Thinking Smart About Assessment

Ben Clarke, Ph.D.

Rachell Katz, Ph.D.

August 25, 2004

Oregon Reading First

Mentor Coach Training© 2004 by the Oregon Reading First

CenterCenter on Teaching and Learning

Reading Assessment for Different Purposes An effective, comprehensive reading program

includes reading assessments for four purposes:

Outcome - Provides a bottom-line evaluation of the

effectiveness of the reading program in relation to

established performance levels.

Screening - Designed as a first step in identifying children

who may be at high risk for delayed development or

academic failure and in need of further diagnosis of their

need for special services or additional reading instruction.

Reading Assessment for Different Purposes An effective, comprehensive reading program

includes reading assessments for four purposes:

Diagnosis - Helps teachers plan instruction by providing in-

depth information about students’ skills and instructional

needs.

Progress Monitoring - Determines through frequent

measurement if students are making adequate progress or

need more intervention to achieve grade-level reading

outcomes.

Outcome Assessment Purpose: To determine level of proficiency in relation

to norm or criterion.

When: Typically administered at end of year. Can be

administered pre/post to assess overall growth.

Who: All students

Relation to instruction: Provides index of overall

efficacy but limited timely instructional information.

Screening Assessment Purpose: To determine children who are likely to require

additional instructional support (predictive validity).

When: Early in the academic year or when new students enter

school.

Who: All students

Relation to instruction: Most valuable when used to identify

children who may need further assessment or additional

instructional support.

Diagnostic Assessment Purpose: To provide specific information on skills and

strategy needs of individual students. When: Following screening or at points during the

year when students are not making adequate progress.

Who: Selected students as indicated by screening or progress monitoring measures or teacher judgment.

Relation to Instruction: Provided specific information on target skills; highly relevant.

Progress Monitoring Assessment

Purpose: Frequent, timely measures to determine

whether students are learning enough of critical skills.

When: At minimum 3 times per year at critical

decision making points.

Who: All students

Relation to Instruction: Indicates students who

require additional assessment and intervention.

Progress Monitoring - The Teacher’s Map

Whoops! Time to make a change!

10

20

30

40

Dec.Scores

Feb.Scores

Jan.Scores

MarchScores

AprilScores

MayScores

JuneScores

60

50

Ph

on

eme

Seg

men

tati

on

Flu

ency

Aimline

Progress Monitoring: The Teacher’s Map

10

20

30

40

Dec.Scores

Feb.Scores

Jan.Scores

MarchScores

AprilScores

MayScores

JuneScores

60

50

Aimline

A change in intervention

Activity 1: What do you do? Chart your school’s assessment system

Outcome Screening Progress Monitoring Diagnostic

Do each of your assessments fit that category?

What is Assessment?

Def: Assessment is the collection of data to make decisions.

(Salvia & Ysseldyke, 1997)

Assessment is useless if we don’t use it to guide our actions.

Does your school collect data to make decisions or to collect data?

Common pitfalls Focus is on procedure

Data collected don’t match purpose for collecting data (e.g. collecting diagnostic data on all students)

Layering of data sources

Different data for different programs (e.g. Title 1)

4 types of Assessment: One assessment system Each type of assessment has a purpose.

Think purpose not tool. Our purpose is to progress monitor. Our tool is

DIBELS. Not, we use DIBELS.

How do each of these purposes fit together?

Activity 2: Four assessments One system Diagram how the four types of

assessments work in one system at your school.

Does each assessment tool match the purpose it is used for?

Does the system link together in a logical manner?

One Assessment System

Screening

Intervention for at-risk

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic

No response

Screening: Medicine Who is healthy? Who is not?

Doctors screen newborns based on Height and Weight.

In the healthy range, check at next appointment

In the unhealthy range, take action (intervention) and check on a more frequent basis

Screening: Reading Who is healthy? Who is not?

We screen beginning readers on critical reading outcomes.

In the healthy(on-track) range, check at next benchmark

In the unhealthy (at-risk) range, take action (intervention) and monitor progress.

Progress Monitoring: Medicine Who responds? Who does not?

If newborn responds to intervention (gains weight) towards goal, maintain intervention until goal reached.

If newborn does not respond to intervention, further information may be collected

Progress Monitoring: Reading Who responds? Who does not?

If beginning reader responds to intervention towards goal, maintain intervention until goal reached.

If beginning reader does not respond to intervention, further information may be collected.

Diagnostic: Medicine What information is needed to design a

better intervention? Food intake Cat Scan Heart monitor (examples that make sense

here)

Diagnostic: Reading What information is needed to design a

better intervention? Segmenting middle sounds Letter sound correspondence for vowels

and constant blends Decoding regular word types cvc, ccvc,

cvce

One Assessment System

Screening

Intervention for at-risk

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic

No response

Summary The degree or intensity of assessment should

match the severity of the problem.

The purposes of assessment should be logically linked together.

One assessment system increases clarity of data collection and use of data to make instructional decisions.