EDUG 507-Assessing Student Learning

Module Assessment
Bekah Bryant
TPE 2
This TPE discusses using ongoing, appropriate, and multiple measures
for progress monitoring in the classroom. The article, Helping Teachers Think
Like Assessors points out that teachers must shift from using assessments
that grade students to assessments that support student learning as a way
to provide students with an understanding of their progress. Yes,
assessments must be used for grading purposes, but they also can be used
to give student feedback and motivate students to get them to where they
want to be. All of this article points to using a variety of assessments so that
we can best personalize our students education. The assessing assessments
chart by Guillaume provides excellent examples of variety of assessments
and how they are best used in the classroom. For example, portfolios may be
highly valid as work from multiple time periods and conditions are included,
but may be a poor example if work is completed collaboratively. All these
assessments in the chart are ways to use multiple measures for progress
monitoring. The IRIS module also discusses the use of year-end assessment
versus progress monitoring and why it is crucial to have both. For progress
monitoring, information is gathered through the year and results are
available immediately. It evaluates student learning on a regular basis and is
important to use in the classroom.
TPE 3
This TPE discusses the ability to use formal and informal assessments
as well as when and how to use specific assessments based on student need.
They know how to interpret results and change instruction accordingly. In
Chapter 11, Burden and Byrd discuss data-driven decision making. They
explain that teachers use information from many sources (multiple
assessments) to make decisions about planning and teaching. This is why
pre-assessments are so crucial. Teachers interpret and use these
assessments to determine the amount of scaffolding needed to teach the
students the lesson in mind. For example, before the lesson I plan on
teaching to my second graders I must check for understanding in story
elements before I ask them to provide answers based on story elements.
When I collect the pre-assessment data, it will determine if I need to review
story elements to my students before teaching the lesson. The article,
Assessment Needs to Be Inclusive of the Learner also directly relates to this
TPE as it is discussed that students are responsible for interpretation of
assessment. For example, students are asked to give explanation or a formal
interview asking to give meaning to their work. In this article, it is explained
that students must explain and validate their own work. Helping Teachers
Think Like Assessors also relates to this as the author explains that teachers

must not only use scheduled tests and quizzes but frequent formal
assessment to see how well students understand. When you assess for
understanding, you are better able to tailor your instruction accordingly.

TPE 7
This TPE calls for the effective teaching and assessment of English
Learners. Chapter 11 in Burden and Byrd directly confront this with
assessment in how to properly make accommodations and modifications for
these students. Teachers can adapt the amount of items a student must
complete in an assessment (for example even numbers only of questions),
the amount of time they have to complete a task, the amount of scaffolding
provided, the skill level, the types of response they are asked to provide
(such as verbal instead of written), or the degree of active involvement. All of
these adaptions are all doable without changing the end goal in mind for
these students. The article discussing assessment being inclusive of the
learner also relates to this. It explains that students must explain and
validate their work. For ELs, teachers may not understand their answer just
by looking at it, but if interviewed, an EL may be able to provide further
insight and meaning to their answer that shows mastery of content. This
leads in to the assessment chart, in the assessment strategy of interviews. It
is tied to verbal skills and provides more depth to information given and what
they find important.
TPE 8
This TPE relates to assessment in that we use assessment to learn
about our students in order to understand who needs specialized instruction
or modifications to learning. This relates to Chapter 11 as well as when you
know your learners you can adapt assessments accordingly whether an EL
needs more time to complete an assessment or have an assessment be
broken up into more manageable chunks of time. This also relates to Chapter
12 as well into a reason as why as educators we need to grade. Grades
convey student information about their progress and a students strengths or
weaknesses. It provides guiding information on where more instruction or
more challenging content is needed. This TPE also relates to the article of
Assessment through the Students Eyes in that teachers and students are
partners in the assessment for learning process. It is the teachers
responsibility to take the information from students results and use
accordingly and the students responsibility to see their weaknesses and take
help from the teacher in order to succeed further in the future.
TPE 9:

This TPE relates direct to the Standardized Testing section in B&B, as

teachers can find test results useful in multiple ways. The test results provide
a data source for guiding instructional planning and a better idea of how to
meet students learning needs. Instructional planning takes into account the
students learning abilities and their present levels of achievement, which
test scores provide. For example, if a students test scores are high in
reading, but low in math a teacher can plan for small group time for this
student. This TPE also correlates with Helping Teachers Think Like Assessors
as well as teachers and principals must plan backwards in order to design
assessments based on what they want students to know before they actually
plan learning as well as a plan to design realistic assessments that relate to
the learning that is happening. This also relates to Chapter 12 in grading as
teachers must plan grading scales, rubrics, and frames in advance to best
support student learning. Teachers must analyze which assessments are
grade based and which will be for understanding purposes only. All of this
takes careful consideration and planning.