ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING 2 SECOND SEMESTER SY 2020-2021UNIT I; AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT IN THE CLASSROOM The terms assessment, evaluation, testing and marks are terms often used in determining the degree of attainment of student learning outcomes. At times they are used interchangeably; it will be useful to clarify their meanings to distinguish them from one another. ASSESSMENT refers to the process of gathering data and information about what students know and can do. Such information may be sourced through observation of students during their learning activities or testing their knowledge skills. Through assessment, the teacher can find out what students are learning. EVALUATION involves the task of interpreting, forming conclusions and making judgements about the information which was gathered in the process of assessment. The data gathered by assessment are neither useful nor useless but they reflect the learning process. Such information becomes meaningful only when they are processed and interpreted as to how well the students are attaining the desired competencies, TESTING is an instrument of assessment. A test is an assessment tool that reflects the records of the students’ learning outcomes. MARKS are reports of the results of evaluating information obtained in the process. Marks have certain components related to the learning activities undertaken by the students. Assessment involves review of evidence of learning such as journal entries, written work, portfolios, skill demonstrations, performance in learning activities, test results and rubrics ratings which cover a period of time and should reveal the progress of students in competencies. Evaluation on the other hand, occurs when a mark or grade is assigned after a quiz, a presentation or a completed task LESSON 1: HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT IN RETROSPECT PURPOSES OF CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT 1. Assessment FOR Learning — this includes three types of assessment done before and during instruction. These are placement, formative and diagnostic. a, Placement — done prior to instruction * Its purpose is to assess the needs of the learners to have basis in planning for a relevant instruction. «Teachers use this assessment to know what their students are bringing into the learning situation and use this as a starting point for instruction. * The results of this assessment place students in specific learning groups to facilitate teaching and learning b, Formative — done during instruction ‘* This assessment is where teachers continuously monitor the students’ level of attainment of the learning objectives (Stiggins, 2005) ‘The results of this assessment are communicated clearly and promptly to the students for them to know their strengths and weaknesses and the progress of their learning¢. Diagnostic — done during instruction © This is used to determine the students’ recurring or persistent difficulties. + It searches for the underlying causes of student's learning problems that do not respond to first aid treatment. + Ithelps formulate a plan for detailed remedial instruction. 2. Assessment OF Learning — this is done after instruction. This is usually referred to as the summative assessment. It is used to certify what students know and can do and the level of their proficiency or competency. Its results reveal whether or not instructions have successfully achieved the curriculum outcomes. The information from assessment of leaming is usually expressed as marks or letter grades. The results of which are communicated to students, parents, and other stakeholders for decision making Itis also a powerful factor that could pave the way for educational reforms. 3. Assessment AS Learning — this is associated with self-assessment. Through this process students are able to learn about themselves as learners and become aware of how they learn — become metacognitive (knowledge of one's own thought processes) Students reflect on their own work on a regular basis, usually through self and peer assessment and decide (often with the help of the teacher, particularly in the early stages) what their next learning will be. It helps students take more responsibility for their own learning and monitoring future directions. For teachers, it is done by teachers to understand and perform well their role of assessing FOR and OF learning. It requires teachers to undergo training on how to assess learning and be equipped with competencies needed in performing their work as assessors. LEARNING TARGETS One of the principles of having a high quality assessment is on the clarity and appropriateness of learning targets. Learning targets should be clearly stated, specific, and center on what is really important. Learning Targets (Mc Millan, 2007; Stiggins, 2007) Knowledge _| Student mastery of substantive subject matter Reasoning _| Student ability to use knowledge to reason and solve problems Skills ‘Student ability to demonstrate achievement-related skills Products _| Student ability to create achievement-related products. Affective Student attainment of affective states such as attitudes, values, interests, and self-efficacyMETHODS OF ASSESSMENT + Leaming targets are measured by appropriate assessment methods Assessment Methods Objective | Objective | Essay Performance | Oral ‘Observation | Self-Report Supply Selection Based + Short [+ Multiple | + Restricted [+ Presenta [+ Oral + Informal |» Attitude Answer Choice Response | tions Examinations | Formal | * Survey + Matching [+ Extended |+ Papers + Conferences + Sociometric * Completi | Type Response |+ Projects] * Interviews Devices onTest |* True/ False © Athletics + Question: + Demonstrat naires ions + Inventories + Exhibitions + Portfolios Learning Targets and their Appropriate Assessment Methods Targets ‘Assessment Methods ‘Objective | Essay | Performance | Oral] Observation Selection Based | Questioning Knowledge 5 4 3 4 3 2 Reasoning 2 a 4 4 2 2 Skills 1 3 5 2 5 3 Products 1 1 5 2 4 4 Affective 1 2 4 4 4 5 Note: Higher numbers indicate belter matches (e.g. 5 = high, 1 = low)LESSON 2: WHAT IS AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT? Def ns of Authen’ Assessment Here are some definitions: “A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills...” Jon Mueller (2018) Engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively. The tasks are either replicas of or analogous to the kind of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals in the field,” - Grant Wiggins (1987) “Performance (authentic) assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific skills and competencies; that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered.” - Richard Stiggins (1987) “Authentic assessments are products and/or performances correlated with real life experiences.” — Newton Public Schools CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT 1. AAstarts with clear and definite criteria of performance known to students. 2. Adis criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced and it identifies, strengths and weaknesses, but does not compare students nor rank their levels of performance. 3. AA requires students to make their own answers to questions rather than select from given options as in multiple choice items, and requires them to use a range of higher order thinking skills (HOTS). 4. AA often emphasizes performance and therefore students are required to demonstrate their knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate situations. AA does not rely on ability to recall facts or memorize details, instead students are asked to demonstrate skills and concepts they have learned, 5. AA encourages both teacher and students to determine their rate of progress in cooperatively attaining the desired student learning outcomes. 6. AA does not encourage rote learning and passive taking of tests; instead, students are required to demonstrate analytical skills, ability to integrate what they learn, creativity, and ability to work in a group, skills in oral and written communications. In brief, AA values not only finished products which are the learning outcomes, but also the process of learning 7. AA changes the role of students as passive test takers into becoming active and involved participants in assessment activities that emphasize what they are capable of doing instead of their weaknesses. This results to diminished fear of tests and improvement of self-esteem.WHAT DOES AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT LOOK LIKE? An authentic assessment usually includes a task for students to perform and a rubric by which their performance on the task will be evaluated, An example is. shown below. Standard: Task 2.A Comic Strip: The Churches Rise to Power 1, The students will be able to explain the influence of king and church oa medieval society and how the power shifted overtime. Task: Daring the medieval era over 98% of the European population was Christina. Due to this overwhelming support ofthe religion there was a shift in power between kings and popes. For this tack you ate creating a come strip which depscts one of tvo situations ofthis shift of power from kings to the popes. Using the story of Charlemagne and Pope Leo TH or King Henry TV and Pope Gregory VII create a comic stip that Mlastrates fone of these stories. Your comic stnp must include. Atitle picture and dialogue 3. Aretelling of the story Rubric: Criteria 1 3 3 ‘Major themes of the | Parts ofthe story are | Includes all parts of Orgmiization | storyare missing and | aussing butisin | the story and sn ory is told out of ‘ogical order logical order onder Appropriate number | 1-2 slide in the comic | 3-5 slides in the comic | Comic has 6 slides or of comic slides ‘more ‘Historical accuracy Story 5 not Storyis somewiat | Story ss hsstoncally historically accurate | historically accurate accurate Slides have a picture Bor more slides ase 1-2slides are missing | Each slide has a missing pictues pices picture Slides have dialogue | 3 ormore slides are 12 slides are Each slide has missing dialogue | missing dialogue dialozse Total Points: ‘Ai least 6 differeat comic slides which tells one of the twe stories. Each slide must contain a colocedOTHER RELATED TERMS TO AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT Here are alternative names for authentic assessment, AA is sometimes referred to as: + Performance Assessment (or Performance-based) — so-called because students are asked to perform meaningful tasks. This is the other most common term for this type of assessment. Some educators distinguish performance assessment from AA by defining performance assessment as performance- based as Stiggins has above but with no reference to the authentic nature of the task (e.g., Meyer, 1992). For these educators, authentic assessments are performance assessments using real-world or authentic tasks or contexts. * Alternative Assessment -- so-called because AA is an alternative to traditional assessments, * Direct Assessment -- so-called because AA provides more direct evidence of meaningful application of knowledge and skills. If a student does well on a multiple-choice test we might infer indirectly that the student could apply that knowledge in real-world contexts, but we would be more comfortable making that inference from a direct demonstration of that application LESSON 3: WHY USE AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT? The question "Why use authentic assessment?" is not meant to suggest that you have to choose between traditional assessments such as tests and more authentic or performance assessments. Often, teachers use a mix of traditional and authentic assessments to serve different purposes. This section, then, attempts to explain why teachers might choose authentic assessments for certain types of judgments and why authentic assessments have become more popular in recent years. 1. Authentic assessments are direct measures. When students graduate, they should not only know the content of the discipline but should be able to use the acquired knowledge and skills in the real world Assessments should tell us if students can apply what they have learned in authentic situations. A student who does well on a test of knowledge is indirect evidence that the student could also apply that knowledge. If we want to know if our students can interpret literature, calculate potential savings on sale items, test a hypothesis, develop a fitness plan, converse in a foreign language, or apply other knowledge and skills they have learned, then authentic assessments will provide the most direct evidence, 2, Authentic assessments capture constructive nature of learning. A considerable body of research on learning has found that we cannot simply be fed knowledge. We need to construct our own meaning of the world, using information we have gathered and were taught and our own experiences with the world (e.g., Bransford & Vye, 1989; Forman & Kuschner, 1977; Neisser, 1967; Steffe & Gale, 1995; Wittrock, 1991). Thus, assessments cannot just ask students to repeat back information they have received, Students must also be asked to demonstrate that they have accurately constructed meaning about what they have been taught. Furthermore, students must be given the opportunity to engage in the construction of meaning. Authentic tasks not only serve as assessments but also as vehicles for such learning,3. Authentic assessments integrate teaching, learning, and assessment. Authentic assessment, in contrast to more traditional assessment, encourages the integration of teaching, learning and assessing. In the "traditional assessment" model, teaching and learning are often separated from assessment, ie., a test is administered after knowledge or skills have been acquired. In the authentic assessment model, the same authentic task used to measure the students’ ability to apply the knowledge or skills is used as a vehicle for student learning. For example, when presented with a real-world problem to solve, students are learning in the process of developing a solution, teachers are facilitating the process, and the students’ solutions to the problem become an assessment of how well the students can meaningfully apply the concepts. 4. Authentic assessments provide multiple paths to demonstration. Students may have different ways by which they could demonstrate what they have learned. Similarly, authentic tasks tend to give students more freedom on how they will demonstrate what they have learned. By carefully identifying the criteria of good performance on the authentic task ahead of time, the teacher can still make comparable judgments of student performance even though student performance might be expressed quite differently from student to student. PRINCIPLES OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT There are four principles for guiding assessment practices in more authentic ways (Roland Case): 1. Focus assessment on what really matters. The most important question to ask when judging our assessment practices is whether or not we are assessing what really matters. Are the criteria we are using — consciously or not — to judge students’ work reflective of the most important educational objectives? Case suggests that over a course of a unit or term, we should assess for all relevant goals and the emphasis assigned to these goals should reflect their relative importance. Completing a “table of specification” is one strategy for checking that each goal is weighted appropriately in one’s overall assessment plan. At the end of a grading period, list all graded assignments and tests such as in the example below, with the main goals in the left-hand column, and the different assessment strategies across the top of the chart. The column on the far right reports the percentage of marks assigned to each goal. The actual weighting of marks should be matched against the importance these goals deserve according to the curriculum and your sense of what really matters, given the students you teach. Setting up a table of specification beforehand, or partway through a term, allows you to make adjustments in the weighting of important goals. SPECIFICATION OF GOALS ASSESSED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES UNIT GOALS Quizzes | Activity | Group | in-class | Research | Total | %OF sheets project | observation | report | Marks | TOTAL MARK Critical thinking about issues 15 = : 20 2 0 15 Thformation gathering 15 = 20 = 25 60 415 Recall of factual information 50 30 5 = = 80 20 Understanding of key concepts | _20 20 70 = 50 760 | 40 Cooperation with others 5 5 30 70 = 40 40 TOTAL | 100, 50 120 700 400 | 100Ensure that assessments are valid indications of student competence. Asecond consideration in authentic assessment is validity. In the context of authentic assessment, validity can be defined as a close fit between the kinds of attributes actually measured by an assessment device and the intended educational goals. In simplest terms, an assessment strategy is valid if it actually assesses the outcomes it claims to assess. As for example, if the students’ ability to locate and find appropriate sources in the library is to be assessed, then the task expected of students to perform would be to retrieve and assess relevant sources in the library. One factor to consider is to assess beyond isolated competencies which is assigning “real-life” assessment tasks. This way their ability to integrate their competencies successfully and be able to use their knowledge in significant ways even in artificial situations is tested. As for example, planning an actual lunch for the whole class would test their ability to answer real-life questions such as the number of sandwiches each would want, the number of slices in a loaf, the actual cost of the bread, and how much would each student contribute to cover the cost of the bread. 3. Use assessment to support learning Advocates of assessment reform are emphatic about using assessment to enhance learning. In their review of numerous studies, they conclude that students would be better motivated and learn more if assessment practices focussed more on supporting learning than measuring learning. (assessment for learning). More recently, educators are talking about assessment as learning to heighten awareness of the potential to use assessment tasks as opportunities for learning ( such as self-assessment). Assessment practices can support learning in at least four other important ways: 1. Clearly communicate expectations. If students know clearly what is expected of them they are more likely to succeed at the task. Students may even be clearer about expectations if they are informed specifically about the “criteria” upon which they will be marked and the importance of those criteria (which is, the number of marks assigned to each criterion) and the “standards” for achievement of these criteria. Criteria are the features or attributes that provide the grounds for judging quality. Sample criteria include «historical accuracy originality of ideas use of several sources clarity of presentation depth of answer active participation in project openness to new ideas flow/structure of the paper neatness spelling accuracy Standards are the benchmarks, performance levels, or degrees of achievement of a given criterion (that is, “high” and “low” standards) Standards can be binary (for example, correct/incorrect, pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory) or have multiple levels (for example,outstanding to very weak, well above expectations to not yet meeting expectations). 2. Involve students in the assessment process. Students can be directly involved in the assessment process like in setting criteria and standards, in creating assessment tasks and in self- and peer assessment. 3. Provide helpful feedback on learning. If we want students to improve, our feedback must clearly communicate what has been successfully done, where improvement is needed, and how to do this. 4. Provide opportunities and incentives for students to improve Where feasible, use assessment to encourage students to learn on their own and to revise and rethink their work. As for example, we must encourage students in this regard: «Ask students to redo only a part of the original assignment (for example, the two worst answers) * Create additional incentives for revising a draft (for example, revised assignments might be exhibited in a fair, submitted to the newspaper, or shared with adults or other students). © Comment on but do not mark the initial mandatory draft. Establish that only the revised draft “counts for marks. « Ask students weeks or months later to revisit an earlier work to see how much they have progressed in the intervening time. When encouraging students to learn from feedback, it is not simply a matter of them redoing completed assignments, but also formatting plans to use the lessons learned to improve upcoming projects. For example, we might ask students to identify a learning goal, anticipate an obstacle they might face, and suggest how they might overcome it. 4. Using teacher's time efficiently Clearly articulated criteria and standards, communicated beforehand, increase the likelihood of students providing what the teacher is looking for, and help focus the teacher's attention when marking assignments. Clear expectations reduce the likelihood of protracted discussions with students who complain that they did not know what was required of them, Another way of using time efficiently is for students to have peer and self-assessment provided that they are adequately trained in the practice. When peer and self- assessment is developed, they are able to appraise their own work after noting the similar strengths and weaknesses in other's work and benefit considerably from other's critiques of their own work. TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT VIS. IS AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. How is Authentic Assessment similar to/different from Traditional Assessment? Traditional Assessment is commonly associated with pre-determined choice measures of assessment such as multiple choice tasks, fil-in-the-blanks, true-false, matching type and others. Students typically recall or select the answers. Essentially, TA springs from the educational philosophy which involves the following principles and practices: 1. A school's mission is to develop useful citizens; 2. To be a useful citizen, one must possess as certain body of knowledge and skills 3. The school is entrusted to teach this body of knowledge and skills; 104. To determine if the students have acquired these knowledge and skills, the school must test the students on those knowledge and skills. Authentic Assessment, on the other hand is grounded on the following principles and practices; 1. Aschool's mission is to develop useful citizens; 2. To be a useful citizen, one has to be capable of performing useful tasks in the real world: 3. The school's duty is to help students develop proficiency in performing the tasks that they will be required to perform after graduation in the work place; 4, The school must then require students to perform tasks that duplicate or imitate real-world situations. The table below illustrates the basic differences between traditional assessment and authentic assessment. Attributes Traditional Assessment | Authentic Assessment 1. Action / Options | Selecting a response Performing a task 2. Setting Contrived / Imagined Simulation / Real Life 3. Methods Recall / Recognition Construction / Application 4, Focus Teacher — structured Student - structured 5. Outcome Indirect evidence Direct evidence Selecting a Response to Performing a Task: On traditional assessments, students are typically given several choices (e.g., a,b,c or d; true or false; which of these match with those) and asked to select the right answer. In contrast, authentic assessments ask students to demonstrate understanding by performing a more complex task usually representative of more meaningful application. Contrived to Real-life: It is not very often In life outside of school, it is not very often that we are asked to select from four alternatives to indicate our proficiency at something. Tests offer these contrived means of assessment to increase the number of times you can be asked to demonstrate proficiency in a short period of time. More commonly in life, as in authentic assessments, we are asked to demonstrate proficiency by doing something. Recall/Recognition of Knowledge to Construction/Application of Knowledge: Well-designed traditional assessments (i.e,, tests and quizzes) can effectively determine whether or not students have acquired a body of knowledge. Thus, as mentioned above, tests can serve as a nice complement to authentic assessments in a teacher's assessment portfolio. Furthermore, we are often asked to recall or recognize facts and ideas and propositions in life, so tests are somewhat authentic in that sense. However, the demonstration of recall and Tyrecognition on tests is typically much less revealing about what we really know and can do than when we are asked to construct a product or performance out of facts, ideas and propositions. Authentic assessments often ask students to analyze, synthesize and apply what they have learned in a substantial manner, and students create new meaning in the process as well. Teacher-structured to Student-structured: When completing a traditional assessment, what a student can and will demonstrate has been carefully structured by the person(s) who developed the test. A student's attention will understandably be focused on and limited to what is on the test. In contrast, authentic assessments allow more student choice and construction in determining what is presented as evidence of proficiency. Even when students cannot choose their own topics or formats, there are usually multiple acceptable routes towards constructing a product or performance. Obviously, assessments more carefully controlled by the teachers offer advantages and disadvantages. Similarly, more student-structured tasks have strengths and weaknesses that, must be considered when choosing and designing an assessment Indirect Evidence to Direct Evidence: Even if a multiple-choice question asks a student to analyze or apply facts to a new situation rather than just recall the facts, and the student selects the correct answer, what do you now know about that student? Did that student get lucky and pick the right answer? What thinking led the student to pick that answer? We really do not know. At best, we can make some inferences about what that student might know and might be able to do with that knowledge. The evidence is very indirect, particularly for claims of meaningful application in complex, real-world situations. Authentic assessments, on the other hand, offer more direct evidence of application and construction of knowledge. As in the golf example, putting a golf student on the golf course to play provides much more direct evidence of proficiency than giving the student a written test. Can a student effectively critique the arguments someone else has presented (an important skill often required in the real world)? Asking a student to write a critique should provide more direct evidence of that skill than asking the student a series of multiple-choice, analytical questions about a passage, although both assessments may be useful AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT COMPLEMENTS TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT In conclusion, teachers do not have to select between authentic assessment and traditional assessment. Mastery of knowledge and skills which is the focus of traditional assessment must be encouraged among students to form the foundation on which will be built the activities that will require students to demonstrate and perform the tasks that they are expected to perform in the real world, LESSON 4: DEVELOPING AUTHENTIC CLASSROOM ASSESSMENTS A FRAMEWORK FOR AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. A FIVE-DIMENSIONAL FRAMEWORK IN DESIGNING AUTHENTIC. ASSESSMENT (Gulikers, Bastiaens and Kirschner, 2004) 1. The task: Has to be one that involves the students in carrying out activities that reflect what is done in professional practice. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO? 22. APhysical Context: Real places of work are different from intitutional learning environments, so the assessment should mirror the way knowledge, skills and attitudes are used in real contexts. WHERE DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT? 3. A Social Context: An authentic assessment task should involve social processes that are equivalent to those in real situations. These may or may not include teamwork and collaboration depending on whether these characteristics are demanded in the real context, WITH WHOM DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT? 4. The Assessment Result or Form: Has to involve a product or performance, demonstration of competencies, array of tasks, and oral and/or written presentation to other. WHAT HAS TO COME OUT OF IT? WHAT IS THE RESULT OF YOUR EFFORTS? 5. Criteria and standards: HOW DOES WHAT HAVE YOU DONE HAVE TO BE EVALUATED OR JUDGED? AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS According to Jon Mueller, authentic assessment development can be done in terms of four questions to be asked. These questions are captured in the following graphic: Questions to Ask: 1) What should students know and be able to do? This list of knowledge and skills becomes your STANDARDS ¥ 2) What indicates students have met these standards? To determine if students have met these standards, you will design or select relevant AUTHENTIC TASKS ¥ 3) What does good performance on this task look like? To determine if students have performed well on the task, you will identify and look for characteristics of good performance called . CRITERIA ¥ 134) How well did the students perform? To discriminate among student performance across criteria, you will create a RUBRIC 6) What do students need to improve upon? Information from the rubric will give students feedback and allow you to ... ¥ 8 CUT SCORE or BENCHMARK ADJUST INSTRUCTION 5) How well should most students perform? The minimum level at which you would want most students to perform is your SUMMARY OF STEPS: 1, Identify your standards for your students. 2. Fora particular standard or set of standards, develop a task your students could perform that would indicate that they have met these standards. 3. Identify the characteristics of good performance on that task, the criteria, that, if present in your students’ work, will indicate that they have performed well on the task, ie, they have met the standards. 4. For each criterion, identify two or more levels of performance along which students can perform which will sufficiently discriminate among student performance for that criterion. The combination of the criteria and the levels of performance for each criterion will be your rubric for that task (assessment). 14