Alberta Assessment Consortium - About Classroom Assessment For Learning (Q&A)

"About Classroom Assessment (Q&A)" is also available for AAC members as a Word document.
Click here for document.

What is the purpose of education?

What is assessment?
What is evaluation?
What is classroom assessment?
How are assessment and evaluation related? ... and where does communicating of student learning (reporting) fit in?
What is enhanced classroom assessment?
Why is classroom assessment important?
What does assessment have to do with the Teaching Quality Standards for Alberta teachers?
What improvements are needed?

What is performance assessment?
What is a rubric?
Why use criteria and rubrics?
Is there an ideal number of performance levels in a rubric scale?
Does AAC have a preferred rubric scale?
What does each performance level mean?
When I decide to begin developing performance assessments for use in my classroom, where do I start?
Is classroom assessment more than performance assessment?
How can I make sense of the different kinds of assessment information for reporting purposes?

What do members say about AAC classroom assessment tools? ... Click here for an opportunity for you to share your experiences.

What is the purpose of education?

Some suggest that the purpose of education is to develop talent.

On the Firing Line (a PBS production), Mortimer Adler (renowned philosopher and educator formerly of the Columbia University and the University of Chicago) presented the idea of all kids learning excellently. William F. Buckley was stunned because this idea was so far beyond anything that he could imagine. Buckley believes that the purpose of our education system is to select talent. Adler argued that the purpose is not to select talent; it is to develop talent and we want that pool of talent to be as broad and deep as it could ever possibly be.

Out of his frustration Buckley turned to Adler and said, "Are you sure that all kids can learn?" ... and, just like that, Adler fired back, "No, but I don't believe you are sure that all kids can't. And I prefer to live with my hope, rather than your doubt."

Source- Thomas R. Guskey, Using Assessments to Improve Student Learning, National Conference on Standards and Assessment (1999)

What is assessment?

Assessment comes from the old French word assesser, meaning to sit by as an assistant judge or guide. Assessment is the process of collecting information on student achievement and performance. Assessment information provides the basis for sound decision making regarding teaching and learning.

Simply put, 'assessment' provides feedback on a student's learning to encourage further development.

A balanced assessment program includes a variety of assessment strategies that are matched with specific learner outcomes. Planning for assessment is an essential part of instruction. Classroom assessment refers to all activities in the classroom that enable students to demonstrate what they understand, know and can do.

What is evaluation?

Evaluation comes from the old French word evaluer, to value. Evaluation is a judgement regarding the quality, value or worth of a response, product, or performance, based on established criteria and curriculum standards.

Simply put, 'evaluation' gives a student a clear indication of how well he/she is performing. The payoff of an effective evaluation is that the student knows how he/she can do even better.

What is classroom assessment?

What is classroom assessment?

© AAC 2001

How are assessment and evaluation related? ... and where does communicating of student learning (reporting) fit in?

'Evaluation' always accompanies 'assessment'.

Assessment and evaluation provide ongoing feedback to teachers, students and parents in order to enhance student learning. Assessment and evaluation are employed when teachers:

gather information about what students know and can do (diagnostic)
monitor student progress (formative)
evaluate achievement of the learner outcomes for the purpose of report card marks (summative)

The assessment process reveals what a student understands, knows and can do. The evaluation process indicates the quality of performance based on the curriculum (learner outcomes).

Scores derived from formative and diagnostic assessments should not be used to report levels of achievement during the course of new learning, but should be used to identify where the students were when they began and to coach them to where they are able to develop. These scores may be used to report or demonstrate progress over time.

Scores derived from summative assessments should be used to report levels of achievement when teachers are evaluating a student's achievement of learner outcomes.

Here, then, is how communicating (reporting) student learning might be accomplished...

J. McTighe observed that clearly defined reporting standards are necessary to increase the communication value of a reporting document. According to McTighe, reporting documents should distinguish between the following factors:

achievement - performance relative to identified learning outcomes based on collected evidence and judged against established criteria
progress - degree of growth toward mastery of the learning outcomes, based on a performance continuum
work habits - includes effort, completion of assignments, behaviour and attendance

McTighe also noted that each of these factors should be reported separately.

Source- A Framework for Communicating Student Learning, (AAC) 1999. p.21

What is enhanced classroom assessment?

According to Black & Wiliam, Inside the Black Box... Raising standards through classroom assessment, King's College of London (1998), learning is driven by what teachers and students do in classrooms.

Assessment is enhanced when:

assessment is integrated with instruction (unit and lesson planning)
students are involved with their own assessment
immediate, meaningful feedback is provided to the students and teachers
students of all ability levels are able to demonstrate what they know and can do
it increases the learning
it motivates the student

A good assessment instrument can be a learning experience. But more to the point, it is extremely desirable to have assessment occur in the context of students working on problems, projects, or products that

genuinely engage them;
hold their interest; and
motivate them to do well.

Such exercises may not be as easy to design as the standard multiple-choice entry, but they are far more likely to elicit a student's full repertoire of skills and to yield information that is useful for subsequent advice and placement.

Source Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice (1993)

Why is classroom assessment important?

Educational research indicates the importance of student-centred classroom assessment in building student confidence and increasing success in school. AAC is dedicated to the implementation of these research findings for improving student learning in Alberta. Davies (2000)¹ and Khattri, Kane, and Reeve (1995)² have reviewed and summarized a number of studies that demonstrate the impact of student-centred classroom assessment on student achievement.

When students are involved in their own assessment and evaluation, they are required to think about their learning and articulate their understandings which helps them learn. ¹
(Schon 1983, 1990; Walters, Seidel, and Gardner 1994; Wolf 1987, 1989; Young 2000; Zessoules and Gardner 1991)
Self-assessment asks students to make choices about what to focus on next in their learning. When students make choices about their learning, achievement increases: when choice is absent, achievement decreases. ¹
(Purkey and Novak 1984; deCharms 1968, 1972; Kovalik 1994; Lepper and Green 1974, 1978; Maehr 1974; Mahoney 1974; Deci and Ryan 1985; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, and Ryan 1991; Mager and McCann 1963)
When students are involved in their own assessment, mistakes become feedback they can use to adjust what they are doing. When students' mistakes are identified by others and feedback limited to marks or letters, students are less likely to know what to do differently next time. ¹
(Butler and Nisan 1986, 1987; Buttersworth and Michael 1975; Kohn, 1993; Seagoe 1970; Shepard and Smith 1986, 1987)
Involving students in assessment and increasing the amount of descriptive feedback while decreasing evaluative feedback increases student learning. While all students show significant gains, students who usually achieve the least show the largest gains overall. ¹
(Black & Wiliam, 1998)
Performance assessments provide the means for improving teaching and learning, but only if teachers receive sufficient training and support. ²
(Borko et al. 1993; Falk and Darling-Hammond 1993; Gearhard et al. 1993; Kentucky Institute for Educational Research 1995; Koretz et al. 1993; Smith et al 1994)

"The assessments that drive student learning and academic self-concept are those used by teachers in classrooms." "Without quality classroom assessment, instruction cannot work and schools cannot be effective."

Richard J. Stiggins, Assessment, Student Confidence, and School Success.
Phi Delta Kappan, November, 1999. Vol. 81, No. 3

About Classroom Assessment

What does assessment have to do with the Teaching Quality Standards for Alberta teachers?

Teaching Quality Standards Applicable to the Provision of Basic Education in Alberta was approved on May 14, 1997 as Policy 4.2.1 pursuant to Section 25(1)(f) of the School Act with provisions significant to classroom assessment. Alberta teachers are expected to implement these standards within their teaching practices.

Teachers gather and use information about students' learning needs and progress.

Teachers

monitor students' actions on an ongoing basis to determine and respond to their learning needs.
use a variety of diagnostic methods that include observing students' activities, analyzing students' learning difficulties and strengths, and interpreting the results of assessments and information provided by students, their parents, colleagues and other professionals.
select and develop a variety of classroom assessment strategies and instruments to assess the full range of learning objectives.
differentiate between classroom and large-scale instruments such as provincial achievement tests, administer both and use the results for the ultimate benefit of students.
record, interpret and use the results of their assessments to modify their teaching practices and students' learning activities.
help students, parents and other educators interpret and understand the results of diagnoses and assessments, and the implications for students.
help students develop the ability to diagnose their own learning needs and to assess their progress toward learning goals.
use their interpretations of diagnoses and assessments as well as students' work and results to guide their own professional growth.
assist school councils and members of the community to understand the purposes, meanings, outcomes and implications of assessments.

What improvements are needed?

Black and Wiliam identify several areas that need improvement to reap the educational benefits of enhanced classroom assessment. These include improving:

assessment accuracy (teacher accuracy in judging student performance and inter-rater reliability, i.e. consistency in scoring)
quality of feedback
- to students and parents (provide useful information, enhance student confidence and encourage further development)
- to the teacher (inform/guide teaching and learning processes)
student involvement (help set criteria, complete assessment tasks that reveal what the student knows and can do, and self-evaluation)

One big gift we can give kids is the gift of self-assessment, the ability to figure out for themselves how they are doing and what they need to work on. They don't learn this by being told "You're an 'A' math student." Or "Your behavior is poor." They need to learn how to monitor their own progress by asking themselves:

Where am I at?
Where am I going?
What do I need to do to get there?

This type of self-assessment is very empowering. Instead of being something that's poured down you, education becomes something you figure out for yourself. If we teach kids how to think, not what to think, they develop strong values, and the confidence to make their own decisions later on in the face of peer pressure.

Source- Interview with Barbara Coloroso by Ellen Schwartz titled, What to give your kids? Time, Affection, and Optimism. Costco Connections, July/August 1999, Volume 12(4) p, 33-34.

teacher development (honor teachers as professionals by assisting them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to embed enhanced assessment practices into the instructional process). This is applicable to pre-service teacher education and in-service/ professional development.

"We have all but ignored day-to-day classroom assessments in our journey to school improvement." (Stiggins, ibid)

What is performance assessment?

A performance assessment is an assessment activity that requires students to construct a response, create a product or demonstrate a skill they have acquired. Rubrics, based on the selected criteria, are given to students to ensure that they know what they need to do to meet or exceed the learner outcomes.

IMPORTANT: Remember that AAC performance assessment tools are designed primarily for formative and diagnostic purposes. We are assessing development with the intention of making decisions about appropriate teacher intervention to help students improve.

Well-constructed performance assessments:

are the most authentic types of assessment since they replicate out of school experiences, encourage self-evaluation and demonstrate what students know and can do;
put students in a role (e.g. scientist, newspaper editor) and provide an audience for their task
provide degrees of proficiency based on criteria and make public the criteria.

Link to http://www.aac.ab.ca/nlsep99.html (Message from the Chair- AAC Communique, Fall 1999) for further insights into the value of performance assessment.

What is a rubric?

A rubric is a set of criteria used to evaluate a student's performance. A rubric or scoring guide consists of a fixed measurement scale (for example, 4-point) and a list of criteria that describe the characteristics of products or performances for each score point.

Rubrics:

list the criteria of a piece of work, or 'what counts.'
articulate graduations of quality (how well based on criteria and illustrated by exemplars) for each criterion from 'Excellent' to 'Limited'. Criteria that specify quantity (how many - paragraphs, answers, examples, etc.) are not encouraged.

Source- adapted from Goodrich, H. (1996) Understanding Rubrics. Educational Leadership, 54(4), 14-17

Why use criteria and rubrics?

According to Guskey, rubrics:

are powerful tools for teaching and assessment.
help students become more thoughtful judges of their own work.
reduce the time teachers spend evaluating students' work.
allow teachers to accommodate differences in heterogeneous classes.
are easy to use and explain.
improve objectivity in scoring.

Source- Guskey, ibid

Benefits of Using Criteria

Provide teachers with a tool that will help:

identify targets for instruction
involve students in setting criteria, resulting in increased student motivation and understanding
select and design appropriate evaluation tools
increase the level of consistency in evaluating student performances
clarify what students know and can do
generate specific and informative comments for students and parents
identify outcomes to be reviewed or taught again (student strengths and weaknesses)

Provide students with:

clear performance targets and the opportunity to know what excellence would look like
a way for reflecting on their learning and setting goals for improved performance
an opportunity to be involved in setting the criteria.

Provide parents and community with:

information about what is important in a subject area
a basis for working with students and the school to help improve performance.

Source- adapted from the Physical Education Guide to Implementation to Grade 12, Alberta Learning, 2000

Is there an ideal number of performance levels in a rubric scale?

No.

Judy Arter, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), Portland, Oregon, and Jay McTighe, assessment consultant and former director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, in recent communication with AAC provided the following perspectives in response to the question: Is there any research to support the use of an even number of rubric scores to avoid the problems of 'central tendency' with odd numbered rubric scores? Both provide practical insights.

Judy Arter

I know some folks like an even number of score points because of central tendency in scoring. However, we've been using a five-point scale fairly successfully here for 20 years-the Six-Trait Model for Assessing Writing. The key is careful training of raters so they (1) don't mix the scale up with A, B, ... (i.e., 3 doesn't necessarily mean "C") and (2) use the whole scale range. I don't know of any particular research (about central tendency), but I know we can train raters to successfully use a five-point scale. (We do, however, also use four- and six-point scales.)

I think that the number of score points really should be based on the number of levels you need to get the job done--it relates to use. Sometimes three points is enough, sometimes you need 6. Sometimes four might not be fine enough, especially in instructional uses, and when the rubric is intended to cover a complex skill. I think that what is more important than choosing only one score range is to have a good justification for whatever range you choose.

Jay McTighe

As to rubric scales - I have noted the same problem you described with odd-numbered scales. The only caveat to the exclusive use of even-numbered scales occurs when a task yields a restricted range of qualitatively different levels of performance (e.g., an open-ended math problem). In such cases, a 3-point scale may be most appropriate.

Does AAC have a preferred rubric scale?

YES.

AAC prefers a four point rubric scale plus 'insufficient / blank'. This scale provides graduations of quality for each criteria that are effective for use with the majority of performance assessments thereby assisting teachers to make decisions about student performances relative to the high standards expected in Alberta.

Performance assessments should be evaluated 'as a whole' rather than as a number of discrete parts. A holistic* scale encourages the evaluator to judge the performance as a whole within the framework of specified criteria. An analytic* scale tends to first consider criteria in isolation. Regardless of the scale selected, the evaluator should to judge the performance or product 'as a whole', in this manner:

"This performance (or product) is truly 'Excellent' even though a particular element does not yet meet the standard of excellence. I will discuss this element with the student to encourage further refinement or development of it. If he/she wants to redo the assessment, I will permit it, but may advise him/her otherwise."

Defining Terms*

Holistic Scoring - a scoring procedure yielding a single score based upon an overall impression of a product or performance. In "pure" holistic scoring, judgments are made by evaluating products or performances against others within the same pool, rather than against pre-established criteria.

Note: AAC advocates evaluating products and performances against pre-established criteria based on the learner outcomes of the Alberta Learning curriculum.

Analytic Scoring - a scoring procedure in which performances are evaluated for selected traits, with each trait receiving a separate score. For example, a piece of writing may be evaluated according to organization, use of details, attention to audience, and language usage/mechanics. Trait scores may be weighted and/or totaled.

Primary Trait(s) Scoring - a scoring procedure by which products or performances are evaluated by limiting attention to a single criterion or a few selected criteria. These criteria are based upon the trait or traits determined to be essential for a successful performance on a given task. For example, a note to a principal urging a change in a school rule might have persuasiveness as the primary trait. Scorers would attend only to that trait.

About Classroom Assessment

What does each performance level mean?

[Holistic Scale]

Level Meaning Commentary

4
Excellent The student meets the standard of excellence for the grade, demonstrates exemplary performance or understanding; shows creativity. This is a 'Wow!'

3
Proficient The student meets the acceptable standard for the grade by demonstrating solid performance or understanding. This is a 'Yes!'

2
Adequate The student just meets the acceptable standard for the grade. Performance and understanding are emerging or developing; errors are being made; 'grasp' is not thorough. This is a 'On the right track, but'
The teacher needs to make decisions about appropriate teacher intervention to help the student improve.

1
Limited The student is not yet meeting the acceptable standard for the grade; makes an attempt, but has serious errors, omissions or misconceptions. This is a 'No, but there is some basis for making improvement.'
The teacher needs to make decisions about appropriate teacher intervention to help the student improve.

Insufficient / Blank No score is awarded because there is insufficient evidence of student performance based on the requirements of the assessment task. This is a 'No judgement can be made.'
The teacher must decide whether to have the student:
redo the task if the student is capable;
complete a different task at the student's ability level;
provide further instruction that will lead to retesting; or
'scrap it' the task is inappropriate for the student at this time.

[Analytic Scale]

Criteria/
Level 4
Excellent 3
Proficient 2
Adequate 1
Limited Insufficient /
Blank

No score is awarded because there is insufficient evidence of student performance based on the requirements of the assessment task.

When I decide to begin developing performance assessments for use in my classroom, where do I start?

Here are suggestions to get you started in developing and using performance assessments:

Think BIG, but start SMALL! Start collecting examples of performance assessments and rubrics (see 'Links of Interest')
Seek to participate in on-going discussions with colleagues about classroom assessment- what's working and what's not. Build a climate of experimentation.
Work with others in your school or department to develop common language about the assessment of student learning. Communicate within and across grades.
Develop a plan to include more student products or performances in your classroom assessment program.
Provide at least one self-reflective activity for students each week.
Develop or use at least one performance assessment with criteria and scoring rubric each grading period.

**NEW AAC Resource** This will be answered more fully when an AAC 'How-to' classroom teacher resource is developed that will demonstrate how to develop and use alternative assessment strategies to encourage student learning - actually impact classroom teaching and learning practices by the 'backward design' approach to unit and lesson planning - becomes an in-service tool for workshops and on-line interactive in-service. The resource will also address how to effectively use AAC assessment materials.

Two Complementary Approaches to Teaching

Thinking Like an Assessor

Backward Design approach Thinking Like an Activity Designer

What would be sufficient and revealing evidence of understanding? What would be interesting and engaging activities on this topic?

What performance tasks must anchor the unit and focus the instructional work? What resources and materials are available on this topic?

How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those who don't (though they may seem to do so?) What will students be doing in and out of class? What assignments will be given?

How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those who don't (though they may seem to do so?) What will students be doing in and out of class? What assignments will be given?

Against what criteria will I distinguish student work? How will I give students a mark (and justify it to parents)?

What misunderstandings are likely? How will I check for those misunderstandings? Did the activities work? Why or why not?

Source- adapted from Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by Design, ASCD, 1998. p 68

Backward design works like this ...

Begin with selected, specific learner outcomes.
Determine what you will accept as evidence that students have attained the desired understandings and proficiencies.
Determine what lessons, learning experiences and activities are needed to help students develop and practice new skills.
Determine what assessment tasks will enable students to reveal what they know and demonstrate what they can do, and how these assessments will be evaluated - (using a checklist, rating scale, rubric, paper and pencil test, etc.).
Use the information obtained through the assessment and evaluation process to determine what will be taught next.

This backward approach also departs from a common practice of thinking about assessment and evaluation as something done at the end, once teaching is completed and near the conclusion of a unit.

Teachers, who have adopted this approach for their unit and lesson design, report that the process of "thinking like an assessor"

not only helps them to clarify how to help students achieve learning outcomes,
but also results in more sharply defined teaching and learning, so that students perform better.

Based on- Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by Design, ASCD, 1998. pp 8-9

About Classroom Assessment

Stages in the Backward Design Process

Identify Learner
Outcomes
Including - General and
Specific

Determine
Acceptable Evidence
(Criteria)
aka - What does success look like?
What would we accept as evidence that
students have attained the desired
understandings and proficiency.

Plan learning
experiences
and instruction

Plan assessment,
evaluation and communication (aka reporting)
strategies

Is classroom assessment more than performance assessment?

YES.

There are many sources of information about student performance. No one source or strategy is necessarily better than another. Each strategy can provide useful and different information about the student. The most accurate profile of student performance is based on the findings gathered from assessing student performance in a variety of contexts and using a variety of strategies over a period of time. The key to valid results is the match between the specific learner outcome(s) and the selected assessment strategy.

Source- Physical Education Guide to Implementation to Grade 12, Alberta Learning, 2000

Assessment strategies may also include:

Tests (selected or brief constructed response items - multiple choice, true-false, completion, matching, short answer, label a diagram) to assess recall, recognition, or content mastery
Oral communication (constructed responses including interviews, questions & responses, peer teaching/coaching, conferencing) to assess speaking and listening skills, ability to support/defend a position, information gathering, synthesizing concepts/ methods
Written language (constructed responses including essays, learning logs, journals) to assess writing and organization skills, research skills, progress over time, goal setting, record personal experiences, and vocabulary

How can I make sense of the different kinds of assessment information for reporting purposes?

This question is considered in the AAC Framework for Communicating Student Learning (1999).

**NEW AAC Resource** This will be answered more fully when the AAC 'How-to' classroom teacher resource is developed to enable teachers to effectively communicate student progress and achievement using a range of evaluation inputs - from selected response percentages to performance assessment rubric scores.

What do members say about AAC classroom assessment tools?

In response to a question about how AAC materials are being used by teachers, here are a few responses from AAC members:

I'm finding more and more teachers who nod when I pose the question in workshops as to whether or not they know about and use the materials on the web site. I think use has increased as new Programs of Study are introduced, especially in math and language arts. My curriculum specialist colleagues have been helpful in promoting awareness and use of the materials. Some have used the frameworks in discussions with schools about assessment. I find it useful to include samples of the performance assessments in workshops on the new Program of Studies, for example, where the material is being presented to teachers in context, rather than as a separate item. Because we have growing numbers of new teachers, there will be a continuing need to make these colleagues aware of the materials.
I promote them at workshops and xerox copies for individual teachers when I see use for them in an applicable area or theme.
During the Summer Leadership Institute, one day is devoted to the topic of assessment and reporting. Two of the resources that are provided to participants in preparation for this day are the AAC Framework documents. The participants were impressed with these documents and felt that they provided an excellent overview of the issues related to these topics.

This year, for the first time, part of the session was devoted to having participants visit websites that provide assessment materials, or information about performance assessment. Needless to say, one of the websites bookmarked for this activity was the AAC website. Many of the participants were not aware of the materials available on the site but indicated that now they would be making use of it in the fall. Two out of province participants were most impressed with the materials available at this site and were anxious to find out how they could also have access.
In addition to teacher access to AAC materials on the Net, we have these available on CD-ROM and in print form in our Learning Resource Service Centre for teachers. I have given sessions and after school updates on assessment and provided the AAC materials, updates, explanations about access, and so forth.
I remind teachers and principals about these materials whenever we send out any information about student assessment or conferences and in discussions concerning various types of 'testing'. When teachers ask for assessment information or materials, we respond with a reminder about AAC resources.

How would you respond to the question...

How are AAC materials being used by teachers?

Contact AAC with your response. Those who submit detailed responses will receive a complimentary AAC teacher resource.

AAC ... everyday assessment tools for teachers
c/o Robert B. Hogg
Executive Director
Barnett House
#500, 11010 - 142 Street
Edmonton, AB T5N 2R1
(780) 447-9420
(780) 447-2531 (fax)

Email info@aac.ab.ca

"About Classroom Assessment (Q&A)" is also available for AAC members as a Word document.
Click here for document.

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