing school, these assessments are not going to truly represent the students intelligence because of language barriers.

Chapter 14 Response

Authentic Assessment: As a special education teacher, I might work on the steps of grocery shopping independently with the students. An authentic assessment might be to take the student to the grocery store and assess how well they remember the steps of creating a shopping list, finding the items needed, and paying the cashier for the groceries. I would choose this assessment because it will show me how well the student has learned this real-life task without having to give them a written test asking him to list in order the steps of grocery shopping. It allows the student to actually practice the real-life skill as if he was doing it on his own.  

Teacher-Developed Assessment Instrument: A "test" or assessment that I have produced as a teacher can be made personal and cater to my specific students. For example, if we were to be reading a specific story for a lesson and the students share personal stories to the rest of the class that relate to the story being read, I might create an assessment that includes some content or ideas from our discussion. This type of assessment will benefit the students because they were able to relate to the content and will hopefully remember it for the assessment since it has become personal; and it will provide me with information on how well the students are engaging during class, as well as understanding the story that was being read as a lesson.

Paper-Pencil Assessment: An example of a paper-pencil written assessment might be a "ticket out the door". I would propose a question regarding the lesson of that day and write it on the board. The students would then respond on a piece of paper with their answer. This gives me a quick assessment of the class's understanding of the lesson. I can use their responses to guide my teaching for a next lesson, or to possibly reteach the lesson and clear up some misconceptions. I like this type of assessment because, although it is written, it is not a test and the students do not feel pressure when answering; yet it still gives me information on how well the lesson was understood.

Informal Assessment: As a teacher, we should make the habit of constantly adapting our teaching and lessons to fit the needs of the students and their understanding. With an informal assessment, I might take note that Maggie stares at one page during the whole SSR time; this could tell me that Maggie may have chosen a book that is above her reading level, and that I should suggest a different book for her. I might also take note that Ryan looks around the classroom when I am reviewing the math concept we learned the day before, and I can assume he does not follow and I might need to do a more extensive review for the class, or work with Ryan to reteach that specific concept. Informal assessments allow me to constantly change my pace of teaching to ensure that my students are learning and not falling behind.

Norm-referenced Assessment: As a norm-referenced assessment, I might have each student read a story or paragraph from the specified reading level/grade level these students should be at. Having done this, I can compare the student's reading score to that of the grade level specifications and see if he/she falls below this grade level. Although this assessment might tell me where the child falls within a reading level, it might not tell me where in reading the child is struggling. There are reading running records that I could use that tell me this information, but a norm-referenced assessment would give me information I would need to know to preform further/deeper assessments.

Criterion-referenced Assessment and Norm-referenced Assessment - Advantages and Disadvantages: I believe both have advantages. A criterion-referenced assessment will tell me what the student does and does not know regarding the content of the test/assessment. This information allows me to give specific feedback to the student on how/why he missed that problem, or see that it was just a mistake made when answering/solving the problem. This type of assessment allows me to communicate with the student about what he is learning. A norm-referenced assessment shows me the level to which the student performs compared to that of his peers. This information is valuable when placing a child in special education services, such as a resource classroom for reading because his reading scores are three levels below the grade he is currently in. Both assessments also have disadvantages. Neither assessment really shows me why it is the student is struggling, especially if his errors are due to a learning disability or misconception of a topic.

Chapter 14- ED PSYCH 401

Gabrielle Ambrose ED PSYCH 401

Blog #1: Assessment

On page 505, give an idea for assessment for each of the 5 categories

Authentic and Traditional Assessments

Authentic assessment is the first assessment I would like to give an example of. The lesson I would teach would cover advertizing: the strategies of advertizing, the different types of advertizing, etc. An idea for assessment for an authentic type of assessment is having students find five ads in a magazine and identifying the type of advertising strategy used in the ads found. This assessment would prove authentic because advertisements are everywhere in the real world and students need to be aware of how advertising companies will try to trick consumers into buying their product, even though it may not be the best product. Therefore, this lesson and authentic assessment would ultimately help students save money and make better financial choices in the future.

Next, I would like to give an example of a traditional assessment. I could teach a lesson in science on the scientific method and how it works and then after the lesson, or even the next day, I could administer a true/false quiz to the students. I would give this type of assessment because it is fast and quite easy to administer. Since the scientific method is the basis for many science classes it is something that needs to be covered quickly and needs to be understood by the class.

Formal and Informal Assessments

For a formal assessment, I would like to give a multiple choice and true/false test to the students after teaching a unit on cells. This form of assessment is quick, simple and is the easiest way to assess the students’ knowledge about cells.

For an informal assessment, I would like to assess students by writing running records on their reading abilities. These running records will indicate how well students can read specific books. For example, a score of 10 correct out of 15 percent of the words read correctly and rubric scores can tell me how well a student can read. This will give me an idea of how well the student can read and if they can or cannot move up in their reading level.

Paper-Pencil and Performance Assessments

After giving a week long unit on the Civil Rights Movement, I would like to administer a test in which students respond to open-ended questions on paper and write essays as their answers. This type of assessment is the best way to assess that they have learned and absorbed the information taught in this Civil Rights Movement unit. It also shows me that they have a deep understanding of the material taught in the unit.

 After teaching a unit on fiction, I could ask all students to bring a book from home that is considered fiction. I could give them specific guidelines to follow when giving their oral presentation of the book, such as: telling what the story is about, who the characters are, and what characteristics the book has that makes it a fiction book. This assessment would prove to me that the students were fully knowledgeable of the types of characteristics a fiction book or story has. I would need a grading rubric for this type of assessment to grade the students on their oral presentations.

Criterion-Referenced and Norm-Referenced Assessments

            After a lesson on different presidents of the U.S., I would like to give students a criterion-referenced assessment. During this assessment, students will need to write down the name of a certain U.S. president after being given a description of a president (orally) by the teacher. They would be given 10 questions on this assessment. A score of 6 out of 10 would indicate that a student does not quite know all of the presidents presented in this lesson. This assessment is wonderful because it gives me a quick insight as to what the students know and do not know about the information given in the lesson.

            An example of a norm-referenced assessment would be that of the TCAPS which are native to the state of Tennessee. The TCAPS assess students’ knowledge and compare it with other students in the state and also at a national level. This assessment is a great type of assessment if teachers are interested to know how their students compare with other students in the state and in the nation.

Teacher Developed Assessment and Standardized Tests

            A good example of a teacher developed assessment would be a test, developed by the instructor, on 2-digit addition after teaching a unit on 2-digit addition. Through this type of assessment, teachers would be able to see if students have mastered 2-digit addition, and, if so, teachers can successfully move on to a different and more complex mathematical topic.

            An excellent example of a standardized test is the TCAP. As mentioned before, the TCAPS are native to Tennessee and compare students locally and nationally. This type of assessment can also measure the performance of students at the end of the year. Sometimes, standardized testing such as the TCAPS allows teachers and faculty of the school to see if a student is ready to move to the next grade level or if a student needs to stay in the grade level he or she is currently in.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Assessments

            Norm-Referenced assessments allow teachers and schools to see how well their state or area is doing academically. Sometimes, if a particular state or area is doing well academically, they may receive funds from the government for improving or achieving great academic scores on these types of assessments. However, norm-referenced assessments can make students feel defeated if they themselves or their school did not receive a decent score. Sometimes, because of low scores on norm-referenced assessments, schools may not receive extra funding or may get funding taken away from their school.

            Criterion-referenced assessments have a very strong advantage. A criterion-referenced assessment can allow an educator to know exactly what their students know because of the blunt scores they receive from this type of assessment. A 6 out of 10 answers correct or an 8 out of 10 answers correct tells exactly what a student knows and doesn’t know. Therefore, the specificity of the criterion-referenced assessment is a strong advantage. A disadvantage to the criterion-referenced assessment is the fact that if the class does not do well on the assessment, the teacher may have to re-teach the lesson. However, knowing where your students stand on a particular lesson is crucial in knowing whether to move on to different or more advanced materials.

Article of Interest (short!) about reading/studying the textbook

I thought you all might enjoy this as it connects with our discussion last Wednesday:

http://chronicle.com/article/Close-the-Book-Recall-Write/31819

Chapert14

Informal assessment: It would be the questions that I ask to the students at the beginning and while the lecture is taking place. For example, in the area calculation objective, I would start my class asking the students questions about background knowledge they should already have, such as: What is perimeter? What is area? What is the difference between these two concepts?  What else you can tell me about area? These questions allow me to have a general idea of the level of the class.  Then, based on my conclusions, I may rearrange the lecture according to students’ needs.  Later, after some knowledge has been build during the class, I will ask questions to ensure they are mastering the content and how far they can go with their knowledge, such as: Why do you think such and such? How you come out with that result? What will happen if I change this condition? Etc.  No grade is given to student for informal assessment.

Authentic assessment: It would be a problem-solving question in which the students have to measure the dimensions of a given irregular shape room drawing, using feet as unit; then calculate how many square feet of wood they need to buy in order to build a wood floor of that irregular shape room, and finally calculate how much the wood will costs to build the floor if the price of the wood per square foot is given.  I would use the authentic assessment on the area calculation objective because it will help me to measure student’s knowledge of the concept of area and their skill of apply it in a real-life situation.  In this problem, they not only need to understand what they need to calculate, but also the measurements they need to take and what they are obtaining as answer for each question in order to answer the following one. Authentic assessment is done under specific time and graded.

Paper-pencil assessment and Teacher-developed assessment:  This assessment would have several parts.  It would start with a vocabulary part using matching items (no more than ten).  It will help students break the test anxiety because normally they found matching item easy to achieve. Then a multiple choices part where the students have to solve short-simple problems in order to get their correct answer. It can be thinking as a warm-up for later more complex problem.  While solving short problem students have to use tools or knowledge they will need later in order to solve the last part of the test, bringing and refreshing that knowledge.  The final part would be an open-ended problem in which the students have to apply their knowledge to solve a real-life problem.  The last part of this assessment overlaps with the authentic assessment, plus the teacher-developed part overlaps with the informal assessment, since the questions are developed by the teachers for their own classrooms. In general, I would use the paper-pencil/teacher-developed assessment as a summative assessment because it allows me to measure students’ achievement in a standardized format, however allow to accommodation when needed.  Paper-pencil assessments are reliable, and if they are well designed they can give content validity, plus their practicality is undoubted.  Paper-pencil/teacher-developed assessment is timed and graded.

Criterion-references assessment: In math a criterion-reference assessment could be the same paper-pencil/teacher-developed assessment since it will tell me exactly what students have learn or not and what are their deficiencies.  However, a day-to-day criterion-references assessment could be a last ten minutes exit ticket based on a couple of problems referring the class subject that allows me to discriminate what the students have or have not accomplished.  It will help me to rearrange the following class in order to build knowledge in their deficiencies at the same time that cover the curriculum.  The assessment will be graded forcing students to take their work seriously.

Advantage and/or Disadvantage of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments: I can see a clear advantage in the criterion-referenced assessments since they are designed to tell us if the students have or have not mastered a specific subject or objective.  If well designed, criterion-referenced assessments can help us, as teachers, to measure and understand the level of the students and their needs.  However, one disadvantage could be that if the criterion-referenced assessments are not well designed they can give us wrong information about what students have accomplished.  On the other hand, I found norm-referenced assessments less practical for us as “regular” teacher.  Perhaps if I think in special educator I can see that norm-referenced assessments can have more value, since it can be used as a tool to gather information and understand about disability in particular student.