Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 1
Administration of
result in the
tests and use of assessment
accumulation
other assessment results,
of
methods
which provide
evaluation.
information for
Formal vs. Informal Assessment
Formal Assessment Methods
• planned in advance of their administration
• lack spontaneity
• typically occur at the end of instruction
• students are aware of these methods
• examples include chapter tests, final exams, graded
homework, etc.
Informal Assessment Methods
• more spontaneous; less obvious
• typically occur during instruction
• examples include teacher observations and questions
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Assessment
Quantitative Assessment Methods
• yield numerical scores
Summative Evaluation
• occurs at the end of instruction (e.g., end of chapter,
end of unit, end of semester)
• typically used for administrative decisions (e.g.,
assigning grades, promoting/retaining students)
• based solely on formal assessment methods
Standardized vs.
Nonstandardized Assessment
Standardized Assessment Methods
• administered, scored, and interpreted in identical
fashion for all examinees
• purpose is to allow educators to compare students
from different schools, states, etc.
• examples include SAT, GRE, ITBS, CAT, PRAXIS
Placing Students
• assessment for purposes of grouping students based
on ability, organizing students for group work,
sequencing of coursework, etc.
Purposes of Assessment
Providing Feedback (Formative)
• assessment can provide feedback to students
regarding their academic progress
• important to provide this type of feedback in an
ongoing manner
Motivating Students
• should not try to trick students on classroom
assessments
• provide encouragement
• familiarize students with assessment procedures
(i.e., develop students’ “testwiseness” skills)
Ethical Issues Related to
Assessment
Test Administration
• establishes a positive environment within the
assessment situation
• discourages cheating
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