Principles of High Quality Assessment

Prepared by: Sharon C. Caringal

Teacher-made test

• Means that the teacher design them to assess students learning• These test are associated with the

grades on report cards • Help measure students progress• Test scores maybe used for a

portion of students’ mark (Williams and Haladyna,1999)

Some suggestions that can be helpful in constructing tests:

1.) Test should be balanced2.) Students should not be penalized with a low mark because they are weak in reading & writing3.) The teacher might choose to use format different from conventional test

There should be no surprises when it comes to students evaluation

Students should always be aware of evaluation criteria and proceduresThey should have a role in the evaluationThey should receive regular feedback as to “how they are doing”

According to Stiggins (2001)

“The purpose of the classroom test vary, but prior to constructing any test, teachers should first identify the kinds of instructional decisions will be made based on test results, and the kinds of score-based inferences needed to support those decisions”

Clarity of the Learning Target

Suggested the following sequence of instruction (Popham, 2000) Determine the specific learning targets and their sequence for instruction

A standard may be composed of one learning target

Each learning target typically has a sub- unit Contents SkillsAssessment for learning that will be used to keep students informed The lesson designed to teach students the learning targets

Three building Blocks of well written objectives are: Conditions- define the materials that will be available ( or unavailable) when the objective is assessedBehavior- is a verb that describes an observable activity- what the students will do (action verb)Criterion (also referred to as Degree)- is the standard that is used to measure whether or not the objective has been achieved

Set of Guiding Principles for High Quality Assessment Students Are the Key Assessment UsersClear and Appropriate Targets are Essential

Accurate Assessment Is a mustHigh quality assessment is essential in all assessmentsSound assessments arise from clear achievement targetsValid assessments reflect clear achievement targets Begin any assessment design with a clear sense of Why you are conducting the assessment

Benefits based on the existence of learning that clears and usable:Knowledge Targets Procedural Knowledge targetsReasoning Targets

Types of Reasoning Inductive reasoning uses specific facts or evidence to infer general conclusionsDeductive Reasoning begins with general rule or principle to infer specific conclusions or solutionsAnalytical Reasoning requires examining components or structure of somethingComparative Reasoning describes similarities and differences between two or more items

Performance Skills Targets

requires the students to demonstrate their mastery of learning and to be observed

Product targets are not to used as frequently as other types but highly valued calling for creation of a product.

Dispositional Targets rarely show up on state standards but are important because they reflect students’ attitude about school and learning.

Establishing Learning GoalsEducational Goals – general statements of what students will know and be able to do.

Educational Learning Objectives more specific statements of what students will know and be able to do

Types of Learning Targets( Marzano and Kendall (1996) identified five types of

learning targets:

Knowledge and Simple Understanding- includes mastery of facts and information, typically through recall, as well as simple understandingDeep Understanding and Reasoning- includes problem solving, critical thinking, synthesis, comparing, higher order thinking skills and judgementSkills-involves something that a student must demonstrate in a way other than answering questions Products- includes a sample of students work that demonstrates the ability knowledge, understanding, reasoning and skillsAffective- includes attitudes, values, interests, feelings and beliefs

Sources of Learning TargetsoBloom’s TaxonomyoNational, Regional, and District StandardsoTextbooksBlooms’ Taxonomyo Cognitive – mental skills ( knowledge)oAffective – growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)oPsychomotor- manual or physical skills ( Skills)

Stating General Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes to be measured are useful in test construction when they are stated as terminal performance which are observable. It means that they should clearly indicate the student performance to demonstrated at the end of learning experience.

Next is for the teacher to list specific types of performance that are to be accepted as evidence that the outcomes have been achieved

Cognitive Domain involves knowledge and development of the

intellectual skills. This is to recall or recognition of specific facts, procedural patterns, and concepts that serves in the development of intellectual abilities and skills.

1.) Knowledge- recall data or information2.) Comprehension- understand the meaning,

translation, interpolation, and interpretation of instruction or problems

3.) Application- use concept in new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction

4.) Analysis- separates material or concepts into components so that its organizational structure may be understood

5.) Synthesis- build a structure or pattern from diverse element

6.) Evaluation- make judgments about the value of ideas or materials

Psychomotor Domainincludes physical movement, coordination, and

use of motor skills areas.1.) Perception- ability to use sensory cues to guide motor activity2.) Set- readiness to act3.) Guided Response- the early stages in learning a complex skill that includes imitation and trail and error4.) Mechanism- is the intermediate stage in learning a complex skill.5.) Complex Overt Response- the skillful performance of motor acts involve complex movement6.) Adaptation- skills are very well developed and the individual can modify movement patterns to fit specials requirement7.) Organization- creating new movement patterns to fit a particular situation or specific problems