Principles of Principles of AssessmentAssessmentPrinciples of Principles of AssessmentAssessment

EDUC 4454EDUC 4454P/J MethodsP/J Methods

The primary purpose of The primary purpose of assessment and assessment and evaluation is to improve evaluation is to improve student learning.student learning.

We do this by:• Identifying student strengths & learning

needs• Providing data for instructional decisions• Monitoring student progress &

performance• Monitoring program effectiveness; and • Connecting all areas later for evaluation &

reporting purposes

If assessment does not result in improved teaching, then its value in school diminishes greatly. Assessment allows us to see the results of our teaching and allows us to make valid judgements about students.

I. Fountas &G.S. Pinnell

Guided Reading; Good First Teaching for All p. 73

• The connection between assessment & instruction is critical• Developing a plan is necessary to ensure data is timely,

reliable & helpful in informing practice• Our goal as we assess students is to:

- find out what they can do - support their next steps - move them forward to more complex understanding

Four Phases of Assessment

• Assessment is a cyclical process that begins with the end in mind!

• At the centre of the process is the student as a reminder that the purpose of planning is improved student learning.

Phase 1: Unpacking the Curriculum

Teacher

What are my students expected to learn and be able to do?

Child

What will I be learning?

This foundational knowledge gives us the background to determine what type of assessment information we will need to gather in order to monitor student learning & adapt instruction.

Phase 2:Gathering the Evidence

Teacher

How will I know my students are learning?

Child

How will I know what I am learning?

This phase focuses on the purposeful and planned collection of evidence of student learning using a range of assessment tools and strategies. See p. 12.7 of a Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading: K-3, 2003 for a graphic of various tools and strategies.

Phase 3:Teaching for Learning

Teacher

How will I help my students learn and respond if they are not learning?

Student

How will I learn and what help will I need?

Phase focuses on how we are using the data to support student learning. Data is analyzed to make decisions regarding instructional resources to use, instructional groupings and both long and short term learning goals fro students. This drives your programming.

Phase 4:On-going Assessment, Evaluation &

ReportingTeacher

How will I determine the level of my student's learning and report on it?

Child

How will I know how well I did?

Phase reminds us that this is an on-going process that must be planned for in order to continually monitor student learning & adjust instruction. We must use professional judgement to evaluate achievement in relationship to particular internal/external criteria. The final piece in this phase is reporting.

Reporting

• Reporting is the opportunity for us to document a student’s achievement to that point in time, in relationship to the specific

learning covered during the reporting period. • The report card allows the teacher to describe

the highest, most consistent, most recent demonstrations of student learning.

Principles of Assessment

Given all the abovehe principles of assessment have been established to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable and lead to an improvement in student learning.

Principle #1

Assessment and evaluation strategies should address both what students learn and how well they learn.

Content Standards

Curriculum Expectations

• What students learn• Subject and grade

specific• Promote consistency

across the province

Performance Standards

Achievement Charts

• How well students learn

• High standards for all students

• Promote consistency across the province

Principle # 2

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be appropriate for the learning activities used, the purpose of instruction and the needs and experiences of students.

Classroom Assessments

Closely tied to expectations

Closely tied to learning activities

Consider students’ prior learning

Consider students’ needs

Reflect students’ backgrounds

Principle #3

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning and throughout the year.

Communication• Report Cards

• Informal reports

• Individual Education Plan (IEP)

• Teacher/student conferences

• Teacher/parent conferences

• Teacher/parent/student conferences

Principle #4

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be fair to all students.

Achieving Fairness

Provide choice within the assessment (e.g., topic to research)

Provide choice in the mode of response (e.g., oral report instead of a written report)

Negotiate time lines Make purposes and expectations clear

Principle #5

Assessment and evaluation strategies should be varied in nature, administered over a period of time and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning.

Numerous and Varied Opportunities to

Demonstrate Achievement

Projects Quizzes Exams Interviews Written Reports Oral Reports Observations

Oral Questioning Portfolios Multi-media

Presentations Performance Tasks Assignments

Assessment Strategies

Quiz Test Question Essay Class Discussion Conference

Poem Dramatic Presentation Science Experiment Research Paper Arts Performance

See the Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner for more strategies.

Assessment Tools

Check Lists

Marking Schemes

Rubrics

Portfolios

Assessment Methods

Paper and Pencil

Performance Tasks

Personal Communication

Principle #6

Assessment and evaluation strategies must be based both on the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievement level descriptions for each discipline.

Categories of Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge/Understanding

Thinking/Inquiry/Problem Solving

Communication

Application

Achievement Charts: Performance Standards

broad in scope and general in nature

describe performance for four levels of achievement for all the categories of knowledge and skills

provide a common reference for teachers as they design assessments and evaluate students’ work

used to provide criteria and feedback to students and parents

Achievement LevelsLevel Definition Letter Grade Percentage

Mark

4 Student has demonstrated A+ 90-100

the required knowledge & A 85-89 skills. Achievement exceeds A- 80-84 Provincial standard.

3 Student has demonstrated B+ 77-79 required knowledge & skills B 73-76 Achievement meets Provincial B- 70-72 Standard.

Achievement LevelsLevel Definition Letter Grade Percentage Mark 2 Student has demonstrated C+ 67-69

some of the required C 63-66 Knowledge & skills. C- 60-62 Achievement approaches Provincial standard.

1 Student has demonstrated B+ 77-79 required knowledge & skills B 73-76 in limited ways. Achievement B- 70-72 falls much below Provincial Standard.

R Student has not demonstrated R Below 50 required knowledge & skills. Extensive remediation is required.

Level 3: Provincial Standard

Teachers and parents can be confident that students who are achieving at Level 3 are well prepared for work in the next grade.

Resources

Exemplars:Writing ReadingMathematicsSocial Studies

Science and Technology

Visual ArtsHealth and Physical

Education

Exemplars

Based on performance task Linked to the curriculum expectations Standard process for administering the task Rubric (based on Achievement Chart) Examples of student work for four levels Teachers’ notes and comments

Performance Tasks

Present engaging “real world”, meaningful, substantive issues or problems.

Are directly related to curriculum expectations. Focus on what students can do and how they

apply and extend their knowledge. Emphasize the processes students use, rather

than only focus on the “right” answer. Present students with complex, loosely

structured problems that allow for a wide range of products.

Principle #7

Assessment and evaluation strategies should include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of their achievement.

Samples of Student Work

show progress through the year can be compared to ministry exemplars for

evaluation can be used when conferencing with students can be used when communicating with

parents can be placed in a portfolio

Principle #8

Assessment and evaluation strategies should ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement.

Directions for Improvement Achievement Charts

Four categories of knowledge and skills

Exemplars and Task Specific Rubrics Four categories of knowledge and skills

Report Cards Strengths, weaknesses, next steps

Principle #9

Assessment and evaluation strategies must promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals.

Self-Assessment and Goal Setting

Report Card – Response Form Daily activities and journals Agendas Portfolios Teacher-parent-student conferences Student-led conferences

Principle #10

Assessment and evaluation strategies should accommodate the needs of exceptional students, consistent with the strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plans (IEP).

Principle #11

Assessment and evaluation strategies should accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction.

Assessment Accommodations

Additional time Oral test instead of written test Simplify tasks and/or materials Specialized equipment Assistance of professional or paraprofessional

staff