Teacher-Made Assessments: How to Connect Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Learning

by Gareis, Christopher R.

• ISBN13: 9781596670815
• ISBN10: 1596670819
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-13
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Summary

Assessment is not only a measure of student learning, but a means to student learning. Teacher-Made Assessments guides you in constructing and using your own classroom tests and rubrics to improve student achievement. A practical and accessible resource for classroom teachers, it will help you make assessment integral to both teaching and learning.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. v
Acknowledgements	p. vi
Why Should I Assess Student Learning in My Classroom?	p. 1
Teaching, Learning...and Assessment	p. 1
How Do You Define Teaching?	p. 1
Assessment and Learning	p. 2
Assessment and Teaching: The Light Bulb	p. 2
Curriculum, Instruction...and Assessment	p. 3
The Roles of Assessment in the Classroom	p. 6
Assessment Matters: Improving Student Learning	p. 10
Assessment and the Accountability Movement	p. 10
Assessment as a Professional Competency	p. 16
The Purpose of this Book: Developing Teachers' Competency in Test-Making	p. 18
Overview of the Book	p. 21
What Makes a Good Test?	p. 25
The Student Evaluation Standards	p. 26
Validity and Reliability: The Core Principles of Good Assessment Practices	p. 29
Validity and Reliability in Everyday Life	p. 30
Validity and Reliability of Teacher-Made Tests	p. 33
Validity	p. 34
Construct Validity	p. 36
Content Validity	p. 37
Criterion Validity	p. 38
Consequential Validity	p. 40
Tips for Gauging Validity	p. 41
Reliability	p. 41
Tips for Ensuring Reliability	p. 45
What Does It Mean to Have a Valid and Reliable Test?	p. 49
How Do I Create a Good Test?	p. 55
Unpack the Standards	p. 57
Content	p. 58
Level of Cognitive Demand	p. 60
Putting It Together	p. 65
Create a Table of Specifications	p. 67
Unpacking the Standards	p. 67
Mapping Objectives	p. 69
Determining Emphasis	p. 71
Clarify Why, When, and Where to Assess Students' Learning	p. 73
Determine Types of Assessment Items	p. 75
Determine the Number of Assessment Items, by Type	p. 78
Write Test Items That Are Valid and Reliable	p. 80
Assemble the Test	p. 80
Make Sure That One Item Does Not Give Away the Answer to Another Item	p. 80
Provide Clear Directions for Each Portion of the Test	p. 81
Place Individual Test Items on One Full Page	p. 81
Make Sure the Test Is Neat and Error Free	p. 81
Provide Clear and Adequate Response Spaces	p. 81
Provide Point Values for Older Students	p. 81
Organize the Test by Item Type Format	p. 82
Construct a Scoring Key and/or Rubric	p. 82
Administer the Test	p. 83
Score the Test and Analyze the Results	p. 84
Conclusion: A Note about the 10 Steps	p. 87
How Do I Create Good Select-Response Items?	p. 91
Some Basic Rules for Writing Select-Response Items	p. 92
True-False Items	p. 94
Place Only One Idea in the True-False Statement	p. 94
Make Sure the Statement Is Absolutely True or Absolutely False	p. 95
Avoid Absolute Qualifiers Such as Always, Never, Sometimes, and Usually	p. 96
Avoid Opinion Statements	p. 96
Avoid Using Negatives in the Statement	p. 97
Matching	p. 98
Use Like Content in a Matching Set	p. 100
Place Items to Be Matched on the Right With Descriptions on the Left	p. 101
Keep the List Short	p. 101
Provide an Uneven Number of Responses to Match	p. 101
Order Responses in a Logical Manner	p. 101
Multiple Choice Items	p. 102
Item Stem	p. 103
Make the Problem Clear to the Student in the Item Stem	p. 104
State the Item Stem in the Positive Whenever Possible	p. 104
Make Sure the Item Stem Does Not Give Away the Correct Answer	p. 106
Emphasize Qualifiers Such as Most Likely or Best in the Item Stem	p. 107
Answer Choices	p. 108
Make Sure the Answer Choices Are Plausible	p. 108
Make Sure Answer Choices Are Parallel in Grammar and Length	p. 109
Avoid Using All of the Above or None of the Above	p. 110
Place Answer Choices in a Logical Order	p. 111
Avoid Clues in the Answer Choices That Give Away the Correct Response	p. 111
Make Sure the Correct Response Is the Only Correct Response	p. 112
A Final Consideration: Bias	p. 112
Some Principles for Tapping Higher Cognitive Levels of Learning through Multiple Choice Items	p. 114
Refine Your Understanding of Content and Cognitive Levels	p. 116
Introduce Novelty	p. 117
Focus on Complex Content	p. 119
Use an Extended Prompt	p. 120
Engage With Stimulus Material	p. 122
Developing Valid and Reliable Select-Response Items: A Science and an Art	p. 124
How Do I Create Good Supply-Response Items?	p. 127
Some Basic Rules for Writing Supply-Response Items	p. 127
Fill-in-the-Blank or Completion Items	p. 128
Position Blanks at the End of the Statement	p. 128
Limit the Number of Blanks	p. 129
Keep All Blank Spaces the Same Length	p. 130
Short Answer Items	p. 130
Make the Question and the Nature of the Response Clear to the Student	p. 131
Develop a Scoring Rubric to Accompany Each Short Answer Item	p. 132
Provide Adequate Space for the Response	p. 133
Essays	p. 133
Make the Question and the Nature of the Response Clear to the Student	p. 134
Avoid Options Within the Question	p. 135
Develop a Scoring Rubric to Accompany Each Essay Item	p. 137
A Final Consideration: Bias	p. 139
Principles for Tapping Higher Cognitive Levels of Learning Through Short Answer and Essay Items	p. 140
Refine Your Understanding of Content and Level of Cognitive Demand	p. 140
Introduce Novelty	p. 141
Focus on Complex Content	p. 143
Use an Extended Prompt	p. 144
Provide Stimulus Material	p. 145
Developing Rubrics for Scoring Short Answer and Essay Items	p. 146
Types of Scoring Rubrics	p. 146
Checklist	p. 147
Holistic Rubric	p. 147
Analytical Rubric	p. 148
Guidelines for Developing a Scoring Rubric	p. 150
Tips for Applying a Rubric	p. 152
Score Responses Anonymously	p. 152
Review Scored Responses for Consistency in Scoring	p. 152
Have Someone Else Score Student Responses Using the Scoring Rubric	p. 153
Score Each Item With Rubric for All Students Before Moving onto the Next Item	p. 153
Developing Valid and Reliable Supply-Response Items: A Deliberate Approach	p. 154
Providing Feedback from Tests to Support Student Learning	p. 157
Grading	p. 159
How Should Classroom Tests Be Graded?	p. 159
How Can Test Results Be Used to Support Student Learning?	p. 162
Formative Feedback	p. 164
Does Formative Feedback Support Student Learning?	p. 164
What Are the Characteristics of Good Formative Feedback?	p. 165
How Can I Provide Formative Feedback to Students?	p. 168
Summing Up What We Know About Providing Feedback	p. 173
Fostering Students' Abilities to Self-Assess: The Tacit Outcomes of Feedback	p. 174
How Can I Constructively Influence Professional Practice in My School?	p. 179
Assessment as a Professional Competency	p. 179
Teachers Must Be Effective Creators of Assessments	p. 180
Teachers Must Be Intelligent Consumers of Assessments	p. 181
Teachers Must Be Effective Communicators About Assessments	p. 182
Teacher Leadership: Constructively Influencing the Professional Practice of Others	p. 185
Lead by Example	p. 185
Collaborate With Other Teachers	p. 185
Advocate for Professional Development in the Area of Assessment	p. 186
Constructively Develop and Critically Review Assessments Used by School Districts	p. 187
Inform Policy Regarding the Use of Assessment in the Classroom	p. 188
Summing Up Teacher Leadership of Assessment	p. 189
Glossary of Terms	p. 191
Appendix: The Student Evaluation Standards	p. 195
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.