Classroom Evaluation & Classroom Evaluation & GradingGradingChapter 15Chapter 15

Intelligence and Intelligence and AchievementAchievement

• Intelligence and achievement are not Intelligence and achievement are not the samethe same

• However, intelligence can be used to However, intelligence can be used to predict achievementpredict achievement

Intelligence

Achievement

Today’s TaskToday’s Task

What would convince you that What would convince you that someone really understood your area someone really understood your area of knowledge? of knowledge? – Identify an area that you might teachIdentify an area that you might teach– Pick out one central conceptPick out one central concept– Devise a plan to assess a student on that Devise a plan to assess a student on that

one concept one concept – Would your plan work for the whole class?Would your plan work for the whole class?

What is understanding?What is understanding?• Information/knowledgeInformation/knowledge• Reasoning/problem solving Reasoning/problem solving •What combination of reasoning

and knowledge are appropriate?

Science assessment example: Mystery powders

-Identifying white powder as salt-By taste?-By chemical reaction? -By formula?

Implications of AssessmentImplications of Assessment

• Teaching to the testTeaching to the test– Kamii:Multiple choice tests lower Kamii:Multiple choice tests lower

conceptual thinking skillsconceptual thinking skills– Determine the pace of instructionDetermine the pace of instruction– Determine content Determine content

Formative and Summative Formative and Summative AssessmentAssessment

•PretestsPretests– aids teacher in planningaids teacher in planning– helps students identify areas that helps students identify areas that

need workneed work– identify weaknesses: diagnosticidentify weaknesses: diagnostic– Usually not gradedUsually not graded

Formative Assessments Formative Assessments

Summative AssessmentsSummative Assessments

•Occurs at the end of instructionOccurs at the end of instruction

•Provides a Provides a summarysummary of of accomplishmentsaccomplishments

•End of chapter, midterms, final End of chapter, midterms, final examexam

•Purpose is to determine final Purpose is to determine final achievementachievement

Grading and Reporting:Grading and Reporting:Nuts and BoltsNuts and Bolts

Criterion-ReferencedCriterion-Referenced

• Criteria for grades Criteria for grades set in advance set in advance

• All students could All students could receive an ‘A’receive an ‘A’

• All students could All students could do poorly if do poorly if standards are high standards are high

Norm-Referenced GradingNorm-Referenced Grading

• Grading on the Grading on the curvecurve

• Students compared Students compared to other studentsto other students

• ‘‘Average’ becomes Average’ becomes the anchor for the anchor for other gradesother grades

• Can overestimate Can overestimate differencesdifferences

Is US Achievement going Is US Achievement going down?down?

Getting the Most From Getting the Most From Traditional TestingTraditional Testing

Key PrinciplesKey Principles

•Clearly written stemClearly written stem

•Put most wording in the stemPut most wording in the stem

•Avoid unessential detailsAvoid unessential details

•Make options conceptually distinct Make options conceptually distinct

•Check for grammatical Check for grammatical correctnesscorrectness

Key PrinciplesKey Principles•Avoid exclusive & inclusive wordsAvoid exclusive & inclusive words

– all, every, only, never, noneall, every, only, never, none

•Avoid two distracters with the Avoid two distracters with the same meaningsame meaning

•Avoid exact textbook languageAvoid exact textbook language

•Avoid overuse of all- or none- of Avoid overuse of all- or none- of the abovethe above

Samples to CritiqueSamples to Critique

1. The word “flaco” in Spanish 1. The word “flaco” in Spanish meansmeans

a. thina. thin

b. underweightb. underweight

c. skinnyc. skinny

d. fat d. fat

Samples to CritiqueSamples to Critique

2. A spider is an2. A spider is an

a. marsupiala. marsupial

b. arachnidb. arachnid

c. vertebratec. vertebrate

d. chordated. chordate

Samples to CritiqueSamples to Critique

3. The development of the self-3. The development of the self-conceptconcept

is not principally influenced byis not principally influenced by

a. parentsa. parents

b. peersb. peers

c. growth ratec. growth rate

d. physical appearanced. physical appearance

Samples to CritiqueSamples to Critique

4. “Culture-fair” tests are4. “Culture-fair” tests are

a. always reliablea. always reliable

b. always validb. always valid

c. power testsc. power tests

d. usually nonverbal in order to d. usually nonverbal in order to offset cultural differences in offset cultural differences in languagelanguage

Evaluating Objective Test Evaluating Objective Test ItemsItems

• Item analysisItem analysis– DifficultyDifficulty– DiscriminationDiscrimination– ReliabilityReliability

Problems with objective Problems with objective testingtesting

• Students can get some problems Students can get some problems correct by guessingcorrect by guessing

• May reduce motivation for problem May reduce motivation for problem solvingsolving

• May overly focus knowledge and May overly focus knowledge and overlook major misconceptionsoverlook major misconceptions

Essay TestingEssay Testing• Emphasizes Emphasizes

reasoningreasoning

• CommunicationCommunication

• More complex More complex learning outcomeslearning outcomes

• Can provide more Can provide more information about information about misconceptions misconceptions than multiple than multiple choicechoice

Evaluating EssaysEvaluating Essays

•Problems with subjective testingProblems with subjective testing– individual standards of the individual standards of the

gradergrader– unreliability of scoring unreliability of scoring

proceduresprocedures– bias: wordy essaysbias: wordy essays

Evaluating EssaysEvaluating Essays

•Methods for evaluating essaysMethods for evaluating essays– Construct a model answerConstruct a model answer– Construct a rubric for the assignmentConstruct a rubric for the assignment– Give points for each part of the answerGive points for each part of the answer– Give points for organizationGive points for organization– Grade all responses to the first question Grade all responses to the first question

before reading subsequent questionsbefore reading subsequent questions

Innovations in AssessmentInnovations in Assessment

Alternative AssessmentsAlternative Assessments

•Authentic Authentic assessmentsassessments

•Performance Performance in contextin context

•PortfoliosPortfolios

•ExhibitionsExhibitions

Evaluating Portfolios and Evaluating Portfolios and PerformancesPerformances

• Scoring rubricsScoring rubrics

• Reliability, Reliability, validity, and validity, and equityequity

• Self- and peer-Self- and peer-evaluationevaluation

Effects of Grading on Effects of Grading on StudentsStudents

Effects of GradingEffects of Grading

•Effects of failureEffects of failure

•Effects of feedback - knowing Effects of feedback - knowing ‘why’ they were wrong‘why’ they were wrong

•Effects of grades on motivationEffects of grades on motivation

Improving educationImproving education

• Make great assessments that are worth Make great assessments that are worth focusing curriculum aroundfocusing curriculum around

• Give teachers the support to investigate Give teachers the support to investigate their own knowledge and understandingtheir own knowledge and understanding

• Provide content and classrooms that are Provide content and classrooms that are applicable to the students and their applicable to the students and their liveslives

“We want the child chasing education and not the other way around”

-George Bernard Shaw

Three parts of a schoolThree parts of a school

Curriculum: What should

students know?

Instruction: How should we

present what students should know?

Assessment: What do students know?And what can they do?

QuizQuiz

• Use and misuse of Gardners theory of Use and misuse of Gardners theory of intelligence intelligence

• Role of education in achievement and Role of education in achievement and IntelligenceIntelligence

• Interpreting IQ scoresInterpreting IQ scores

• Be able to identify traits as gifted, Be able to identify traits as gifted, Learning disabled, or ADGD table 4.2, Learning disabled, or ADGD table 4.2, 4.4, 4.64.4, 4.6

QuizQuiz

• Criterion versus norm referenced Criterion versus norm referenced testingtesting

• Benefits /Drawbacks of objective and Benefits /Drawbacks of objective and subjective assessmentsubjective assessment

• Types of alternative assessmentTypes of alternative assessment

• Formative and summative Formative and summative evaluationsevaluations