Any fact of intellect, character or skill means a tendency to respond in a certain way to a certain situation Any fact of intellect, character or skill means a tendency to respond in a certain way to a certain situation Edward Lee Thorndike A founder of educational psychology, 20th cent.

Session #2 A review for Authentic and Portfolio Assessment

Assessment is the gathering of reliable information pertaining to students’ knowledge and understanding of critical concepts, or a program’s effectiveness. Phases of assessment include: diagnostic, formative and summative. Evaluation is the process of making judgements, based in part on assessment data in order to quantify achievement or progress.

+ = Multiple Assessment Methods to provide a broad view of students’ learning and achievement

Alternative Assessments require students to demonstrate their knowledge or skill through problem solving, critical thinking, decision making. These assessments are compatible with contemporary views of learning and motivation.

Traditional Assessments tend to assess content knowledge. Traditional Assessments include: Objective Tests (True/False, Multiple-Choice, Matching items) and Constructed-Response Items (Short-Answer, Essays)

Portfolio Assessment Authentic Performance-based Assessment Assessment

Authentic Assessment Authentic Assessment evaluates students’ knowledge or skills in a context that approximates the real world or real life. Examples : scaled model of a Mayan village with a written description, family tree with ancestor anecdotes, create an Italian food menu and a meal

Emphasis is on the process as well as the product as students learn while they are being assessed. Inherently, learning and progress are ongoing and lead toward achievement of an established outcome.

Both teacher and students are involved in formative assessments. Formative assessments provide guidance for the students’ learning efforts and modifications for students with exceptionalities are facilitated with this information.

Considerations and Cautions : Authenticity is learner specific which precludes comparison between students therefore, it is difficult to make reliable judgments about performances across students. It takes time and practice for students to demonstrate skills proficiently. Biases exist with language prerequisites for students with exceptionalities and ESL.

Portfolios A portfolio is a systematic and organized collection of a student’s work that demonstrates skills and accomplishments. Portfolio evidence includes: artifacts ( writing samples, journal entries, problem solutions, homework), reproductions (projects, posters, interviews), attestations (feedback or comments to document students’ progress), productions (goal statements, reflections, self- evaluation).

Each piece should be included that exemplifies progress and purpose. Portfolio assessment should link learning outcomes with pedagogical strategies with performance standards. Portfolios can be on paper, audio- or videotape, disk, CD or website

Growth-portfolio – measures growth over time to reveal progress in meeting learning targets (developmental) Best-work portfolio – showcases outstanding work and often includes the students’ latest products (selective) This is useful in parent-teacher conferences or for future teachers

Tips: -involve students in the decisions about what goes into the portfolio and how it will be evaluated - students should reflect and describe why they selected each portfolio piece which will enhance their critical thinking and articulation skills. -student-teacher conferences throughout the year are essential to review students’ progress

To evaluation portfolios, systematic performance criteria are essential. State clear learning targets. Ask yourself, “What knowledge and skills do I want students to possess?” This should focus your teaching and your performance criteria

Evaluation tools include checklists, rating scales and rubrics. Individual items in the portfolio must be assessed and the portfolio as a whole. Student designed rubrics allow students to decide what quality work looks like, and they will know in advance what is expected.

Considerations and Cautions: -time consuming to coordinate and evaluate -complexity and originality make it difficult to evaluate -reliability is lower than for traditional tests -difficult to gauge the amount of teaching time and support to give students during assembly

The Challenge…… With a few of your colleagues, brainstorm specific examples of either authentic assessments or portfolio assessments for evaluating subjects and strands of the provincial report card. Begin with the end in mind: Summative assessment and evaluation, Formative assessment and evaluation, diagnostic assessment. Use the following organizer to track and share your ideas.

An Example of Authentic Assessment : Subject: Social Studies (Grade 2) Strand: same Summative Assessment: Poster Presentation of Family Tree Summative Evaluation: Checklist; Peer Evaluation; Teacher Observations Formative Assessment: Family Stories (Anecdotal Recounts) Formative Evaluation: Rubric Diagnostic Assessment: Class discussion about the origins and features of various families; Survey

An Example of a Portfolio : Subject: Math (Grade 7) Strand: Geometry and Spatial Summative Assessment: “The Mathematics Masterpiece Portfolio” Summative Evaluation: Checklist, Peer Evaluation, Observations Formative Assessment: Mathematical “Geometric” Autobiography; Assignments (with corrections); a photo of student working with geometric solids; samples of 3 dimensional shapes drawn in art Formative Evaluation: Rubric; Answer Key; Comments Diagnostic Assessment: Pre-test matching exercise between shapes and labels