Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review & Artifact Reflection: Domain B

Rachel Martin
TED 690- Capstone
National University
Professor Johnson
1-26-16

LITERATURE REVIEW

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Abstract

Literature was reviewed to provide support of the Teacher Performance Expectations

(TPE) Domain B: Assessing Student Learning. The TPEs included in this Domain are TPE 2:
Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction and TPE 3: Interpretation and use of
Assessments. These TPEs are an important factor for instruction. The literature supports the use
of different kinds of assessments during instruction in order to check for student understanding.
Also included in this paper is a reflection of the artifacts used to support Domain B.

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Literature Review: Domain B

When planning for instruction, an educator must consider how to figure out what their
students already know before beginning a lesson, if they learning during a lesson and if they can
apply what they have learned after a lesson. These different forms of assessments are key
strategies that must be included in lesson plans. According to Black and William (1998), several
studies show firm evidence.between assessment and classroom learning (p. 1).
Assessments can be used as pre, formative and summative to check understanding and also
ensure that instructional strategies are working for the diversity that usually exists in a
classroom.
Pre-assessments are used to see what students know before beginning a lesson. If a
teacher just begins, students could either already know the material and become bored or not
know the foundations and become entirely lost before they even start. According to Black and
William (1998) improvement in classroom assessment will make a strong contribution to the
improvement of learning (p. 2). For example, some educators use the popular KWL chart where
students list what they know, what they do not know and what they wish to learn about a subject.
The teacher begins a lesson with a better understanding of where to begin. After the lesson,
students complete the last piece of the chart by adding what they now know. This chart can easily
serve as a pre and summative assessment, which can then be used to demonstrate whether or not
instructional strategies were effective and if information must be retaught. Using this format is
effective especially for students who do not do well in class discussion and find it easier to write.
Different strategies of assessment must also be considered in order to accurately reach the
diversity of most classrooms. For instance, results are consistent with literature which
indicates that task-involving evaluation is more effective than ego-involving evaluationwith

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low achievers (Black & William, 1998, p. 6). This means that simply using praise and positive
reinforcement will not improve students achievement alone, while using task-related activities
and assessments to see if students can apply and demonstrate their knowledge does accurately
depict learned information. Additionally, close attention needs to be given to the differential
effects between low and high achievers (Black & William, 1998, p. 6) concluding that different
types of assessments must be used for students who are of different learning ability, including
students with disabilities and English Learners (ELs). Clumping all students together into one
category to assess learning will not yield accurate results.
Lastly, the method of assessment is another important detail. Black & William (1998)
mention that the usual classroom assessments concentrating on recall of isolated details
encourage[s] superficial and rote learning (p. 8). These types of assessments do not reveal
student learning or student achievement and the information will soon be forgotten. Effective
assessment methods mentioned in the article include study methods, study skills,
collaboration with peers, and the possibilities of peer and self-assessment (Black & William,
1998, p. 11). Utilizing different methods that call for cooperative learning and developing skills
to then demonstrate learned knowledge were shown to be more effective in assessing student
achievement and in improvement in achievement over time.
Domain B Artifact Reflection
Artifacts for this Domain include a Chapter 4 test to demonstrate a summative
assessment, two different versions of a quiz and the rubric for an edible cell with pictures of
student work. The first artifact is this paper, including the literature review that supports Domain
B and the TPEs. The article discusses multiple students that point to strong evidence in favor of
different forms of assessments and using that data to improve student achievement and learning.

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The second artifact is a Chapter 4 test that served as a summative assessment at the end
of a section. This assessment utilized recall but also required students to demonstrate their
understanding of the different stages of the cell cycle by identifying the correct stage. I chose this
artifact because I used different strategies to create the assessment, including pictures and skills.
Recall alone has been shown to be ineffective.
Artifact number three is two different versions of a quiz that served as a formative
assessment. One quiz was given orally to students of middle and high learning ability. Students
with disabilities, low learning ability and EL students were given the second version of the quiz
that gave them multiple choice options. The reason behind the difference was due to evidence of
previous assessments that showed a difference in students achievement when presented with
multiple-choice. Oral quizzes were proven to be more difficult and caused multiple students to
fail; however when presented with multiple-choice, more students passed and received higher
scores. Students explained they could not recall the information and it helped to see the words on
paper instead of trying to imagine them. For students of middle to high learning ability, they
enjoyed oral quizzes and either passed or achieved good scores.
The last artifact is a rubric for a formative assessment of a section and a summative
assessment of a chapter for cells. Students were directed to create an plant or animal cell with
their student groups of entirely edible materials. Students had to follow the rubric to include the
correct organelles and ensure they followed the rubric when presenting their cell to the class. I
chose this assessment because it is a great example of students applying their skills and
knowledge to a task in order to demonstrate understanding of the material. Students participated
in cooperative learning and each had to present a piece so there was an equal amount of work for

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each member of the group. Included in this section of artifacts are pictures of students edible
cells, which range from messy to very organized.
Information gathered for all the listed assessments was used to direct my next step in
teaching the class. The data determined where students were on their knowledge and skill level
and I used this information to gauge my lesson planning for the future. Without assessments and
properly using the data, I would be blindly teaching students without any indication they were
learning. The artifacts and literature review support Domain B and the subsequent TPEs.

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References
Black, P. & William, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education,
(5)(1-54). Retrieved from:
http://wiki.biologyscholars.org/@api/deki/files/1278/%3Dblack_p_etal_1998b
%5B1%5D.pdf