2. Basic Principles for Alternative
& Deeper Assessment
Source: MacArthur 21st Century Learning & Assessment Project
1.
Is
the
assessment
built
around
central
problems
in
an
academic
domain
or
profession?
2.
Does
the
assessment
assess
what
learners
can
do
in
contexts
of
applica;on
of
their
skills
and
knowledge?
3.
Does
the
assessment
measure
mul;ple
variables
and
relate
them
in
clear
and
ac;onable
ways?
4.
Is
the
assessment
developmental
in
the
sense
that
it
provides
informa;on
relevant
to
students’
learning
cross
;me?
5.
Does
the
assessment
provide
ac;onable
informa;on?
6.
Does
the
assessment
examine
students’
prepara;on
for
future
learning?
7.
Does
the
assessment
engage
learners
with
tasks
that
require
them
to
engage
with
tools
and
technologies
in
real
situa;ons
and
in
collabora;on
with
other
people?
8.
Does
the
assessment
assess
learners’
ability
to
create,
innovate,
and
produce?
9.
Does
the
assessment
assess
21st
Century
Skills?
10.
Is
the
assessment
clear
about
what
forms
of
instruc;on
and
learning
it
will
encourage,
support,
or
lead
to?
11.
Does
the
assessment
and
not
undermine
the
learning
process?
12.
Is
the
assessment
equitable,
that
is,
does
the
assessment
take
into
considera;on
the
resources
students
must
have
had
to
perform
well?
13.
How
closely
does
the
assessment
integrate
learning
and
assessment?
Jennifer Groff 2012
3. Principles of Assessment Practice
Source: Changing Assessment Practice: Process, Principles and Standards by John Gardner, Wynne Harlen,
Louise Hayward & Gordon Stobart, Assessment Reform Group, 2008
“A major first step in establishing a common language to use in the context of
assessment by teachers is the identification of principles that are widely held.”
1. Assessment
of
any
kind
should
ul;mately
improve
learning.
2. Assessment
methods
should
enable
progress
in
all
important
learning
goals
to
be
facilitated
and
reported.
3. Assessment
procedures
should
include
explicit
processes
to
ensure
that
informa;on
is
valid
and
is
reliable
as
necessary
for
its
purpose.
4. Assessment
should
promote
public
understanding
of
learning
goals
relevant
to
students’
current
and
future
lives.
5. Assessment
of
learning
outcomes
should
be
treated
as
approxima;ons,
subject
to
unavoidable
errors.
6. Assessment
should
be
part
of
the
process
of
teaching
that
enables
students
to
understand
the
aims
of
their
learning
and
how
the
quality
of
their
achievement
will
be
judged.
7. Assessment
methods
should
promote
the
ac;ve
engagement
of
students
in
their
learning
and
its
assessment.
8. Assessment
should
enable
and
mo;vate
students
to
show
what
they
can
do.
9. Assessment
should
combine
informa;on
of
different
kinds,
including
students’
self-‐assessments,
to
inform
decisions
about
students’
learning
and
achievements.
10. Assessment
methods
should
meet
standards
that
reflect
a
broad
consensus
on
quality
at
all
levels
from
classroom
prac;ce
to
na;onal
policy.
Jennifer Groff 2012
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De Ce
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De Ce
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ct-
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ulu
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ve
Em
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ide
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Blo
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arn
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Ev
Cu
Le
Fo
Teacher Requires
Oriented Complexity Interdisciplinary
Collaboration
Note: This is not meant to be a true depiction of how these approaches and their relation,
but rather a general display of what we’re exploring. In reality, there is a lot of overlap and
integration between the approaches.
Jennifer Groff 2012
6. BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY
Cognitive Process Dimension
Knowledge
Dimension Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
1. Define the Learning Objective(s) of the Game:
2. Describe activities that serve as evidence:
3. Place these on the chart.
Jennifer Groff 2012
7. CONSTRUCT-CENTERED DESIGN
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Identify the Define the Define the Outline the Define the
construct. cognitive claim. evidence. learning task
activity. and the
assessment
task.
Review & Revise Step 6
Jennifer Groff 2012
8. PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT
Writing Performance Objectives
1. State each general objective so that it clearly describes the skill or
product to be assessed.
2. List specific performance outcomes for each objective that are most
relevant to a successful performance or a satisfactory product.
3. List enough specific performance outcomes to clarify what is meant by
an effective performance.
4. State the specific performance outcomes in terms of observable
dimensions of the skill or product.
5. State the specific performance outcomes so that they are clear to
students.
Jennifer Groff 2012
9. Scoring Ideas
1. Systematic observation and anecdotal records
2. Checklists
3. Rating Scales
4. Scoring Rubrics
Jennifer Groff 2012
11. Rating Scales
Similar to a checklist and serves somewhat the same purpose in
judging procedures and products--the main difference is that the
rating scale provides and opportunity to mark the degree to which an
element is present.
13. Rubrics
Similar to a checklist and serves somewhat the same purpose in
judging procedures and products--the main difference is that the
rating scale provides and opportunity to mark the degree to which an
element is present.
14. Steps to Constructing a Performance Assessment
1.
Define
the
purpose
of
your
assessment.
What do you plan to use the results for?
What aspects of student performance do you want to know about?
2.
Set
the
primary
instruc7onal
goals.
What do you want your students to be able to accomplish in a unit?
What should they be able to do at the completion of a unit?
3.
Determine
priority
outcomes.
What outcomes are you trying to achieve?
4.
Select/construct
the
task.
Does the task match the specific instructional intentions? (in other words, does the task force the
learner to engage in the cognitive dynamics of the instructional goals?)
Does the task adequately represent the content and skills you expect students to attain?
Does the task enable students to demonstrate their progress and capabilities?
Does the assessment use authentic, real-world tasks?
Does the task lend itself to an interdisciplinary approach?
Can the task be structured to provide measures of several goals?
Jennifer Groff 2012
15. Task Description
Outcomes / Description
Learning Goals Discussion of game dynamics supporting this
Instructions
Assessment Groups? Individuals?
Administration Materials? Equipment?
Process Help allowed?
Time allowed?
Format
Task Audience
Description Options available
Student Directions
Scoring Procedures
Rubric/Criteria?
Scoring Use of scores
Interpreting the Evidence
Jennifer Groff 2012
16. CONSTRUCT-CENTERED DESIGN
The construct might be a concept (evolution or plate tectonics), theme (e.g. size and
Identify the
1 construct
scale or consistency and change), or a scientific practice (learning about the natural
world in a scientific way).
Basing it on expert knowledge of the discipline and related learning research, this
Define the
2 construct
means explicitly identifying concepts that are critical for developing understanding of
a particular construct and defining the successive targets students would reach in the
course of their schooling, as they progress toward full understanding of the construct.
Develop the claims about the construct—claims identify the reasoning or cognitive
3 Create claims actions students would do to demonstrate their understanding of the construct.
Specify the way students will be expected to use the understanding that has been
identified and articulated.
What sorts of evidence will constitute proof that students have gained the knowledge and
skills described? A claim might be used at more than one level because understanding
4 Specify Evidence
is expected to develop sequentially across grades. Thus, it is the specification of the
evidence that makes clear the degree and depth of understanding that are expected
at each level. For example, the evidence appropriate at a less advanced level, say for
middle school students, would be less sophisticated.
Design Learning Specify the learning and assessment tasks that students need to demonstrate, based
5 Assessment
on the elaborated description of the knowledge and skills students need. Examples of
tasks are given in the figure below.
Such a review might include internal quality checks conducted by the developers, as
6 Review & Revise well as feedback from teachers or from content or assessment experts. Pilot tests and
field trials provide essential information, and review is critical to success.
Jennifer Groff 2012
17. CONSTRUCT-CENTERED DESIGN
1 Critical Idea
Cognitive
2 Activity
2 Claim
3 Evidence
Task/
4 Assessment
Jennifer Groff 2012
