This week we were asked to dig a little deeper into Formative Assessments to add a few more criteria to our originally Rubric 1.0. After reading through a few more articles, I decided to add two more criteria to my rubric; Transfer of Knowledge and Student Self-Assessment. I also took some time to tweak some of the wording from Rubric 1.0. My goal was to improve upon Rubric 1.0, so I hope that I did just that.
Month: September 2017
Annotated Exemplar: Week 1
This week we were asked to use our Rubric 1.0 to critique a past assessment that we have given. We needed to ask ourselves, “Does this assessment stand up to the rubric we created for an exemplar assessment?”. Many times, we as teachers, are required to give certain assessments as a benchmark for student learning. The assessment I chose to critique was one of these. I chose a Unit 1 test on Fractions that I gave to my 5th grade class last year. This was a required benchmark test. What I am finding is that even if an assessment is required, it does not mean that it is an accurate reflection on student learning. Student learning should be assessed using multiple platforms and not just one end-all assessment. It is important for the assessment to provide open-ended questions that require application, opportunity for teacher feedback and remediation, and is given in the middle of instruction to provide opportunity for reteaching. Many times the school system looks for easily quantifiable assessments, but often times those assessements lack the ability to fully assess student learning.
Below is my critique on a required unit math assessment that I assessed using Rubric 1.0.
- I would describe the design of this assessment as a test. The assessment I chose is a Unit 1 multiple-choice test for 5th grade that is being used to assess student learning after completing Unit 1 on Fractions.
- The purpose of this assessment is to determine the level of proficiency of students after completing the lessons in Unit 1 about Fractions.
- The assumptions that I have made about this test is that it is an accurate reflection of their knowledge of fractions. I have also assumed that this test shows students’ ability to apply what they have learned about fractions to everyday situations. By the end of Unit 1 it is assumed that students will be able to show proficiency on fractions by completing this multiple choice test.
Rubric 1.0 Analysis:
Using Rubric 1.0 to assess this Unit 1 Fraction Test, that this assessment does not quite measure up in any category. This assessment does not include open-end performance based questions to allow students to apply their knowledge. Instead, it gives straight forward multiple choice questions that require minimal application, but rather look for memorization of the process.
Although this assessment will allow for moderate teacher-feedback in the form of a grade, it does not provide enough opportunity for the students to take that feedback and improve upon their learning.
Furthermore, this assessment also lacks the timing factor to allow for adequate remediation. This assessment is an End-of-Unit test resulting in a final grade. This assessment is not used to test students learning throughout the lesson. Once they reach this test, it is usually a “too-late” scenario. However, this assessment is given after formative assessments are provided throughout the course of the unit. Students are given formative assessments that help to guide instruction and give teachers the opportunity to provide feedback and give remediation as needed.
Below is the Link to the Unit 1 Math assessment. Use Rubric 1.0 to critique this assessment yourself.
Rubric for Assessing Good Assessments
This week we were asked to create a rubric to assess what makes a good assessment. While reading through the articles by Shepard (2000) and Black (2010) this week, I began to critically reflect on my assessment practices as an elementary teacher. This assignment is transforming the way I look at the assessments I give. Are the assessments we give an effective tool used to assess students’ understanding of the content? Do the assessments utilized assess students’ ability to apply the knowledge they learned, or does it simply assess their acquisition of knowledge?
This rubric is my first iteration that critically looks at what makes a good assessment. Throughout this course, I will add to the criteria and descriptions. As I move through this journey of creating a rubric for assessments, I will continue to critically think about my use of assessments and where they fall on this rubric. I hope that it helps you to do the same.
References:
Shepard, L. A. (2000). The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture. The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture, 9, 4-14. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1176145
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2010). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(1), 81-90. doi:10.1177/003172171009200119
Photo Credit:
Spanish, C. (2015, April 27). Make Standards-Based Grading a Reality in Your Classroom! Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://calicospanish.com/make-standards-based-grading-a-reality-in-your-classroom/
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