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.