Assessing Students and Texts Chapter 4 Copyright Allyn

Assessing Students and Texts Chapter 4 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011 This multimedia product and its content are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Frame of Mind n How does assessment help us set instructional goals? n How does a formal, high-stakes approach differ from an informal, authentic approach? n What have state and federal legislators done to try and ensure students’ success on highstakes standardized tests? n What are some of the informal assessment strategies teachers use in the context of their classrooms? Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Frame of Mind n How can content area teachers involve students in the portfolio process? n When and how might teachers use professional judgment in analyzing the difficulty of textbooks? n What are predictive measures of readability, and how do they differ from performance measures? Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Key Terms n n n Accountability Authentic assessment Cloze procedure CARI ESEA Federal legislation Formal assessment Grade-equivalent scores High-stakes testing Informal testing Lexiles Norms n n n Percentile score Portfolio assessment Raw score Readability Reliability Rubrics Self-assessment Standardized testing Stanine score State standards Triangulation Validity Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Comparison of Two Approaches to Assessment High-Stakes Authentic Orientation Formal Informal Administration Testing one-time performance Continuously evolving Methods Objective; standardized Classroom-based Uses Compare groups of students; align curriculum Make qualitative judgments about individual students Feedback format Reports; printouts Notes; portfolios Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Forms of Authentic Assessment n Portfolios n Checklists n Interviews n Personal reflections n Rubrics n Self-assessments Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Standardized Testing n Norms n Percentile scores n Stanine scores n Grade-equivalent scores n Reliability n Validity Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Portfolio versus Testing: Different Processes and Outcomes n Portfolio n n n n Testing Represents a range of learning activities Engages students in selfassessment Allows for individual differences Collaborative Addresses improvement Links assessment to instruction n n n Assesses across a limited range of assignments Mechanically scores Assesses all students on the same dimensions Not collaborative Addresses achievement Separates learning, testing, and teaching Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Steps in the Implementation of Portfolios n Discuss with your students the notion of portfolios as an interactive vehicle for assessment. n Specify your assessment model. n Decide what types of requirements will be used, approximately how many items, and what format will be appropriate for the portfolio. n Consider which contributions are appropriate for your content area. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Types of Interviews n Formally structured and semistructured n Informal n Retrospective Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Rubrics n Holistic Rubrics n Analytic Rubrics n Weighted Trait Rubrics Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

Assessing Text Difficulty n Content Area Reading Inventories n Readability n The Fry Graph n Cloze Procedure n Readability Checklist Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011

General Textbook Readability Checklist n Understandability n Usability n External organizational aids n Interestability n Summary Rating n Statement of Strengths n Statement of Weaknesses Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2011