Principles

Principles of
of
Assessment
Assessment
Annabelle P. Hertez
MAED 105
The primary purpose of
assessment and evaluation is
to improve student learning.
 We do this by:
• Identifying student strengths & learning
needs
• Providing data for instructional decisions
• Monitoring student progress & performance
• Monitoring program effectiveness; and
• Connecting all areas later for evaluation &
reporting purposes
If assessment does not result in improved
teaching, then its value in school diminishes
greatly. Assessment allows us to see the
results of our teaching and allows us to make
valid judgements about students.
I. Fountas &G.S. Pinnell
Guided Reading; Good First Teaching for All p. 73

• The connection between assessment & instruction is critical

• Developing a plan is necessary to ensure data is timely,
reliable & helpful in informing practice
• Our goal as we assess students is to:
- find out what they can do
- support their next steps
- move them forward to more complex understanding
 Four Phases of
Assessment
• Assessment is a cyclical process that
begins with the end in mind!
• At the centre of the process is the
student as a reminder that the
purpose of planning is improved
student learning.
 Phase 1: Unpacking the
Curriculum
Teacher Child

What are my students What will I be learning?

expected to learn and
be able to do?

This foundational knowledge gives us the background to determine

what type of assessment information we will need to gather in
order to monitor student learning & adapt instruction.
 Phase 2:Gathering the
Evidence
Teacher Child

How will I know my How will I know what I am

students are learning? learning?

This phase focuses on the purposeful and planned collection of

evidence of student learning using a range of assessment tools and
strategies. See p. 12.7 of a Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading: K-3, 2003
for a graphic of various tools and strategies.
 Phase 3:Teaching for
Learning
Teacher Student

How will I help my How will I learn and what

students learn and help will I need?
respond if they are not
learning?

Phase focuses on how we are using the data to support

student learning. Data is analyzed to make decisions
regarding instructional resources to use, instructional
groupings and both long and short term learning goals fro
students. This drives your programming.
Phase 4:On-going Assessment,
Evaluation & Reporting
Teacher Child

How will I determine the How will I know how well I

level of my student's did?
learning and report on
it?
Phase reminds us that this is an on-going process that must be
planned for in order to continually monitor student learning &
adjust instruction. We must use professional judgement to
evaluate achievement in relationship to particular internal/external
criteria. The final piece in this phase is reporting.
 Reporting

• Reporting is the opportunity for us to document a

student’s achievement to that point in time, in
relationship to the specific learning covered
during the reporting period.
• The report card allows the teacher to describe
the highest, most consistent, most recent
demonstrations of student learning.
Principles of Assessment

Given all the abovehe principles of

assessment have been established to
ensure that assessment and evaluation
are valid and reliable and lead to an
improvement in student learning.
Principle #1

Assessment and evaluation strategies

should address both what students
learn and how well they learn.
Content Standards Performance Standards

Curriculum Expectations Achievement Charts

• What students learn • How well students

• Subject and grade learn
specific • High standards for all
• Promote consistency students
across the province • Promote consistency
across the province
Principle # 2
Assessment and evaluation strategies should be
appropriate for the learning activities used, the
purpose of instruction and the needs and
experiences of students.
 Classroom Assessments

 Closely tied to expectations

 Closely tied to learning activities

 Consider students’ prior learning

 Consider students’ needs

 Reflect students’ backgrounds

Principle #3

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be

communicated clearly to students and parents at
the beginning and throughout the year.
 Communication
• Report Cards • Teacher/student
conferences

• Informal reports
• Teacher/parent
conferences
• Individual Education
Plan (IEP)
• Teacher/parent/student
conferences
Principle #4

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be

fair to all students.
 Achieving Fairness

 Provide choice within the assessment (e.g., topic

to research)
 Provide choice in the mode of response (e.g., oral
report instead of a written report)
 Negotiate time lines
 Make purposes and expectations clear
Principle #5

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be

varied in nature, administered over a period of
time and designed to provide opportunities for
students to demonstrate the full range of their
learning.
 Numerous and Varied
Opportunities to Demonstrate
Achievement

 Projects  Oral Questioning

 Quizzes  Portfolios
 Exams  Multi-media
 Interviews Presentations
 Written Reports  Performance Tasks
 Oral Reports  Assignments
 Observations
 Assessment Strategies

 Quiz  Poem
 Test  Dramatic Presentation
 Question  Science Experiment
 Essay  Research Paper
 Class Discussion  Arts Performance
 Conference
See the Ontario
Curriculum Unit Planner
for more strategies.
 Assessment Tools

 Check Lists

 Marking Schemes

 Rubrics

 Portfolios
 Assessment Methods

 Paper and Pencil

 Performance Tasks

 Personal Communication
 Principle #6

Assessment and evaluation strategies must be

based both on the categories of knowledge and
skills and on the achievement level descriptions
for each discipline.
Categories of Knowledge and Skills

 Knowledge/Understanding

 Thinking/Inquiry/Problem Solving

 Communication

 Application
Achievement Charts: Performance
Standards

 broad in scope and  provide a common

general in nature reference for
teachers as they
design assessments
 describe performance and evaluate students’
for four levels of work
achievement for all
the categories of
knowledge and skills  used to provide
criteria and feedback
to students and
parents
 Achievement Levels
Level Definition Letter Grade Percentage Mark

4 Student has demonstrated A+ 90-100

the required knowledge & A 85-89
skills. Achievement exceeds A- 80-84
Provincial standard.

3 Student has demonstrated B+ 77-79

required knowledge & skills B 73-76
Achievement meets Provincial B- 70-72
Standard.
 Achievement Levels
Level Definition Letter Grade Percentage Mark
2 Student has demonstrated C+ 67-69
some of the required C 63-66
Knowledge & skills. C- 60-62
Achievement approaches
Provincial standard.

1 Student has demonstrated B+ 77-79

required knowledge & skills B 73-76
in limited ways. Achievement B- 70-72
falls much below Provincial
Standard.

R Student has not demonstrated R Below 50

required knowledge & skills. Extensive
remediation is required.
 Level 3: Provincial Standard

Teachers and parents can be confident that

students who are achieving at Level 3 are well
prepared for work in the next grade.
 Resources
Exemplars:
 Writing  Science and Technology
 Reading  Visual Arts
 Mathematics  Health and Physical
 Social Studies Education
 Exemplars

 Based on performance task

 Linked to the curriculum expectations
 Standard process for administering the task
 Rubric (based on Achievement Chart)
 Examples of student work for four levels
 Teachers’ notes and comments
 Performance Tasks

 Present engaging “real world”, meaningful,

substantive issues or problems.
 Are directly related to curriculum expectations.
 Focus on what students can do and how they apply
and extend their knowledge.
 Emphasize the processes students use, rather
than only focus on the “right” answer.
 Present students with complex, loosely structured
problems that allow for a wide range of products.
Principle #7

Assessment and evaluation strategies should

include the use of samples of students’ work that
provide evidence of their achievement.
 Samples of Student Work

 show progress through the year

 can be compared to ministry exemplars for
evaluation
 can be used when conferencing with students
 can be used when communicating with parents
 can be placed in a portfolio
Principle #8

Assessment and evaluation strategies should

ensure that each student is given clear directions
for improvement.
 Directions for Improvement
 Achievement Charts
 Four categories of knowledge and skills

 Exemplars and Task Specific Rubrics

 Four categories of knowledge and skills

 Report Cards
 Strengths, weaknesses, next steps
Principle #9

Assessment and evaluation strategies must

promote students’ ability to assess their own
learning and to set specific goals.
Self-Assessment and Goal Setting

 Report Card – Response Form

 Daily activities and journals
 Agendas
 Portfolios
 Teacher-parent-student conferences
 Student-led conferences
Principle #10

Assessment and evaluation strategies should

accommodate the needs of exceptional students,
consistent with the strategies outlined in their
Individual Education Plans (IEP).
Principle #11

Assessment and evaluation strategies should

accommodate the needs of students who are
learning the language of instruction.
 Assessment Accommodations

 Additional time
 Oral test instead of written test
 Simplify tasks and/or materials
 Specialized equipment
 Assistance of professional or paraprofessional
staff