Assessment : Principles & Planning
What is the Point of Assessment?
What is the Point of Assessment?
Harrow School, London
Common complaints about assessments?
Validity / Accuracy
Reliability / Consistency
How do we ensure reliabilty?How do we ensure reliabilty?
• Set questions/paper in an expected form
• Be consistent for all classes
• Use clear language / stimulus
• Have a good number of test items
• Use a standard marking scheme
How do we ensure validity?How do we ensure validity?
• Require subject mastery by setters and vetters
• Examination / Coursework must accurately represent syllabus
• Learning outcomes must be tested
• Fair and correct level of difficulty must be applied
Which is more important?
Accuracy or Consistency?
Which is more important?
Accuracy or Consistency?
(SHOW VIDEO)(SHOW VIDEO)
“In 21st century learning environments, decontextualised drop-in-from-the-sky assessments consisting of isolated tasks and performances will have zero validity as indices of educational attainment”
(Pellegrino, 1999)
Types of Assessments
Formal Formal AssessmentAssessment
Informal Informal AssessmenAssessmen
tt
QuantitativQuantitativee
AssessmentAssessment
QualitativeQualitativeAssessmentAssessment
Formative AssessmentFormative AssessmentFormative AssessmentFormative Assessment
Summative Summative AssessmentAssessmentSummative Summative AssessmentAssessment
MQA: Learning OutcomesMQA: Learning Outcomes
Competencies should include mastery of:• A body of knowledge• Practical skills• Social skills and responsibility• Ethics and professionalism• Scientific thought; critical thinking and problem-
solving• Communication skills and teamwork• Information management and life long learning• Entrepreneurship and management
StandardsStandards
Context
(Syllabus)
Learning Outcomes (Bloom’s)
Knowledge/
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Diploma Year 1 70% 30%
Diploma Year 2
50% 50%
Degree Year 1 50% 50%
Degree Year 2 30% 50% 20%
Degree Year 3 60% 40%
How do we realise the standards?
How do we realise the standards?
AssessmentPlan
Assignments / Coursework
Examinations
What proportion of your assessment would you give to examinations and coursework?
Test BlueprintTest Blueprint
The Test BlueprintThe Test Blueprint
Topics
(Syllabus)
Learning Outcomes (Bloom’s)Total
Knowledge/
Comprehension
Application Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Q1-E
Q2-E,
Q3-M
Q4-D
Q5-M
Q7-M Q6-M
Q8-M Q9-M
Q10-D
Total 2 7 1
1.List topics to
be tested
2.Decide number
of Qs per topic
3.Decide on the level e.g. Bloom’s Taxonomy
(Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, An
4.Decide on the number of Qs’ per level
5.Decide on difficulty level for each Q
The questions will change, not the
blueprint!
The questions will change, not the
blueprint!
“Factual knowledge is valueless in a culture where Google and Wikipedia are a mouse-click away”
(Elliot, 2008)
A Blueprint ensures…A Blueprint ensures…
• Congruence with teaching & learning plan
• Content validity - test what has been taught
• Assist test setter especially the uninitiated
• Maintain standard of test
• Comparable to other test(s)
21st Century Assessment?21st Century Assessment?
Peer-to-PeerAssessments
Collaboration
Multi-Media / Digital
Distributed
Real-world
TraditionalTraditional EmergingEmerging
Preparing students for professorship / De-contextualised
Training students for real-world action
Lower Order Lower Order ThinkingThinking
Higher Order Higher Order SkillsSkills
Teacher-Assessed Peer-Assessed
Individual Collaborative
Conformity expected Creativity demanded