Basic Concepts in Assessment

How can we use assessment as a tool to improve our teaching?

Assessments as Tools
Assessment is a process of observing a sample of students behavior
and drawing inferences about their knowledge and abilities.
We use a sample of student behavior to draw inferences about
student achievement.
Forms of Educational Assessment
Informal vs. formal assessment
Paper-pencil assessment vs. performance assessment
Traditional assessment vs. authentic assessment
Standardized test vs. teacher-developed assessment
Informal vs. formal assessment
Informal assessments are spontaneous, day-to-day observations of
students performance in class.
Formal assessment is planned in advance & used for a specific
purpose to determine what is learned in a specific domain.
Paper-pencil vs. Performance assessment
Paper-pencil: asks students to respond in writing to questions.
Performance: asks students to demonstrate knowledge or skills in
some other fashion. Students perform in some way.
Traditional vs. authentic assessment
Traditional: assesses basic knowledge & skills separate from realworld tasks.
Authentic: assesses students ability to use what theyve learned in
tasks similar to those in the outside world.
Standardized test vs. teacher-developed test
Standardized test: developed by test experts, published for use in
many schools.
Teacher-developed tests: developed by a teacher for use in individual
classroom.

Purposes for assessment

Formative evaluation: assessing what students know before & during
instruction. We can redesign lesson plans as needed.
Summative evaluation: assessment after instruction to determine what
students have learned, to compute grades.
Promoting learning
Assessments as motivators
Assessments as mechanisms for review
Assessments as influences on cognitive processing- studying more
effectively for types of test items.
Assessments as learning experiences
Assessments as feedback
Qualities of good assessments- RSVP
Reliability
Standardization
Validity
Practicality
Reliability
The extent to which the instrument gives consistent information about
the abilities being measured.
Reliability coefficient- correlation coefficient +1 to -1
Standard error of measurement
SEM- shows how close a students score is to what it should be.
A true score is the ideal score for a student on a subject based on past
performance.
The test manual will compute common errors in the scoring. Scores
must be given within this range- the confidence interval.
Enhancing the reliability of classroom assessments
Use several tasks in each instrument

 Define each task clearly enough so students know what is being

asked.
Use specific, concrete criteria
Keep expectations out of judgment.
Avoid assessing a child when s/he is ill, tired, out of sorts in some
way.
Use the same techniques and environment for assessing all kids.
Standardization
The concept that assessment instruments must have similar, consistent
content, format, & be administered & scored in the same way for
everyone.
Standardized tests reduce error in assessment results & are considered
to be more reliable.
Validity
The extent an instrument measures what it is designed to measure.
Content validity- items are representative of skills described
Predictive validity- how well an instrument predicts future
performance. SAT, ACT
Construct validity- how well an instrument measures an abstract,
internal characteristic- motivation, intelligence, visual-spatial ability.
Essentials of testing
An assessment tool may be more valid for some purposes than for
others.
Reliability is necessary to produce validity.
But reliability doesnt guarantee validity.
Practicality
The extent to which instruments are easy to use.
How much time will it take?
How easily is it administered to a group of children?
Are expensive materials needed?
How much time will it take?

 How easily can performance be evaluated?

Standardized tests
Criterion-referenced scores show what a student can do in accord with
certain standards.
Norm-referenced scores compare a students performance with other
students on the same task.
Norms are derived from testing large numbers of students.
Types of standardized tests
Achievement tests- to assess how much students have learned of what
has been taught
Scholastic aptitude tests- to assess students capability to learn, to
predict general academic success.
Specific aptitude tests- to predict how students are likely to perform in
a content area.
Technology and Assessment
Allows adaptive testing
Can include animation, simulation, videos, audios
Enables easy assessment of specific problems
Assesses students abilities with varying levels of support
Provides immediate scoring
Guidelines for choosing standardized tests
Choose a test with high validity for your purpose & high reliability.
Be sure the tests norm group is relevant to your population.
Follow directions closely.
Types of test scores
Raw scores- based on number of correct responses.
Criterion-referenced scores- compare performance to criteria or
standards for success.

 Norm-referenced scores- compare students performance to the

average of students the same age.

Norm-referenced scores
Grade-equivalents and age-equivalents compare a students
performance to the average performance of students at the same age/ grade.
Percentile ranks- show the percentage of students at the same age/
grade who made lower scores than the individual.
Standard scores- show how far the individual performance is from the
mean by standard deviation units.
Standard scores
Normal distribution- bell curve
Mean
Standard deviation- variability of a set of scores.
IQ scores
ETS scores
Stanines
Z-scores
Standard deviation
IQ scores- mean of 100, SD of 15
ETS scores- (Educational Testing Service tests- SAT, GRE)
mean of 500, SD of 100
Stanines- for standardized achievement tests- mean- 5, SD- 2
z-scores- mean of 0, SD of 1- used statistically
Norm- vs. criterion-referenced scores
Norm-referenced scores- grading on the curve, based on the class
average. Sets up a competitive environment, not a sense of
community. May be used in performance tests- who gets to be first
chair in band.
Criterion-referenced scores show if students have mastered objectives.

Interpreting test scores

Compare 2 norm-referenced test scores only when those scored come
from equivalent norm groups.
Have a clear rationale for cutoff scores for acceptable performance.
Never use a single test score to make important decisions.
High-stakes testing and accountability
High-stakes testing- Making major decisions on the basis of a single
assessment.
Accountability- holding teachers, administrators responsible for
students performance on those tests.
Some tests have determined passing a grade or graduation.
Problems with high-stakes testing
Tests dont always show instructional objectives.
Teachers spend time teaching to the tests.
Low achievers or special ed students are often not included.
Criteria often bias against students from lower SES.
Not enough emphasis on helping schools/ students improve.
Potential solutions to the problems
Identify what is most important for students to know.
Educate the public about what tests scores can do.
Look at alternatives to tests.
Use multiple measures in making high-stakes decisions. Identify what
is most important for students to know.
Educate the public about what tests scores can do.
Look at alternatives to tests.
Use multiple measures in making high-stakes decisions.
Confidentiality & communication of test results
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act- limits testing to
achievement/ scholastic aptitude.
Restricts test results to students, parents, & teachers.

 Restricts students grading others papers, posting scores

publicly, or going through student papers to find ones own
paper.
Parents/ students can review test scores & school records.
Communicating classroom assessment results
Assessment is primarily to help students learn & achieve more
effectively.
Class results must be communicated to parents to enable student
success.
Explaining standardized test results
Be sure you understand the test results yourself.
It may be sufficient to explain test results in general terms.
Use percentile ranks rather than IQ or grade equivalents.
Describe the SEM & confidence intervals if you know them.
Taking student diversity into account
Developmental differences
Test anxiety
Cultural bias
Language differences
Testwiseness
Accommodating students with special needs
Modify format of test
Modify response format
Modify timing
Modify setting
Administering part, not all test
Use instruments that are more compatible with students level