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ebook download (eBook PDF) Assessment of Student Achievement 10th Edition all chapter
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BRIEF CONTENTS
vii
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CONTENTS
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
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1 ACHIEVEMENT
ASSESSMENT
AND INSTRUCTION
All of us have taken various types of paper-and-pencil tests during our many
years of schooling. Some of these were teacher-made tests requiring us to select
an answer (e.g., true-false, multiple choice, or matching) or to supply an an-
swer (e.g., short answer or essay). Others were standardized tests of aptitude
or achievement, primarily using multiple-choice items. The widespread use of
paper-and-pencil testing in the schools was due, at least in part, to the efficien-
cy with which they could measure a large number of learning outcomes and the
ease of scoring and recording the results.
In recent years there has been a reaction to the heavy emphasis on
paper-and-pencil testing. Some critics have contended that there should be
more emphasis on the assessment of authentic, “real-life” tasks (e.g., solv-
ing problems that exist in the real world). Others have contended that
paper-and-pencil testing should be replaced, at least in part, by alternative
types of assessment (e.g., oral presentations, demonstrations, portfolios). Some
reactions have been extreme but they highlight the importance of focusing
1
Space does not permit using the preferred two-step method of stating intended learning outcomes
described in Chapter 3. These statements, however, should provide a focus for your study and for
application of the content in each chapter.
1
2 Chapter 1 • Achievement Assessment and Instruction
more attention on the actual performance of students (see Box 1.1). If you want
to determine whether students can write, have them write something. If you
want to determine whether students can operate a machine, have them operate
the machine. If you want to determine whether students can conduct an experi-
ment, have them conduct an experiment. In short, if you want to determine
whether they can perform a task, have them perform the task. There is little
doubt that more emphasis on performance assessment in the schools would
improve the assessment of our intended learning outcomes. However, paper-
and-pencil testing still has an important role to play, even as we focus more
directly on performance-based tasks.
Most types of performance have a knowledge component that is impor-
tant to the performance. Good writing includes such factors as knowledge of
vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. These are not well sampled by a writing
task because we tend to use only the words we know, use sentence structures
that we can punctuate easily, and substitute words we can spell for those we
can’t spell. Thus, in writing, we can structure it to conceal our weaknesses. A
separate test of vocabulary, grammar, and spelling can identify these weak-
nesses and be used to improve writing skill. Just don’t interpret the test results
as measures of “writing ability.” The tests measure knowledge useful in writing
but writing ability is determined by assessing the actual writing (performance
assessment). Similarly, in operating machinery, the actual operation of the
machine is the ultimate goal, but tests measuring knowledge of how to oper-
ate the machine and the safety precautions to follow may be needed before
the hands-on performance assessment. Likewise, before conducting an experi-
ment, tests can be used to determine how well students know the information
needed for a well-controlled experiment.
Throughout this book, the emphasis will be on achievement assessment
that includes both paper-and-pencil testing and performance assessment. Tests
can provide direct measures of many important learning outcomes, ranging
from simple to complex, and they can provide needed information for assessing
Chapter 1 • Achievement Assessment and Instruction 3
and improving actual performance tasks. Thus, although we should strive for
as authentic assessment as we can obtain, within the constraints of the school
setting, both tests and performance-based tasks are needed for a complete as-
sessment of student achievement.
As used in this book, achievement assessment is a broad category that
includes all of the various methods for determining the extent to which students
are achieving the intended learning outcomes of instruction. Because we are
limiting our concern to achievement assessment, the single term assessment is
used throughout the book as a matter of convenience.
Planning of Instruction
Before the construction of a building begins, considerable thought and work
go into developing a blueprint that provides direction and defines what the
building should look like once completed. This blueprint serves as a guide
and ensures quality during construction. Before constructing a course (lecture
materials, student activities, lesson plans, etc.), teachers need to have a blue-
print that defines what the students should look like once they have completed
the course. Teachers need to answer the following two questions:
1. What are the intended learning outcomes of instruction?
2. How will we know whether students have achieved the learning outcomes?
Within the public education system, the answers to these questions
are provided by the school’s respective state through established content
standards. Content standards describe what students should know and be
able to do at the end of a specified period of learning (e.g., a grade or
series of grades). They provide a framework for curriculum development,
instruction, and the assessment of student achievement. Various profes-
sional organizations have also developed sets of content standards in their
particular subject areas. It is hoped that the use of such standards will raise
achievement expectations, increase the quality of public education, provide
a better informed citizenship, and make the country more competitive with
other countries.
Content standards consist of statements that specify in a general way what
students should learn. Each standard is then followed by a number of bench-
marks that clarify what students know or can do when they have achieved the
content standards. The following standard and benchmarks illustrate a possible
standard for the early elementary level.
Chapter 1 • Achievement Assessment and Instruction 5
PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT
(to determine entry performance)
No Yes No Yes
FIGURE 1.1 Simplified Model for the Instructional Role of Placement Assessment.
Chapter 1 • Achievement Assessment and Instruction 7
will contribute little to the instructional program unless plans are made to
remedy deficiencies, place students in the most beneficial position in the in-
structional sequence, or use the results as a base for assessing future progress.
To be most effective, the use of preassessment should be considered during
the instructional planning stage.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
(to monitor learning progress)
No Yes
FIGURE 1.2 Simplified Model for the Instructional Role of Formative Assessment.
Chapter 1 • Achievement Assessment and Instruction 9
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
(to determine terminal performance)
No Yes
FIGURE 1.3 Simplified Model for the Instructional Role of Summative Assessment.
Student Motivation
A carefully planned assessment program can have a direct influence on student
learning by (1) providing students with short-term goals, (2) clarifying the types
of tasks to be learned, and (3) providing feedback concerning their learning
progress. Short-term goals are more motivating than telling students “Some day
you will find this knowledge or skill useful.” An expected assessment stimulates
learning activity and directs it toward the learning tasks to be assessed. Its con-
tribution to learning depends to a large extent on how faithfully our assessments
reflect all of the important outcomes of the instruction and how we use the re-
sults. For example, if the application of principles is stressed in our assessment
as well as in our teaching, we can expect students to direct greater efforts toward
learning how to apply principles. Also, if the assessment results are reported to
students as soon as possible, this feedback concerning their strengths and weak-
nesses in the application of principles will further clarify the nature of the task
and indicate what changes are needed for effective performance. Thus, properly
used assessments can motivate students to work toward the instructional objec-
tives of a course by arousing greater learning activity, by directing it toward the
intended learning outcomes, and by providing prompt knowledge of results.
Student Self-Assessment
All instruction should be directed toward helping individuals better understand
themselves so that they can make more intelligent decisions. Periodic assess-
ment and feedback of the results can help students gain insight into what they
can do well, the misconceptions that need correction, and the degree of skill
they have in various areas. Such information provides the students with a more
objective basis for assessing their own strengths and weaknesses. Properly used
assessments tend to provide evidence of learning progress in such an objective
and impartial way that the results can be accepted with little resistance or dis-
tortion. This assumes, of course, that the assessments are properly prepared and
are being used to improve learning rather than to threaten or label students. In
the latter instance, self-assessment is apt to be distorted by the psychological
defense mechanisms an individual uses to maintain a positive self-image.
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Samuel Johnson.
APPENDICES
He reads much. He is a great observer, and he looks quite
through the deeds of men.
Shakespeare.
GENERAL REFERENCES
COUNTRY LIFE