Assessments-Purpose and Principles Module 2 Khalid Khan Modifications Al Strangeawys

Assessment-Purpose Three Classic Views Norman Gronlund (1968, 1993) W James Popham (1995) Derek Rowntree (1987)

Assessment-Purpose Close relationship between Teaching-Learning and Assessment: Instruction Assessment Most Effective when : Directed towards clearly Designed to assess defined outcomes defined outcomes Congruent with the Congruent with the outcomes to be assessed outcomes needed Designed to fit needs Items are designed to fit student characteristics (e.g. reading level) Based on meaningful and relevant information Provide meaningful and relevant info. Informs regularly about progress Remediation is provided Early feed back is given Periodically reviewed and adjusted if needed Addresses Specific learning weaknesses –individual assessment Provide useful information to teacher about instruction N.E.Gronlund(1993)

Assessment Purpose: Norman Gronlund Effective Teaching = good decision making Assessments provide information needed to make sound decisions Three critical stages: Decisions at the beginning Decisions during teaching-learning Decisions at the end

Assessment Purpose: Norman Gronlund Decisions at the Beginning To what extent do students possess the skills and background knowledge required to begin To what extent they have already achieved expected outcomes

Assessment Purpose: Norman Gronlund Decisions during the teaching–learning sequence On what tasks progress is satisfactory, where and on what tasks help is needed Which students are having difficulties that require intervention?

Assessment Purpose: Norman Gronlund Decisions at the End Which students have achieved the expected learning outcomes and proceed to next ? What grade/level needs to be given to each student ?

Assessment Purpose: W. James Popham Criticises Gronlund – saying his approach provide ‘yesterday’s answers’ He proposes the following: To influence public perceptions and effectiveness of education To help evaluate teachers To improve instructional intentions

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Singles out six purposes: Selection through assessment Maintenance of standards Motivation of students Feedback to the students Feedback to the teacher Preparation for life

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Selection by Assessment To provide different educational opportunities- e.g. entry to university, promotion Warns about the ‘rejection tests’ Asks : “ is this the case that a person’s job experience and achievements since gaining his qualification generally assume far more relevance and significance in selection for later career opportunities? ”

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Maintenance of standards Criticises this purpose Questions the meaning – maintenance and standards is it the content /skills / new knowledge generated /attitudes displayed ? Is it some, none or all of these? Asks -how is it possible to keep standards when content and curriculum is constantly changing ?

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Motivation for students Criticises “ Assessments can be used as an instrument of coercion, as a means of getting students to do something they might not otherwise inclined to do, especially if unfavourable assessments can have unpleasant consequences” (Rowntree 1987, pp22-23) Asks shouldn’t we be encouraging students to become autonomous learners who take responsibility for monitoring their own learning

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Feedback for students Argues that feedback to students is only useful if it includes verbal comments that are intended to be diagnostic, supportive and encouraging

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Feedback for teachers Rowntree argues the case for formative assessments for feedback to teachers, to wait until all assessment are done is too late

Assessment Purpose: Derek Rowntree Preparation for life Strongly held view by many but Rowntree is wary of this purpose. How much does the life out of schools/educational institutions reflect what happens inside schools/educational institutions Adverse consequences of the very idea of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’

Assessment as social control: Patricia Broadfoot Demonstrates that assessment is not value free but reflects (and gives shape to) social order that imposes particular assessment practices. ( think about socio-economic and cultural differences in our society and the kind of assessment practices we have)

Assessments: side effects Rowntree identifies some of them as follows: -- Prejudicial aspects -- Student’s knowledge of the assessment -- extrinsic rewards -- competitive aspects -- bureaucratic aspects Others are -- nature of specific techniques -- giving of grades -- reporting results

Assessment : Principles Reliability and Consistency Validity Transferability and Relevance Criterion/Norm referenced Assessment criteria and rubrics

Assessment : Principles Reliability and Consistency Reliability: if a student took the same assessment at a different time they’d get the same result Consistency: It means different assessors would reach the same judgement when assessing a given task Assessment criteria needs to be perfectly clear to markers and to students

Assessment : Principles Validity Just as or perhaps more important than Reliability Assess what actually needs be assessed E.g: driving test: written test, reliable but not so valid; practical test, valid but not so reliable SO . . . . Teachers need to make choices about validity and reliability when increasing one may reduce the other . . .

Assessment : Principles Transferability and Relevance Transferability: skills demonstrated in the task can be transferred and shown in a different context e.g. a student’s ability at e.g. ‘narrative writing’ demonstrated in one task should be the same when given a different task with the same assessment criteria Knowing vs specific doing As yourself, ‘what does this demonstrate about what the student ‘knows’ and ‘can do’, rather than ‘what does is show me about how well they can do this task’ Relevance: task has aspects of a recognisable context to provide a real sense of the real reasons of the assessment

Assessment : Principles Fair Doesn’t discriminate or disadvantage people based on their background, assumed common knowledge, biased ‘marking’ etc.

Assessment : Principles Criterion vs Norm referenced Criterion-referenced: particular abilities, knowledge, skills or behaviours are each specified as a criterion which must be reached Norm-referenced assessment makes judgments on how well the individual did in relation to others.

Assessment : Principles Assessment Criteria and Rubrics Criteria/outcomes: List of statements that describe the specific skills that need to be demonstrated Rubric: a grid that described what achievement of a particular criterion LOOKS LIKE at a particular level e.g. A, B, C; Excellent, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory; Above level, At level, Near level, Working towards level