1. “Weigh Pig, Feed Pig, Weigh Pig”
Analyzing assessment results and making changes is not the end of assessment.
You need to determine a baseline through initial assessment, then intervene, and then re-assess to determine whether changes had the intended effect.
“A pig never fattened up because it was weighed.” (In other words, students do not learn because they are assessed.)
Assess Intervene Re-Assess
This is a good model for thinking about assessment. However, it is missing the pre-assessment process, which involves setting expectations. What is the outcome you expect from feeding the pic? If the outcome is to fatten the pig, what percentage weight gain are you aiming for? If the overall goal is something different, such as optimal pig health, you would want to set outcomes and determine measures that define what optimum pig health looks like. You must decide: Is weighing the pig a good indicator for attaining the outcomes you have set? Similarly, when setting learning expectations, it is important to consider what you are aiming for. Why are the outcomes important? How will you measure/observe students to determine whether they have met the outcomes? Each outcome for a course should be measured in some way through at least one course activity or assignment.
Fulcher, K. H., Good, M. R., Coleman, C. M., & Smith, K. L. (2014, December). A simple model for learning improvement: Weigh pig, feed pig, weigh pig.(Occasional Paper No. 23). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.