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Assessment Philosophy

Student Learning is a Dynamic Process

A function of the learner, environment, teacher, & lived

experiencesBest to define learning as a change

in behaviorAssessment is always a matter of purpose, context, and . . . A guess

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Manuel Barrera, Ph.D. (adapted from Liu, Albus, & Barrera, in

preparation)

Assessment as a Recursive Process

What is assessed?• Theory of learning• content taught• Students included

How is it assessed?• Nature & purpose of testing• Expected outcomes• Accommodations• Test administration• Incorporation of Universal Design • Scoring

What do the results mean?• Reporting• Alignment with other parts of system• Bias• Methods of choosing cut scores• Difficulty & discrimination of Test

Items• Score Comparability

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What Should Be Assessed?

Prioritized academic and social behavior What the student needs What the student can use in learning

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Priority of Target Behavior.

Determine and begin with high-priority behaviors. Low priority behaviors: annoying but

not harmful or of less educational importance.

Mild priority: frequently (but not repeatedly) interfere with educational performance.

Moderate-priority: repeatedly or significantly interfere with educational performance.

High-priority: excessive and persistent disruption to self and others.

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Observational Principles

Decide what to observe Operational definitions of target behavior

Determine how you will observe it Observation instruments

Collect DataSummarize DataOrganize DataDisplay DataInterpret DataMake Decisions

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Assessment Model

Collect Data

Organize Data

Summarize Data

Interpret Data

Display Data

Prepare• What will you assess?

• How will you

assess?

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Assessment Dimensions

AccuracyFluencyPatterns of response

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Measuring Accuracy

Number of items correct Timed or un-timed (Conditions) Reading Level (Criteria)

Grade appropriate Observed average of learner’s peers

Writing Level Math

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Measuring Fluency

Contextual automaticity Speed and accuracy Methodology

Deliberation Degree of systematic responses

Systemic patterns (e.g., Long division the “Mexican” way or “American” way)