Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

K-12 Classroom Teaching: A primer for new professionals/Andrea Guillaume

Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-158024-4 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-13-1,58024-8
1. First Year teachers-United States. 2. Teaching-United States'

3rd ed. p. cm.

l- Qrrillaume, Andrea M.

L82844-1.N4G85 2008

371.1-4c22

2007023855

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97A+tylffi24-4
(}rl158024-8

CHAPTER 7

tFW L6 Assessrng assessmenls.

Traditional Tests

Most often cognitive.

Select items that
match objectives and
what was taught.
Careful to dig deeper
than facts for
generalizations.
Write special
questions for
incidental learnings.

Easy to collect for

every student.
Objective items are
most reliable.

Usually used postinstruction. Reteach

based on results.
Brief, self-graded
quizzes can be used
during instruction.

Validity may be
affected by students,
desire to please.
Can tap all three
domains.
Can tap integrated,
complex
understandings.
Can span longer
time periods.

Can tap all three

domains.
Good for measuring
progress toward
larger goals return.
Good for long-term
growth.

lf students are
allowed choice, can
be difficult to assess
uniformly across
products.
Reliabitity is affected if
work was conducted
outside of class.

Argued as being
highly valid because
entries are samples
trom many time
periods and different
conditions.
Train raters for best

Typically not, but is

possible with teacher
effort.

Special strength.
However, if you won,t
use results, don,t ask
Find an audience to
appreciate products.
Think specifically
about what to do
with results.

Can profoundly
influence instruction.
Time intensive.

Can be a strength if
students are allowed
choice.
Encourage selfevaluation of work.

Excellent potential_
when author has
ownership.
Good for
goal-setting.

reliabitity.

May overestimate
competence if work
is completed
collaboratively.
Can be difficult to
A collection of entries assess
using a
over time can give
standard protocol
indications of long_
unless prompts are
term development.
very structured.
Excellent for
Journals depend
assessing incidental
upon teachers,abilitu
learning and affective
to interpret studentsi
domain.
written words and
symbols.
Discussion can
protect validity.

Can be used at all

instructional staoes,
Must have an
audience.

Time-consuming if
teacher is sole
audience.

Open prompts
include a great deal
of student choice.
Students need to be
able to express
themselves in
writing.
Students need to
value the prompts for
journals to be useful.

Assessment
FICARE

7.6

1,97

Continued,

PerformanceBased
Assessments

Use regularly
throughout the year
to collect evidence of
long-term growth.
Excellent for
psychomotor (and
other) domains.

Each student must

be given the same
opportunity to
perform.
Validity can be
affected if the
performance situation
is uncomfortable for
the student.
Scoring procedures
need to be clearly
specified.

Many teachers
obtain baseline
information through
performances, and
then assess again
after instruction.

Allow students to
self-assess their
performance and to
evaluate your
instruction to suggest
the next step.

Teacher
Observations

Excellent for affective

and psychomotor
domains.

Structured
observation guides
and class lists can
help focus teachers'
attention on certain
items for all students.

lndividual lessons
can include a period

Variable, depends
upon structure of the
observation.

lnterviews

Used primarily for

cognitive and
psychomotor items,
but affect can
naturally arise.

Allows for great

depth for individual
students.
Tied to verbal skills.

Depth of information
obtained can be very
useful for instruction
planning.
Requires careful
planning to interview
all students.

Respectful
questioning can
allow children to
share what they
know, can do, and
find important.

Drawings and
Diagrams

Drawing uses
psychomotor skills.
Cognitive and
affective domains
can both be
addressed.

Allow students to
describe the meaning
behind their works to
ensure that you fully
understand what the
students are trying to

Highly appropriate at
all phases of the
instructional cycle.

Presents tasks
(drawing) that are
atypical for school for
many students; many
students enjoy the
novelty and the
nonlinear,
nonlingulstic
opportunity.
Some students do
not feel comfortable
drawing.

convey.

during which teacher

observes to check
for student progress.

student, whereas with traditional assessments, power tends to reside more with
the assessor. Traditional tests often have the benefits of efficiency and more objectivity in scoring. In contrast, alternative assessments often have the benefit of
richness because information is collected over time and in a range of contexts.
Despite their potential benefits, both kinds of measures also have their criticisms. Some traditional tests, for example, are criticized for focusing on student deficits rather than on what students can do. Some are seen as providing
little information related to realistic settings or the application of knowledge. Finally, they are also criticized as containing biases against students in nondominant groups (see, for example, Murphy, 1994). Likewise, alternative
assessments are criticized as failing to provide sufficient evidence of validity
and reliability (Bateson, 1994; Ryan, 2006). They can also lack meaningful
standards, and biases against minority students also exist for alternative
assessments (Howell, Bigelow, Moore, , Eroy, 1993).