1. Developing Quality Assessments
Presented by Ellen Vorenkamp for the MI Assessment Consortium at Lewis Cass ISD Best of Formative Assessment Series Session 5

2. Overview The need for Quality Assessments The Development Process
Accurate Data
Use of Data
Student Growth
Educator Evaluation
The Development Process
MAC Modules
Planning for your Assessment (CASL)
Key Components—Common Core Connections
Test Blue Prints
Quality Items
Conclusion

3. Good Assessment applies to all Learners
Regardless of student ability or communication level, our assessments must have a clear purpose and stretch our students to higher levels of doing and thinking
Good assessment design is fundamental to all
Each student is unique
As ever – take the best and adapt to our kids!

4. Essential Questions to Dialogue Around…
As you develop quality assessments, keep the following questions in mind…
What is the purpose of the assessment?
Who will use the information?
How will it be used?
Is the use formative or summative?

5. A Formative View
As you develop quality assessments, keep the following questions in mind…
What is the purpose of the assessment?
To provide teachers immediate information on student learning
Who will use the information?
Teachers and students in the classroom
How will it be used?
To inform next steps in the learning process
Is the use formative or summative?
Formative

6. A Summative View
As you develop quality assessments, keep the following questions in mind…
What is the purpose of the assessment?
Educator Evaluation / Accountability
Who will use the information?
Teachers and Administrators
How will it be used?
To certify the learning process
Is the use formative or summative?
Summative

7. Think…Pair…Share…
What elements are necessary to ensure quality assessments?
List these qualities
Discuss why these are important

8. MAC’s Thinking… 24 Modules that cover the entire development process…
Planning
Modules 1-7
Developing
Modules 8-20
Implementing
Module 21
Reflecting
Modules 21-24

9. Quality Assessments… are Reliable and yield Valid data.
In order for these two requirements to be met assessment developers must pay special attention to the following:
Standard/Item Alignment
Balance of Representation
Target-Method Match
Quality Items
The best way to ensure your assessment is reliable and valid is to create a test blueprint and follow the blueprint while developing the assessment.
7-11 on chart

10. Test Blueprints
Requires a bit of planning and forethought as you begin this process…
Several steps should be completed that will help make developing your test blueprint easier

11. Standard Alignment
Are the assessment items tightly aligned with the standards?
Do the assessment items address the targeted standards sufficiently and at all levels of cognitive demand?
Are there an equal number of assessment items per standard? If not, is there “rationale”?
Are there enough assessment items per standard to determine mastery?

12. Balance of Representation
Items are balanced and should reflect what was taught and how it was taught within the classroom environment
The assessment as a whole should reflect the emphasis of the lesson, unit or other educational experience on which you are assessing.
For example, a social studies assessment might cover 4 related standards or learning targets…

13. Balance of Representation

14. Balance of Representation

15. Target-Method Match
Identify the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) for the standard
Match the cognitive demand of the standard with an appropriate item type
Determine which item types will be included in the assessment and in what proportion.

17. Depth Of Knowledge

18. SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
WEBB’S DOK
KNOWLEDGE
“The recall of specifics and universals, involving little more than bringing to mind the appropriate material”
RECALL
Recall of a fact, information, or procedure (e.g., What are 3 critical skill cues for the overhand throw?)
COMPREHENSION
“Ability to process knowledge on a low level such that the knowledge can be reproduced or communicated without a verbatim repetition.”
APPLICATION
“The use of abstractions in concrete situations.”
SKILL/CONCEPT
Use of information, conceptual knowledge, procedures, two or more steps, etc.
STRATEGIC THINKING
Requires reasoning, developing a plan or sequence of steps; has some complexity; more than one possible answer
ANALYSIS
“The breakdown of a situation into its component parts.”
SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION
“Putting together elements & parts to form a whole, then making value judgments about the method.”
   EXTENDED THINKING
Requires an investigation; time to think and process multiple conditions of the problem or task.
Wyoming School Health and Physical Education Network (2001).  Standards, Assessment, and Beyond.  Retrieved May 25, 2006, from

19. Prepared and published by the Educational Policy Improvement Center

20. Prepared and published by the Educational Policy Improvement Center

21. Reflection… What are the implications for classroom instruction?
What are the implications for classroom assessment?

22. Types/Levels of Standards
Recall and Reproduction– (Knowledge) Facts and concepts we want students to know (Usually DOK Level 1 or 2)
Skills & Concepts – (Skills) Students use their knowledge and reasoning to act skillfully (Usually DOK Levels 2; Can go higher based on context)
Strategic Thinking– (Reasoning) Using what they know to reason and solve problems (Usually DOK Levels 2-4)
Extended Thinking– (Application/Products) use knowledge, reasoning, and skills to create a concrete product (Usually DOK 3-4)

23. Methods of Assessments
Selected Response
Constructed
Response
Performance Assessment
Observations/
Conversations
Multiple Choice
True-False
Matching
Diagram
Fill-in-the-blank (words, phrases)
Essay
Short answer (sentences, paragraphs)
Web
Concept Map
Flowchart
Graph
Table
Matrix
Illustration
Presentation
Movement
Science lab
Athletic skill
Dramatization
Enactment
Project
Debate
Model
Exhibition
Recital
Performance Task
Oral questioning
Observation
Interview
Conference
Process description
Checklist
Rating scale
Journal sharing
Thinking aloud a process
Student self-assessment
Peer review 23
Adapted from the work of Dr. Robert Marzano 23

24. Response/ Short-Response Performance Assessment
Target-Method Match
How well does your method of assessment match your target?
Target to be Assessed
Assessment Method
Selected
Response/ Short-Response
Extended -Response
Performance Assessment
Observation/
Conversations
Knowledge/
Recall
Good match
Not a good match
Partial match
Reasoning/
Strategic Thinking
Performance Skills
Application/
Products

25. Test Blueprint Putting it all together: Standard
Specific Learning Target derived from Standard
Target DOK Level
Assessment Method
Number of Items/Points

26. Performance Tasks
Performance tasks challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to respond to complex real-world problems. They can best be described as collections of questions and activities that are coherently connected to a single theme or scenario. These activities are meant to measure capacities such as depth of understanding, writing and research skills, and complex analysis, which cannot be adequately assessed with traditional assessment questions. The performance tasks may take one to two class periods to complete.

27. Components of a Performance Assessment
Performance Assessments:
call upon the examinee to demonstrate skills and competencies (application)
are comprised of 4 basic components:
A reason for the assessment
Identify the content and/or skill standard(s) to be assessed
A specific performance to be evaluated
Construct the prompt or item and determine the criteria for success
Exercises to elicit that performance, and
Describe the way you will collect evidence, when you will collect the evidence and how much evidence you will collect.
Systemic rating procedures
Determine the score for proficiency or mastery; determine who will rate the performance, scoring method (rubric, checklist, anecdotal record, portfolio)

28. SBAC Performance Tasks (PT)
Performance tasks, the most complex of all items, include the following elements:
 Integrate knowledge and skills across multiple claims.
 Measure capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and/or complex analysis with relevant evidence.
 Require student-initiated planning, management of information/data and ideas, and/or interaction with other materials.
 Reflect a real-world task and/or scenario-based problem
 Allow for multiple approaches.
 Represent content that is relevant and meaningful to students.
 Allow for demonstration of important knowledge and skills.
 Require scoring that focuses on the essence of the Claim(s) for which the task was written.
 Seem feasible for the school/classroom environment.

29. PT Sample: Prior to Test Date

30. PT Sample: Stimuli and Tasks

31. PT Sample: Stimuli and Tasks

32. PT Sample: Stimuli and Tasks

33. PT Sample: Stimuli and Tasks

34. PT Sample: Stimuli and Tasks

35. 4th Grade ELA Sample

36. 4th Grade ELA Sample

37. 4th Grade ELA Sample

38. Additional Sample Items
ents/asmt-sbac-math-hs-sample-items.pdf
Scroll down to page 3

39. Implications for the Classroom
Assessments will evolve to be more rigorous and real world relevant, must match our teaching to this same standard
Assessment data must be used in the moment to inform “next steps” in the learning process
Schools must have a balanced assessment system in place within their classrooms

40. Not the end of the journey…
MAC Modules
Much left to do to ensure quality assessments

41. A Final Thought…
“Remember, formative assessment works,” says Popham. “When it is used, students learn better. By using this assessment-rooted instructional process, teachers can increase the test-based achievement of their students… ‘Student growth’ will be demonstrated on the tests because, in fact, student growth will have occurred.”
“Formative Assessment’s ‘Advocatable Moment’” by James Popham in Education Week, Jan. 9, 2013 (Vol. 32, #15, p. 29)

42. Questions and Discussion