Session 2 Traditional Assessments Session 2 Traditional Assessments

Assessment is the gathering of reliable information pertaining to students’ knowledge and understanding of critical concepts, or a program’s effectiveness. Phases of assessment include diagnostic, formative and summative. Evaluation is the process of making judgments, based in part on assessment data in order to quantify achievement or progress.

Alternative Assessments > (Authentic, Portfolio, Performance-based) + Traditional Assessments > (T/F, Multiple-Choice, Matching items) & (Fill-in-the-blank, Short-Answer, Essays) = MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT METHODS Alternative Assessments >“showing” (Authentic, Portfolio, Performance-based) + Traditional Assessments >“knowing” Objective Tests (T/F, Multiple-Choice, Matching items) & Constructed-Response Items (Fill-in-the-blank, Short-Answer, Essays) = MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT METHODS

Item Analysis Analysis of how many students got a question wrong. Identify questions that were answered well and ones that were answered poorly. Facilitates the teacher’s judgment about the source of the problem and how to rectify the situation.

WHEN CONDUCTING AN ITEM ANALYSIS … Who is at fault when students’ misinterpret an item? Are wrong answers the result of faulty items or a lack of pupil learning? Since the test scores should reflect students’ achievement, do the test scores deal only with the topics that were taught and with items that were clearly written? Based on my scoring decision, have I uniformly applied the outcome to all students?

Objective Tests The Pros & Cons of Traditional Assessments… Objective Tests Selected-Response Items: Students attempt to choose a pre-determined correct answer The Pros & Cons of Traditional Assessments…

 True/False Items  Pros &  Cons

Tips for True/False Items: Phrases with double negative terms should be avoided. All phrases should be definitely correct or incorrect to avoid ambiguity. Avoid broad, general statements and long, complex sentences. Avoid opinionated statements.

Underline any negative words. Make use of popular misconceptions as false answers. Avoid superlatives such as, “all,” “always,” “never” (which are associated with false statements) and “possible,” “sometimes,” or “generally” (which are associated with true statements). Tips for T/F Items (cont.):

 Matching Items  Pros &  Cons

Tips for Matching Items: Guessing can be reduced by using more options than items. In the directions specify the basis for matching, whether the responses can be used more than once and where to write the answers. Use only homogeneous items in both columns. Ensure that all items and options are of the same tense and equally plausible.

Tips for Matching Items (cont.): Give thorough instructions as to how many times an option may be used. Keep the list of items to be matched brief (8-12 items). Put list of shorter responses on the right and all items on the same page.

 Multiple Choice Tests  Pros &  Cons

Tips for Multiple Choice Tests: To test understanding and interpretation, ask questions of “How?” and “Why?” rather than “Who?” and “When.” To construct a stem, write a sentence that expresses a necessary skill or fact and then change this sentence into a question. Include in the stem any words that would be repeated in each option. Write completion items with the blank at the end rather than the beginning.

To write a distractor, speculate how students might respond to a stem. Common sense answers or misconceptions are plausible distractors. 3-option, 4-option, and 5-option items are equally reliable. Tips for MC Tests (cont.):

Multiple Choice Question As an educator, Glenda believes that individuals learn best when they actively construct knowledge and understanding in light of their own experiences. Glenda is a: STEM a. BehavioristOPTION: Distractor b. ConstructivistOPTION: Answer c. SocialistOPTION: Distractor d. EvolutionistOPTION: Distractor

Constructed-Response Tests  Constructed-Response Tests Fill-in-the-Blank  Pros &  Cons

Tips for Fill-in-the-Blank: Write the question so that the answers will be simple and limited to as few words as possible. Write the question so that only one answer is correct, yet be prepared to give credit for unexpected but correct responses. Do not take wording directly from the textbook.

Tips for Fill-in-the-Blank (cont.): Do not use too many blanks in one question. Consider how you will score exceptions (spelling, abbreviations) and inform students. Articles such as “a” and “an” should be written as “a/an.”

 Short Answer Tests  Pros &  Cons

Tips for Short Answer Tests: Consider whether you will score holistically (provide a single grade based on an overall impression of the response) or analytically (provide separate scores for each component of the response). When scoring holistically, use a rating scale that offers a continuum to qualify the response. Points on the scale should be described as explicitly as possible. When scoring analytically, begin with a checklist that simply indicates the presence or absence of components in the response.

 Essay Tests  Pros &  Cons

Tips for Essay Tests: When using the word, “discuss” in the question, provide a basis for the focus for the discussion. Use question starters such as, “Present arguments for and against…” “Explain how or why…” Suggest a time limit for answering each question and clearly specify a point value. Decide whether you will score holistically or analytically and consider preparing a model answer or a tentative rubric.

Tips for Essay Tests (cont.): Consider how you will score in light of influences such as handwriting, writing style, grammar, spelling. Rearrange the stack of papers so that the papers are not graded in the same order and periodically recheck graded papers. Score all the answers to one question before going on to the next question. Consider having another teacher grade the papers to increase reliability.