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Minutes with Charlie 2
By Charlie | December 17, 2007
In our last “Minutes with Charlie” we identified the five key components of quality assessments as: clear purpose, clear learning targets, sound assessment design, good communication, and student involvement. In these “Minutes” we are going to begin to look at these keys individually. Our overarching goal is to improve our assessment literacy as a district and as individual educators so that our assessment competency will improve.
The first key we mentioned, a clear purposerefers to the fact that each assessment we use, formal or informal, formative or summative, should have a clearly articulated and appropriate purpose. We give assessments for a number of purposes over a given time period. The purpose may be to determine student learning in a very narrow, but important concept. Or it may be to evaluate progress of student performance in a given skill. It could be to determine prior knowledge prior to starting a unit of study or to determine the knowledge and skills gained at the end of a unit of study. In determining the purpose of an assessment, we should ask questions such as:
- Why is the assessment being administered?
- What specific information do I hope to gain from the results?
- Who will use the information gained?
- For what will the information be used?
- Is this an assessment OF learning or an assessment FOR learning?
It is important to realize that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ purpose for an assessment. (However, some purposes may be more beneficial than others.) The purpose of the assessment will help determine which learning targets are established, the design of the assessment, the communication of the results, and the degree and type of student involvement. So, while the purpose of the assessment may at first seem obvious, a clearly articulated and appropriate purpose is essential. If we do not invest thought and effort here, the effectiveness of our assessment will be weakened.
The second key of quality assessments is clear learning targets. Our learning targets to be assessed must be clearly defined, articulated, and understood if they are to be part of a quality assessment. They must be clearly defined in that they are focused upon specific learning goals that are appropriate for the students. They must be articulated by both the teacher and the student. If neither the teacher nor the student can articulate the learning targets, we can be pretty well assured that they are not clear learning targets. Finally, they must be understood by both teacher and student. At first it seems that if one can articulate the target, it should be understood. However, from experience we know that this is not the case. Students can often say what they have been told and be void of understanding. In considering the learning targets in our assessment, we should ask questions such as:
- Are the learning targets clearly stated and written where they are easy to find?
- Is the number of learning targets reasonable, focused, and appropriate?
- Are the learning targets to be assessed important or do they address vital parts of the curriculum? Do they align with what will be taught?
It is important to note that clearly defined, articulated, and understood learning targets are not exclusive to assessments. A tremendous benefit is gained by actually posting the learning targets in the classroom before and during instruction. Student learning will increase when they know what they should be learning.
Personal Reflection: When I am preparing an assessment, do I adequately consider the purpose? Can I clearly define, articulate and understand the learning targets I’m going to assess? Do I share these clearly and frequently with my students?
Topics: Minutes with Charlie, Quality Assessment Components |