Course Information

Course Description:

Assessment of learning for the classroom is an introduction to systematic assessment at the classroom level. The course provides an overview of models for planning and implementing classroom assessment projects. The emphasis in the course, however, is implementation, data collection, analysis, and reporting of results on classroom assessment projects. This course presents a rationale for learning-centered assessment and an overview of the tools, techniques, and issues that educators should consider as they design and use assessments focused on learner needs. Underlying assumptions in the course are: (1) assessment is viewed as deliberately designed to improve and educate student performance, not merely audit it; (2) assessment is a way to help students systematically self-correct their performance; and (3) assessment has two essential qualities (anchoring in authentic tasks and feedback to revise performance). The course examines what it would mean, in reality, if assessment were central to student and teacher work.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1. understand and explain the purposes for evaluating student learning.

2. discuss the major principles that guide classroom assessment.

3. understand and explain issues that impact fairness of classroom assessment and standardized testing, including validity, reliability, bias and ethics.

4. construct appropriate select-response and constructed-response items.

5. describe various procedures used in reporting students' grades.

6. accurately interpret and communicate the meaning of standardized test and classroom test scores.

7. discuss measurement concepts that are used in test development including reliability, validity, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, and measurement error.    

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

Admission to your home institution Graduate School, and acceptance into the RODP Online Degree Program.

Tentative Topics

I.                   Setting the Stage for Classroom Assessment

Week 1

A.                 Purpose of Assessment

1.      Provides information about the degree to which students are meeting curriculum standards

2.      Informs instruction

3.      Provides evidence on mastery of content

4.      Provides feedback to students, parents and administration

5.      Helps students to set goals, evaluate their progress, understand and expand their strengths, improve on weaknesses and encourage lifelong learning

http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/assess-1.htm

Week 2

B.                 Assessment Considerations (Principles to Guide Classroom Assessment)

1.      Assessment captures growth over time

2.      Assessment is multidimensional 

3.      Assess individuals and whole group before, during and after instruction

4.      Be Sensitive to individual differences including learning styles and cultural and linguistic backgrounds

5.      Be Sensitive to individual needs, special learners and learning problems

6.      Informal assessment is important

7.      Avoid too many testing targets

8.      Students are active self-assessors

Draft of the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

Assignment 1: Read the Draft Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education then write a reflection paper on your philosophy of classroom assessment. Paper should be a maximum of three (3) double-spaced pages.

II.                Effective Assessment Methodologies

Week 3 

C.                 Measurement Issues 

                  1.   Measurement concepts in test development: Validity, reliability, measures of central

                         tendency and dispersion, measurement error

2.      Validity issues: validity of inferences, criterion validity, construct validity, content validity 

3.      Reliability issues: stability reliability, alternate-form reliability, internal consistency reliability

4.      Assessment bias: the nature of assessment bias

Assignment 2: In 2 - 3 typed, double-spaced pages, discuss how you would ensure that a test that you will develop is valid, reliable and unbiased. 

Week 4

D.                Introduction to Test Building           

1.      Steps in classroom test building

2.      Selected-response items versus constructed-response items

3.      Roadblocks to test building: unclear directions, ambiguous statements, unintentional clues, complex phrasing and difficult vocabulary.

Week 5

E.                 Constructing Selected-Response Items

1.      Binary-Choice Items: item-writing rules, advantages and disadvantages 

2.      Matching Items: item writing rules, advantages and disadvantages

3.      Multiple-Choice Items: item writing rules, advantages and disadvantages

Assignment 3: Construct a test to demonstrate mastery in constructing selected-response items. This assignment should contain:

a.       A preamble outlining the instructional decisions that would be made based on the results of this test and the basis for making those decisions. For example, what are you going to use this test for? How will you know if that result has been accomplished?

b.      Binary-choice items, matching items, and multiple-choice items that would allow you to make those decisions.

Week 6

F.                 Constructing Constructed-Response Items

1.      Short-Answer Items: item-writing rules, advantages and disadvantages

2.      Essay Items: item-writing rules, advantages and disadvantages

3.      Rubrics, intra-rater and inter-rater reliability

Assignment 4: Construct a test to demonstrate mastery in developing a constructed-response test. This assignment should contain:

a.       A preamble outlining the instructional decisions that would be made based on the results of this test and the basis for making those decisions. For example, for what will this this test be used? How will you know if that result has been accomplished? Note: the decision must be different from the one in assignment 3.

b.      Short-answer items and essay items that would allow you to make those decisions.

c.       A rubric.

Week 7

G.                Higher-Order Questioning

                 1.    Assessing higher-order thinking

                 2.    Assessing problem solving skills

                 3.    Assessing critical thinking ability

                 4.    Using higher-order questions in the classroom

Assignment 5: Select a lesson that you will teach, and (a) provide examples of higher-order                     questions that will be used in that lesson (b) justify your choice of questions.

Week 8

H.                Affective Assessment

1.      Reasons for assessing the affective domain

2.      Measuring the affective domain

3.      Developing affective inventories: Likert Inventories, Multidimensional Inventories, Confidence Inventories   

Assignment 6: Develop a Multidimensional Inventory to assess students’ attitudes towards school. Administer the inventory to your students. Report the results. Discuss how you would use these results to impact your students.

Week 9

I.                   Uses and Misuses of Standardized Achievement Tests

1.      Standardized achievement tests: The evaluative yardstick

2.      The drawbacks and misuses of standardized tests 

3.      Integrating test-taking and test results in classroom instruction

4.      Understanding and communicating the results data to give a complete picture 

Assignment 7: Create graphs, charts and tables that you would use to communicate test data to stakeholders.

III.             Creating Effective Portfolios  

Week 10

J.        Designing the Portfolio

           1.    Characteristics of portfolios

            2.    Establishing portfolio use

            3.    Developing portfolios around instructional goals

            4.    Establishing criteria for portfolio assessment

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech111.shtml

Week 11 

K.                  Collecting Credible Classroom Evidence of Instructional Impact

1.      Post-test-only design: collect data from students after instruction is completed

2.      Pretest-posttest design: collect data before and after instruction and compare for differences

3.      Split-and-switch model: have two forms of the pretest and posttest and give them to different halves of the class

4.      Comparison of pre and post affective data

5.      Teacher reflection on instruction

6.      Student reflection on instruction

7.      Samples of students work over the semester/year

8.      Referrals from parents, colleagues, administrators, etcetera

http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Standards_and_Testing/Portfolio_Assessment/

Assignment 8: Develop a portfolio that displays artifacts of credible classroom evidence of instructional impact. The portfolio should contain but is not limited to data from classroom assessment; teacher reflection on classroom instruction detailing what went well, what could be improved, what might be done differently next time; student reflection on classroom detailing what they knowledge was known before instruction, what they would what to learn from the instruction, and what they actually learnt from the instruction; samples of students work to show progress over time; referrals from parents, colleagues, administrators, etcetera; copies of this course assignments; other anecdotal evidences.

Week 12

L.                 Portfolio Presentation and Examination

A description of any special course requirements, such as knowledge of specific software, and why it is necessary for successful completion of the course.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

A list of other published material the student is required to purchase for the course including lab manuals, lab kits, etc.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(A list of software the student is required to purchase or download for the course, Real Player, Media Player, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc).

Instructor Information

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

A statement describing the process students will need to have in place for proctors, online testing, etc.

Your final grades will be based as follows:

Assignment 1: Philosophical Statement                      05%

Assignment 2: Validity, Reliability and Bias                05%

Assignment 3: Constructing Select Response Test     10%

Assignment 4: Constructing Essay items                    10%

Assignment 5: Examples of Higher-Order Questions  05%

Assignment 6: Affective Assessment                          10%

Assignment 7: Communicating test data                     10%

Assignment 8: Portfolio                                             20%

Examination:                                                             20%

Discussion Board Postings:                                       05%

90%-100%  A
80%-89%    B
70%-79%    C

60%-69%    D

00%-59%    F

Assignments and Participation

Assignment 1: Read the Draft Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education then write a reflection paper on your philosophy of classroom assessment. Paper should be a maximum of three (3) double-spaced pages. (05% of final grade. Due at the end of week 2.)

 

Assignment 2: In two (2) to three (3) typed, double-spaced pages, discuss how you would ensure that a test that you will develop is valid, reliable and unbiased. (05% of final grade. Due at the end of week 3.)  

 

Assignment 3: Construct a test to demonstrate mastery in constructing selected-response items. This assignment should contain:

a.       A preamble outlining the instructional decisions that would be made based on the results of this test and the basis for making those decisions. For example, what are you going to use this test for? How will you know if that result has been accomplished?

b.      Binary-choice items, matching items, and multiple-choice items that would allow you to make those decisions (10% of final grade. Due at the end of week 5.)

Assignment 4: Construct a test to demonstrate mastery in developing a constructed-response test. This assignment should contain:

a.       A preamble outlining the instructional decisions that would be made based on the results of this test and the basis for making those decisions. For example, for what will this this test be used? How will you know if that result has been accomplished? Note: the decision must be different from the one in assignment 3.

b.      Short-answer items and essay items that would allow you to make those decisions.

c.       A rubric. (10% of final grade. Due at the end of week 6.)

Assignment 5: Select a lesson that you will teach, and (a) provide examples of higher-order                     questions that will be used in that lesson (b) justify your choice of questions. (5% of final grade. Due at the end of week 7. )

Assignment 6: Develop a Multidimensional Inventory to assess students’ attitudes towards school. Administer the inventory to your students. Report the results. Discuss how you would use these results to impact your students. (10% of final grade. Due at the end of week 8.)

Assignment 7: Create graphs, charts and tables that you would use to communicate test data to stakeholders. (10% of final grade. Due at the end of week 9.)

Assignment 8: Develop a portfolio that displays artifacts of credible classroom evidence of instructional impact. The portfolio should contain but is not limited to data from classroom assessment; teacher reflection on classroom instruction detailing what went well, what could be improved, what might be done differently next time; student reflection on classroom detailing what knowledge was known before instruction, what they would what to learn from the instruction, and what they actually learned from the instruction; samples of students work to show progress over time; referrals from parents, colleagues, administrators, etc; copies of this course assignments; other anecdotal evidences. (20% of final grade. Due at the end of week 12.)

EXAMINATION (20% OF FINAL GRADE) AT THE END OF WEEK 12. 

Discussion Board Postings: Each student is to respond to discussion questions at lest twice weekly; and post at lest one discussion question per month. A roster of when each student is to post a question will be developed. Postings on the discussion board accounts for 5% of the final grade. 

Active participation is essential. Consequently, each student is to respond to discussion questions at least twice weekly; and post at lest one discussion question per month. A roster of when each student is to post a question will be developed. Postings on the discussion board accounts for 5% of the final grade  

All assignments must be submitted by due dates. Late assignments are subject to 2 penalty points for each day that it's late unless justified by a medical emergency or technical difficulties with the RODP server. 

Course Ground Rules

Participation is required. Communicate with other students and instructor on the discussion board. Learn how to navigate in WebCT. Keep abreast of course announcements. Use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed a personal e-mail address. Address technical problems immediately. Observe course netiquette at all times. 

Guidelines for Communications

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

1 866-550-7637

or go to their website at:

http://askrodp.custhelp.com