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A multi-step process by which measures have been created based on mutually agreed-upon decisions by educators for use in multiple classrooms, or a uniform set of procedures for collecting, interpreting, reporting, and using data across multiple classrooms
Common Assessment
In this chapter, we learned that assessments need to be inclusive, fair, relevant, comprehensive, valid, and yield meaningful information for multiple stakeholders. Therefore, it is the role of the teacher to create assessments that connect the characteristics of our students with assessments to ensure education equity. On page 20 of the textbook many assessment designs are listed. Of these assessment designs which one do you consider to be the most important and why?
Assessment designs need to consider:
- The characteristics of the student population, including linguistic and cultural variability
- Multiple pathways for students to reach their goals
- The complexity of language so that it does not mask the students’ academic achievement
- The language(s) of instruction
- visual , graphic, interactive, and linguistic supports
- Potential linguistic, cultural, gender, and socioeconomic bias
- Ways in which students and teachers can receive and sue feedback on content and language
- Features such as use color, front size, appropriates of illustrations for specific cultural groups, and time on task.
What makes common assessments beneficial?
They are built in groups by teachers, they are directly aligned to instruction, they offer more authentic, relevant, and useful data for everyday teaching.
Page: 174
What is the difference between criterion-referenced assessment and norm-referenced assessment?
Norm-Referenced:A test that compares scores of a selected group of students who have taken the test and are typically of the same age or grade with those of the test taker
Criterion-Referenced: A measure whose results are reported in reference to established criteria, such as standards, rather than by ranking student performance
“The common in common assessment or common instructional products involves participating teachers coming to an agreement on…” What are 2 examples?
Answer can be two of the following:
- Setting a timetable for collecting data on the products
- Formulating a uniform set of directions or a series of assignments for the students
- Using the same scoring guides or rubrics to interpret the products
- Checking for reliability of scoring of student work among the teachers
- Ensuring that feedback based on the results is given in the same way
- Reaching the same instructional decisions based on the information
When measuring academic language proficiency and academic achievement for ELLs it involves documentation of both language proficiency and academic achievement. What is language proficiency and what are the 4 domains?
4 language domains:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
Language proficiency assessment – reveals the extent of a student’s language development, generally expressed as a language proficiency level.
Page 27
Is common assessment assessment for learning or assessment of learning? Why?
for Learning, assessments are seamlessly woven into instruction
Page: 175
Which U.S. Supreme Court case determined that ELL’s have a right to fair and equitable educational opportunities?
Lau vs Nichols, 2004
On page 183, the author talks about the “final phase of common instructional products as part of assessment for learning…”. What is the final phase? What are some examples? Why is this important to students in the classroom?
Students have the opportunity to apply their new skills by viewing each other’s products and offering feedback to one another, following a standard format, such as a project descriptor, a checklist or a rubric.
With the growing number of ELLs in school teachers need to become familiar with different forms of assessment. Therefore, define formative & summative evaluation. Then give 3 distinctions between these types of assessments.
Formative Evaluation - Internal method for judging the worth of an educational program while it is still in progress. Allows you to make changes that affect your current students.
(Monitors student progress, Occurs internal to instruction, Provides ongoing descriptive feedback, Co-occurs with learning, Is process oriented, Informs instruction)
Summative Evaluation - External or independent method of judging the worth of a program at the end.
(Evaluates students’ progress, Occurs toward the end of an instructional cycle or on a predetermined basis, Provides feedback, Product or outcome oriented, Gauges instructional effectiveness)
Page 21
How many levels are in a common instructional practice rubric? What are they?
Challenger, Competitor, Contender, Champion
Level 1: Attempts to follow project descriptors
Level 2: Follows a given action plan
Level 3: Develops and implements action plan
Level 4: Develops and implements comprehensive action plan
Page: 183
True or False: Achievement in the home language is the strongest predictor of future success in other languages, most notably English.
True
What is inter-rater agreement?
A form of reliability; it is the degree to which different judges or rater agree on their decisions to assign a score or give specific feedback on a performance assessment, such as an oral presentation or opinion piece.
The primary use of assessment is to gather information to help us make decisions that benefit stakeholders. The model used in this chapter is assessment as, for, and of learning. Who are the stakeholders represented in each of these models? What is the purpose for encompassing multiple perspectives?
Assessment AS Learning:
- Student center
- Individualized for students
- Formative
Assessment FOR Learning:
- Teacher guided
- Individualized for classrooms
- Formative
Assessment OF Learning:
- Administrator supported
- Standard in administration for schools, districts, or states.
- Summative
Page 23
What do content targets focus on? What are some key words they use?
They focus on the academic concepts or ideas expected of all students that will be displayed in the unit’s product, use words like remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating
Page: 180
There are 4 key questions to trigger the distinction between whether a student is an ELL or an ELL with a learning disability. Name 2 of the 4 of these key questions.
Is the student receiving instruction of sufficient quality to enable him or her to make the accepted levels of academic progress?
How does the student’s progress in hearing, speaking, reading, and writing English as a second language compare with the expected rate of progress for his or her age and initial level of English proficiency?
To what extent are behaviors that might otherwise indicate a learning disability considered to be normal for the child’s cultural background or to be part of the process of U.S. acculturation?
How might additional factors impact the student’s academic progress? (socioeconomic status, previous educational experience, etc.)