Developing Assessment in Jewish Studies

Rabbi Johnny Solomon

ABOUT MERabbi Johnny Solomon has worked in a range of capacities in the Anglo-Jewish education community. He began his career teaching Jewish Studies at Immanuel College, later holding the position of Head of Department. He also worked at Naima JPS as Assistant Head, teaching Chumash and running a successful family education programme. More recently, Johnny was the secondary curriculum team leader at the Jewish Curriculum Partnership (JCP), providing guidance to schools about pedagogy and curriculum development as well as leading a team in producing the JCP Chumash materials. Johnny received Semicha in September 2009 having studied at the Montefiore Kollel as a major scholar and is the Head of Jewish Studies at Hasmonean High School for Girls, an Ashdown Fellow and an adjunct faculty member of LSJS.

Developing Assessment in Jewish Studies•Importance of Written Records•Tests vs Assessments•Assessment for Learning•Using the Results of Assessment

My aim is to ensure that if you assess in JS, you do so effectively and reflectively.

Why should there be a specific talk about

assessment in Jewish Studies?

' '' ' ב ק ס מז ס ברורה משנה " אבדה מה על ל שאחז דמצינו גדולה בשמחה אותה ויברך שיברך עד ללמוד שלא " ' אבדה מה על לנביאים נשאל זה שדבר ל ואחז תורתי עזבם על ה ויאמר הארץויתר בתורה עוסקים שהיו זמן שכל ומצינו בתורה עוסקים היו שישראל הארץ

" ידע" לבבות הבוחן ה והקב אבדה מה על ידעו לא ולכן עונותיהם על ה כי הקבשלומדין" כמו אלא התורה לימוד לשם עוסקין היו לא בתורה עוסקין שהיו פ אע

חכמות " שאר לא ולכן בעיניהם חשובה התורה היתה שלא ת בה ברכו לא ולכן . גם. חמדתו כלי לנו ונתן בנו שבחר על הודאה וליתן מאד ליזהר צריך ולכן הגינה

" " " ת" בבה נזהר שאינו זה עבור ח ת בן לו להיות ו ח זוכה שאינו ל :אחז

One should be scrupulous not to learn Torah prior to making the blessings over learning Torah, and one should make the blessings with great joy. This is because our Sages explain that one reason for the destruction of the First Temple is that although people learned Torah, they treated it as just another source of knowledge, as reflected in their not reciting the blessings over learning Torah (see Jeremiah 9:11-12 and Tractate Nedarim 81a). Therefore one should be very careful in this, and give thanks to G-d for having chosen us and given us the Torah. Our Sages say that one who is not scrupulous in making the blessings over learning Torah does not merit, G-d forbid, to have a son who is a Torah scholar.

So what makes JS different?

It is... Kodesh

The problem with things that are Kadosh is that Kedusha is difficult to measure.

For example, is an old Chumash Bereishis more kadosh than Bamidbar?

Can you grade Sefer Vayikra and say that it is less good than Bereishis?

Can you measure the quality of a pupils tefillah?

So why assess in JS?

We assess so that pupils review the material they have studied.

We don’t review to pass the

assessment. We assess pupils to encourage review.

One who studies Torah and doesn't review it is compared to one who plants but does not harvest

צט .סנהדרין , עליה חוזר ואינו תורה הלומד כל

קוצר ואינו שזורע לאדם דומה

What can we assess and what can’t we assess?

מבחן נסיון

To put to the test, to see whether

someone is indeed capable of a certain

achievement (R’ Hirsch on Tehillim 95:9*)

To determine the degree of value and strength inherent in

another(R’ Hirsch on Tehillim 95:9*)

*See also R’ Hirsch’s comments on Tehillim 7:10

נסיון

You can pass or fail a נסיון, but the purpose of a נסיון is to make us pass and be נשא

ourselves ie. raise ourselves further.

מבחן

It is not a sure thing that you pass a מבחן. Its purpose is to establish the extent of your

capability.

מבחן נסיון

I AMI CANJEWISH

CONFIDENCEJEWISH

COMPETENCE

This means that the great majority of

classroom assessments are a .נסיון not a ,מבחן

So how should we assess?

Terence Perry, an education consultant, strongly suggested providing students with opportunities to demonstrate their mastery of a skill by using the skill in a purposeful way. He gave the example of an ineffective teacher who tested students’ ability to bake bread by having them memorize the recipe for bread. To test his ability to bake bread, have him follow the steps of the recipe and actually bake the bread.

The Art of Teaching p. 103

IN THIS CASE, THE TEACHER HAD NEITHER IDENTIFIED, TAUGHT OR REVIEWED THE MAIN LEARNING OUTCOME.

THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WHEN WRITING CURRICULA AND PLANNING ASSESSMENTS, THE ASSESSMENT MEANINGFULLY EVALUATES THAT THE STUDENT HAS ATTAINED THE SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOME.

Once you have taught the halachos of Netilas Yadayim, what type of assessment should you set the kids and how will you grade it?

Question

Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen, Children in Halacha pgs. 3-4

When training a child in the performance of a mitzvah, one must teach him to do it properly, with all its details, just as it is performed by an adult.

For example, according to halachah, a lulav whose tip has been broken off cannot be used in the performance of the mitzvah. One may not give such a lulav to a child for the purpose of training him to perform the mitzvah.

Another example: Chanukah lights must be capable of burning at least one half-hour after dark. One cannot have a child light candles that will not burn for that length of time.

Therefore, when assessing knowledge of halacha, assessment can simply reflect the levels that exist in halacha itself:

יצא לאאסור

שכר בדיעבד לכתחלה

Using this method ensures that your level descriptors are authentic and meaningful

HOWEVER, SOMETIMES WENEED TO THINK A LITTLE

MORE ABOUT HOWWE EDUCATE STUDENTS

TO PASS A נסיון AND NOTJUST A מבחן

MISTAKE #1 IN JS ASSESSMENTS

Excerpt from Aharon Hersh Frieds, ‘Are our children too worldly’?, Hakirah Vol. 4

PUT DIFFERENTLY, THE TEACHER HAD NEITHER IDENTIFIED, TAUGHT OR REVIEWED THE MAIN LEARNING OUTCOME.

JUST BECAUSE IT IS EASY TO GIVE A STUDENT A מבחן, WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT WE MUST ALSO TRAIN THEM TO PASS A נסיון.

What was on the Talmid’s

Gemara test?

What should have been on the

Talmid’s Gemara test?

What other tests should the Talmid have been given?

If a learning outcome is to use a knowledge of shorashim to work out a pasuk, then an assessment is only meaningful if this is then assessed by using a pasuk the student has not previously encountered.

MISTAKE #2 IN JS ASSESSMENTS

In light of what we have learnt today, explain the following psukim:

Example: Lesson

�ה�א�ל�קים �ס��הו (נ : א ) כב בראשית א ת־א�ב�ר�ה�ם

! ח�ןו (ב� : י ) ז תהילים ל"ב!ו�ת

However, you now cannot use these pesukim to assess the skill of translating. Instead, you should use a pasuk the students have not yet encountered such as:

( : ט צה !פ�ֳע$ל"י (תהילים �ם־ר�או! ג "י !נ ב!�ח�נו א'בו�ת&יכ ם "י !נ "ס!ו נ א'ש) ר

LEVELSExamples of Knowledge (JCP)

I KNOW EVENTS, PEOPLE AND PLACES IN TORAH

Lev 1 I can retell, in correct order, what happened in one or two Torah narratives that I have studied, and can name most of the characters and places involved

Lev 2 I can retell, in correct order, what happened in three or four narratives that I have studied, and can name the places, and most of the characters involved.

Lev 3 For any one of the people mentioned in the units studied, I can name places or events that were linked with him or her

Lev 4 For any one of the people mentioned in the units studied, I know where in the Torah we are told of events or places that were linked with him or her

Lev 5 For any one of at least four people that are often mentioned in Torah, I know where in the Chumash are we are told of significant events or places that were linked with him or her

LEVELSExamples of Skills (JCP)

S1 I CAN FIND A SECTION OF CHUMASH

Lev 1 In a printed Chumash, I can recognise the beginnings and ends of pesukim, perakim and parashot

Lev 2 I am able to find Torah text when given its perek and pasuk and Chumash reference

Lev 3 When given a text anywhere in the Torah, I can tell you where to find it by referring to its Chumash, its perek and its pasuk.

Lev 4 With support, I can find passages in the Torah, using reference tools or online searches that contain relevant material.

Lev 5 Independently, I can find passages in the Torah, using reference tools or online searches, that contain relevant material.

LEVELSExamples of Understanding (JCP)

U4 I UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PERUSHIM

Lev 1 In my study units, I can explain why a perush, eg a midrash, comments on a word or a phrase.

Lev 2 In my study units, I can explain how two perushim interpret a word or phrase in a text, and, if they differ, why they do.

Lev 3 In each of my two or three latest study units, I can explain how perushim differ in their interpretation of text, and why they differ.

Lev 4 I can explain the respective strengths of three different perushim that comment on a Torah text, and can support with evidence my favoured perush, or my own interpretation

Students need to see these levels as their passport to Jewish literacy and practice, and that they must get all the right stamps

FINAL ACTIVITY

You have spent the last week teaching your Year 6 class about המן The class have learnt all the pesukim and have .פרשת

discussed the connection between מן, faith and Shabbos.

You now want to create an assessment.

What questions must you ask yourselfbefore you write your assessment?

•What were the learning outcomes when learning המן ?פרשת

•Do you want to set a מבחן or a נסיון? ie. What is a suitable assessment format that evaluates that the learning outcomes have been achieved?

• How can I measure the suitability of the assessment?

•How can you support your students so that they review their learning effectively?

•If you intend to assess a skill, how are you going to ensure that you do not end up assessing just knowledge?

•How are you going to measure levels of attainment in the assessment?

•How and where are you going to record results of this assessment?

•Will students understand how their attainment will be measured?

•How will you use the assessment to motivate growth and achievement?