Evaluating the Alignment and Quality of the Assessed Curriculum
Virginia Department of EducationOffice of School Improvement
2013-2014
Agenda
1. What are the basic components of an Assessed Curriculum?
2. How do we measure the quality of the basic components of our Assessed Curriculum?
Question 1
What are the basic components of an Assessed
Curriculum?
Basic Components for Local Assessment
• Alignment & Content Coverage• Consistency and Fairness
Reading the Tool
Term What it Means
No ImplementationNone or few of the elements are present for Functional Implementation; this component is ineffective
Limited Implementation
Some or most elements of Functional Implementation are present; this component is partially effective
Functional Implementation
All the elements needed for effectiveness are present
Full ImplementationAll the elements for Functional Implementation are present AND at least one other element is in place for this component to be highly effective.
The Many Purposes of Assessments
• Find out what students already know and can do.
• Help students improve their learning by using data to inform to instruction.
• Let students, and their families, know how much they have learned within a prescribed period of time.
Cooper, 2007
Major Types of Assessments
Diagnostic Assessment
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment:Assessment FOR Learning
“Assessment for learning encompasses both diagnostic (initial) and formative assessment; it is assessment that occurs during the instructional process and is primarily intended to help students improve their learning.”
Cooper, 2007
Formative Assessment
Any activity you do that helps you assess where your students currently are with their learning and understanding is “for” learning.
Examples of Formative Assessment
• Informal• Entrance/Exit Slips
• Question & Answer
• Thumbs up/Thumbs down
• Formal• Quizzes
• Classwork
• Journals
Summative Assessment:Assessment OF Learning
Any activity you do that provides feedback on what the students have learned in a chapter, unit, quarter, and/or semester is “of” learning.
Examples of Summative Assessment
Formal• Unit Tests• Performance Tasks
Determining the Type of Assessment
• Depends on how we use the results• Even summative assessments (like
unit tests) can be used formatively
Alignment, Content Coverage, Consistency, and Fairness
Alignment and Content Coverage
Is it measuring what we want it to measure?
Is it “on target?”
Consistency & Fairness
Is it fairly and consistently measuring what we want it to measure?
Alignment & Content Coverage
Alignment
Is the assessment aligned to the major purposes and learning objectives of the Written and Taught Curricula?
For example: Does the assessment on U.S. History to 1865 adequately address what a student should know and be able to do with information about U.S. History to 1865?
Content Coverage
Whether the assessment contains a rich enough sample of the chosen learning objectives
For example: Are there enough questions on generating and testing hypotheses to evaluate students’ abilities to generate and test hypotheses?
Example: Unpacking a Standard
For each learning objective, underline the content, circle the word(s) that provide(s) information regarding cognitive level, and finally, classify the word(s) into one of Bloom’s six cognitive levels.
4.10 The student willa) identify representations of lines that illustrate intersection,
parallelism, and perpendicularity.
Identify practical situations that illustrate parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines.
Example: Unpacking a Standard
For each learning objective, underline the content, circle the word(s) that provide(s) information regarding cognitive level, and finally, classify the word(s) into one of Bloom’s six cognitive levels.
4.10 The student willa) identify representations of lines that illustrate intersection,
parallelism, and perpendicularity.
Identify practical situations that illustrate parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines.
Remember
Apply
Do these items cover the standard sufficiently?
Better Content Coverage: Add an Item
Using Standards to Determine Item Type
Item Type: Selected Response
• Objective—right or wrong answers
• Examples
Multiple choice
True/false
Matching
Item Type: Constructed Response
• Written or oral
• React to and use information
• Generally graded with a rubric
• Examples
Fill-in-the-Blank
Short Answer
Essay
Item Type: Performance Task
• Apply knowledge
• Usually “real life” situations
• Generally graded with a rubric
• Examples:
Role-play (debates, skits)
Model/Simulation
Performance/Product
Labs
Table of Specifications
Standard
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
item Type and Item
Number
5.1.4.A.1: Demonstrate understanding of the inter-relationships among fundamental concepts in the physical, life, and Earth systems science.
X
5.1.4.A.2: Use outcome of investigations to build and refine questions, models, and explanations
X X
Basic Component: Consistency & Fairness
Consistent and Fair Assessments
Have we considered and tried to avoid: Culturally biased language and expressions
Developmentally inappropriate reading level
Mechanical or grammatical mistakes in assessment items
Insufficient or unclear directions
Poor layout, causing uncertainty or mistakes in reading the assessment
Insufficient number of assessment items
Subjective scoring
Gareis & Grant (2008)
Increasing Fairness: Hints for Overall Test Construction
1. Make sure one item does not give away the answer to another item (cluing).
2. Provide clear directions to each portion of the test.
3. Do not split items across pages.
4. Make sure the test is neat and error-free.
5. Provide clear and adequate response spaces.
6. Provide point values for older students.
Gareis & Grant (2008)
Question 2
How do we measure the quality of the basic components of our
Assessed Curriculum?
How do these pieces fit together?
Review a local assessment using the Assessment Tool.