Assessment of Student Learning | 04.14.

2021
ASSESSING
KNOWLEDGE
and
SIMPLE
UNDERSTANDING
CONSTAN JACKIE L. CANTERO | DIT
 clear and appropriate goals and
1. objectives

the assessment method is the

2. best match for your goals and
objectives

have evidence that the decisions

High Quality 3. you make from the results of the
assessment are valid
Summative
4. construct an assessment that
Assessments will minimize error

5. the assessment is fair and

unbiased

the assessment is practical and

6. efficient
 Preparing for a
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

✓ Do I have a clear and appropriate learning targets?

✓ What method of assessment will match best with the targets?
✓ Will I have a good evidence that the interferences from the
assessment will be valid?
✓ How can I construct an assessment that will minimize error?
✓ Will my assessment be fair and unbiased? Have students had the
opportunity to learn what is being assessed?
✓ Will my assessment be practical and efficient?
✓ Will my assessment be aligned with instruction?
✓ Are the consequences of assessment positive?
 Preparing for a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Representative
Sampling
Most assessments can only sample what students have learned. To ensure
representative sampling use a table of specifications and have your learning
objectives close at hand.

• Prepare a test blueprint or outline

- The list of objective is helpful because it indicates what students are
responsible for learning
- A minimum of ten items is needed to assess each knowledge learning target
that encompasses the unit

• Construct or select the appropriate number of items for the assessment

- With more specific learning targets, as few as five items can provide a good
assessment
- You can get a pretty good idea if a student knows how to multiply three-digit
numbers by requiring students to supply answers answers to five problems
 Preparing for a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Number and Length of
Assessment
Rule of the thumb:
• the time allocated for assessment is sufficient for all students to
answer all the questions
• depends on the students age, length of class and types of questions
• many short assessments can provide the same if not better
information than a single long test
• kindergarten and 1st grade assessments usually only last 5-10
minutes
• upper elementary assessments are typically between fifteen and
thirty minutes
• the best practice is to give your students too much time rather than
too little time
 Preparing for a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Use of Assessments Provided by
Textbooks and Test Publishers
Ready made assessments,
• are they reliable or valid?
• does it match what needs to be tested?
• is the vocabulary and terminology at the right level for your students
• are there enough questions for reliable measure?

The advantage of these prepared tests is that they can serve you a
great deal of time, especially when the test is provided in a format that
can be simply copied.
 Preparing for a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Preparing Students
for Summative Assessments
Key points:
• make sure that all your students have adequate test-taking 

skills
• make sure students are familiar with the type and format of 

questions and response that will be needed on the test
• tell students when the test is scheduled to give students time to
prepare and lessen anxiety
• Review to reacquaint and reemphasize
• 2 typical test formats: multiple choice and writing response to
prompts
- increased student learning is rarely achieved if only one type of
test is used
- use the type of item that is best for maximizing student
engagement and learning
 Preparing for a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
When Summative Assessments
should be Constructed
• summative assessments need to be planned well in advance of the
scheduled testing date

• the final form of the test should be determined later than the review
session