Student Assessments Amanda Biever TEACH-NOW Module 6, Unit 1 Activity 1 
Diagnostic
Performance- Based
Self-Assessment
Summative
High-Stakes
Formative
Definition: Performance-Based Assessments can be considered a kind of demonstration of learning, wherein students are asked to apply what they've learned relevant to attending standards in order to create a product, presentation, or performance. The purpose of PBAs are to comprehensively assess students' abilities to apply what they have learned in order to problem-solve and think critically in a meaningful and active context.
Peer-Assessment
SUB-TOPICS(With focus in ESL/ELA, 8th Grade)
OTHER RESOURCES
Definition: Diagnostic assessments seek to determine a learner's knowledge level and resources prior to the course of study. The purpose is to assess a student's baseline levels from which to determine progress in new grades, texts, or even schools and settings.
Examples: ESL/ELA, 8th Grade
Advantages:
--Can provide data to inform further interventions needed for particular students.
--Can provide a frame of reference for teachers.
--Can enable a teacher to differentiate or build scaffolding appropriate to student and class needs.
References for section:
- Science Education Resource Center (SERC), (n.d.) Diagnostic and Formative Assessment. Retrieved: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/assessment/formative.html
- De PIerola, S. (20 Oct 2014). What is Diagnostic Assessment? [Prezi] Retrieved: https://prezi.com/ektdwrvwczn7/what-is-diagnostic-assessment/
OF or FOR?: Primarily OF, as the assessments seeks to determine the student's skill level prior to course entry. It can also be used to generate data for further decision-making.
Disadvantages: --May lack authentic representation of a student's skills.
--May restrict a student's performance to a singular diagnostic setting.
--May require more time and follow-up to determine accuracy or initially perceived results.
MINDMAPS exploring what students know about a given topic or concept.
Standardized testing or Universal Screening to determine student skills at benchmark levels.
INTERVIEWS. Students are selected to interview with a teacher or impartial third party to determine skill levels for course placement, as a part of Universal Screening.
Definition: Formative assessment are used in support of learning, and are largely informal or ungraded assessments of student understanding of new concepts, vocabulary, topics, or explorations. The purpose of a formative assessment is to identify areas of content students have grasped easily, provdie feedback, and allow for revision, as well as guided and self-correction.
References for Section:
- Dodge, J. (n.d.) What are Formative Assessment and Why Should We Use Them? Retrieved: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/
- Stenhouse Publishers (30 Nov. 2010). Rick Wormeli: Formative and Summative Assessments [Video File] Retrieved:
OF or FOR?: FOR, as Formative assessments are primarily used to assess and form student understanding, not mastery.
Examples: ESL/ELA 8th Grade
Advantages:
--Gathers immediate feedback
--Helps teachers identify gaps
--Allows teachers to modify lessons, objectives, or content for greater understanding.
Disadvantages:
--Can generate a lot of materials for teachers to assess quickly and on-the-spot, which can be unreliable depending on circumstances.
--Can become "busywork" for students.
--Students may not see the usefulness of informal assessments that are not graded.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS such as Mindmaps, Charts, and Tables for categorizing new information.
DISCUSSION forums posts and participation.
TIERED EXIT TICKETS that seek to gather descriptive feedback from students regarding the day's/class work.
Definition: "A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, schools or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability." (edglossary.org). High-stakes testing may be most familiar to Americans as a principle tenet of the No Child Left Behind Act, which imposed severe negative consequences on schools that under-performed in standardized testing.
OF or FOR? This assessment if OF learning, as these types of assessments almost always standardize knowledge by grade level indicators, or other benchmarks of proficiency a student is expected to master prior to the exam.
Examples: ESL/ELA, 8th Grade
Advantages
--Can be a way for teachers to identify and better understand student strengths and deficiencies.
--May allow students to develop better test-taking abilities.
--Provides immediate data.
Disadvantages
--Can be used to unfairly dictate educational policy.
--Administers immediate and sometimes severe punishments for below-desired performances.
--Teachers "teach to the test" and neglect creativity and innovation.
--Places undue pressure on students to perform.
References for Section
- High-Stakes Test. (18 Aug 2014) Retrieved from: http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/
- Occupy Theory. (20 May 2015) List of Pros and Cons of High-Stakes Testing. Retrieved: http://occupytheory.org/list-of-pros-and-cons-of-high-stakes-testing/
Definition: A summative assessment, as its name implies, is a cumulative evaluation of student learning typically administered at the end of a learning/grading period, or Unit. The purpose of a summative assessment is to gauge a student's progress from skills implicit or assumed at the beginning of the assessment period, to the end.
References for section:
- Summative Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know (27-Feb 2013). Retrieved: http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/summative-assessment-what-teachers-need-to-know/
OF or FOR?: Summative assessments are primarily OF learning, as they encompass a progression of objectives and tiered outcomes.
Examples: ESL/ELA, 8th Grade
Advantages:
--Provides data for analysis of performance, errors, and possible content adjustment.
--Can help inform strategies for instruction.
--Can be a performance motivator for students.
Disadvantages:
--May be linked too closely to assessment of teacher performance.
--Can push teachers to "teach for the test" in lieu of more innovative and meaningful approaches.
--May be the cause of undue amounts of pressure on teachers and students.
Definition
References for Section 1. Self and Peer Assessment: Advantages and Disadvantages (n.d.) [PDF File] Retrieved: https://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/groupwork/docs/SelfPeerAssessment.pdf
OF or FOR? Similar to peer assessment, Self-assessment can be consider both OF learning, as it requires finished student work to assess, and FOR learning, as it gives students the opportunity to reflect on their performance.
Examples, ESL/ELA 8th Grade
Advantages
Disadvantages
Definition Peer Assessment is a system wherein students assess each other's work according to a standard, or teacher-generated, rubric. The purpose of peer assessment is to get students to collaborate, while also pondering the meaning and application of performance standards.
References for Section: 1. Self and Peer Assessment: Advantages and Disadvantages (n.d.) [PDF File] Retrieved: https://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/groupwork/docs/SelfPeerAssessment.pdf
OF or FOR? Peer assessment can be considered both OF learning, as it requires completed student work/project in order to assess, and FOR learning, as it places students in the roles of evaluators.
Examples, ESL/ELA 8th Grade
Advantages
Disadvantages
References for Section:
- Edutopia (3-Aug 2010). Comprehensive Assessment: An Overview [Video File] Retrieved:
- Demonstration of Learning. (03 May 2016). Retrieved from: http://edglossary.org/demonstration-of-learning/
- Adamson, F & Darling Hammond, L. Beyond Basic Skills: The Role of Performance Assessment in Achieving 21st Century Standards for Learning. Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education , 2010. [PDF FIle] Retrieved: https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications
Portfolio
Definition: Portfolio assessment describe a "compilation of student work" with the purpose of reflecting on learning, creating an archive of work, and evaluating learning/academic courses.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Authentic
Definition: Authentic Assessments seek to connect students with real-world problems, issues, and applications of skills they have learned. Its purpose is to place students in an authentic context where they can apply their skills and knowledge in a meaningful way.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Examples, ESL/ELA 8th Grade
OF or FOR?: PBA can be considered as both assessment OF learning, as it challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge to create applicable output; but also FOR learning, as it builds a platform for students to extend thinking and learning beyond the immediate objective.
Examples, ESL/ELA 8th Grade
Term and Semester examinations of cumulative knowledge gained in a grading period.
Written essays of a variety of forms: Informational, Persuasive/Argumentative, and Research/Thesis.
Unit tests that cover Vocabulary, Listening, Reading, Grammar, and Writing conventions presented in the Unit.
English Proficiency Exams for the purposes of studying abroad: TOEFL, IELTS.
One-time placement tests that determine a student's ranking in ability-level classes.
Summative assessment results (Mid-Term, Semester) that directly impact a teacher's performance review.
Social Media Campaign Project to raise Awareness about Bullying
Survey Project and Presentation about the effects of Academic Pressure
Student-organized and led community service projects..
Engender higher-order thinking skills, allowing students to take their own actions and draw their own conclusions.
Can be directly integrated/correlated to classroom instruction.
Immediately applicable in the real world.
Can be time-consuming in terms of planning, instruction time, and outside-classroom activities.
Are difficult to assess for a formal grade.
May not adequately prepare students for standardized exam questions.
Documentation of Lesson or Unit extension projects
Reflective artwork of course concepts.
Notebook/Reflection Journal
Enable students to become curators of their own learning.
Allow for reflection and corroboration of learning.
Give teachers insight into individual student-learning processes.
Can be difficult to adequately assess.
Can be criticized for their lack of directly applicable educational value.
Students may not connect value of portfolio and rather perceive it as "extra work."
Feedback forms completed during oral presentations.
Drafting essays for peer review before polishing them for final submission.
Can increase student responsibility and accountability.
Provides an active learning scenario by placing student in role of assessor.
Can impart a deeperunderstanding and demonstration of topic/subject concept and objectives.
Students may not readily undersatnd how to apply rubric criteria.
Students may not like to making judgments toward their peers.
Students may consider the task too difficult and award everyone high scores without thinking critically.
Reflection journals/essays.
Review of videoed oral performance to assess public speaking.
Grading of own work against teacher rubric.
Students give themselves perfect scores without applying rubric faithfully.
May be hard to garner interest in self-assessment and reflection ; or the concept may be difficult for students to access.
Can require more time to prepare and practice self-assessment with students.
Students develop self-reflection and critical-thinking skills.
Allows students to build judgments of their work and take greater responsibility.
Helps students better understand and prepare for heightened performance/academic standards and evaluations.