assessing for learning: measuring success based …assessing for learning: measuring success based...

Assessing for Learning:

Measuring Success Based on Student Achievement

Scott C. Shuler

Curriculum Consultant

Connecticut State Department of Education(with thanks to Jack Zamary – Regional School District No. 15)

Edited by Steven Light for Elementary Music Methods, JSC, 2007

(c) 2003 Scott C. Shuler, CSDE

Assessment Definitions“Assessment”: Textbook Definition

"The process of collecting and

analyzing data for the purpose of

evaluation”

“Classroom Assessment”

Old meaning: “Interrupting learning while students take a test so you can assign them a grade”

New meaning: “Designing the learning process so that you can measure or observe what students have learned”

The VisionP

ainting the VideoH

ow

Quality Curriculum Answers Key Questions © 2002 Scott C. Shuler

Educators’ Important Questions Curriculum’s Answers1. Why should all students study MUSIC?

Reason X, Reason Y, Reason Z …Philosophy

2. If X, Y and Z are important reasons for studying music, then:• What general learning should students acquire?• What K-12 design would best facilitate that learning?

Goal(s), Big Ideas, orEnduring Understandings

Program Vision (often in Philosophy)

3. How much progress should students make toward the goals:• by the end of the required program (end of grade 8)?• if they also participate in elective strands?• ** by the end of each grade level or course?

OverallObjectives

4. What evidence will best demonstrate that students have made the desired progress?

Student Work

5. What tasks should students complete to provide that evidence?

Assessments(often part of Units)

6. How do we measure the extent to which students have been successful?

Scoring Scales

7. What does student work look/sound like at the various levels of success?

“Benchmarks”

How do we get there? Instructional Strategies, Content, Resources, etc.


3 Main Approaches to Evaluation

1. Normative– Norm referenced tests– Where students fall in reference to others

2. Idiographic– Individual progress/personal development

3. Standards-Based (A.K.A. Criterion-Referenced)

– Where students fall compared to a set of “benchmarks”


Individual Student AssessmentGives student –and, periodically, parents– feedback about

student’s work, by:• Helping student and parents understand where student is

succeeding and where student needs to improve • Providing a valid basis for evaluation (grading)

Helps teacher design instruction that meets individual student’s needs, by:

• Diagnosing student’s strengths and areas requiring additional emphasis/help

• Monitoring student’s progress and guiding adjustments in instruction

Helps teacher/school assign student to suitable educational programs, by:

• Determining whether student is qualified to enter (or leave) specialized course or program


Accurate feedback is not enough

“For assessment to be ‘formative’ (help student improve) a student must:

Come to hold a concept of quality roughly similar to that of the teacher.

Be able to compare the current level of performance with the standard.

Be able to take action to close the gap.”-- D. Royce Sadler (Australia) as cited by Lorrie Shepard in “Linking Formative Assessment to

Scaffolding.” Edudcational Leadership 11/06.


Effects of Students Discussing StandardsTreatment 7th graders discussed what would count as

quality science work and how it would be evaluated

Results Reduced gap between highest and lowest

achievers by 50% Increased average achievement dramatically Performance of weakest in experimental

group approached highest in control group

White & Frederickson study in Cognition and Instruction (1998)


Teachers must therefore place a priority on assessment

1. to facilitate their own growth;

2. to ensure the quality of their instructional program; and

3. to ensure that students learn and, eventually, assume responsibility for their own learning.


Bloom’s Taxonomy Comparison: Old vs. New *

Old Taxonomy• Evaluation• Synthesis• Analysis• Application• Comprehension• Knowledge

New Taxonomy• Create• Evaluate• Analyze• Apply• Understand• Remember

*Anderson, Lorin and Krathwohl, David (ed.) (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. (www.ablongman.com)

http://www.ablongman.com

http://www.ablongman.com


Common Types of Scoring Scales

Rubrics– Holistic Rubric– Analytic Rubric

Rating Scale Checklist Comments


Rubrics Analytic Versus Holistic RubricsFor a particular task you assign students, do you want to be able to assess how well the students perform on each criterion, or do you want to get a more global picture of the students' performance on the entire task? The answer to that question is likely to determine the type of rubric you choose to create or use: Analytic or holistic.

Analytic rubricMost rubrics are analytic rubrics. An analytic rubric articulates levels of performance for each criterion so the teacher can assess student performance on each criterion.

Holistic rubricIn contrast, a holistic rubric does not list separate levels of performance for each criterion. Instead, a holistic rubric assigns a level of performance by assessing performance across multiple criteria as a whole. For example, the analytic research rubric above can be turned into a holistic rubric:


Analytic Rubric


3 - Excellent Researcher * included 10-12 sources * no apparent historical inaccuracies * can easily tell which sources information was drawn from * all relevant information is included

2 - Good Researcher * included 5-9 sources * few historical inaccuracies * can tell with difficulty where information came from * bibliography contains most relevant information

1 - Poor Researcher * included 1-4 sources * lots of historical inaccuracies * cannot tell from which source information came * bibliography contains very little information

Holistic Rubric


Rating Scale


Parts of a Rubric

Criteria• What you are assessing

Levels of Performance• Success of task

Rating• Assigning value

Descriptors• Explain the degrees of success• How many descriptors?


Examples


Challenges to Classroom Assessment -- or --

The Top 10 Reasons Teachers Don’t Assess1. misconceptions about

assessment2. philosophical

reservations about evaluation

3. traditional priorities4. limited instructional

time5. large number of

students6. limited repertoire of

assessment strategies

7. lack of strategies or technology for record-keeping

8. lack of technology or other resources for preserving student work

9. limited skill in scoring scale (rubric) development

10. unclear “vision” of quality student work


www.CTcurriculum.org

Connecticut State Department of Education’s web site for finding model units/tasks with assessment strategies, scoring scales, and student work.

http://www.ctcurriculum.org/

http://www.ctcurriculum.org/


http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm




So... Develop easy to use and relevant ways to assess:

What you want students toKnow

and

Be Able to Do!

assessing for learning: measuring success based …assessing for learning: measuring success based...

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