These judgments may be about individual students (e.g. 28 /30 on the biology test 90/100 on the science project).Įvaluation is the process of making judgments about the assessment information (Airasian, 2005). Measurement answers the question, “How much?” and is used most commonly when the teacher scores a test or product and assigns numbers (e.g. The information about students’ learning is often assigned specific numbers or grades and this involves measurement. Information about students’ progress can be obtained from a variety of sources, including projects, portfolios, performances, observations, and tests. In this chapter, the focus is on using classroom assessments to improve student learning and we begin with some basic concepts.Īssessment is an integrated process of gaining information about students’ learning and making value judgments about their progress (Linn & Miller, 2005). Many teachers, including mathematics teachers, now use a wide variety of methods to determine what their students have learned and also use this assessment information to modify their instruction. The test formats varied little and students always did them individually with pencil and paper. When Rosemary was a mathematics teacher in the 1970s, she did not assess students’ learning she tested them on the mathematics knowledge and skills she taught during the previous weeks. students’ effort and test results), and continuing to modify the strategies based on their observations.īest practices in assessing student learning have undergone dramatic changes in the last 20 years. reading the literature), implementing the new approaches, observing the results (e.g. low motivation and achievement), learning about alternative approaches (e.g. This involves identifying a problem (e.g. Third, teachers can improve their teaching through action research. Second, some teacher-made classroom assessments enhance student learning and motivation -some do not. Kym’s story illustrates several themes related to assessment that we explore in this chapter on teacher-made assessment strategies and in the chapter on standardized testing.įirst, choosing effective classroom assessments is related to instructional practices, beliefs about motivation, and the presence of statewide standardized testing. Kym gained a Ph.D and teaches Educational Psychology to preservice and inservice teachers in evening classes. Even though the performance of the students she taught improved the school was closed because, on average, the students’ performance was poor. Kym still teaches sixth grade in the same school district and continues to modify the strategies described above. At the end of the year twice as many of her students pass the statewide test than the previous year.Īfterward. Kym reports that the changes in her students’ effort and demeanor in class are dramatic: students are more enthusiastic, work harder, and produce better products. Fourth, she validates student’ cultural heritage by encouraging them to read biographies and historical fiction from their own cultural backgrounds.Third, she encourages responsibility by asking students to assist in classroom tasks such as setting up video equipment, handing out papers etc.oral presentation, art project, creative writing). Second, she gives students choices in performance assessments (e.g.First, she stresses an incremental approach to ability focusing on effort and allows students to revise their work several times until the criteria are met.When Kym is in a graduate summer course on motivation she reads an article called, “Teaching strategies that honor and motivate inner-city African American students” (Teel, Debrin-Parecki, & Covington, 1998) and she decides to change her instruction and assessment in fall in four ways: The classroom assessments are designed to mirror those on the statewide tests so the students become familiar with the assessment format. Kym follows school district teaching guides and typically uses direct instruction in her Language Arts and Social Studies classes. Each year the majority of the students in her school fail the statewide tests. Kym teaches sixth grade students in an urban school where most of the families in the community live below the poverty line.