How do we assess and evaluate?
This week, we were tasked with reading articles that tackled the importance of assessments, evaluations, and grading scales.
Grading Exceptional Learners
The first article I found interesting gave advice on how to assess exceptional learners. The article made some very valid points on what would be considered "fair" vs. "accurate" grading. Is it best to doc a student points because they have a learning disability? Is it best to just pass them even though the grade given is not reflective of the student's performance? The article stated that there are two characteristics needed for a grading system to be both accurate and fair. The first one was to set clearly articulated standards for student learning. The second one was to distinguish three types of learning criteria which are product criteria, process criteria, and progress criteria. While this may seem very complex to implement as a grading system, it is easier in the long-run to use the three types of criteria to assign a grade than it is to try and lump them all together. I plan on using the three types of criteria when I student teach to evaluate students. I find that this approach makes more sense to me than having an unorganized approach to grading.
Creating Rubrics
The second article that I found interesting discussed elements of effective rubrics and how to create your own. There are two types of rubrics, generic and task oriented. Within these two categories there are two subcategories, analytic and holistic. The article went on to list the steps to take in order to create your own rubric. I plan to take this information and use it to create a rubric for my unit assessment on agriculture ecology.
Finding Clarity
I found an outside source by Edutopia.org that shared nine questions to guide you when looking for clarity in assessment. I found this article quite interesting because I was able to think back on past experiences where I was confused with a teacher's grading system. It can be extremely frustrating if clear instructions and standards are not given at the beginning of a course or class. As I continue to plan out my grading system, I will keep this article in mind to ensure I remember the importance of clarity when grading.
Key Take-Aways
- Clarity is the number one priority to any grading system
- Identify the purpose of your rubric before constructing it
- Remember process, product, and progress criteria for fair and accurate grading
Olivia, I like how you incorporate some of the BECOV principles into your key points about assessment. Exception learners can be challenging to assess, but we must always remember to make our assessments fair and accommodating of their IEPs and learning styles, even if it means making multiple assessments, using multiple assessment types or formats, or incorporating different assessment strategies. How do you see yourself using different types of assessment in the classroom? Were there any particular examples that stood out to you as being something you wanted to try with your students?
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you summarized 3 key points to take with you. Clarity is one of the biggest challenges as a teacher. What makes sense in your head does not always translate well on paper i.e. the rubric. As you gain practice in creating assessments I encourage you to have a cohort member, teacher, friend, etc. review it. If someone who is not in your class can follow it, then it will hopefully be clear to your students.
Olivia, assessment is a very vital yet tricky component to teaching. Be aware that many schools are moving away from focusing on grades and focusing more on learning outcomes. While some content will always be best assessed via a traditional written test, continuously explore alternative forms of assessment such as rubrics. Formative assessment is definitely important during instruction/learning as well. You address a very difficult topic of assessing special needs learners. Be sure to follow IEP protocol and design assessments that can take into account learning disabilities.
ReplyDeleteOlivia, grading exceptional learners is a tough one for me! Thanks for sharing this info and your thoughts!
ReplyDelete