Working together in harmony...

Chapter 3- Planning for Assessment

Summary: Assessment planning must always be integral in the planning of classroom instruction. These two must be harmonious in order to best grasp what the students have learned and to make it fair to them also. There are many types of questions that can be asked at a variety of complex levels, but whatever types of questions used, the entirety of the content taught should be represented in the assessment. All assessments must align with state standards, the curriculum, and learning objectives, even if they are simply observational assessments or if they go as far as assessing performance. Rubrics are an important tool in assessments because they lay out exactly what is expected of the students and can act as a guide to their demonstration of skills. Portfolios are also useful because it shows the progress of learning by collecting student work and assessing overall achievement. No matter what type of test is given, the test itself and the results we receive must always be valid and reliable. This means, they must be appropriate for the learning outcomes we are seeking and must be consistent with the learning of the student.

Reflection: “All too frequently the remembering of factual material is overused” (p. 32). I hope to never overuse this type of assessment, especially now that I know how many other types of assessments I can use and how effective they are. My favorite assessment that I hope to use in my classroom was the adaptation level of the psychomotor taxonomy by Bott (1996). In this step, the student can use their skills in a new situation and demonstrate their learning by applying their skills. Although this may take some extra time to think up and grade, I would love to use this type of assessment in my classroom because it requires high-level thinking. No matter what type of assessment I want to do, however, I must always make sure it is in line with the state standards and curriculum of the school. In order to make sure I have an effective assessment for my students, I will start thinking early in the process and make the tests work according to the situations, being conscious of validity and reliability. I would love to start a collection of student work and make a portfolio so that I can visually see student progress.

Gronlund, N.E. & Waugh, C.K. (2013). Assessment of Student Achievement, (10^th ed.).New York: Allyn & Bacon.