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.