cluster eight

Case Studies

Early Childhood: “The Zoo”

Elementary School: “Writing Wizards” Middle School: “ Assessment: Cafeteria

Style”

High School: “ Innovative Assessment

Strategies”

Module 26: Assessing Student Learning

Outline and Learning Goals 466 What Is Assessment? 467 Assessment Planning 469 Communication of Classroom

Assessment Information 473 Summary 479 Key Concepts 479 Case Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 479

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classroom assessment

Module 27: Test Construction and Use

Outline and Learning Goals 481 Characteristics of High Quality

Classroom Tests 482 Developing a Test Blueprint 485 Developing Test Items 487 Test Analysis and Revision 493 Summary 495 Key Concepts 495 Case Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 496

Module 28: Performance Assessment

Outline and Learning Goals 498 A Broader View of Assessment 499 Developing Performance

Assessments 501 Evaluating Performance Assessments 504 Advantages and Disadvantages of

Performance Assessments 509 Summary 511 Key Concepts 511 Case Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 512

8

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458

Prepare:

1

As you read the case, make notes:

1. WHO are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

2. WHAT is taking place?

3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

Sanjay Baterdene is a preschool teacher at a lab school in a large midwestern city. The laboratory preschool is affiliated with a local university and serves as an observation, research, and training facility for students who are pursuing a degree in early childhood education. Sanjay is currently completing his master’s degree. He works four afternoons each week in the preschool classroom alongside a much more experienced lead teacher, Vivian Stanich, who has been at the school for almost 25 years. In addition to working with young children in the classroom, Vivian often teaches a course in the developmental assessment of young children at the university the lab school is affiliated with. Sanjay is a little in awe of his more experienced counterpart and wants to make sure he is doing his best at all times. Vivian has stressed the importance of developmentally appropriate assessment practices, and she has set up the classroom to facilitate many opportunities for assessing the students through informal observation.

This afternoon the children (a mix of four- and five-year-olds) are engaged in activities in various learning centers around the room. In the tiled area near the sinks, Miriam and Greg are painting on opposite sides of a large free-standing easel. Sanjay walks over to watch the children as they paint.

“What are you making, Miriam?” he asks. He sees a slightly disapproving look from Vivian and restates his question as “Tell me about that painting, Miriam.” Miriam is happily painting thick swirls of color on the paper in front of her. She doesn’t answer right away, and Greg shouts, “Hey, Mr. Sanjay, come look at my picture!” Sanjay crosses over to Greg and admires the scene before him. Greg has painted what appears to be a family, but Sanjay notices that all the family members have large heads with arms and legs sticking out (no actual torsos). Sanjay knows that this is a very typical way for young children to represent people in their early drawings. He smiles and tells Greg that he notices the entire page is full all the way to the edges.

“I have a very big family,” says Greg.

“Wow! Tell me about all these people who have shown up in your painting,” Sanjay replies. Greg launches into an animated discussion of the various family members he has represented.

Sanjay then wanders over to the block area but finds that wooden blocks are only one of the many items being utilized by the children. With the blocks, they are building a gigantic zoo housing an assortment of plastic animal figures. Their play has spread well outside the block area and is beginning to encroach on the snack table area. Cindy and Arelio are engaged in a disagreement over whether the cages at the zoo should be locked up or the animals should be allowed to roam free. Ellen pipes up to say that maybe the bad animals can be locked up but the good ones can be let out. Arelio asks how they will know if the animal is bad or good. Sanjay listens in as the children discuss badly behaved animals. Marcus, another zoo builder, suggests that they reorganize the zoo so that the good animals are in one area and the bad animals are in another. The other children seem to like this idea, and they begin picking up the plastic animal figures and putting them in new locations. Arelio gets a doll figure from the classroom’s dollhouse and places it in the “bad zone.” He laughs uproariously as he points at the doll and says “My sister.” As the zoo grows, the group of zoo builders also grows, and soon more than half the class is engaged

Early Childhood

2

The Zoo

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Assess

in adding features to the zoo. Half an hour later, Sanjay realizes he needs to have the children clean up and go to the tables for snack.

When he announces clean-up time, he hears a loud groan from several of the children. Marcus asks if they can keep the zoo where it is for the rest of the week. Sanjay checks with Vivian to make sure she has no objections. He is surprised that she quickly agrees to let the sprawling zoo stay. The children cheer and head over to wash their hands for snack. Cindy and Arelio approach Sanjay with a piece of paper and a large crayon, asking if he will write “Zany Zoo” on their paper. “How about if I tell you the letters and you write it?” he asks. They agree, and they slowly and carefully make their sign, which they later tape on the floor by the zoo entrance.

As the children are getting settled for snack, Sanjay takes a minute to jot down a few anecdotal notes to refer to later when he writes up narrative progress reports to share at parent-teacher conferences. He notes some of the skills he has observed various children using this afternoon as well as personal interests he has seen them display. Then he joins the group in the snack area.

When Sanjay first started working at the lab school, he volunteered to tell the children stories during snack time. “We make our own stories,” they said. As Sanjay learned what they meant, he began to look forward eagerly to the snack time story session. Vivian would begin the session with an outlandish statement, such as “I love to wear pink bubblegum in my hair.” The child who happened to be sitting closest to her would respond with a line of his or her own, such as “That’s because my name is Hubba Bubba.” Each child then would get a turn to add his or her own piece to the emerging story. If the story of the day was really a hit with the children, Vivian would have the students repeat it back to her and she would write it down. On that Friday, the students would stage a production and act out the story. Sanjay suspected that today’s story would somehow involve crazy animals at a zoo.

3 1. The children in this preschool classroom are four and five years old. If you were the teacher, how would you assess their knowledge and skills?

2. In your opinion, what kinds of skills might be important to assess in working with this age group?

3. Why do you suspect there were no traditional tests given in this classroom?

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460

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

1. WHO are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

2. WHAT is taking place?

3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

Brigita Blaydes beams with pride as she peeks into the school cafeteria to see the Young Authors Fair in full swing. Just a few short months ago, Brigita welcomed 27 reluctant writers into her fourth-grade class, and today those same students are displaying their work for parents, classmates, and members of the community. The students, arranged in centers around the cafeteria, are taking turns sharing their writing, illustrating, reading, and storytelling skills with their invited guests.

Brigita is passionate about reading and writing and has worked hard to share that passion with her students. Her room is filled with picture books, chapter books, children’s magazines, collections of poems, and posters of famous actors, politicians, and sports figures reading a favorite book. In the first days of the school year, Brigita welcomed her new students into the classroom by giving each of them a letter written by one of her former students. The letters gave her new crop of students a sense of what they could expect in

the year ahead and imparted words of wisdom from the previous year’s “writing wizards,” as the class had come to call themselves. One letter read:

Welcome young wizard! You are about to begin a great adventure, but you’d better come prepared. Ms. Blaydes will cast her reading and writing spell on you just like she did with us—and there will be no turning back. Before you know it you will be carrying a little notebook with you everywhere to jot down “story snippets,” searching for “power words,” and getting excited about “onomatopoeia.” You say you don’t know what onomatopoeia is? Don’t worry. . . . You soon will. . . .

These letters helped spark a curiosity about writing that Brigita found many ways to sustain throughout the year. As she watches her young authors in action presenting their work in the cafeteria, she reflects on the process that pushed reading and writing into the spotlight in her classroom. Two years ago, Prairie View Elementary School implemented a new writing program after several teachers (including Brigita) enrolled in a course on teaching writing as a process and integrating writing across content areas. Brigita learned to use many different strategies to help her students grasp the concepts and principles of good writing, and she has given students plenty of time to practice their skills. Every Monday morning, her students have come to expect a “Grammar Slammers” event. This is a quiz—although Brigita never actually calls it that. Students are given a practice sheet with ten sentences to correct. They must identify and correct any grammar, punctuation, or spelling mistakes they can find. When they are finished, Brigita puts up an answer key on the overhead showing the mistakes and their corrections. Students use this key to correct their responses, and the class discusses which errors were the easiest and the most difficult to catch. Students also take a Friday vocabulary quiz in which they match vocabulary words with their definitions.

Brigita believes that students learn to write by writing, so she combines objective tests of basic writing skills with plenty of opportunities to write for different audiences and purposes. Her students have written letters to themselves (and mailed them!) as well as weekly newsletters for parents. To vary the routine a bit, she has introduced writing events like the month-long “Greatest Fan” project for which students were assigned to be the secret fan of a football player on the local high school team. Students wrote weekly

AElementary School Writing Wizards

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BC

EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

letters to their assigned team member, and the football coach taped the letters to the players’ lockers. Each week Brigita had the students incorporate new writing conventions they had learned into their letters. At the end of the month, the football players were invited to visit her class to meet and take photos with their fans.

This semester the writing wizards in Brigita’s room have been creating their own memoirs, persuasive pieces, poems, and illustrated picture books as part of the Young Authors project. Students use feedback from classmates and teachers to assess and improve their writing performance. Conferences with peer writing partners and teachers, before and during writing, help students select topics and polish skills. Today’s Young Authors Fair is an additional way for the students to get feedback about their writing. The invited guests have been given evaluation forms for providing written comments on several aspects of the students’ work. Each guest has been encouraged to provide commentary for at least five students.

Brigita’s reminiscences about the students’ writing journey this year are interrupted as she feels a tug on her arm. Jenny, a quiet fourth grader who has produced some lovely poems this semester, has come to tell her that she has seen the guest of honor arrive. Brigita invited a well-known children’s book author to join today’s event to read a selection of his stories and discuss his own writing process with the group.

1. What message do you think Brigita Blaydes is sending her students by spending so much class time on writing?

2. Do you think Brigita’s approach to writing instruction (and assessment) is likely to be effective in promoting good writing skills? Explain.

3. If you were a student in Brigita’s class, how would you react to the range of assignments described in this case?

Assess

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462

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

1. WHO are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

2. WHAT is taking place?

3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

Ida Reffert, a social studies teacher at Tecumseh Middle School, couldn’t wait for her eighth-grade students to arrive this morning to hear her plans for their final project. With three weeks of the semester to go, Ida has been brainstorming to come up with a more interesting and creative way to assess students’ understanding of the ideas they have been studying. With the students in her first-period class settled into their seats, Ida points to the board, where she has written “Assessment: Cafeteria Style” in big letters.

She tells them, “I have noticed that you each have your own strengths and talents, and I want to give you a chance to really showcase this as we wrap up our last unit of the school year. Instead of taking our traditional end-of-the-unit exam, you will be designing a project that draws on your strengths and allows you to demonstrate how well you understand the information we’ve been studying since we returned from spring break.”

The students look puzzled.

“Let me give you an example. Karlee, you’ve mentioned how much you love to take pictures, right? You might decide to create a photo essay that includes photographs of different objects or events that tie in with our unit and provides a description along with each photo.”

“Awesome! You mean I could really do that instead of taking the test?” replies Karlee. “Sure,” answers Ida. “And Jarred, I know you’ve been the announcer this season at the basketball games. Perhaps you could put those vocal talents to use here by creating some kind of radio show that takes us back in history.”

Big grins start to emerge on the faces of the students as they realize the wide range of possibilities being made available to them.

“Let’s take a few minutes to brainstorm some other ideas just to get everyone thinking about some options. Does anyone have an idea of something that might be interesting for a project?”

Several hands go up, and Ida spends the next few minutes jotting down suggestions on the board: building a model, designing a Web-based history activity, creating a historical cartoon strip, designing a poster with a detailed illustrated time line, filming a short talk show episode with historical guests. The class is buzzing with excitement. As the class files out at the end of the period, three students stay behind to talk with Ida.

Nettie, the captain of the girls’ track team, says, “Ms. Reffert, this is a cool idea and all, and I know you’re trying to make this more fun for us, but I am freaking out here. I have track practice every day after school, meets every weekend for the next few weeks, and I also have a regular babysitting job. I’m afraid I won’t have time to come up with something great for this project. If it wasn’t right during track season I would probably love the idea, but right now I’d much rather just take the test and get it over with.” Carla, another student on the track team, voices the same concerns.

Ida responds, “Let me think that over girls and consider what would be a fair option.” As the girls head to their next class, Angelo, another student, approaches Ida and says, “Students are talking about doing cool stuff with digital cameras, video, art supplies, costumes. I don’t have those kinds of things. My mom works two jobs and is always reminding me about how hard it is to make ends meet. I’ll be lucky if she has time to take

Middle School

Assessment: Cafeteria Style

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B+

me out to buy a piece of posterboard right now. I would rather just take the test. I feel like I will be at a real disadvantage compared to some of the other kids.”

“Don’t worry, Angelo. We’ll work something out. Let me think about it and I’ll touch base with you in class tomorrow,” Ida replies.

She expected all the students to welcome the project idea because it puts them in control and lets them express themselves. Most students seem very excited about the project, but similar concerns were raised by a few students in her other eighth-grade social studies classes. One of her top students raised a good question about how Ida was going to be able to grade the projects because they each might be so different. She realizes that she hasn’t given that enough thought. She decides to look online to see if she can find some tips to help her create a grading rubric of some kind.

The next day Ida distributes the following handout in class:

To wrap up our last unit of the semester, you have two assessment options. Each option is worth 100 points.

Option 1: Take an in-class 50-question multiple-choice exam on the material we’ve been covering since your return from spring break. The exam questions will be drawn from information covered in our class readings, lectures, handouts, and power point slides.

Option 2: Complete an applied project that draws on knowledge you’ve gained during this last unit. You need to get your project idea approved by me before beginning, and you will be graded using the following rubric.

Project Options Radio show Photo essay Poster Cartoon strip Model

%

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Project Rubric

Exemplary Proficient Basic

Demonstrates some under standing of course theories and concepts.

Does not use course theories and concepts in this project.

Content (50 pts) Demonstrates accurate understanding of course theories and concepts.

Real-World Relevance (10 pts)

Grammar and Syntax (10 pts)

Project includes some examples of how to apply concepts and principles from Unit 3.

Does not give examples or demonstrate how to implement concepts and principles from Unit 3.

A few grammar and syntax flaws interfere with under standing the author’s message.

Organization (10 pts) Ideas and information are well organized.

Some flaws in organiza tion interfere with under standing of the project.

Project is haphazard. No apparent organization.

Appearance (10 pts) Appearance of project is neat, with attention paid to every detail.

Appearance of project is good but not excellent.

Project is sloppy, seems hastily thrown together.

Flawless grammar and syntax are used.

A few grammar and syntax flaws interfere with under standing the author’s message.

Several errors. No evidence of proofreading.

Creativity (10 pts) Format and execution of project are very creative.

Project has some creative elements. Little or no creativity is involved in this project.

Project includes excellent examples or demonstrates how to apply Unit 3 content.

Project includes some examples of how to apply concepts and principles from Unit 3.

Assess

1. What is your initial reaction to Ida Reffert’s plan for assessing her students’ learning in the final unit of the semester?

2. Is it appropriate to let students choose how they will be assessed? Why or why not?

3. What challenges do you foresee with this assessment approach?

4. How do you think this plan might impact students’ attitudes toward learning the material?

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Prepare:

MEMO

As you read the case, make notes:

1. WHO are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

2. WHAT is taking place?

3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

For the past 12 years, Joe Medino has been the principal at Jefferson High School, a large public high school within the city limits of a small town in the southeastern United States. He recently attended a conference on Assessment Issues in Education that presented many alternatives to traditional assessment. Intrigued by many of the suggestions he heard, Joe has decided to share the information with his teachers on his return to school. The school has a Professional Development Day scheduled for the following week, so Joe has prepared a brief description of some of the assessment options he encountered at the conference. He has asked the teachers to review the material before the workshop and come prepared to discuss it. His memo to the teachers follows.

High School Innovative Assessment Strategies

From: Principal Medino

RE: Interesting alternatives for classroom assessment

At the conference I attended last week, I learned that many schools are designing and using innovative assessment strategies, including authentic assessment, portfolios, process assessment, exhibits, and demonstrations. I’d like to share a few examples with you so we can discuss them as a group during our upcoming professional development workshop. Here are some of the ideas presented by teachers from around the country:

English At a high school in Oregon, seniors complete a three-part Senior Project to graduate.

1. Students first choose a topic of interest to them, conduct research, and write a paper.

2. Next, they use the information in the papers to create real-life projects. While these projects are to satisfy requirements for senior English, the rich variety of topics chosen makes these efforts interdisciplinary. One aspiring singer wrote and performed a song she had learned to orchestrate. Another student wrote about Big Brother and Big Sister programs and recruited students to work with children from broken homes.

3. The third phase of the project is a formal presentation before a panel of teachers and community members, some of whom are experts in the topic. Following the formal presentation, judges ask each senior several questions to evaluate impromptu speaking skills, knowledge level, and poise.

Social Studies At a high school in Rhode Island, ninth-grade students are asked to complete an oral history project based on interviews and written sources and to present their findings in class. Students are expected to identify central issues they want to explore, identify appropriate sources, develop a set of interview questions, and develop a presentation of their results. Students are evaluated on criteria such as whether they investigated three central issues, described at least one change over

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EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

time, selected four appropriate sources for the interviews, asked valid questions, noted important differences between “fact” and “opinion” in answers, and effectively organized their writing and their presentation to the class.

In New Hampshire, as a four-part assessment for a twelfth-grade humanities course, students are asked to:

1. Construct their own final test on the semester content, subject to approval by the teacher.

2. Submit a written report on a central topic studied during the semester, conforming to stated grammar requirements.

3. Make a multimedia, 30-minute oral presentation on their chosen topic.

4. Serve on four evaluation teams to evaluate other students’ presentations, playing a different role on each team—either a journalist who summarizes important details or a coach who suggests improvements for the presentation.

Math In a California junior high, a math teacher presents a unit or concept and then assigns projects that demonstrate how well students understand the concept. For example, to assess area and perimeter relationships in math, he asked the class to use a particular constant, say “1250 square feet,” and design a scale model of a dream home, using graph paper for the floors. These strategies help him judge how much learning the student has retained. He found that “while I thought my students fully understood area relationships before we started on the project, in fact they really learned much more as they went along, when trying to find answers to specific questions such as how many square feet a bathroom should be.”

Many of you are currently using traditional test formats to assess your students. When we meet at the workshop next week, I’d like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your current assessment plan, and I’d like to discuss ways we might incorporate a broader variety of options into our assessment approach as a school.

1. What is your initial reaction to the range of assessment options discussed in Joe Medino’s memo as a student? as a future teacher?

2. How do these assessment options compare to the way you were assessed in your high school classes?

3. In your opinion, will teachers at Jefferson High School embrace the assessment ideas presented by Joe? Why or why not?

Assess

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