TEACHING, LEARNING, AND ASSESSMENT Chapter 1 Laura Bramlett, Hannah DeBoard, and Katrina Rogers

THE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPORTANCE OF CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT  An effective classroom assessment system will document what students have learned and what they still need to learn  A positive, beneficial assessment will be like a mirror reflection of instruction or as the book points out, assessment should be like the flip side of the same coin.  Instruction-Learning-Assessment Alignment

ASSESSMENT: SERVING AN EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE  Assessment must be an integrate part of the instructional process.  Avoid using an assessment as a teacher-led activity lacking learning control or influence.  Assessments should also provide valid information about student achievements and needs (again a reflection of the whole instructional experience).  Each learner should be informed of the learning goals and his or her progress toward those goals.

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS  Students should be actively engaged in their learning experience.  During each instructional event, students should receive feedback on their performance.  In order to achieve high levels of success, a five step instructional process should be in place.  What is the specific instructional process? 1.Feedback to pupils 2.Active involvement in their own learning process 3.Instructional adjustment resulting from assessment outcomes 4.Acknowledgment of assessment influence on motivation and self-esteem 5.Students need to be able to reflect on their own individual needs and learn how to improve those identified needs

ASSESSMENT DEFINED  In error, assessment and grading are viewed as the same thing.  Essential Components of Classroom Assessments: 1. Collection of data of student learning progress over time 2. Examination of student data to prove student progress 3. Using data to make informed educational decisions 4. Instructional decisions made to foster student growth

INSTRUCTION, LEARNING, AND ASSESSMENT MODEL  Refer to page 9 of the textbook for a chart outlining the relationship that should exist between pre-assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessments.  In order to plan assessment for students, teachers should keep in mind: 1. Where are my students? 2. How do my students get to where they need to be? 3. Where so my students need to be?

PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL ASSESSMENT PRACTICES  Ethics ---What is it and how does ethics effect your classroom?  We will define ethics. “Ethics direct one’s professional conduct and actions, which are based on a set of unwavering standards of practice that are established and followed by a member of a certain profession.”  Ethics are needed in the classroom for fairness, confidentiality, and competency.

CHAPTER REFLECTION  Assessment is necessary and it is here to stay. If you take the suggestions from this chapter and develop a classroom assessment system that matches your method of instruction, all your students will benefit  To keep instruction and assessment aligned, teachers must prepare assessments before beginning instruction so that the instruction has specific goals.  There are seven standards of Assessment Ethics for Teachers that should guide all assessment and instruction in the classroom.

THE NEW REALITY  Documentation of actual academic progress of students is now the rule and not the exception.  Assessment is a critical discussion point because of NCLB and CCRPI, and cannot be ignored  Over half of the states have some assessment requirements/standards that teachers must demonstrate, making assessment an essential tool in every educator’s toolbox