All College Day: Our Role in Student Success Incorporating Authentic Assessment in the Classroom October 2010

All College Day:Our Role in Student Success

Incorporating Authentic Assessment in the

Classroom

October 2010

http://www.spcollege.edu/

Incorporating Authentic Assessment in the Classroom 2010

October 26, 2010 All College Day: Our Role in Student Success 2

St. Petersburg College

Presenters

Dr. Carol Weideman, Mathematics Professor

Dr. James Coraggio, Director, Academic Effectiveness and Assessment



Assessment Basics

Why do we assess? To see how well we are doing To confirm what we already know To share our progress with others To see where we can improve and change In some cases to demonstrate what does not

work

J



Assessment Basics

Source: http://www.c-pal.net/course/module2/pdf/Week1_Lesson5.pdf

Why do we assess?

J


Purpose of an Assessment

“Clearly delineate between those that know the content and those that do not.”

To determine whether the student knows the content, not whether the student is a good test-taker.

Likewise, confusing and tricky questions should be avoided to prevent incorrect responses from students who know the material.


J


Types of Assessments

Objective assessments Authentic assessment


J



Objective Assessments

Measure several types of learning (also levels) Wide content, short period of time Variations for flexibility Easy to administer, score, and analyze Scored more reliability and quickly

C



Types of Objective Tests

Written-response Completion (fill-in-the-blank) Short answer

Selected-response Alternative response (two options) Matching Keyed (like matching) Multiple choice

C


Small Group Assignment

Multiple Choice Assessment

Assignment Objectives Solving Equations using addition and

multiplication principles Solving applied problems by translating to

equations


C


Issues with Objective Assessments

Limited depth of content Not able to reveal student misconceptions Limited ability to test critical thinking skills Students are ‘Test-wise’


C


Test-wise Students

Are familiar with item formats Use informed and educated guessing Avoid common mistakes Have testing experience Use time effectively Apply various strategies to solve different

problem types


C


Authentic Experiences

Is the course aligned with the expectations for the student in the ‘real-world’? Authentic Learning Authentic Assessment


J



Class Without Authentic Experiences

Didactic instruction where students are presented with factual information from a text book

Assessment is primarily multiple choice items where students are expected to regurgitate factual information

J



Class With Authentic Experiences

Interactive learning environment where students not only learn facts but the relationship between the facts and the application of that information

Authentic assessment where students are able to model the applications of the discipline through simulations, projects, etc.

J



Authentic Assessments

Authentic assessments serve dual purposes of encouraging students to think critically and providing assessment data for measuring improved

student learning.

These assessment techniques fall into three general categories: criterion-referenced rubrics, student reports (reflection or self-assessments), and student portfolios.

J



Authentic Assessments

Authentic assessments include… Criterion-referenced rubrics. Complex, higher-order

objectives can be measured only by having students create a unique product, whether written or oral [in-class essays, speeches, term papers, videos, computer programs, blueprints, or artwork] (Carey, 2000).

Student Reflection. Written reflection is espoused to have several important benefits: it can deepen the quality of critical thinking, increase active involvement in learning, and increase personal ownership of the new learning by the student (Moon, 1999).

Student Portfolios. Collections of students’ work over a course or a program and can be an effective method of demonstrating student progress in the area of critical thinking (Carey, 2000).

J



Authentic Assessment: Building a Fence Worksheet

Assignment Objectives Solving Equations using addition and

multiplication principles Solving applied problems by translating to

equations


C



You want to fence in part of your backyard. The dimensions of the fenced yard are shown in the diagram below.


The fence will have a 10ft gate and a vertical support pole every 10 ft.

•10 ft Gate: $100

•Vertical Support Poles: $5 each

•Chain Link Fencing: $2 per foot

C



A. Write and graph an equation for the cost of building a fence that has the cost per foot and one gate.

Let y = total cost of the fence

x = cost per foot

B. Using the given information and the equation from Part A, how much will it cost to build the fence?

C. Suppose chain link fencing is sold only in 50 ft length rolls. You don’t want to waste or throw away any fencing. How much wider does the yard need to be to use all the fencing in the rolls?


C



Rubrics

What is a rubric? Scoring guidelines, consisting of

specific pre-established performance criteria, used in evaluating student work on performance assessments

C



Rubrics

SPC currently uses rubrics in such programs as…

College of Education College of Nursing Paralegal Studies Program

C



Rubric Development Process

1. Re-examine the learning objectives to be addressed by the task

2. Identify specific observable attributes your students should demonstrate

3. Describe characteristics at each attribute 4. Write narrative descriptions for each level of

continuum 5. Collect samples of student work 6. Score student work and identify samples that

exemplify various levels 7. Revise the rubric as needed

Repeat as Needed

J



Assignment Profile

Designed to provide consistency and accuracy as well as provide guidelines for the use

Rubric is an evaluation ‘tool’, but for a tool to be effective it must be in the correct situation or ‘job.’ It would be inefficient to use a machete to conduct heart surgery.

Rubric must be aligned to the most appropriate course assignment

The instructor is the assessment instrument not the rubric

J


Full Group Assignment

Rubric: STA2023 Sampling Project Assignment Objectives

Identify the sampling strategies commonly employed to collect data

Describe potential biases encountered with sampling strategies used in various statistical applications

Suggest strategies to avoid potential biases when using sampling to collect data for a statistical application


J/C



Management at a retail store is concerned about the possibility of drug abuse by people who work there. They decide to check on the extent of the problem by having a random sample of the employees undergo a drug test. The lawyers for the retail store have assured the management that there are no legal issues with the proposed drug testing as long as the individual test results are not identified to a specific employee. Depending the extent of illegal drugs identified in the drug testing, drug counseling may be offered to all employees under the promise of complete confidentiality.

You have been hired as the statistician who will design the sampling plan. The budget for the drug testing will cover the cost of 40 drug tests.


J/C



Management has proposed several different ideas about the best way to obtain the random sample of 40 employees who will be drug tested. There are currently 500 employees at this retail store. There are four classifications of employees: supervisors, full-time sales clerks, part-time sales clerks and maintenance staff. These sampling possibilities are listed below:

Select one of the employee classifications and sample all employees in that classification. Choose every fourth person who clocks in for each shift. Randomly select 10 employees from each classification. Each employee has a three-digit employee number. Randomly select 40 employees.


J/C



Answer the following questions regarding this scenario:

Define this problem in your own words. Compare and contrast the four proposed sampling plans. Select one of the proposed sampling plan that you feel is most appropriate for

this situation and defend your choice. Describe any weaknesses in your selected sampling plan. Make suggestions on ways to improve/strengthen the sampling plan. You

may include information not described in the scenario above. Reflect on your own thought process after completing the assignment.

“What did you learn from this process?”

“What would you do differently next time to improve?”


J/C


Assessment Basics

Alignment of course objectives Competency, Clarity, Bias, Level of

Difficulty Validity and Reliability


C



Assessment Basics

Alignment Everything needs to align (objectives

through assessment)

C


Competency

Items should test for the appropriate or adequate level of knowledge, skill, or ability (KSA) for the students.

Assessing lower division students on graduate level material is an ‘unfair’ expectation.

The competent student should do well on an assessment, items should not be written for only the top students in the class.


C


Clarity

Clear, precise item and instruction Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling Address one single issue Avoid extraneous material (teaching) One correct or clearly best answer Legible copies of exam


C


Bias

Tests should be free from bias…No stereotypingNo gender biasNo racial biasNo cultural biasNo religious biasNo political bias


C


Level of Difficulty

Ideally, test difficulty should be aimed a middle level of difficulty. This can not always be achieved when the subject matter is based on specific expectations (i.e, workforce area).


J


Trivial and Trick Questions

Avoid trivia and tricks Avoid humorous or ludicrous responses Items should be straight forward, they

should cleanly delineate those that know the material from those that do not

Make sure every item has value and that it is contributing to the final score


J



Assessment Basics

Does one size fit all? Assessments need to be valid Assessments need to be reliable

J



Validity

Does the assessment measure what it is suppose to measure?

“Validation is the process of accumulating evidence that supports the appropriateness of inferences that are made of student responses…” (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999)

J



Types of Validity Evidence

Content Related - the extent to which a student’s responses to a given assessment reflect that student’s knowledge of the content area

Construct Related - the extent to which the responses being evaluated are appropriate indicators of the underlying construct

Criterion Related - the extent to which the results of the assessment correlate with a current or future event

Consequential – the consequences or use of the assessment results J



Reliability

Consistency of the assessment scores

Types of reliability… Interrater Reliability – scores vary from

instructor to instructor. Intrarater Reliability – scores vary from a

single instructor from paper to paper A test can be reliable and not valid,

but never valid and not reliable J



Reliability Concerns

Reliability1. Are the score categories well defined?2. Are the differences between the score

categories clear?3. Would two independent raters arrive

at the same score for a given student response based on the scoring rubric?

J



Improving Scoring Consistency

Provide grading rubrics or scoring criteria to students prior to assessment

Grade papers anonymously Use anchor papers to define levels

of proficiency for reference Use multiple scorers Calculate reliability statistics during

training and grading J



Assessment Basics

Multiple Measures Always to good to implement

multiple measures when possible Ideally direct and indirect measures

of competency

C



Indirect Methods

“indirect measures …help deepen the interpretation of student learning” (Maki, 2004).

SSI is a good example of an indirect measure.

C



Questions/Next Steps

All College DayOur Role in Student Success

Incorporating Authentic Assessment in the

Classroom

October 2010

http://www.spcollege.edu/

Documents

All College Day: Our Role in Student Success Incorporating Authentic Assessment in the Classroom October 2010