RSMAS TA Training:Assessment and Grading

Lead by Johnna InfantiAugust 20, 2012 – August

23 2012

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Outline• What is assessment• Types of assessment

• What should you expect as a TA

• Writing test and homework questions

• Rubrics• Grading Information

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What is assessment?How well are students learning?

How effectively are teachers teaching?

Educational assessment is the process of documenting, usually in

measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.

Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning

community (class, workshop, or other organized group of

learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole.

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What is assessment?

Assessment can have many forms!

Quizzes and Tests

Homework ProjectsEssays

Lab Reports

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Summative vs. FormativeSummative Assessment

• generally carried out at the end of a course or project

• Used to assign students a course grade

• Summative assessments are evaluative.

Formative Assessment• generally carried out throughout

a course or project• provide information that can be

used to improve course content, methods of teaching, and, ultimately, student learning

Formative Assessment• most effective when they are

done frequently• Information used to effect

immediate adjustments in the day-to-day operations of the course

• Formative assessments are diagnostic

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Classroom Assessment TechniquesWhat is a CAT?

• Formative evaluation method• Used to assess how well students

understand course content and effectiveness of teaching methods

• Basic feedback tool for monitoring how well students are learning the course content to make timely instructional adjustment than as basis for grades

What can CATs do for faculty?• Will provide feedback that can be

used immediately• Provides information about how

much students have learned without time commitment to grading/etc

What can CATs do for students?• Develop self-assessment and

learning management skills• Reduce feelings of isolation• Increase understanding and ability

to think critically about course content

Meow!

EXAMPLES GIVEN IN PACKET (pg 7)http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/cat.html

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CAT’s: “Feedback Loop”Classroom Assessment is Ongoing

• Using a number of simple CAT’s, teachers get feedback on student learning

• Faculty completes loop by providing students with feedback on the results of the assessment and suggestions for improving learning

• Using classroom assessment again, faculty can check on the usefulness of their suggestions

• The approach will become more integrated into everyday classroom activities, and the communications loop connecting faculty and students becomes more efficient and effective

EXAMPLES GIVEN IN PACKET (pg 7)http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/cat.html

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What will you be expected to do as a TA?Some typical expectations:

Discuss expectations with course professor before

course begins!

Some things you may wish to discuss:

• Write test and homework questions

• Grade assignments• Grade exams

• Grading expectations• Style of test/homework questions• Time commitments

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Writing Effective Test and Homework QuestionsQuestions should be

• Effective• Fair• Challenging• Creative

Questions should allow students to:

• Show what they know, not what they don’t know

• Have an equal chance of success

Questions should be designed:• To accurately reflect

emphasis placed on important aspects of instruction

• To be completed within the time limits of the course

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Some Examples…

http://caacentre.lboro.ac.uk/dldocs/otghdout.pdf

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Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objective and Questions

6 levels of intellectual understanding

Use to design questions that utilize higher order levels

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Some Examples…

http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6PmcGOcdLB8%3D&tabid=1660&...

Knowledge:Recognizing and recalling information

• Dates• Events• Persons• Definitions

Sample Question Frames• Who invented the…?• What is meant by…?• What is the…?

Comprehension:Understanding the meaning of information

• Restating• Translating• Interpreting• Explaining

Sample Question Frames• Restate in your own

words…?• Convert Fractions into…?• List 3 reasons for…?

Application:Applying rules, methods, or principals to a new situation

• Using a formula to solve a problem

• Classify something as a specific example of a general principal

Sample Question Frames• How is … an example of …?• How is … related to…?• Why is … significant?

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Some Examples…

http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6PmcGOcdLB8%3D&tabid=1660&...

Analysis:Identifying the organization and patterns within a system by identifying its component parts and relationships among componentsSample Question Frames

• What are the parts of…?• Classify … according to…• Outline/diagram…

Synthesis:Discovering/creating new connections, generalizations, patterns or perspectives. Combine ideas to form a new whole.Sample Question Frames

• What would you infer from…?

• What ideas can you add to…?

• How would you create a…?

Evaluation:Using evidence and a reasoned argument to judge how well a proposal would accomplish a particular purpose

• Resolving controversies or differences of opinion

Sample Question Frames• Do you agree…?• How would you decide

about…?• What priority would you

give…?

Further Exampleshttp://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

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What about Grading?Some helpful tips before you

start• Do not procrastinate• Establish a set of criteria

before you begin (like a rubric)

• Keep grades subjective• Keep grades confidential• Remember that there is no

one right way to grade an exam or homework!

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd052410s.gif

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RubricsWhat is a Rubric?

Set of criteria and standards typically linked to learning objectives that is used to assess or communicate about performance

Example rubric pg 8

• Can communicate expectations of quality around a task

• Delineate consistent criteria for grading

• Provide basis for self-evaluation, reflection, peer review

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RubricsAbout RubricsMore on Sample RubricsRubric for Written CompositionRubric for PowerPoint Presentations

• Rubrics can be many formats• Table• % of total grade• Numerical scale

• Can be used for large project, paper, presentation, group work essay, individual short answer question

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Creating a Rubric1. Have students look at models of

good vs. “not so good” work

2. List criteria to be used in the rubric and allow for discussion of what counts as quality work

4. Practice on models• Use sample assignments• Can build student confidence by

teaching them how the instructor would use the rubric on their work

5. Use teacher assessment• Use the same rubric students

used to assess their work

3. Articulate gradations of quality.• Categories should concisely

describe levels of quality (bad to good)

• A conservative number of gradations keeps rubric user friendly while allowing for fluctuations that exist within the average range

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Rubrics: for Accurate and Fair AssessmentDuring pre-assessment phase, rubrics:

• Clarify expectations and grading methods with learners

• Learners can then perform a self-assessment prior to submission of their work

During post-assessment phase, learners:

• Are given scored rubric with clear explanation of their grade

• Are made aware of their weaknesses and strengths

During assessment phase, rubrics:• Help evaluators remain focused

on preset standards of excellence and objectively assess the learner

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd051910s.gif

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Activity

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd051910s.gif

Part 1• 2 Responses to Test Question

(pg 9 and 10)• Student A – pg 9• Student B – pg 10

• Answer Key pg 11• FOR THIS PART:

• Grade EACH response out of 10 pts WITHOUT using a rubric

Part 2• Rubric pg 12• FOR THIS PART:

• Grade EACH response out of 10 pts USING the provided rubric

Part 3• Discussion• Did your grading change when

using the rubric?• While still somewhat subjective,

do you see the differences in grading strategies when using a rubric vs. without using one?

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Sources Used• http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/cat.html• http://www.gettysburg.edu/about/offices/ees/institutional_analysis/assessment_/faculty-resources/cats.d

ot• http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/assess-1.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubric_(academic)• http://home.lagrange.edu/dlivingston/differentiated.htm• http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstnrhx/457/rubric.htm• http://www.hishelpinschool.com/teaching/rubriccomposition.html• http://www.schools.lth5.k12.il.us/aviston/KBLesson8.html• http://www.english.udel.edu/wc/faculty/tipsheets/rubrics.pdf• http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/rubrics.htm• http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6PmcGOcdLB8%3D&tabid=1660&• http://caacentre.lboro.ac.uk/dldocs/otghdout.pdf • Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross, 1993, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for

College Teachers, Second Edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.• Brinkley, A. et al. The Chicago Handbook for Teachers, Second Edition: A Practical Guide to the College

Classroom. (University of Chicago Press: 2011).