1. Principles of Assessment
EDUC 4454
P/J Methods

2. The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.

3. We do this by: Identifying student strengths & learning needs
Providing data for instructional decisions
Monitoring student progress & performance
Monitoring program effectiveness; and
Connecting all areas later for evaluation & reporting purposes

4. If assessment does not result in improved teaching, then its value in school diminishes greatly. Assessment allows us to see the results of our teaching and allows us to make valid judgements about students.
I. Fountas &G.S. Pinnell
Guided Reading; Good First Teaching for All p. 73
The connection between assessment & instruction is critical
Developing a plan is necessary to ensure data is timely, reliable & helpful in informing practice
Our goal as we assess students is to:
- find out what they can do
- support their next steps
- move them forward to more complex understanding

5. Four Phases of Assessment
Assessment is a cyclical process that begins with the end in mind!
At the centre of the process is the student as a reminder that the purpose of planning is improved student learning.

7. Phase 1: Unpacking the Curriculum
Teacher
Child
What are my students expected to learn and be able to do?
What will I be learning?
This foundational knowledge gives us the background to determine what type of assessment information we will need to gather in order to monitor student learning & adapt instruction.

8. Phase 2:Gathering the Evidence
Teacher
Child
How will I know my students are learning?
How will I know what I am learning?
This phase focuses on the purposeful and planned collection of evidence of student learning using a range of assessment tools and strategies. See p of a Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading: K-3, 2003 for a graphic of various tools and strategies.

9. Phase 3:Teaching for Learning
Teacher
Student
How will I help my students learn and respond if they are not learning?
How will I learn and what help will I need?
Phase focuses on how we are using the data to support student learning. Data is analyzed to make decisions regarding instructional resources to use, instructional groupings and both long and short term learning goals fro students. This drives your programming.

10. Phase 4:On-going Assessment, Evaluation & Reporting
Teacher
Child
How will I determine the level of my student's learning and report on it?
How will I know how well I did?
Phase reminds us that this is an on-going process that must be planned for in order to continually monitor student learning & adjust instruction. We must use professional judgement to evaluate achievement in relationship to particular internal/external criteria. The final piece in this phase is reporting.

11. Reporting
Reporting is the opportunity for us to document a student’s achievement to that point in time, in relationship to the specific learning covered during the reporting period.
The report card allows the teacher to describe the highest, most consistent, most recent demonstrations of student learning.

12. Principles of Assessment
Given all the abovehe principles of assessment have been established to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable and lead to an improvement in student learning.

13. Principle #1
Assessment and evaluation strategies should address both what students learn and how well they learn.

14. Content Standards
Curriculum Expectations
What students learn
Subject and grade specific
Promote consistency across the province
Performance Standards
Achievement Charts
How well students learn
High standards for all students
Promote consistency across the province

15. Principle # 2
Assessment and evaluation strategies should be appropriate for the learning activities used, the purpose of instruction and the needs and experiences of students.

16. Classroom Assessments
Closely tied to expectations
Closely tied to learning activities
Consider students’ prior learning
Consider students’ needs
Reflect students’ backgrounds

17. Principle #3
Assessment and evaluation strategies should be communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning and throughout the year.

18. Communication Report Cards Informal reports
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Teacher/student conferences
Teacher/parent conferences
Teacher/parent/student conferences

19. Principle #4
Assessment and evaluation strategies should be fair to all students.

20. Achieving Fairness
Provide choice within the assessment (e.g., topic to research)
Provide choice in the mode of response (e.g., oral report instead of a written report)
Negotiate time lines
Make purposes and expectations clear

21. Principle #5
Assessment and evaluation strategies should be varied in nature, administered over a period of time and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning.

22. Numerous and Varied Opportunities to Demonstrate Achievement
Projects
Quizzes
Exams
Interviews
Written Reports
Oral Reports
Observations
Oral Questioning
Portfolios
Multi-media Presentations
Performance Tasks
Assignments

23. Assessment Strategies
Quiz
Test
Question
Essay
Class Discussion
Conference
Poem
Dramatic Presentation
Science Experiment
Research Paper
Arts Performance
See the Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner for more strategies.

24. Assessment Tools
Check Lists
Marking Schemes
Rubrics
Portfolios

25. Assessment Methods Paper and Pencil Performance Tasks
Personal Communication

26. Principle #6
Assessment and evaluation strategies must be based both on the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievement level descriptions for each discipline.

27. Categories of Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge/Understanding
Thinking/Inquiry/Problem Solving
Communication
Application

28. Achievement Charts: Performance Standards
broad in scope and general in nature
describe performance for four levels of achievement for all the categories of knowledge and skills
provide a common reference for teachers as they design assessments and evaluate students’ work
used to provide criteria and feedback to students and parents

29. Achievement Levels Level Definition Letter Grade Percentage Mark
Student has demonstrated A
the required knowledge & A
skills. Achievement exceeds A
Provincial standard.
Student has demonstrated B
required knowledge & skills B
Achievement meets Provincial B
Standard.

30. Achievement Levels Level Definition Letter Grade Percentage Mark
Student has demonstrated C
some of the required C
Knowledge & skills C
Achievement approaches
Provincial standard.
Student has demonstrated B
required knowledge & skills B
in limited ways. Achievement B
falls much below Provincial
Standard.
R Student has not demonstrated R Below 50
required knowledge & skills. Extensive
remediation is required.

31. Level 3: Provincial Standard
Teachers and parents can be confident that students who are achieving at Level 3 are well prepared for work in the next grade.

32. Resources Exemplars: Writing Reading Mathematics Social Studies
Science and Technology
Visual Arts
Health and Physical Education

33. Exemplars Based on performance task
Linked to the curriculum expectations
Standard process for administering the task
Rubric (based on Achievement Chart)
Examples of student work for four levels
Teachers’ notes and comments

34. Performance Tasks
Present engaging “real world”, meaningful, substantive issues or problems.
Are directly related to curriculum expectations.
Focus on what students can do and how they apply and extend their knowledge.
Emphasize the processes students use, rather than only focus on the “right” answer.
Present students with complex, loosely structured problems that allow for a wide range of products.

35. Principle #7
Assessment and evaluation strategies should include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of their achievement.

36. Samples of Student Work
show progress through the year
can be compared to ministry exemplars for evaluation
can be used when conferencing with students
can be used when communicating with parents
can be placed in a portfolio

37. Principle #8
Assessment and evaluation strategies should ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement.

38. Directions for Improvement
Achievement Charts
Four categories of knowledge and skills
Exemplars and Task Specific Rubrics
Report Cards
Strengths, weaknesses, next steps

39. Principle #9
Assessment and evaluation strategies must promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals.

40. Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
Report Card – Response Form
Daily activities and journals
Agendas
Portfolios
Teacher-parent-student conferences
Student-led conferences

41. Principle #10
Assessment and evaluation strategies should accommodate the needs of exceptional students, consistent with the strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plans (IEP).

42. Principle #11
Assessment and evaluation strategies should accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction.

43. Assessment Accommodations
Additional time
Oral test instead of written test
Simplify tasks and/or materials
Specialized equipment
Assistance of professional or paraprofessional staff