It
is the thing that we tend to despise the most, but one of the things that is
most necessary in education: assessment
and evaluation. This week’s readings focused on the who, what, when and why of
assessment.
Who:
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| This is a perfect representation of how we can ensure our assessments and evaluations are reliable and relevant. http://www.ulm.edu/assessment/ |
We
usually think of assessment and evaluation just being about students and
grades, and it is, but it also is for teachers, schools and communities. Evaluations help keep teachers and students
accountable to their schools and communities. Grades are a specific way this is
reported, but none the less, it is an important accountability piece. These assessments also help us as teachers
when we plan curriculum for a unit or a course, this backward planning will
ensure that objectives are linked to assessment questions. The various types of evaluations give
students an opportunity to assess themselves on a project, lab or even correct
written tests to anchor and re-evaluate learning.
What:
“Assessment
is used to evaluate the strengths and needs of learners, guide instruction, and
measure progress and achievement” it is also “assessing what students have
learned.” Although these are the
definitions of assessment, there are various methods to assess and evaluate
student learning and performance.
- Pre-test/Needs Assessment- I am starting to realize this is essential. If I don’t know where students are at before the next topic or unit, then I could be missing many of them.
- Written Evaluations- These should be based off of course objectives. They can be multiple-choice, short answer, true-false and/or essay
- Rubrics- Rubrics can be used in combination with many other assessment tools. I will be using a rubric for my floriculture unit, as a project will be evaluated along with other portions of the assessment. This is an area I look forward to exploring and trying as I student teach, but also finding ways to make it simple for grading is essential.
- Task-Lists & Check Lists- I can see these being a large part of all of my labs. In agricultural mechanics classes this is one of the best ways to evaluate students. If this is combined with an end of unit or mid/end of course rubric or project evaluation, it would make it even more reliable of an assessment tool.
- Self Assessments & Direct Observation- I combined these two because I like the idea of doing both. I have seen Mr. Masser keep notes of how students are performing in lab as they go about their procedures, this is part of their grade. Doing this, but also allowing for a short personal reflection and checklist. This could help students see where behavior expectations
When:
One
thing that stood out to me when reviewing when to assess and evaluate students
was length of assessments. The longer
the test, specifically written test, the more comprehensive it is and it is
typically more reliable. Time between
material and evaluation should also be taken into account. If various forms of short quizzes are given
throughout a unit, then a longer unit assessment is not necessary. Lab and practicum evaluations should also be
written so they are conscious of time that it will take to perform evaluations
for each of the students. One of the
readings gave a suggestion to
Why:
Part
of this is because it is required, but it is required for good reason, as long
as it does what is supposed to do. The
why can be summed up in a few questions, which will help me self-check my
assessment and evaluation methods.
- Is summative or formative assessment necessary at this point?
- Am I assessing what I want to assess? And how am I communicating that?
- Do my assessment or evaluation techniques provide answers to essential questions and objectives previously written and taught?
- Can students demonstrate what they have learned?
- Is this appropriate for students abilities and academic and educational goals- and is it transparent?
- Is this assessment realistic to what a student would do in a career setting?
- Do specific students need accommodations or modifications?
