Assessment

Boot camp
EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENTS + CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK =
HIGHER STUDENT SUCCESS

PRESENTED BY: AMANDA CHAPMAN

Instructor/University Supervisor/Placement Coordinator
WCU Office of Field Experiences
 Overview
 How do we design effective assessments?
 Purpose of Assessments
 Types of Assessments
 How to give Effective Feedback to enhance student learning.
 Useable Examples
 What is Assessment?
“Assessment is today’s means
of understanding how to modify
tomorrow’s instruction.”
- Carol Tomilinson
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
How to design effective
assessments
101
Learner assessment follows from the objectives. Based on the principles of
backward design developed by Wiggins and McTighe (1998), instructors identify the
lesson objective or desired results and then decide what they will accept as evidence
of learners’ knowledge and skills.
The concept of backward design holds that the instructor must begin with the end in
mind (i.e., what the student should be able to know, understand, or do) and then map
backward from the desired result to the current time and the students’ current
ability/skill levels to determine the best way to reach the performance goal.

Fact Sheet: Effective Lesson Planning


GOALS
General expectations of student outcomes.
The OVERALL description and purpose of the
unit/lesson/etc.
Goals vs. objectives
OBJECTIVES
Statement of what students should be able to
do, or how they should change
developmentally, as a result of instruction.

Much more specific and MEASUREABLE

Can be broad and vague
Example:
Example:
Students will understand the Bill of Rights and
the importance and impact it has on the lives of Students will able to list and explain each of
American citizens. the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights.
 Four components
of an objective
A – AUDIENCE
• The Student
B – BEHAVIOR
• What the student will do?
C – CONDITION
• Under what circumstance will the talk be accomplished?
D – DEGREE (Criteria)
• Percent correct
 LEARNING OUTCOME
FORMAT
STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO
<<ACTION VERB>>
<<SOMETHING>>
REMEMBER BLOOM’S TAXONOMY?
THAT’S WHERE YOU FIND YOUR VERBS
Plan around objectives
Students will be able to…
Look at the examples:

Which ones are well written and assessable objectives?

Which ones are not assessable?
How could you rewrite them to make them assessable?
 Important to
remember:
Assessment is a process. Evaluations are Judgments based on
performance.
Step 1: Establishing learning
objectives Judgments about performance.
Mostly refers to the assignment of grades
Step 2: Provide learning opportunities based on student performance.
that relate to the objectives.
Step 3: Determine if learning has
Examples: tests and papers
occurred.
Thus, evaluation can be part of assessment, but
Step 4: Make revisions and it is not assessment in and of itself.
improvements based on determinations
of student learning.

http://teachpsych.org/resources/Documents/otrp/resources/boysen12.pdf
 Why Do You Assess?
How Do You Assess?
What Do You Assess?
When Do You Assess?
With your group take 5 to discuss the
reasons you assess your students.
 Why DO We Assess?
SOME TEACHERS TALK ABOUT… SOME TEACHERS TALK ABOUT…

Assessment Debate
Learning V.S. Grades

Can these two coexist peacefully?

Should one receive more emphasis over the other?

Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
 How DO We Assess?
 Observations  Self- and peer-evaluation
 Essays  End-of-Course/Grade Tests
 Interviews  M.A.P./Dibbles/Star Reading/etc.
 Performance tasks  Questioning
 Exhibitions and demonstrations  Others?
 Portfolios
 Journals
 Teacher-created tests
 Rubrics

Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
 When Do We Assess?
At the beginning of the unit/time Most teachers assess students at
period? the end of an instructional
unit/time period/sequence.
At the end?
In the middle?
Never? However, research proves that
“when assessment and instruction
Everyday? are interwoven, both the students
and the teacher benefit.”

Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
 On-Going Assessments
are the BEST!

Diagnostic Formative Summative

Assessment Assessment Assessment

Finding out Keeping Track Making Sure

what your & Checking-in
students know
Formative and Summative Assessment
Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
 Diagnostic Assessments
Pre-tests
Diagnostic Assessment can help you identify your students’ current knowledge of a subject,
their skill sets and capabilities, and to clarify misconceptions before teaching takes place.

Knowing your students’ strengths and weaknesses can help you better plan what to teach and
how to teach it.

Pre-tests (on content and abilities)

Self-assessments (identifying skills and competencies)
Discussion board responses (on content-specific prompts)
Interviews (brief, private, 10-minute interview of each student)

Formative and Summative Assessment

Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
 Formative Assessments
Formative assessment provides
feedback and information during the
instructional process, while learning is
taking place, and while learning is
occurring.
Formative assessment measures
student progress but it can also assess
your own progress as an instructor.
◦ Observations during in-class activities; of students non-
verbal feedback during lecture
◦ Homework exercises as review for exams and class
discussions)
◦ Reflections journals that are reviewed periodically
during the semester
◦ Question and answer sessions, both formal—planned
and informal—spontaneous
◦ Conferences between the instructor and student at
various points in the semester
◦ In-class activities where students informally present
their results
◦ Student feedback collected by periodically answering
specific question about the instruction and their self-
evaluation of performance and progress.
Formative and Summative Assessment
Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
 Ongoing
Look over the list of examples.
Make note of any questions you
may have.
Assessment How could you use these
strategies to drive
Strategies instruction?
How will ongoing assessment
Take 10 help you teach for success?
 Summative Assessments
 Summative assessment takes place AFTER the
learning has been completed.
 Provides information and feedback that sums up the
teaching and learning process.
 Should match the material taught and reflect the
formative assessments.
Rubrics
 Often developed around a set of standards or
expectations, can be used for summative assessment.
 Can be given to students before they begin working
on a particular project so they know what is expected
of them (precisely what they have to do) for each of
the criteria.
 Help you to be more objective when deriving a final,
summative grade by following the same criteria
students used to complete the project.
Formative and Summative Assessment
Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
 Types of Summative
Assessments
 Examinations (major, high-stakes  Portfolios (could also be assessed
exams) during it’s development as a
 Final examination (a truly formative assessment)
summative assessment)  Performances
 Term papers (drafts submitted  Student evaluation of the course
throughout the semester would be a (teaching effectiveness)
formative assessment)
 Instructor self-evaluation
 Projects (project phases submitted
at various completion points could be
formatively assessed)
Formative and Summative Assessment
Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
 What is the Difference?
“Summative assessment is more product-oriented and
assesses the final product, whereas formative assessment
focuses on the process toward completing the product.
Once the project is completed, no further revisions can
be made. If, however, students are allowed to make
revisions, the assessment becomes formative, where
students can take advantage of the opportunity to
improve.”
Formative and Summative Assessment
Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
facdev@niu.edu, http://facdev.niu.edu,
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
EFFECTIVE
FEEBACK
 EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK
1. It MUST be timely.
2. It MUST be SPECIFIC.
3. It MUST be understandable to the student.
4. It MUST allow the student to act on feedback
◦ Refine, Revise, Practice, and Retry

Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from
http://www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
 Evaluative feedback
Evaluative feedback involves a judgment by the teacher based on implicit or
explicit norms.

Evaluative feedback may take the form of:

Approval: “That’s a good essay.” “You’ve done well.” “Good job!”
Disapproval: “That’s not good enough.” “Not your best.”
Reward: Gold stars//A+/Stickers
Punishment: “Write it out again.”

Effective Feedback. (2009). New Zealand Ministry of Education.

 Descriptive feedback
Descriptive feedback:
focuses on identified learning outcomes and makes specific reference to the student’s
achievement.
 Looks towards improvement.
An example of descriptive feedback:
“That’s a good introduction because you have covered the main points we discussed at the
beginning. Now … which points do you think you should expand on?”

Effective Feedback. (2009). New Zealand Ministry of Education.

 Summary
 Why do we Assess?
 How should we Assess?
 What are the THREE types of assessment?
 What is the purpose of those three?
 How can we make our formative assessments more effective and meaningful to our students?
 Questions?
For further information or later questions please feel free to
contact me at 828.227.3310 or abchapman@wcu.edu
 Works cited
Boysen, G. (2012, January 1). A Guide to Writing Learning Objectives for Teachers of Psychology. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
http://teachpsych.org/resources/Documents/otrp/resources/boysen12.pdf
Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
Effective Feedback. (2009). New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http://assessment.tki.org.nz/content/download/2520/19023/
version/1/file/
Effective+feedback.ppt&ei=6t31VJ7ULsWVNqPGg9AJ&usg=AFQjCNEJFBeWEf8kcSDG1HPHCIaa9bA5cw&bvm=bv.87269000,d.eXY
Fact Sheet: Effective Lesson Planning | Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy (TEAL). (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
https://teal.ed.gov/tealguide/lessonplanning
Kelly, M. (n.d.). How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Writing Learning Objectives. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/tp/How-To-Avoid-Common-Mistakes-When-Writing-Learning-Objectives.htm
Using Assessment to Drive Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://
www.slane.k12.or.us/files/common/4_2_Adjustments.pdf
Wees, D. (n.d.). 56 Different Examples of Formative Assessment. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from https://
docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nzhdnyMQmio5lNT75ITB45rHyLISHEEHZlHTWJRqLmQ/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
&slide=id.p