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Minutes with Charlie 13
By Charlie | April 14, 2008
The fourth type or category of learning target that we will consider is that of the product targets. Products are things created by the student that will give evidence of knowledge and understanding, reasoning, and/or skills. When the standards or TEKS call for the student to create or produce something, it usually calls for a product target.
The number of product targets called for in the TEKS is relatively few compared to the number of knowledge, understanding and reasoning targets. However, it is extremely important to distinguish between the use of a product as a learning target and the use of a product as an assessment tool. The failure to make this distinction results in poor assessment practice and inaccurate assessment results and decisions.
An example might be if we assigned a student to make a poster containing a Venn diagram that illustrated the similarities and differences between chemical and physical changes and giving examples of each. “Create a poster” is not a learning target in TEKS however understanding the difference between chemical and physical change would be an important understanding in TEKS. This is an example of a task that can be used to assess understanding, but it is not a product target.
An example of a product target would be if the TEKS called for the student write a persuasive paper on a current events related science topic. The product would be the writing, the organization of the paper, the use of language, etc. In this case it would be vital that the student have the understanding of the topic and the reasoning skill of persuasion. The target would be to produce a written paper.
We often have students produce a product (a poster, a diorama, a model of an Indian dwelling, a map of a territory, etc) as an assessment instrument. Many times this is, in reality, simply a representation of fact without any real assessment of understanding, reasoning, or skill. Yet we assign a grade based on creativity, neatness, timeliness, etc.
In using products as learning targets we should ask ourselves questions such as:
1. Do the standards (TEKS) call for the student to use the skill required to create this product?
2. Does my assignment give the student opportunity to exhibit his ability?
3. Are there other limitations in this assignment that would prevent it from giving me accurate information on student ability?
In using products as an assessment tools we should ask ourselves questions such as:
1. In order to complete this product, does the student have to possess the skills I am trying to assess?
2. Are there factors in the production that would hide the student’s true level of proficiency in this target?
In the creation of a product, students will use some combination of their knowledge and understanding, reasoning ability, and skills. Some of the TEKS clearly call upon students to be able to and to actually create products. We ignore these demands at the students’ loss.
We must use caution to not confuse products as a learning target and products as an assessment tool if we are to gain the full benefit of products.
Personal Reflection: Do the products my students create provide clear evidence of student learning at the level of complexity demanded of them? Or do the products simply demand a representation of fact without requiring the student to know or understand the subject matter?
Topics: Learning Targets, Minutes with Charlie |
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
In my online search for more information about learning targets, I found your discussion board. I would like to know who “Charlie” is and what TEK stands for. Thanks much.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
Michelle, thanks for visiting our assessment blog.
TEKS stands for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. They are the learning standards established by the Texas Education Agency.
“Charlie” would be me. I am the Director of Assessment at Burleson ISD. I send out Minutes with Charlie each week to district principals and assessment team members and a few other folks. It is an effort to initiate dialog on improving classroom assessment in the district.