TNE Program Assessment

1. TNEProgram Assessment Creating the Culture and Practice of Performance Assessment

2. Group Members • Bruce Horner – English • Hope Longwell-Grice – Curriculum & Instruction • Robin Mello – Theater Education • Connie Schroeder – Center for Instructional and Professional Development • Amy Otis-Wilborn – Exceptional Education

3. TNE Identified Goals • Strengthen and expand the “culture of assessment” at UWM • Expand the use of performance assessments in Arts & Science courses/programs • Develop portfolio evidence that demonstrates deep understanding of content, skills/processes for content learning, and pedagogical content knowledge • Create systematic communication between general disciplinary and professional education programs/faculty regarding student learning and development

4. Content Knowledge and Use • Deep Understanding of Content: The ability to communicate, demonstrate, manipulate, and evaluate content that is central to a discipline including information, theories, practices, values, and beliefs. • Content Learning: The skills/processes that experts use to recognize what they don’t know, need to know and what and strategies to gain deep understanding of content. • Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The instructional approaches and strategies teachers use to support students’ deep understanding and learning of content.

5. Performance Assessment • Performance assessment is a measure of assessment based on authentic tasks such as activities, exercises, or problems that require students to show what they can do (McBride, 1997). • A task is authentic to the extent that it is based on challenging and engaging tasks that resemble the context in which adults do their work (Meyer, 1992). • Students show that they have mastered specific skills and competencies by performing or producing something (Meyer, 1992).

6. Examples • Designing and carrying out experiments; • Writing essays which require students to rethink, to integrate, or to apply information; • Working with other students to accomplish tasks; • Demonstrating proficiency in using a piece of equipment or a technique; • Building models; • Developing, interpreting, and using maps; • Making collections; • Giving speeches or performances; • Developing portfolios.

7. Assessment Team Activities • Conduct a faculty survey to identify current perspectives and practices in assessing students • Host forums for learning about and sharing current practices in performance assessment • Support the development of new performance assessments • Disseminate information and models of performance assessment at UWM and other TNE institutions

8. Activities, continued • Coordinate Assessment Retreats to evaluate portfolios in admission, professional growth and exit portfolios for evidence of developing deep understanding of content, content learning, and pedagogical content knowledge • Monitor impact of performance assessment on culture of assessment and teacher development (UWM Teaching Standards 1, 4, & 8)

9. UWM Teaching Standards • Standard #1. A Liberal Arts Foundation with Strong Disciplinary Knowledge (link with content learning) • Standard #4. State of the Art, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (link with teacher learning) • Standard #8. Assessment to Ensure Student Success (link with student learning)

10. Timeline: Summer, 2005

11. Fall, 2005

12. Spring, 2006

13. Overview • Survey – Current perspectives and practice • Assessment Forums • Development of Performance Assessments • Assessment Retreats • Website Dissemination • Monitoring Student Performance • Monitoring culture of assessment at UWM