TNE Program Assessment Creating the Culture and Practice of Performance Assessment

Group Members  Bruce Horner – English  Hope Longwell-Grice – Curriculum & Instruction  Robin Mello – Theater Education  Connie Schroeder – Center for Instructional and Professional Development  Amy Otis-Wilborn – Exceptional Education

TNE Identified Goals  Strengthen and expand the “culture of assessment” at UWM  Expand the use of performance assessments in Arts & Science courses/programs  Develop portfolio evidence that demonstrates deep understanding of content, skills/processes for content learning, and pedagogical content knowledge  Create systematic communication between general disciplinary and professional education programs/faculty regarding student learning and development

Content Knowledge and Use  Deep Understanding of Content: The ability to communicate, demonstrate, manipulate, and evaluate content that is central to a discipline including information, theories, practices, values, and beliefs.  Content Learning: The skills/processes that experts use to recognize what they don’t know, need to know and what and strategies to gain deep understanding of content.  Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The instructional approaches and strategies teachers use to support students’ deep understanding and learning of content.

Performance Assessment  Performance assessment is a measure of assessment based on authentic tasks such as activities, exercises, or problems that require students to show what they can do (McBride, 1997).  A task is authentic to the extent that it is based on challenging and engaging tasks that resemble the context in which adults do their work (Meyer, 1992).  Students show that they have mastered specific skills and competencies by performing or producing something (Meyer, 1992).

Examples  Designing and carrying out experiments;  Writing essays which require students to rethink, to integrate, or to apply information;  Working with other students to accomplish tasks;  Demonstrating proficiency in using a piece of equipment or a technique;  Building models;  Developing, interpreting, and using maps;  Making collections;  Giving speeches or performances;  Developing portfolios.

Assessment Team Activities  Conduct a faculty survey to identify current perspectives and practices in assessing students  Host forums for learning about and sharing current practices in performance assessment  Support the development of new performance assessments  Disseminate information and models of performance assessment at UWM and other TNE institutions

Activities, continued  Coordinate Assessment Retreats to evaluate portfolios in admission, professional growth and exit portfolios for evidence of developing deep understanding of content, content learning, and pedagogical content knowledge  Monitor impact of performance assessment on culture of assessment and teacher development (UWM Teaching Standards 1, 4, & 8)

UWM Teaching Standards  Standard #1. A Liberal Arts Foundation with Strong Disciplinary Knowledge (link with content learning)  Standard #4. State of the Art, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (link with teacher learning)  Standard #8. Assessment to Ensure Student Success (link with student learning)

Timeline: Summer, 2005 ObjectiveActivities Communicate goals and work of Task Force Document & Review current perspectives on learning and practices in assessment  Review team reports  Conduct faculty survey  How People Learn – CIPD Book Group  Develop long-term program evaluation plan  Plan fall Assessment Forum  Begin work with induction cohort in C&I

Fall, 2005 ObjectiveActivities Develop performance assessments Focus on relevance to the urban context  TNE Forum on Assessment  Begin dissemination of performance assessment models – TNE website  Support development of new assessments

Spring, 2006 ObjectiveActivities Evaluate evidence of understanding of content and content learning in teacher education candidates Evaluate connections with the urban context  Assessment Forum: Continuation of fall work  Admissions Portfolio: review relevant artifacts  Assessment Retreat: Review portfolios and evaluation of artifacts

Overview  Survey – Current perspectives and practice  Assessment Forums  Development of Performance Assessments  Assessment Retreats  Website Dissemination  Monitoring Student Performance  Monitoring culture of assessment at UWM