Classroom Assessment Chapter 7

     To help us work towards our school goal of improving our understanding and practice of assessment, my principal has provided our staff with a copy of Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it Right – Using it Well, by Jan Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, and Judith Arter. As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas.

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning Cover. (Accessed 2016). Uploaded to Amazon; Pearson Education. Available online at: https://www.amazon.ca/Classroom-Assessment-Student-Learning-Doing/dp/0132685884

Chapter 7 – Performance Assessment

* see Chapter 4 for the most appropriate times to use selected response assessments

* before you begin, use the assessment development cycle and make a blueprint (Ch. 4)

* remember to not confuse activities with learning targets!

Determine Sample Size with Performance Assessment

1 ) Complexity of the Target

– the more complex, the more evidence required

(ex) reading rate = less complex, reading fluency = more complex

2 ) Decision the Evidence will Inform

– for learning requires low level of evidence

3 ) Consistency of Performance

– use professional judgement

– gather more evidence for students with high fluctuations

     – make sure any applicable biases are addressed first

4 ) Proximity to the Cutoff Mark

– gather more evidence for those students who fall close to grade-divides 

(ex) students who are between a 3-4 on the provincial report cards

Selecting, Revising, or Developing the Task

1 ) The Content

– what learning target is demonstrated?

2 ) Target Alignment

– content validity

– only assess aspects of the learning target; NOT things like neatness

3 ) Authenticity

– realistic context as close to real-life as practical

4 ) Choice

– use cautiously as choices need to fit the target, not vary in difficulty & ensure validity

5 ) Level of Scaffolding

– point the way to success without doing the thinking for the students

6 ) Interference

– make sure aspects of the task do not interfere with achieving the actual learning target

(ex) too high of reading level in the instructions, situations requiring specific cultural/linguistic backgrounds

Structure of the Task

– be as specific as possible and ensure students know: 

     – what knowledge they need (the target)

     – what they need to accomplish

     – what they are creating

     – what materials they need

     – how much time they have

     – what conditions need to be met

     – what help is allowed

     – what scoring criteria will be used

* make sure scoring rubrics only include info on the qualities of the task; NOT directional instructions like word limits

Process for Developing Rubrics

1 ) Establish a Knowledge Base

– work with those knowledgeable in the area

– determine what quality looks like

– review existing rubrics for inspiration

2 ) Gather Samples of Student Performances/Rubrics

– familiarize yourself with a range of quality 

– student work, provincial examples, peer examples, self created, hard copy, video, audio

– at least 20 pieces

3 ) Sort Work by Level of Quality

– sort into weak, medium & strong

– write specific descriptions as to why its sorted that way

– relate descriptions back to learning target

4 ) Cluster Descriptions by Trait

– combine similar descriptions

– omit repeats

– separate those that cannot be linked

5 ) Identify Samples that Illustrate Each Level

– will be used as models/examples

– which are strong? weak? start with the extremes

– have multiple examples for each level

– try to include those that identify common misconceptions

6 ) Test & Revise as Needed