EDUC 418 Secondary/Middle School Assessment

EDUC 418 Secondary/Middle School Assessment 1 Credit Hour Fall 2011

Instructor: Dr. Patti Blundell, Professor of Education

Office: Old Admin 115 Phone: (308) 432-6469 (308)432-6383 for Dept. of Education Office Assistant

E-Mail: [email protected]

Office Hours: As posted and by appointment

Course Description: Secondary/Middle School Assessment focuses on the construction of valid and reliable teacher made tests and the interpretation of scores from these and standardized instruments. Performance-based assessment tools will be emphasized. This course is taken as part of the professional year, Semester #1 (Chadron State College 2009-2011 General Catalog, pg. 160).

Secondary Block Structure The Secondary Professional Semester (Block) courses should be considered as an integration of the following six (6) courses: EDUC 411S: Reading /Writing in the Content Areas EDUC 412S: Secondary/Middle School General Instructional Methods EDUC 414S: Secondary/Middle School Classroom Management EDUC 415 S: Human Relations/Multicultural Education EDUC 418S: Secondary/Middle School Assessment SPED 412S: Special Education Practices and Strategies

Integration of course content takes place on a variety of levels and through a number of activities. Some examples of course integration include:  Block orientation

 Shared Block philosophy (i.e., Constructivist Theory of Instruction)

 Professional Development Workshops (jointly with Elementary Block)  Conference attendance

 Multicultural field experiences

 Block planning and scheduling

 Discussion and reflection (i.e., curriculum discussions)

Prerequisite: The student must have completed the following: Professional Education courses Supporting courses Communication courses Three-fourths of the minor area completed A 2.5 GPA in all course work

Required Text: Witte, R.H. (2012). Classroom assessment for teachers. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Intended Program Outcomes: The six intended program outcomes are as follows: 1) Promote activities that elicit critical thought, beyond recall and comprehension. (THINKING SKILLS) 2) Develop and maintain a physically inclusive and emotionally safe classroom environment conducive to effective learning, that encourages student concerns, embraces elements of diversity, and exhibits and understanding of child growth and development. (HUMAN RELATIONS 3) Design and assess learning activities (with sequential goals and objectives, utilizing assessment measures to make instructional and/or curricular decisions. (ASSESSMENT) 4) Demonstrate and promote effective communication skills (with students and adults), while respecting diversity and engaging students in the learning enterprise through motivation and constructive learning applications. (COMMUNICATIONS) 5) Plan and deliver teaching-learning activities that are consistent with identified learning objectives, ability level of students, while using a variety of instructional methodologies/strategies to prescribe for individual differences. (METHODOLOGY- TECHNOLOGY) 6) Demonstrate conduct befitting a professional educator, to include the following dispositions: regular self reflection, positive ethical behavior, respectful and attentive attitude, effective classroom management skills, appropriate knowledge of subject matter, and professional leadership. (PROFESSIONALISM)

Education Unit Conceptual Framework: This course supports the conceptual framework, Developing as Visionary Leaders for Lifelong Learning, through the following components:

Component Activity Communication Candidates will communicate in oral and written form on a variety of assignments. Candidates will plan and lead lessons in classroom situations. Professionalism Candidates will engage in inquiry both in and outside of the classroom, and make a documented effort to read related materials pertaining to evaluation and assessment. Candidates will discuss ethical issues related to testing. Human Relations/Diversity Candidates will participate in discussions, learn how to report grades and test results to students, parents and other audiences, and explore the nature of test anxiety. Assessment Candidates will develop performance and objective tests and work with standards-based systems. Candidates will explore the relationship between instruction and assessment, using data to improve instruction. Thinking Skills Candidates will demonstrate the ability to make a variety of decisions related to test selection and test development. Methodology/Technology Candidates will develop a performance assessment, objective test items and a grading philosophy. Students will be introduced to technology used in student assessment and record keeping.

Course Requirements: Evaluation and assessment measures are on-going integral part of teaching. We evaluate our students and our own teaching. We use the results of our evaluations in our decision making, such as pupil placement decisions, curriculum modification decisions, and inferences about our effectiveness as teachers. The purpose of this course is: * to help future teachers develop appropriate assessment skills, * to ensure that all students are provided with the same opportunity to excel in their educational pursuits, * to help students understand that measurement instruments are not infallible and they should only be used as a tool for determining an "estimate" of a student's level of proficiency at a given time, and * to help students understand that tests are as much a tool to measure what students have learned, as they are for measuring how well the subject matter is taught.

Teacher Candidate Learning Outcomes: The teacher candidate will be able to: a.i.1. Describe the relationship between planning, teaching and evaluating. a.i.2. Differentiate between assessment, testing and evaluation. a.i.3. Compare and contrast various purposes of assessment. a.i.4. Demonstrate knowledge of different methods of assessment. a.i.5. Identify the strengths and weakness of a variety of assessment techniques. a.i.6. Use student involvement to motivate students (knowing how to involve students in the assessment process). (State standard) a.i.7. Identify and develop classroom assessments designed to meet the information needs of specific users, uses, and contexts. (State standard) a.i.8. Sample student achievement to draw confident conclusions about instruction and student learning (knowing how much you need to assess). (State standard) a.i.9. Recognize the essential characteristics of valid and reliable measuring instruments. a.i.10. Develop assessments that reflect the specific achievement targets students must master. (State standard) a.i.11. Control for relevant sources of bias (knowing how to control accuracy). (State standard) a.i.12. Apply knowledge and skills in constructing, administering, and scoring objective and performance assessments. a.i.13. Demonstrate the ability to make a variety of decisions related to test selection and test development. a.i.14. Develop a plan for grading, marking, and reporting results of student achievement. a.i.15. Interpret and report assessment data to pupils, parents, and administrators. a.i.16. Summarize current issues related to assessment. a.i.17. Consider ethical issues related to assessment.

Methods of Instruction: A combination of lecture, discussion, small-group interactions, projects, demonstration, and individual reading, and presentations will be used.

Course Schedule/Outline: The schedule of the Block is flexible. Students will be given a weekly schedule that will identify the hours during which this course will be taught. The following topics will be addressed:

1. Purposes of assessment 2. Professional and ethical assessment practices 3. Instructional-learning-assessment model 4. Performance standards in instruction and assessment 5. Methods of collecting information 6. Characteristics of good assessments --validity & reliability 7. Formative assessments—guiding student learning 8. Performance-based assessments 9. Self-assessment and progress monitoring 10. Summative assessment—confirming student achievement 11. Grading and student evaluation 12. Statistics in the classroom 13. Standardized, norm-referenced, and criterion-referenced tests 14. Interpreting and explaining test results 15. Assessment of students with identified learning needs (Dr. McCallum) 16. Classroom assessment and Response to Intervention (RtI) (Dr. McCallum) 17. Trends and issues in assessment Students will be expected to: 1. Read and study assigned portions of text. 2. Take one/two examination/s covering assigned portions of the text and information presented in class. 3. Construct objective test items appropriate for the candidate’s anticipated subject and grade level assignment. 4. Develop a performance-based assessment with scoring criterion. 5. Select, read and report on articles/resources related to student assessment. 6. Participate in class and group activities as assigned. Regular active participation in class discussions will be expected and required of all teacher candidates. It is assumed that all students admitted to the Professional Year (Block) will pursue careers in teaching and/or education, thus their ability to mentally form and verbally express opinions in a professionally acceptable manner pertaining to educational issues is of utmost importance. 7. Attend all class meetings and Professional Development Workshop presentations, including the presentation describing teacher work sample to be completed during the teacher internship semester.

Grading:

1. Grading scale: 93 - 100 = A; 86 - 92 = B; 78 - 85 = C; 71 -77 = D; 0 - 70 = F. 2. Attendance: Your presence is important for your own learning as well as your contribution to the work of the class. If an absence is unavoidable, please arrange ahead of time to discuss options for making-up work. Absences of any kind may result in lower course grade. Full credit can be earned on work submitted on or before the due date. Late assignments will result in lower grades.

Secondary Block Absence Policy Excused absences are considered to be those which the professor receives official documentation from another instructor/coach through the CSC email system that the student will be absent for a school related activity. Other absences that are documented by the Dean of Students will be considered excused as well. All other absences will be considered to be unexcused. All absences will be expected to be made up with a like amount of time. These may or may not include a loss of points or lowering of a course grade. Course grading is at the discretion of the individual course professor. Assignments are due on or before the specified date.

Selected Bibliography:

Black, P., Harrison, C. Lee, C. Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2004). Working inside the black box: Assessment for learning in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 9-21.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148.

Brandt, R.S. (Ed.) (1992). Readings from Educational Leadership on performance assessment. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Creighton, T.B. (2001). Schools and data: The educator’s guide for using data to improve decision making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Glatthorn, A.A. (1998). Performance assessment and standards-based curricula: The achievement cycle. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Linn, R.L., & Miller, M.D. (2005) Measurement and assessment in teaching (9th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Oosterhof, A. (2003). Developing and using classroom assessments, (3rd edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Scherer, M.M., ed. (2003) Using data to improve student achievement [special issue]. Educational Leadership, 60(5).

Stiggins, R.J. (2004). New assessment beliefs for a new school mission. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 22-27.

Tanner, D.E. (2001). Assessing academic achievement. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Student or Teacher Candidate Behavior: Academic Honesty – Students and teacher candidates are expected to conduct themselves in conformity with the highest standards with regard to academic honesty. Violation of college, state, or federal standards with regard to plagiarism, cheating, or falsification of official records will not be tolerated. Students and teacher candidates violating such standards will be subject to discipline, as per campus policies articulated in the Student Handbook. Please request a copy of the Student Handbook from the Dean of Students (Crites 432-6280). Attendance Policy – The College assumes that students and teacher candidates will seek to profit from the instructional program and will recognize the importance of attending every class meeting of courses for which credit is expected. Responsibility for notifying faculty of absences and for arranging potential make-up rests with the candidates. Course specific attendance policies are addressed in Grading explanation. Civility – Civil behavior enhances the academic setting, and is expected at all times. Courtesy and respect for others are essential elements of the academic culture. The academic environment welcomes a difference of opinion, discourse, and debate within a civil environment.

Nondiscrimination Policy/Equal Educational Opportunity Policy: Chadron State College is committed to an affirmative action program to encourage admission of minority and female students and to provide procedures which will assure equal treatment of all students. The College is committed to creating an environment for all students that is consistent with nondiscriminatory policy. To that end, it is the policy of Chadron State College to administer its academic employment programs and related supporting services in a manner which does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, or marital status. Student requests for reasonable accommodations based upon documented disabilities should be presented within the first two weeks of the semester or within two weeks of the diagnosis, to the Disabilities Counselor (432-6461; CRITES 338).

Diversity: Chadron State College aspires to create a safe and diversity sensitive learning environment that respects the rights, dignity, and welfare of students, faculty, and staff. Diversity includes the fair representation of all groups of individuals, the inclusion of minority perspectives and voices, and appreciation of different cultural and socioeconomic group practices. We aspire to foster and maintain an atmosphere that is free from discrimination, harassment, exploitation, or intimidation. Courses will strive to provide opportunity for all students to discuss issues of diversity including, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender, disability, and sexual orientation.

Intellectual Real Estate / Copyright Notice: Reproduction of copyrighted material is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Under conditions of this law, students may copy materials for research or scholarship purposes as long as the copyright holder is cited. In teaching situations, parts of copyrighted material may be used under the ‘fair use’ guidelines, but only once, and the copyright holder must be cited. Unauthorized use may be liable for copyright infringement.

Use of Technology: Students are encouraged to use the technical resources provided in Chadron State College facilities to support, enhance, and expand their learning activities. Chadron State College recognizes that learning is a unique human endeavor best achieved through the interactions of instructors and students. Technology is best used when it supports and enhances teacher - student as well as student - student interactions.

Disclaimer: This syllabus and schedule are articulated as an expectation of class topics, learning activities, and expected student learning. However, the instructor reserves the right to make changes in this schedule that, within his/her professional judgment would result in enhanced or more effective learning on the part of the students. These modifications will not substantially change the intent or objectives of this course and will be done within the policies and procedures of Chadron State College.