Alternative Assessment

Techniques: A Show Case and

Best Practices
 Contents
 Tests vs. Assessment
 Definition & Characteristics of Alternative
Assessment
 Traditional vs “Alternative” Assessment
 Performance-based Assessment
 Why Alternative Assessment
 Portfolios
 definition, characteristics
 advantages, guidelines
 Observation
 Journal
 Summary
 Questions to Discuss
 What’s the difference between tests
and assessment?
 What does “alternative assessment”

mean?
 What’s the difference between

traditional and alternative assessment?

 Is performance-based assessment the

same as alternative assessment?

 Tests vs. Assessment (1)
 All tests are assessments, but not all
assessments are tests.

Tests

Assessment
(Brown 5)
Teaching
 Tests vs. Assessment (2)
 Tests:
 Formal procedures
 Strict time limitations
 Sample the performance of an individual in
a specific domain
 Assessment:
 Includes all occasions
 Both formal and informal
 Alternative assessment: early 1990s
 Fairness
 Balance of power relationships in the classroom
 Alternative Assessment
 Definition:
 Any method of finding out what a student
knows or can do that is intended to show
growth and inform instruction and is
alternative to traditional forms of testing,
namely, multiple-choice tests.
 Multi-assessment methods, rather than
sticking to traditional paper-and-pencil
tests.
 Characteristics of Alternative
Assessment
 Require Ss to perform, create, produce, or do
something
 Use real-world contexts or simulations
 Assess Ss on what they do in class every day
 Focus on processes as well as products
 Higher-level thinking & problem-solving skills
 Provide info. about Ss’ strengths & weaknesses
 Use human judgment in scoring
 More . . . . (cited in Brown 252; Brown & Hudson 654-55)
 Traditional versus “Alternative”
Assessment (1)
One-shot tests Continuous, longitudinal
assessment
Indirect tests Direct assessment
Inauthentic tests Authentic assessment

Individual projects Group projects

No feedback provided to learners Feedback provided to learners
Speeded exams Untimed exams
Decontextualized test tasks Contextualized test tasks
Norm-referenced score Criterion-referenced score
interpretation interpretation
Standardized tests Classroom-based tests
Bailey, Kathleen M. (1998) Learning about Language Assessment . (p. 207)
 Traditional versus “Alternative”
Assessment (2) (Brown 13)
One-shot, standardized exams Continuous long-term assessment

Timed, multiple-choice format Untimed, free-response format

Decontextualized test items Contextualized communicative
Scores suffice for feedback Individualized feedback/washback

Norm-referenced scores Criterion-referenced scores

Focus on the “right” answer
Summative
Oriented to product
Non-interactive performance
Fosters extrinsic motivation
Open-ended, creative answers
Formative
Oriented to process
Interactive performance
Fosters intrinsic motivation
 Advantages
 Traditional multiple-choice tests:
 Highly practical
 Highly reliable

 Alternative assessment:
 Beneficial washback
 Authenticity greater face validity
 Performance-based Assessment
 Productive, observable skills of content-valid
tasks
 A subset of authentic assessment, but not all
authentic assessment is performance-based
 Alternative assessment could be performance-
based.
 Characteristics of performance assessment:
 Constructed response
 Higher-order thinking involved, with open-ended,
meaningful, engaging, and authentic tasks
 Integration of language skills
 Both process and product are assessed
 A student’s mastery is emphasized
 Three Basic Assessment Types
 Following Brown & Hudson’s (1998)
classification:
 Alternatives in assessment:
 Selected response:
 T/F, matching, multiple-choice
 Constructed response:
 Fill-in, short answer, performance assessments
 Personal response:
 Conferences, portfolios, self/peer assessments
 Another Classification
 Evaluation with tests
 Purposes/uses
 Kinds
 Formats
 Characteristics of good tests
 Evaluation without tests (alternative assessment)
 Portfolios
 Journals
 Conferences, interviews
 Observations
 Performance assessment
 Self & peer assessment
 Why Alternative Assessment?
 Uncertain about test scores
 What’s the real difference between scores of 59 and 61
(esp. 60 = passing score)
 Small or chance difference in test scores
 No such thing as a perfect test
 Multi-method assessment in order to account for
multi-culture, multi-intelligences of learners
 It can assess learning processes in an on-going
manner
 Many Ts become dissatisfied with the mismatch
between how they teach & how assessment is
done
 Common Characteristics of
Alternative Assessments
 Asks students to perform, create or produce something
 Evaluation criteria and standards are known to the student
 Involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers,
self) and person assessed
 Provides self-assessment opportunities for students
 Provides opportunities for both individual and group work
 Encourages students to continue the learning activity
beyond the scope of the assignment
 Key Features of Alternative
Assessments
 Assesses a learning process and encourages
student self-reflection
 Based on authentic task with real-world
application
 Topics and means of expression are of interest
to the students
 Definition of Portfolios
 “A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work
that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and
achievements in one or more areas. The collection
must include student participation in selecting
contents, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence
of student self-reflection” (Paulson, Paulson & Meyer,
1991).
 “A purposeful collection of students’ work that tell the
story of their achievements, skills, efforts, abilities, and
contributions to a particular class” (Brown & Hudson, p.
664)
 Characteristics of Portfolios
 Teacher and students can negotiate to decide what
is included.
 The learner has some control over what is being
assessed. (learner-centered)
 Not necessary to include everything, depending on
the purpose
 To document development over time (e.g., drafts)
 Typical portfolio: four sections
 Introduction: portfolio contents, reflective essay
 Academic works
 Personal section, e.g. journals, photos
 Assessment section: evaluation from peers,
teachers
 Guidelines
 State objectives clearly.
 Give guidelines on what materials to include.
 Communicate assessment criteria to students.
 Designate time within the curriculum for
portfolio development.
 Establish periodic schedules for review and
conferencing.
 Designate an accessible place to keep
portfolio.
 Provide positive washback-giving final
assessments.
 Advantages
 Foster intrinsic motivation, responsibility &
ownership
 Promote S-T interaction with T as facilitator
 Individualize learning & celebrate uniqueness
of each student
 Provide tangible evidence of a S’s work
 Facilitate critical thinking, self-assessment, &
revision processes
 Opportunities for collaborative work w/ peers
 Assessment of multiple dimensions of
language learning
 Good Assessment Method?
 Is portfolio a good assessment tool?
 Check against the characteristics of good
assessment:
 Validity
 Reliability
 Practicality
 Authenticity
 Washback
(Brown 259; Bailey 218)
 Observation (1)
 Purpose:
 for teachers to make inferences about
instructional or learning processes or
strategies
 to explain failure to learn
 Systematic, planned procedure for
real-time recording of S verbal and
nonverbal behavior
 Observation (2)
 Planning classroom observation
 the objectives of the observation
 aspects of teaching/learning included in obs.
 keep elements of observation at one time limited
 number of Ss being observed at one time
 how many observations, one occasion or
repeatedly?
 how to record your observations
 Anecdotal records, checklists, rating scales (Brown 268)
 how you will use the results
 Journal (1)
 Definition:
 An account of one’s thoughts, feelings, reactions,
assessments, ideas, or progress toward goals
 With little attention to structure, form or
correctness
 Features:
 Self-reflection
 Writing practice; writing as a thinking process
 Individualization
 Communication with the teacher
 Most formative
 Journal (2)
 Guidelines:
 Introduce Ss to the concept of journal writing.
 State the objectives of the journal. (Brown 262)
 Give guidelines on what kinds of topics to include.
 Provide optimal feedback in your responses.
 Designate appropriate time frames & schedules
for review.
 Provide formative, washback-giving final
comments.
 A good assessment measure?
 Summary of Alternative
Assessment
principle portfolio journal conferen intervie observat self/peer
ce w ion
prcticality low low low mod mod mod

reliability mod mod low mod mod low

Face high mod high high high mod

validity
Content high high high high high high
validity
washback high high high mod mod high

authentici high high high mod high high

ty
 Performance Tests
 Second Language Assessment:
performance of a particular job or set of
situated functions.
 Strengths: using stimulus materials
 Authentic
 Direct
 Highly contextualized
(Bailey 208 - 215)
Now think of an assignment in that course that will
be challenging to grade. What kind of assignment
is it?

 1. Test / Exam
 2. Homework
 3. Short Paper
 4. Long Paper
 5. Project
 6. Presentation
 7. Other
 Muddiest Point
 What is the most challenging or confusing
aspect of assessment for you?
 Remember: Alternative
Assessment
The utilization of non-traditional approaches in
judging student performance.
 Assess Process of Learning
 Flexible
 Show development
 Increases
communication
 Promotes reflection
 Provides feedback
 Assess Process of Learning
 Process Journals
 Interactive Journal
 Drafts
 Portfolio
Classroom Assessment Techniques
for Alternative Assessment
 Background Knowledge Probe: short, simple
questionnaire given to students at the start of a course,
or before the introduction of a new unit, lesson or topic.
 Minute Paper: brief response to the following questions:
“What was the most important thing you learned during
this class?” and “What important question remains
unanswered?”
 Muddiest Point: jot down a quick response to one
question: “What was the muddiest point in [the lecture,
discussion, homework assignment, film, etc.]?”
 Authentic Assessment
Assignments
 Close to actual
practice
 Real world
scenarios
 Relevance outside
of class
 Larger audience
 Student Choice
 Choose topic or propose
assessment
 Help to develop
evaluative criteria
 Mode of expression
 Visual
 Written
 Multimodal
 Genre
 Media
 Questions to Ask
 Does the assessment meet outcome goals?
 Does the assessment enable students to
demonstrate their progress and capabilities?
 Do the assessments use authentic, real world
tasks?
 What options/choices are allowed?
 Will the assessment be meaningful and engaging
to students so that they will be motivated?
 Does the assessment involve real problems,
situations, and audiences?
Revamp an Assignment: 3-minute Paper
 On the top of your paper write down an
assignment that could be revamped into
an alternative assessment
 Consider ways to make it:
 Authentic
 Measure process
 Reflective
 Include student choice
 Engaging and motivating
 What are the purposes of grading?
• Evaluation
• Motivation
• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic
• Ranking relative to others
• More?
 What are the potential problems with
grading?
 Validity
 Reliability and Accuracy
 Fairness
 Bias
 Others?
 Norm-Referenced Assessment
 Obtain information about a learner’s performance in
relation to others’.
 ACT, GRE, MCAT, etc.
 Can take more than a year for a single multiple choice
question to be approved.
 Some instructors “curve” test scores for various reasons
 Department requirements, personal preference,
compensating for lower than average scores, etc.
 Is the adjusted distribution fair to all of the students?
 Do you have other assessments that reflect similar score
distributions for the same students?
 Criterion-Referenced Assessment
 Define the content for assessment in terms of
what knowledge and skills the student must
demonstrate
 Define a grading scale for judging student
performance
 Make sure that the assessment requires students
to perform the same skills they practiced during
their learning activities prior to the assessment

 Distribution can take any shape

 Teaching with Rubrics
 Evaluative Criteria
 Quality Definitions
 Scoring Strategy
 Holistic
 Analytic
Potential Problems with Rubrics
 Task specific evaluative criteria
 Excessively general evaluative criteria
 Dysfunctional detail
 Equating the test of the skill with the skill
itself

 From “What’s Wrong—and What’s Right—with Rubrics” in

Educational Leadership (Oct. 1997)
 Class Participation Rubric
0.

Absent.

1.

Present, not disruptive.

Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much.

Demonstrates very infrequent involvement in discussion.

2.

Demonstrates adequate preparation: knows basic case or reading facts, but does not show evidence of trying to interpret or
analyze them.

Offers straightforward information (e.g., straight from the case or reading), without elaboration or very infrequently (perhaps
once a class).

Does not offer to contribute to discussion, but contributes to a moderate degree when called on.

Demonstrates sporadic involvement.

3.

Demonstrates good preparation: knows case or reading facts well, has thought through implications of them.

Offers interpretations and analysis of case material (more than just facts) to class.

Contributes well to discussion in an ongoing way: responds to other students' points, thinks through own points, questions
others in a constructive way, offers and supports suggestions that may be counter to the majority opinion.

Demonstrates consistent ongoing involvement.

4.

Demonstrates excellent preparation: has analyzed case exceptionally well, relating it to readings and other material (e.g.,
readings, course material, discussions, experiences, etc.).

Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of case material, e.g., puts together pieces of the discussion to develop new
approaches that take the class further.

Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing discussion: keeps analysis focused, responds very thoughtfully to other
students' comments, contributes to the cooperative argument-building, suggests alternative ways of approaching material and helps class analyze
which approaches are appropriate, etc.

Demonstrates ongoing very active involvement.

 VALUE Rubrics (AAC&U)
 VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education

 Intellectual and Practical Skills

 Inquiry and analysis
 Critical thinking
 Creative thinking
 Written communication
 Oral communication
 Reading
 Quantitative literacy
 Information literacy
 Teamwork
 Problem solving

 Personal and Social Responsibility

 Civic knowledge and engagement
 Intercultural knowledge and competence
 Ethical reasoning
 Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

 Integrative and Applied Learning

 Integrative and applied learning
 Participatory / Consensus Rubrics
 Have students collaborate in the creation
of a rubric.
 Self Evaluation
• Create opportunities for self reflection.
• Can you allow students to contribute a
self-reflection as part of the assignment?
• Could you allow students to grade
themselves?
 Revision and Test Correction
 Create structured opportunities for
learning and improvement. Allow
students to revise papers and correct test
questions.
 Before or after assigning grades?
 Other ideas?
 Non-binding grades.
 More?
 Exercise
 Think of an assignment on which you
might experiment with some form of
alternative grading (3 mins)
 Share with your neighbor (5 mins)
 Ideas?
 Helpful Videos and Questions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KaKn
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQPCk2
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnCm3
sv87ts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHUqH
TxgLc
 Resources
 Vanderbilt Center for Teaching (
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/assessment/)
 The CFT is hosting a workshop on January 26 entitled
“Negotiating Student Expectations about Grades and Goals”
from 4:10 – 5:30
 Furman Center for Teaching (
http://facweb.furman.edu/~ctel/rubrics.htm)
 RubiStar – rubric templates (
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php)
 AAC&U VALUE Rubrics
http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/)