Assessment and Evaluation EDN 322

What is Assessment? What is Evaluation?

Assessment The process of gathering useful data or information about a person’s or group’s knowledge, performance, or achievement (Webb, 1992)

Evaluation The process of attaching value, worth, or relative merit to assessment information.

Why Assess? 1. To monitor student progress 2. To make instructional decisions 3. To evaluate student achievement 4. To evaluate a program

Formative Evaluation …informal, ongoing, routine methods of assessment (Assessment done within instruction)

Formative Evaluation Examples Observation Questioning and Discussion Anecdotal Records Interviews Written Work and Drawings Performances and Problem Solving Children’s Self-Assessment and Evaluation

Summative Evaluation …evaluation used at the end of a term, course, or program for purposes of grading or evaluation

Summative Evaluation Examples Projects and Products Portfolios Tests

Assessment and Evaluation The Quad Observation of Process Classroom Measures Decontextualized of Product The quad, a viable model for assessment in both literacy and math, attempts to employ a more complete approach to collecting assessment data. According to these authors there is no single test, activity or task that can accurately provide a comprehensive picture of everything student has learned. They discuss four types of data that can be collected in a classroom to constitute balance. In the upper quadrants are assessment measures that involve observation. In the top left are items measured by observing the learning process (interviews, responses to reading, etc.) The top right are items measured by observing children’s products such as journals or projects. The bottom half include the more traditional types of assessment. On the bottom left are classroom measures which are assignments that are scored such as a worksheet or teacher-made test. The bottom right quadrant includes assessment mandated by the state. Anthony, Johnson, Mickelson, & Preece (1991)