Introduction To Portfolios Even in a time when calls for higher standards and tougher testing are Pros and cons of portfolio assessment Pros They allow the teacher to see the http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/4528.html?detoured=1
Acorn Naturalists' Product Categories Click here to navigate , New teaching Methods and assessment In a world dominated by test mania, creative teachers who teach from the heart often http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/category.asp?Category_ID=3
Extractions: Director of Instructional Support and Program Evaluation Brush Public Schools, Brush, Colorado MultiMedia Schools May/June 2002 Every day, Pearson Education Technologies M ost people would say the most critical task in education is teaching students how to read fluently. Since the best way to gain and practice this skill is to read more, the challenge then lies in selecting the right book for the right student at the right time. That was the challenge we were determined to meet when we implemented a new reading-materials selection system at Brush Middle school, located in the rural, northeast plains of Colorado. Serving 360 youngsters in grades six to eight, teachers at the school are in the midst of a district-wide, systemic staff development initiative that is focused on using student assessment data to effectively guide, inform, and influence classroom planning and instruction. We decided that implementing a better way to select appropriate reading materials should be part of that initiative. As in most states around the country, students in Colorado are required to be assessed in reading, writing, math, and science at various points throughout their tenure in the public schools. While good, assessments typically used for this purpose are limited in how much information can help teachers truly understand an individual student's progress and need. To fill the gap, to provide a more comprehensive look at student achievement, and to meet our reading goals, we added a levels testing program developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).
Middle School Assessment And Evaluation Helping Teachers Use assessment Data to Improve Instruction Formative assessment refers to a teacher s use of inclass testing and other performance http://www.middleweb.com/ContntAssess.html
Extractions: The achievement gap that separates low-income and minority youngsters from other young Americans is widening again, says Education Trust president Kati Haycock, and "if we don't get the numbers out on the table and talk about them, we're never going to close the gap once and for all." But in this article in Educational Leadership (March 2001), Haycock worries "about how many people head into discussions without accurate data. And I worry even more about how many education leaders have antiquated-and downright wrong-notions about the whys beneath the achievement gap." "Imagine," says this article in Principal Leadership (January 2001), that "teachers in your school receive a report on their students three times a year, an analysis of each student's reading, writing, and math skills." What's more, the school-developed assessments "would be scored against rubrics the staff has written using state standards and the school's expectations for good work. The result: reliable, comparable, timely assessment data that can really improve instruction tomorrow in their classrooms and across the school." Incorporating a standards-based approach to teaching and learning can be a creative and enriching endeavor. What's one key approach? Ask students to assess their own work. This article at ASCD's Classroom On-Line newsletter describes a high school self-assessment project that may inspire middle grades educators as well.
Web Teaching Articles: Do-it-yourself Assessment warrant assessment its usability and its effectiveness as a teaching tool. To test a Web site, all you really need is a quiet room with a couple of http://www.dartmouth.edu/~webteach/articles/assessment.html
Extractions: @import "../files/styles/main.css"; Go back to Articles menu Once you have invested valuable time and resources in setting up and maintaining a course Web site, it is well worth the effort to evaluate its effectiveness. Evaluation can reveal unexpected results: perhaps your students are using only specific areas of the site, or perhaps they're using the site in ways you had not anticipated, or perhaps they're not using the site at all. This knowledge, though potentially disheartening, can save you from misspending time and effort. Understanding the strengths and failings of your approach will allow you to adapt your strategy and to make best use of the medium. Two main areas of your site warrant assessment: its usability and its effectiveness as a teaching tool. Usability testing is a method for evaluating the effectiveness of your site's information architecture, navigation, and design. It measures how successful users are in locating information on your site and how they felt about the experience: Were they lost or derailed at any point in the process? Learning assessment measures the effect your site has on the learning process: Did students learn the materials as presented? There is great demand for substantive evaluative studies on the effectiveness of the Web as a tool for teaching. Some institutions are investing heavily in such studies, particularly when the Web is used in place of regular classroom teaching. Formal assessment is complicated, costly, and time-consuming, however, and it must be done by professionals to ensure experimental rigor. For projects with limited resources, consider conducting an informal assessment study. You aren't likely to reach a scientific conclusion about the overall effectiveness of computer-based teaching, but you will gather useful information about the effectiveness of your course Web site. With this information you can structure your further development efforts.
ClearLearning News Once all the testing was completed, teachers received complete scores and This year s assessment testing went so smoothly we could hardly believe it, http://www.clearlearning.com/frames/news/alexandria.html
Extractions: Finds Strength in (automated) Numbers The Alexandria (Indiana) School Corporation has successfully completed in May 2000 the year’s general assessment tests for all its first through fifth graders in record-breaking time thanks to their new electronic testing system made possible by Test Pilot from ClearLearning. "We were frustrated by the time it took to administer, score and record our paper exams the previous year," stated Diana Haggerty, Title I Coordinator for the Alexandria Community School Corporation. "We’ve calculated that the district was able to redirect more than 600 staff hours back into educating our students by converting to Test Pilot." The new system was a big hit with students, teachers, parents, and administrators. The district now plans to expand its use to high school assessments and other forms of progress testing. Too Laborious The Alexandria Community School Corporation contains three elementary schools with a total of 850 students. "In previous years, grading by hand was horrendous," commented Ms. Haggerty. "It took all 10 of the Title I teaching staff approximately a full month to score and record the end of the year assessments." Additionally, classroom teachers needed student achievement results more quickly in order to plan remedial interventions. The Indiana State Auditors also expressed concern about the validity of test results since so many people had been involved in the scoring and reporting process. To ensure greater accuracy, the Auditors suggested that the district incorporate a procedure with more quality control.
Educational Assesment Tests This is an assessment without the use of formalized tests. Teacher assessment can be subjective and should be only one part of any assessment. http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/add/judy/diagnostic_tests.htm
Extractions: Educational Assessment Tests and what are those tests REALLY measuring? I was amazed to find out that the labels put on diagnostic tests can be rather misleading. For instance, I thought Comprehension measured a child's reading comprehension . Humm. I wonder where I could ever have gotten that idea? It actually measures, among other things, how well a child comprehends the world he lives in and social interactions. It's always wise to ask your diagnostician, before a meeting, to write down a brief summary of what each test is actually measuring. Otherwise it can seem so clear when it's being explained to you and so garbled when you look at it at home. I am most grateful to "Bob," whom I met at the bulletin board at LDONLINE for the following definitions, put in parent-friendly language. I searched for 3 years for such understandable definitions, and with his help, I can now put this up for all of us to reference. If any diagnosticians out there have some additional input for lay persons to understand this web of diagnostics, I would be most grateful if you would
Assessment As Inquiry: Learning The Hypothesis-Test Process assessment as Inquiry Learning the HypothesisTest Process Included in the book are stories from classroom teachers learning the process and http://www.ncte.org/store/books/assess/106131.htm
Extractions: Assessment as Inquiry describes a different way of thinking, of looking at one's teaching and students' learning as a recursive process of hypothesizing and testing (H-T). Included in the book are stories from classroom teachers learning the process and implementing it in their classrooms with individual students. Elementary English language arts teachers looking for authentic assessment techniques will find here a way to interweave teaching and assessment. The H-T process provides tools for continuous observation of students determining first and foremost the needs of each of those students to succeed in the classroom.
Test (student Assessment) - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia However, some teachers will actually give students tests that contain problems Grunlund, N (1993) How to make achievement tests and assessments, 5th http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_(student_assessment)
Extractions: A Wikipedian has nominated this article to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page In education certification counselling , and many other fields, a test or exam (short for examination ) is a tool or technique intended to measure students' expression of knowledge skills and/or abilities . A test has more questions of greater difficulty and requires more time for completion than a quiz . It is usually divided into two or more sections, each covering a different area of the domain or taking a different approach to assessing the same aspects. A standardized test is one that compares the performance of every individual subject with a norm . The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of subjects. edit edit For a multiple-choice question, the author of the test provides several possible answers (usually four or five) from which the test subjects must choose. There is only one right answer, usually represented by only one answer option, though sometimes divided into two or more, all of which subjects must identify correctly. Such a question may look like this:
Assessment Alternatives Many teachers have long used their own tests involving such handson The test s assessment determined that reading would not come easily for Dr. Fuller, http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/assess/front_assess.htm
Extractions: Related links There is growing recognition that true/ false, multiple choice, and short answer tests do not give a true picture of what students know and have accomplished. These are primarily measures of memorization and recall, and do not always even test comprehension. They certainly do not give students opportunities to demonstrate that they can apply what they have learned or use their knowledge in creative or even just practical ways. Many teachers have long used their own tests involving such hands-on measures as the arts, constructions, dramatizations, and multimedia reports. Recently there has been impetus on the state and national level to expand the repertoire of assessing strategies. In this section we will describe numbers of examples of work in this area. See our Glossary of Assessment Terms to clarify terminology.
K-12 Learn Custom Large Scale assessment Services Products Educator assessments Classroom assessments Professional Development Learning Tools http://www.ets.org/k12learn/
The Case For Authentic Assessment. Wiggins, Grant Full text articles on educational assessment, evaluation and research The best tests always teach students and teachers alike the kind of work that most http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=2
Teaching To The Test teaching to the testthe very words have always been heresy to educators. and it means teaching knowledge and skills that are assessed by tests http://www.asbj.com/achievement/aa/aa4.html
Extractions: By Kevin Bushweller Teaching to the testthe very words have always been heresy to educators. Teaching to the test puts too much emphasis on standardized tests that are poorly constructed and largely irrelevant, the theory goes; it stifles creativity and encourages cheating.m m m m m iBut today a new perspective (and a new education buzz phrase) is emerging. It's called curriculum alignment, and it means teaching knowledge and skills that are assessed by tests designed largely around academic standards set by the state. In other words, teaching to the test. Better alignment, proponents argue, will make better schools. And indeed, ignoring the link between what is taught in the classroom and what is tested can have painful consequences. In Texas, principals can lose their jobs if their schools' standardized test scores don't measure up; superintendents can be fired and school boards can be dissolved if districts perform poorly. In Maryland, schools that don't do well on tests forfeit thousands of dollars in reward money; if their performance is consistently dismal, they can be taken over by the state. And beginning this school year in Broward County, Fla., one indicator of a teacher's overall evaluation will be based on standardized test scores, a significant motivator for teaching to the test. The push to forge tighter links between instruction and assessment is sparking a fierce intellectual battle that is being waged in newspapers and teacher lounges across the country. In an opinion piece for the
Educational Leadershp Redirect arrow 2005 Conference on teaching LearningStudent Achievement The Broader Picture Join arrow Will the convergence of online assessments, standards, http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead.html
Extractions: Match your Assessments with the TN Curriculum Standards for Subjects/Content with State Tests Check out Jefferson County's " Brush Up for TerraNova " provided by Connie Campbell. Distinctions between criterion-referenced and norm-referenced testing Achievement Test-TCAP (Grades 3 - 8) At this State of Tennessee site, you will find tables that show the objectives and number of multiple choice questions per sub-skill for the Spring 2004 Form O Achievement Test. The tables are arranged by grade level and show the objectives and sub-skills for Reading and Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Language Mechanics, Mathematics, Mathematics Computation, Spelling, Vocabulary, and Word Analysis (for 3rd grade only). Non-mandated grades (K-2) are listed in a separate table. Use this link to see the State Peformance Indicators for CRT items on the Achievement Test.
Extractions: Assessment Data-Driven Decision Making Standards and Correlations Valid and Reliable Items Data Reporting CompassLearning Odyssey assessment and management solutions ensure educators know how each student is achieving. Odyssey solutions assess student performance, diagnose their strengths, and prescribe specific instruction targeting areas of non-mastery. Teachers spend less time on administrative tasks and more time working one-on-one with students to achieve results. CompassLearning Explorer
Certification Main Page The test will be held at the McCormick Place. Only individuals that were registered for New Teachers Have an Illinois Initial teaching certificate? http://www.isbe.state.il.us/certification/default.htm
Extractions: CeRTS OTIS IWAS Teachers ... ISBE Home Announcements Form 77-33 - Request for Approval for Temporary Substitute Permit - Displaced Persons Important Information about Regional Offices of Education Regional Superintendents are locally elected officials that provide services through Regional Offices of Education , which are grouped by county or counties. Among many duties, the Regional Superintendents issue and register certificates and make recommendations for Standard/Master certificate renewal and for issuance for those moving from Initial to Standard certification. City of Chicago: Applications for state certificates and endorsements and certificate registrations are processed through the Division of Teacher Certification located at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite 14-300 Chicago, IL 60601. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To avoid a trip to the office and any unnecessary waiting during peak periods, you may want to register or apply for your certificate on-line using the
Tools For Teaching - Chapter First, tests help you evaluate students and assess whether they are Match your tests to the content you are teaching. Ideally, the tests you give will http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/quizzes.html
Extractions: [From the hard copy book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis; Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1993. Linking to this book chapter from other websites is permissible. However, the contents of this chapter may not be copied, printed, or distributed in hard copy form without permission.] A note on terminology: instructors often use the terms tests, exams, and even quizzes interchangeably. Test experts Jacobs and Chase (1992), however, make distinctions among them based on the scope of content covered and their weight or importance in calculating the final grade for the course. An examination is the most comprehensive form of testing, typically given at the end of the term (as a final) and one or two times during the semester (as midterms). A test is more limited in scope, focusing on particular aspects of the course material. A course might have three or four tests. A quiz is even more limited and usually is administered in fifteen minutes or less. Though these distinctions are useful, the terms test and exam will be used interchangeably throughout the rest of this section because the principles in planning, constructing, and administering them are similar.
Extractions: Abbreviations and acronyms Definitions of terms and Grades/year groups may vary according to state. elementary school an elementary school is any school which is classified as such by state and local practice and composed of any span of Grades not above Grade 8 (students aged 13/14). A pre-compulsory or kindergarten school is included under this heading only if it is an integral part of an elementary school or an established school system. The traditional elementary school (and the one used for the purposes of this Archive) includes kindergarten /Grades 1 to Grade 8 (ages 5+ to 13/14), although variations exist, the most common being kindergarten /Grade 1 to Grade 6 (ages 5+ to 11/12) or kindergarten /Grade 1 to Grade 5 (ages 5+ to 10/11). high school provides the final years of compulsory upper secondary schooling necessary for graduation. In the traditional
Site Services | Baltimoresun.com The Maryland School assessment test results released this week show that the As a result, many teachers come to middle schools from elementary schools http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.msa11jun11,1,6086910.story?col
