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ERIC ED498247: Effective Student Assessment and Evaluation in the Classroom: Knowledge + Skills + Attributes PDF

2006·0.2 MB·English
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Effective Student Assessment and Evaluation in the Classroom KNOWLEDGE + SKILLS + ATTRIBUTES ALBERTA EDUCATION CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA Effective Student Assessment and Evaluation in the Classroom: Knowledge and Skills and Attributes. ISBN 0 – 7785 – 4747 – 7 1. Teachers -- Training of -- Alberta. 2. Teaching -- Alberta -- Standards. 3. Educational tests and measurements -- Alberta. 4. Grading and marking (Students) -- Alberta. 5. Students -- Rating of -- Alberta. LB3058.C2.E27 2006 371.27 For more information contact: Teacher Development and Certifi cation Branch Alberta Education 44 Capital Boulevard 10044 – 108 Street N.W. Edmonton, Alberta T5J 5E6 Telephone: (780) 427-2045 – to be connected toll-free call 310-0000 Fax: (780) 422-4199 A PDF version of this document is available on the Council of Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS) website at: http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca/resources/ This document is intended for: 1. ACADEMIC STAFF - FACULTIES OF EDUCATION 2. GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS - FACULTIES OF EDUCATION 3. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS 4. SUPERINTENDENTS 5. TEACHERS Copyright ©2006, the Crown in Right of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education, Alberta Education, Teacher Development and Certifi cation Branch, 44 Capital Boulevard, 10044 – 108 Street N.W., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 5E6 Every effort has been made to provide proper acknowledgement of original sources. If cases are identifi ed where this has not been done, please notify Alberta Education so appropriate corrective action can be taken. Permission is given by the copyright owner to reproduce this document, or any part thereof, for education purposes and on a non-profi t basis, with the exception of materials cited for which Alberta Education does not own copyright. Overview Effective Student Assessment and Evaluation in provide a foundation for more in-depth the Classroom: Core Knowledge and Skills and information gathering and research about Attributes (Effective Student Assessment) is the ways that Alberta teacher professional product of a collaborative effort among Alberta’s development institutions and professional basic education stakeholders. The purpose of the development providers may further enhance document is to more clearly articulate the student the quality of teaching in Alberta by assessment knowledge, skills and attributes strengthening education graduates’ student expected under the Teaching Quality Standard assessment competencies. Ministerial Order of applicants for Alberta interim The document presents a snapshot of current, professional teacher certifi cation. sound student assessment practices. All those The document aims to: involved in its preparation recognize that student assessment is a dynamic fi eld that is serve as a statement of the repertoire of student i constantly evolving; therefore, any guide to assessment principles and core knowledge, student assessment like this document must be skills and attributes that all Alberta teacher periodically revisited and revised. preparation institutions, each in their unique manner, are expected to provide to their The Expert Committee’s fi nal draft was reviewed graduates; by 32 attendees at the 2005 Colloquium on Student Assessment (Colloquium) that included inform prospective employers about the student representatives of Alberta teacher preparation assessment principles and core knowledge, skills programs, the Alberta Assessment Consortium, and attributes they may reasonably expect of the College of Alberta School Superintendents recent Alberta, Bachelor of Education graduates (CASS), the Alberta Teachers’ Association as they begin their teaching careers; (ATA) and Alberta Education. On the basis of their review, Colloquium attendees suggested provide a summary of the core student a number of amendments to the Expert assessment principles, knowledge and skills Committee’s draft. These suggestions focused which teachers, school authorities, professional primarily not on substance but rather urged development providers and others may use greater emphasis on specifi c issues, for example, when planning and developing professional the important role of teachers’ professional growth opportunities for beginning and other judgment in assessment for student learning. teachers; and E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M The Working Committee on the Effi cacy of Teacher Preparation Programs and Beginning Teachers’ Opportunities for Professional Growth (Working Committee) duly considered suggestions arising from the Colloquium and has made every effort to refl ect them in this document while at the same time maintaining the substance of the Expert Committee’s content. Acknowledgements The Expert Committee developed initial drafts of EXPERT COMMITTEE CHAIR: the document while the Working Committee was Dr. W. Todd Rogers, University of Alberta responsible for fi nal editing and preparing the EXPERT COMMITTEE MEMBERS: document for publication. Dr. Nola Aitken, University of Lethbridge Dale Armstrong, University of Alberta ii Dr. John Hull, King’s University College Dr. Joanne Neal, Concordia University College Dr. Hsing Chi Wang, University of Calgary Dr. Ian Winchester, University of Calgary WORKING COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Mark Swanson, Alberta Education WORKING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dr. Fern Snart, University of Alberta Dr. Hans Smits, University of Calgary Dr. June McConaghy, Concordia University College Dr. Craig Loewen, University of Lethbridge Dorothy Stanley, Alberta Teachers’ Association Jerry Zimmer, College of Alberta School Superintendents Dr. John Burger, Alberta Education Laurette Setterlund, Alberta Education E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M Table of Contents OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................i BACKGROUND .................................................................................................1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................... 3 PROCEDURE ................................................................................................... 7 NATURE AND ROLE OF STUDENT ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION .......... 9 The Need for Student Assessment and Evaluation ........................................9 Student Assessment and Evaluation Depend on Professional Judgment .....11 iii CORE STUDENT ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ............................................................................13 A. Purposes of Classroom Assessment and Evaluation ...............................13 B. Developing Classroom Assessment and Evaluation Methods .................15 C. Selecting Classroom Assessment and Evaluation Methods .....................18 D. The Nature and Characteristics of External Testing and Examination Programs ..............................................................................................20 E. Analyzing and Using the Results of Classroom Assessments, Provincial Achievement Tests, and Diploma Examinations .....................................23 F. Communicating and Reporting Assessment Information and Results .....25 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................27 REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE THE REPORT .............................................29 LIST OF RESOURCES ......................................................................................31 E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M iv E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M Background Section 18(1) of the School Act for the Province assessment instruments including provincial of Alberta sets out the duties that teachers must assessment instruments, and how to use the perform while providing instruction to or in the results for the ultimate benefi t of students. supervision of students. Included in this set of (Teaching Quality Standard Ministerial Order, duties is the requirement that teachers must 1997) “regularly evaluate students and periodically report Under a Memorandum of Agreement about the results to the students, the students’ parents teacher certifi cation between the Minister and the board” (Section 18(1) (e); Province of of Education and appropriate offi cials of the Alberta School Act, Chapter S-3, p. 24). Congruent universities and university colleges offering with this section of the Act, a series of 17 teacher preparation programs in Alberta, the knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) expected Minister periodically reviews the effi cacy of these of applicants for interim professional teacher teacher preparation programs and beginning certifi cation were identifi ed in the Teacher Quality 1 teachers’ opportunities for professional growth. Standard Ministerial Order #016/97 to guide the The information and fi ndings gathered from each design of teacher preparation programs in Alberta. review serves as the basis for recommendations KSA 2(k) refers, in broad terms, to the assessment, about ways to further enhance the quality of evaluation, and communication knowledge, skills, teaching in Alberta that the Minister may make and attributes beginning teachers are expected to to individuals in the universities and university/ possess upon completion of a teacher preparation colleges responsible for the teacher education program: preparation programs and individuals in the fi eld As situations warrant, teachers who hold an responsible for professional development. Interim Professional Certifi cate are expected to The Working Committee represents teacher demonstrate consistently that they understand: preparation institutions and key education the purposes of student assessment. They stakeholders in Alberta and directs and manages know how to assess the range of learning the periodic reviews on behalf of the Minister. objectives by selecting and developing a The fi rst of these reviews was completed in variety of classroom and large scale assessment March 20021. The Working Committee’s report, techniques and instruments. They know how to Effi cacy of Alberta Teacher Preparation Programs analyse the results of classroom and large scale and Beginning Teachers’ Professional Growth 1 A survey of teacher education graduates was completed as part of this review. The graduates were asked to indicate their perceptions of the degree to which the teacher preparation program they completed prepared them in terms of each of the 17 KSAs. E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M Opportunities (Effi cacy Report), was presented Working Committee appointed an Expert to the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards Committee to develop a document that describes (COATS). COATS reviewed the 2002 report and the core student assessment, evaluation, and provided a set of recommendations to the Minister. communication knowledge, skills, and attributes that are essential to meet KSA2(k). Among the recommendations made by COATS was that the Working Committee focus on KSA 2(k). The present document is a report of the work of Student assessment was one of the areas identifi ed the Expert Committee. The document can be used: in the Effi cacy Report in which the quality of i. as a statement of the repertoire of student teacher preparation and beginning teachers assessment principles and core knowledge, opportunities for professional development needed skills, and attributes (including, as appropriate, to be enhanced. The Minister accepted this methods and approaches) all preparation recommendation. programs in Alberta are expected to provide to Consequently the Working Group held a graduates, notwithstanding that each individual colloquium in April 2004 at which representatives program may deliver the repertoire in a manner from the universities and university colleges that and using approaches unique to it; offered teacher education programs and other ii. to inform employers about the core and level of education stakeholders: student assessment principles, knowledge, and shared current philosophies and practices related skills that they may reasonably expect of recent to providing Alberta teacher education graduates Alberta BEd graduates when they commence 2 with the student assessment, evaluation, and their teaching careers in the classroom; communication knowledge and skills required for iii. as the core repertoire of student assessment interim professional teacher certifi cation; principles, knowledge, and skills teachers and themselves, schools, school authorities, professional development providers, and discussed possible steps or activities that could others may use when planning and developing be taken to improve delivery to education professional growth opportunities for beginning students and beginning teachers competencies and other teachers; and related to student assessment and evaluation. iv. to provide the framework for more in-depth Participants’ views refl ected the complexity information gathering and research about the of assessing and evaluating student learning ways Alberta teacher preparation institutions and communicating the fi ndings and results to and professional development providers may the students’ parents and guardians, and the further enhance the quality of teaching in challenge of preparing beginning teachers to Alberta with respect to student assessment. perform these activities. There appeared to be a (Alberta Core Student Principles, Knowledge shared expectation that all education graduates and Skills Project, June 21, 2004 Draft, p. 3) should develop a common foundation of student assessment, evaluation, and communication knowledge and skills. Toward this end, the E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M Glossary of Terms To guide the preparation of this document, the Expert Committee defi ned the following concepts: Assessment: Assessment is the process of Classroom Assessment: Assessments collecting information about a student to aid in developed or chosen and used by teachers making an evaluation about the progress and in their classrooms to determine the progress development of a student. and achievement of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes by their students, and used to refi ne Assessment Method: A strategy or technique their own instruction. teachers who evaluate students may use to acquire assessment data and information. Criterion-Referenced: Evaluation relative to These methods include, but are not limited grade level curriculum standards (learning to, observations, anecdotal notes and records, outcomes). 3 text- and curriculum-embedded questions and Diagnosis: Diagnosis refers to the careful tests, paper-and-pencil tests, computer adaptive investigation of a condition by its symptoms and on-line tests, oral questioning, benchmarks and history for purposes of identifying or reference sets, interviews, peer-and self- specifi cs of the condition, for example assessments, standardized criterion-referenced identifying students’ learning issues and and norm-referenced tests, and performance needs, so that the condition may be assessments (e.g., writing samples, exhibitions, effectively addressed. The term also refers portfolio assessment, and project and product to the opinion which formally reports on the assessments). Several labels have been used investigation and its fi ndings. to describe subsets of these alternatives, with the most common being “direct assessment,” Diploma Examinations Program: School exit “authentic assessment,” “performance examinations in selected Grade 12 courses, assessment,” and “alternative assessment.” the results from which count 50% toward the For the purposes of the document, the fi nal blended mark for each course. The main term assessment method has been used to purposes of these examinations are to: encompass all the strategies and techniques that might be used to collect information from certify the level of individual student students about their progress toward attaining achievement in the selected Grade 12 the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be courses in which the student is enrolled and learned. in terms of the expected learning outcomes provided in the programs of study E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M ensure that province-wide standards of Grade Level of Achievement: A teacher achievement are maintained judgment, based on the results from a variety of classroom assessments report individual and group results to assist throughout the school year, expressed as schools, authorities, and the province in a whole number in relation to learning monitoring and improving learning. outcomes in a subject area after a course for a specifi c grade level has been Evaluation: Evaluation involves making judgments completed. about the quality, value, or worth of a response, product, or performance based on established Norm-referenced: Evaluation in relation to criteria. Evaluations are usually based on multiple other students within a group. sources of information and can be used (i) to inform students, and their parents/guardians Programs of Study: Alberta’s Kindergarten where applicable, about the progress they are to Grade 12 curriculum is outlined in legal making towards attaining the knowledge, skills documents called programs of study. and attitudes to be learned; and (ii) to inform Each document outlines why the program the various personnel who make educational is offered, what students are expected decisions (instructional, diagnostic, placement, to learn, and the basic principles about promotion, graduation, curriculum planning, how students are to achieve the required program development, policy) about students. knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Formative Assessment: Assessments that take Provincial Achievement Testing Program: 4 place during instruction and learning to: End of year provincial achievement tests at Grades 3 (Language Arts and Mathematics) inform students, on an ongoing basis, about and 6 and 9 (Language Arts, Mathematics, their progress towards achieving the intended Science, and Social Studies). The main learning outcomes as set out in the programs purposes of these tests are to: of study provide feedback to students and their identify the gains and diffi culties students are parents/guardians on how well the experiencing in what they are being asked to students have learned curriculum-based learn or perform learning outcomes as defi ned in the programs of study provide specifi c, descriptive, and meaningful feedback provide information to teachers on how well their classes have achieved motivate students to learn by providing the learning outcomes set out in the feedback on a continuous basis programs of study, permit comparison of monitor student performance toward the the results of their own assessments to expected learning outcomes as set out in the the provincial achievement test results, programs of study and adjust instruction on and provide additional feedback on the the basis of the fi ndings where necessary. effectiveness of their teaching methods E F F E C T I V E S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T A N D E V A L U A T I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M

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