rethinking summative assessment udl and the dreaded unit test

Rethinking Summative Assessment

UDL

and the

Dreaded

Unit Test

Reminder: The Three UDL Principles

• A universally designed curriculum provides students with

– Multiple means of acquiring content and knowledge [Representation]

– Multiple means of demonstrating their learning [Action & Expression]

– Multiple means of engaging the students’ interest [Engagement]

My Test – Barriers to Access

Representation Barriers

“I can’t read this.”

“This print’s too

small.”

“I don’t understand

the question.”

“What does that word mean?”

Action & Expression Barriers

“I can’t write.”

“How do you

spell that?”

“I print too slowly.”

“I spent all my time on the diagram!”

“How do I start my answer?”

“Look at those

clouds.”

Engagement Barriers

“I’ll fail

again.”

“What, no cedar

question?”

“This is boring.”

Conclusions

• Each barrier posed by this inflexible test could skew assessment results

• This test may not accurately measure student understanding of West Coast First Nations

• I as a teacher could make poor instructional decisions based on faulty assumptions

The UDL Solution:Provide Assessment Choice

PostersE-Portfolios

Oral Presentations

Puppet Shows & Plays

Videos

Other?Websites

Interviews & Observations

If Only a Test Will Do:

• Step 1: – Determine specific learning intentions

being assessed:• What knowledge, skills, concepts, etc. are

you trying to assess?• In this case, knowledge of West Coast

First Nations– Not reading comprehension, writing skills,

spelling, organization, etc.

If Only a Test Will Do:

• Step 2– Identify potential representation, action &

expression, and engagement barriers

• Step 3– Design a Universal Solution

FOR EXAMPLE:

Offer a Digital Alternative

Text-to-voiceVoice

recorder

Multiple

content

paths

Adjustablefont

Vocabularysupports

Writingprompts

“When the supports do not undermine the central goal of the assessment, it is perfectly reasonable and, in fact, more accurate to include them.”

 Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.

Online at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter7_5.cfm.

Conclusions

• UDL dovetails neatly with all our Assessment For/Of/As principles

• We see UDL in action in many classrooms, even if it’s not labelled as such

Our Future is Bright

Thank you