What is classroom assessment? Classroom assessment is both a teaching approach and a set of techniques.

The approach is that the more you know about what and how students are learning, the better you can plan learning activities to structure your teaching. The techniques are mostly simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities that give both you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process. How is classroom assessment different? Classroom assessment differs from tests and other forms of student assessment in that it is aimed at course improvement, rather than at assigning grades. The primary goal is to better understand your students' learning and so to improve your teaching. How do I use Classroom Assessment Techniques?
y y

Decide what you want to learn from a classroom assessment. Choose a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) that provides this feedback, is consistent with your teaching style, and can be easily implemented in your class. y Explain the purpose of the activity to students, then conduct it. y After class, review the results and decide what changes, if any, to make. y Let your students know what you learned from the CAT and how you will use this information. Why should I use CATs? For faculty, more frequent use of CATs can:
y

Provide short-term feedback about the day-to-day learning and teaching process at a time when it is still possible to make mid-course corrections. y Provide useful information about student learning with a much lower investment of time compared to tests, papers, and other traditional means of learning assessment. y Help to foster good rapport with students and increase the efficacy of teaching and learning. y Encourage the view that teaching is a formative process that evolves over time with feedback. For students, more frequent use of CATs can:
y y y y

Help them become better monitors of their own learning. Help break down feelings of anonymity, especially in larger courses. Point out the need to alter study skills. Provide concrete evidence that the instructor cares about learning.

Selected CATs for getting feedback on student learning and response to teaching[1] Name: Minute paper[2] Description: During the last few minutes of the class period, ask students to answer on a half-sheet of paper: "What is the most important point you learned today?"; and, "What point remains least clear to you?". The purpose is to elicit data about students' comprehension of a particular class session. Students pass around an envelope on which the teacher has written one question about the class. When the envelope reaches a student he/she spends a moment to respond to the question and then places the response What to do with the data: Review responses and note any useful comments. During the next class periods emphasize the issues illuminated by your students' comments. Time required: Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Low

Chain Notes

Go through the student responses and Prep: Low determine the best criteria for In class: Low categorizing the data with the goal of Analysis: Low detecting response patterns. Discussing the patterns of responses with students can lead to better teaching

in the envelope. Memory matrix Students fill in cells of a twodimensional diagram for which instructor has provided labels. For example, in a music course, labels might consist of periods (Baroque, Classical) by countries (Germany, France, Britain); students enter composers in cells to demonstrate their ability to remember and classify key concepts. Directed paraphrasing Ask students to write a layman s "translation" of something they have just learned -- geared to a specified individual or audience -- to assess their ability to comprehend and transfer concepts. Students summarize knowledge of a topic by constructing a single sentence that answers the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" The purpose is to require students to select only the defining features of an idea. Select a type of test that you are likely to give more than once or that has a significant impact on student performance. Create a few questions that evaluate the quality of the test. Add these questions to the exam or administer a separate, follow-up evaluation. After teaching about an important theory, principle, or procedure, ask students to write down at least one real-world application for what they have just learned to determine how well they can transfer their learning. Allow students to write test questions and model answers for specified topics, in a format consistent with course exams. This will give students the opportunity to evaluate the course topics, reflect on what they understand, and what are good test items.

and learning. Tally the numbers of correct and Prep: Med incorrect responses in each cell. In class: Med Analyze differences both between and Analysis: Med among the cells. Look for patterns among the incorrect responses and decide what might be the cause(s).

Categorize student responses Prep: Low according to characteristics you feel In class: Med are important. Analyze the responses Analysis: Med both within and across categories, noting ways you could address student needs. Evaluate the quality of each summary quickly and holistically. Note whether students have identified the essential concepts of the class topic and their interrelationships. Share your observations with your students. Prep: Low In class: Med Analysis: Med

One-sentence summary

Exam Evaluations

Try to distinguish student comments that address the fairness of your grading from those that address the fairness of the test as an assessment instrument. Respond to the general ideas represented by student comments.

Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Med

Application cards

Quickly read once through the applications and categorize them according to their quality. Pick out a broad range of examples and present them to the class.

Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Med

Studentgenerated test questions

Make a rough tally of the questions your students propose and the topics that they cover. Evaluate the questions and use the goods ones as prompts for discussion. You may also want to revise the questions and use them on the upcoming exam.

Prep: Med In class: High Analysis: High (may be homework)

______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Methods of Assessment With the release of the National Science Education Standards, the issues of why, how, and what we, as teachers, assess in our classrooms will become a major challenge in the multifaceted science reform effort currently underway. As educators are changing their ideas about what constitutes exemplary inquiry-based learning, and recognizing that science is an active process that encourages higher-order thinking and problem solving, there is an increased need to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Classroom assessment techniques are focusing on aligning assessments more closely with the instructional strategies actually used with children. The Nature of Assessment Assessment can be defined as a sample taken from a larger domain of content and process skills that allows one to infer student understanding of a part of the larger domain being explored. The sample may include behaviors, products, knowledge, and performances. Assessment is a continuous, ongoing process that involves examining and observing children's behaviors, listening to their ideas, and developing questions to promote conceptual understanding. The term authentic assessment is often referred to in any discussion of assessment and can be thought of as an examination of student performance and understanding on significant tasks that have relevancy to the student's life inside and outside of the classroom. The increasing focus on the development of conceptual understanding and the ability to apply science process skills is closely aligned with the emerging research on the theory of constructivism. This theory has significant implications for both instruction and assessment, which are considered by some to be two sides of the same coin. Constructivism is a key underpinning of the National Science Education Standards. Constructivism is the idea that learning is an active process of building meaning for oneself. Thus, students fit new ideas into their already existing conceptual frameworks. Constructivists believe that the learners' preconceptions and ideas about science are critical in shaping new understanding of scientific concepts. Assessment based on constructivist theory must link the three related issues of student prior knowledge (and misconceptions), student learning styles (and multiple abilities), and teaching for depth of understanding rather than for breadth of coverage. Meaningful assessment involves examining the learner's entire conceptual network, not just focusing on discreet facts and principles. The Purpose of Assessment Critical to educators is the use of assessment to both inform and guide instruction. Using a wide variety of assessment tools allows a teacher to determine which instructional strategies are effective and which need to be modified. In this way, assessment can be used to improve classroom practice, plan curriculum, and research one's own teaching practice. Of course, assessment will always be used to provide information to children, parents, and administrators. In the past, this information was primarily expressed by a "grade". Increasingly, this information is being seen as a vehicle to empower students to be self-reflective learners who monitor and evaluate their own progress as they develop the capacity to be self-directed learners. In addition to informing instruction and developing learners with the ability to guide their own instruction, assessment data can be used by a school district to measure student achievement, examine the opportunity for children to learn, and provide the basis for the evaluation of the district's science program. Assessment is changing for many reasons. The valued outcomes of science learning and teaching are placing greater emphasis on the child's ability to inquire, to reason scientifically, to apply science concepts to real-world situations, and to communicate effectively what the child knows about science. Assessment of scientific facts, concepts, and theories must be focused not only on measuring knowledge of subject matter, but on how relevant that knowledge is in building the capacity to apply scientific principles on a daily basis. The teacher's role in the changing landscape of assessment requires a change from merely a collector of data, to a facilitator of student understanding of scientific principles. The Tools of Assessment In the development and use of classroom assessment tools, certain issues must be addressed in relation to the following important criteria. A. Purpose and Impact How will the assessment be used and how will it impact instruction and the selection of curriculum? B. Validity and Fairness Does it measure what it intends to measure? Does it allow students to demonstrate both what they know and are able to do?

C. Reliability Is the data that is collected reliable across applications within the classroom, school, and district? D. Significance Does it address content and skills that are valued by and reflect current thinking in the field? E. Efficiency Is the method of assessment consistent with the time available in the classroom setting? There is a wide range of assessments that are available for use in restructuring science assessment in the classroom. These types of assessments include strategies that are both traditional and alternative. The various types of alternative assessments can be used with a range of science content and process skills, including the following general targets. Declarative Knowledge Conditional Knowledge Procedural Knowledge Application Knowledge Problem Solving Critical Thinking Documentation Understanding the "what" knowledge the "why" knowledge the "how" knowledge the use of knowledge in both similar settings and in different contexts

a process of using knowledge or skills to resolve an issue or problem evaluation of concepts associated with inquiry a process of communicating understanding synthesis by the learner of concepts, processes, and skills

Assessment can be divided into three stages: baseline assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. Baseline assessment establishes the "starting point" of the student's understanding. Formative assessment provides information to help guide the instruction throughout the unit, and summative assessment informs both the student and the teacher about the level of conceptual understanding and performance capabilities that the student has achieved. The wide range of targets and skills that can be addressed in classroom assessment requires the use of a variety of assessment formats. Some formats, and the stages of assessment in which they most likely would occur, are shown in the table. ASSESSMENT FORMATS Format Nature/Purpose Oral and written responses based on individual experience Baseline Assess prior knowledge Multiple choice, short answer, essay, constructed response, written reports Assess students acquisition of knowledge and concepts Embedded Assessments Assess an aspect of student learning in the context of the learning experience Require communication by the student that demonstrates scientific understanding Assess individual and group performance before, during, and after a science experience Stage

Baseline Assessments

Paper and Pencil Tests

Formative

Formative

Oral Reports

Formative

Interviews

Formative

Performance Tasks

Require students to create or take an action related to a problem, issue, Formative and or scientific concept Summative

Checklists

Monitor and record anecdotal information

Formative and Summative

Investigative Projects

Require students to explore a problem or concern stated either by the teacher or the students Require the application of knowledge and skills in an open-ended setting Assist students in the process of developing and reflecting on a purposeful collection of student-generated data

Summative

Extended or Unit Projects

Summative

Portfolios

Formative and Summative

It is clear that different kinds of information must be gathered about students by using different types of assessments. The types of assessments that are used will measure a variety of aspects of student learning, conceptual development, and skill acquisition and application. The use of a diverse set of data-collection formats will yield a deeper and more meaningful understanding of what children know and are able to do, which is, after all, the primary purpose of assessment. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Conventional Types of Assessment Tools
o

Conventional tests require a combination of short answer, multiple-choice and true/false. Conventional, more traditional, assessment tools evaluate what skills students can perform with success. They are generally knowledge-based, versus hands-on or performance-based. They include traditional types of tests like multiple-choice, short answer essays or constructed responses, and standardized tests such as those districts administer to all students.

Multiple-Choice Tests
o

Multiple-choice tests are popular tests that require students to recognize correct answers from among several choices, usually three to four with all but one choice wrong. They're easy to score, but not as easy to create because answer choices must carefully balance one correct answer, one close-to-correct answer, with the remaining wrong. Some students consider multiple-choice tests easier than essay tests, and others consider them to be a greater challenge. If a student is fairly good at strategy, he or she is likely to be successful with multiple-choice tests, since points can be scored with a close guess through a process of elimination. But because the answers are somewhat simpler to determine, they cause for a much broader knowledge-base and this makes them more challenging to prepare for. Some students can compensate for a lack of this broader knowledgebase through good test-taking strategy.

Short-Answer Essay Tests

o

Educators design short-answer essay tests to evaluate what can't be articulated through multiplechoice questions. The tests generally require a deeper, more detailed analysis of content that requires higher-order thinking. For this reason, many students find essay responses to be more of a challenge. Question prompts are used to elicit students responses, and can often involve application of complicated concepts, synthesis and problem-solving through the making of comparisons, identification of similarities and differences, and cause and effect relationships. Questions typically use language like "explain," "how would" "describe" and "assess."

Constructed-Response Tests
o

Constructed-response tests require short answer or fill-in-the-blank questions, and require a blend of factual knowledge and higher-order reasoning. Students place their own information in missing spaces rather than from among several pre-prepared choices. They're much easier to create than multiple choice, and can retain control over guessing. For this reason they're more difficult to score, and usually require manual scoring with each response read and evaluated on its merits.

When used as part of a comprehensive standardized test, they tend not to be weighted as heavily as other questions for ease of scoring. Standardized Tests
o

Schools use standardized tests widely on a national level, and they are part of every school district's accountability design. Many are considered "high stakes" because they're taken by large populations of students, and if they do not perform well, districts could lose valuable federal and state funding. Standardized tests need to be easily scored for this reason, and are therefore designed using a typical combination of multiple-choice, short answer, document-based questions and constructed responses.

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Definitions of Authentic Assessment:

y

"Authentic assessment is an evaluation process that involves multiple forms of performance measurement reflecting the student's learning, achievement, motivation, and attitudes on instructionally-relevant activities. Examples of authentic assessment techniques include performance assessment, portfolios, and self-assessment." "Simply testing an isolated skill or a retained fact does not effectively measure a student's capabilities. To accurately evaluate what a person has learned, an assessment method must examine his or her collective abilities.This is what is meant by authentic assessment. Authentic assessment presents students with realworld challenges that require them to apply their relevant skills and knowledge." "Evaluating by asking for the behavior the learning is intended to produce. The concept of model, practice, feedback in which students know what excellent performance is and are guided to practice an entire concept rather than bits and pieces in preparation for eventual understanding. A variety of techniques can be employed in authentic assessment." "Authentic assessments are products and/or performances correlated with real life experiences. Therefore, they are authentic."

Types of Authentic Assessment:

y

y y y y y y y y y y

Scoring Guides/Rubric: A scoring scale used to assess student performance along a task-specific set of criteria. A list of required elements are grouped together to make the scoring guide with point specific designations. Portfolio/E-Portfolio: A collection of a student's work specifically selected to highlight achievements or demonstrate improvement over time (e-portfolio is electronic and usually accessible on the Internet). Authentic Task: An assignment given to students designed to assess their ability to apply standard-driven knowledge and skills to real-world challenges. Self-Assesment: Evaluating one's own performance to determine stregth and weaknesses and reflecting on what improvements can be made to enhance product Oral Interviews: Teacher asks student questions about personal background, activities, readings, and other interests. Story or Text Retelling: Student retells main ideas or selected details of text experienced through listening or reading. Writing Samples: Student generates narrative, expository, persuasive, or reference paper. Projects/Exhibitions: Student works with other students as a team to create a project that often involves multimedia production, oral and written presentations, and a display. Experiments/Demonstrations: Student documents a series of experiments, illustrates a procedure, performs the necessary steps to complete a task, and documents the results of the actions. Constructed-Response Items: Student responds in writing to open-ended questions. Teacher Observations: Teacher observes and documents the students attention and interaction in class, response to instructional materials, and cooperative work with other students.

The purpose of a learning objective is to communicate. Therefore, a well-constructed learning objective should leave little room for doubt about what is intended. A well constructed learning objective describes an intended learning outcome and contains three parts, each of which alone means nothing, but when combined into a sentence or two, communicates the conditions under which the behavior is performed, a verb that defines the

behavior itself, and the degree (criteria) to which a student must perform the behavior. If any one of these three components is missing, the objective cannot communicate accurately. Therefore, the parts of a learning objective are: 1. Conditions (a statement that describes the conditions under which the behavior is to be performed) 2. Behavioral Verb (an action word that connotes an observable student behavior) 3. Criteria (a statement that specifies how well the student must perform the behavior). A learning objective is the focal point of a lesson plan. It is a description of an intended learning outcome and is the basis for the rest of the lesson. It provides criteria for constructing an assessment for the lesson, as well as for the instructional procedures the teacher designs to implement the lesson. A learning objective determines the criteria for any assessment rubric. As you will see, without an objective that clearly communicates specific student behavior or performance, it is difficult, if not impossible to determine exactly what a particular lesson is supposed to accomplish. In order to write learning objectives, one should begin with an understanding of the particular content to which the objectives will relate. Understanding in more than one way the content to be learned should be a goal of teachers as well as students. This implies that teachers or others who prepare objectives as part of lesson plans or curriculum documents and guides should have more than superficial knowledge of the appropriate content. Writing a series of objectives that are within a body of content, but which have neither internal nor external consistency with that body of content is not a productive use of time. However, the purpose of this is not to delve into the area of curriculum consistency, but rather present some pointers to help the reader write better objectives. So, with that in mind, let's begin. 1. The Conditions The conditions part of an objective specify the circumstances, commands, materials, directions, etc., that the student is given to initiate the behavior. All behavior relevant to intended student learning outcomes can best be understood within a context of the conditions under which the behavior is to be performed or demonstrated. The conditions part of an objective usually begins with a simple declarative statement such as the following: Upon request the student will (this means the student is given an oral or written request to do something). Given (some physical object) the student will (this means the student is actually given something, such as a map, a number or multiplication problems, a literary passage, etc., that relates to performing the intended behavior). Notice that in the examples above, there is no mention of the description of the instruction that precedes the initiation of the behavior. The instruction that leads to the behavior should never be included in the actual objective. Instruction that leads students to accomplishing an objective is a separate issue. Here, we want to concentrate on describing only the conditions under which the desired student behavior is to be performed. 2. The Verb We all learned in elementary school that a verb is an action word. In a learning objective, the verb is also an action word, but it is also a special kind of action word. The verb in a learning objective is an action word that connotes an observable behavior. For example, although we as teachers all want our students to appreciate one thing or another, it is impossible to see when a student "appreciates" something. Understand is another noble word that connotes something we want our students to do, but we cannot see "understanding." The best we can do is make inferences that a student appreciates or understands something based on what the student does or says in a controlled situation. What then are behavioral verbs? The answer is quite simple. A behavioral verb is a word that denotes an observable action, or the creation of an observable product. Verbs such as identify, name, and describe are behavioral because you can observe the act or product of identifying, naming, or describing. Some verbs are embedded in a phrase that gives them a specific behavioral meaning. Examples are state a rule and apply a rule. In this case the behavior is contextual, and the context is the rule in question. 3. The Criteria

The criteria part of a learning objective is a declarative statement that describes how well the behavior must be performed to satisfy the intent of the behavioral verb. Usually, criteria are expressed in some minimum number, or as what must be, as a minimum, included in a student response. For example, an objective might be of the form: Given a list of the first 100 numbers arranged in ascending order (conditions), the student will identify (verb) at least nine prime numbers (criteria). Notice that the objective doesn't specify which nine numbers, and sets a floor of at least nine as a minimum. Also, the method by which the student identifies the minimum nine prime numbers is not specified; that is determined in the actual assessment. The student could circle the numbers, highlight them, draw line through them, etc. It is also implied that the student will be correct if he identifies more than nine correctly, but does not specify whether it is acceptable to identify nine correctly and one or more incorrectly. According to the objective, it would be acceptable to circle the following numbers and still meet the intent of the objective: 2-3-5-7-11-13-17-19-23-24-26, because he got nine correct, and two (24-26) incorrect. If the student must identify only prime numbers, then the objective would need to be modified to include that provision. Putting it all together Well-written learning objectives are the heart of any lesson plan. If the objectives you compose are "fuzzy" and difficult, if not impossible to assess, the rest of the lesson plan you create that is based on the objective is likely to be flawed. Before you begin to write an objective, spend a little time thinking about what you are describing, and remember to make the student behavior observable. You will find this process helps you to clarify what you intend, and you will be better able to communicate that intent to your students, regardless of their grade level, age, or subject. On the matter of being "fuzzy," remember this: fuzzy thinking might get you through the day, but it will never get you through a career. Any time you write a learning objective, ask yourself the question, "Does this objective clearly communicate and describe the intended learning outcome?" If you can find exceptions or loopholes as a way of meeting the objective, then the objective should be rewritten. Learning to write learning objectives that describe what you want takes patience and practice. Make sure you get as much feedback as possible about your efforts. Teaching with Learning Objectives Posted on October 24, 2009 by hougan It s a simple premise: our students should know what they are learning and why. The best way to accomplish this is through having learning objectives for every lesson. Yet, teachers tend to make some common mistake around learning objectives. Knowing these common mistakes will help you maximize your practice of using learning objectives: 1) Clearly post learning objectives. Don t make the students continually guess what they will be learning. It s not fun for the students, and they will eventually give up trying. Your learning objective should never be a secret. Your learning objective should be written or placed in a prominent place in your classroom. Some teachers write it in PowerPoint, some use document cameras, and others have their learning objectives written in a dedicated space on their white board. Do what works best for you and your students, but the key is to consistently post it. 2) Make your learning objective relevant. Reference your learning objectives in the beginning of each lesson. If you continually talk about (give attention to) the learning objective students will come to understand that this is important and something they should pay attention to. Another way is to have the students do some activity around the learning objective. For instance, you may ask students to reflect on their progress in achieving the learning objective and what they need to meet it. 3) Write the learning objective in simple, student-friendly language. Avoid going crazy with a paragraph-long learning objective. Keep it simple, allowing the student to understand it. To ensure students understand the learning objective you can have students rewrite the learning objective in their own words. 4) Double-check to see if it is really an objective or activity. Examples of activities masked as learning objectives:

Read Chapter 2 in the your textbook. Summarize Chapter 2. Examples of a learning objectives: Students will be able to Describe the author s perspective in Chapter 2 Compare and contrast between current author and a past author s perspective 5) Ensure your learning objectives drive the lesson. Every activity and assessment must be connected to your learning objectives. Often teachers have great activities, but they have nothing to do with the learning objective.