Chapter 14

1. Chapter 14 Assessing Student Learning

2. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment • Defined as determining if and to what degree a student can demonstrate his/her understanding and ability relative to identified standards of learning (Lambert, 1999) • Student must complete some type of performance goal that is evaluated against present criteria • Performance should take place in “authentic” settings • Several descriptor words used to describe term, including “alternative assessment”, “performance assessment”, “outcome assessment”, “authentic assessment”

3. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment(cont) • Children Moving uses “alternative assessment” and provides a guide to the design and selection of assessment strategies that match student learning goals • Five characteristics distinguish alternative assessment from traditional assessment • Lambert (1999) recommends seven steps to design successful alternative assessments

4. Five Characteristics of Alternative Assessments Differences between Alternative and Traditional Assessment • Link between assessment and instruction • Student as the primary client • Ongoing process • Comprised of meaningful tasks • Criteria distributed ahead of time

5. Seven Steps for Teachers for Successful Alternative Assessment • Decide on standard or learning goal • Decide on the content that will be learned • Select and develop the assessment methods and criteria • Select appropriate instructional tasks • Teach the tasks, focusing on maximum practice and feedback • Assess the students (#3) • Use the assessment results to help students self-correct, to evaluate student learning, to improve instruction, and to refine learning goals Lambert (1999)

6. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment (cont) • Should be linked to instructional tasks, • E.g. challenges change a task and also serve as performance assessment, allowing children to self assess how they are doing on a particular task • E.g. checking for understanding is a mini-cognitive assessment allowing teacher to know in a few seconds if children understand.

7. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment (cont) • Should match learning goals e.g. from simple to complex, from mastery of basic skills to combination of skills, to using skills in dynamic situations • Provide feedback to teacher as well as student • Several assessment options available – teachers encouraged to develop their own which are specific to their context

8. Alternative Assessment Options for Physical Education • Teacher observation • Exit (or entrance) slips • Student journals • Homework • Peer observation • Self-assessment • Event tasks • Videotaping • Student drawings • Student displays • Portfolios

9. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options • Teacher Observation • Most common form of assessment • Generally used to assess psychomotor performance • Many tools for recording observational information • Example: Figure 14.1

10. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Exit (or Entrance) Slips • Short written pieces • Can be done in a few minutes during or at the end of class • Designed to assess cognitive and affective goals • Example: Figure 14.2

11. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Student Journals • Written records of participation, results, responses, feelings, perceptions/ reflections about what actually happened. • Like diaries –students write honestly and freely • Designed to assess the affective domain • Example: Figure 14.4

12. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Homework • Done outside the physical education class • Great for outside reading, keeping personal records or other written work • Used to practice psychomotor skills and enhance cognitive understanding • Example: Figure 14.7

13. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Peer Observation • Students observing students • Partner provides feedback to performer • Used to assess competence in skill performance and demonstration of selected critical elements • See key points for teachers in the text • Example: Figure 14.8

14. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Self-Assessment • Can be used to assess psychomotor, cognitive and affective aspects of student’s work • Provides a unique opportunity to assess larger components of a skill or the beginning use of a skill • Can be used before, during or at the end of a unit to assess achievement and to get a glimpse of a student’s feelings and attitudes • Example: Figures 14.9 and 14.10

15. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Event Tasks • Performance tasks with multiple solutions that cane be completed within a class period or a portion of it. • Could be all psychomotor or could also include cognitive aspects • Require independent and group working skills • Example: Figure 14.11 (Child’s self-designed game)

16. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Videotaping • Can provide a final product • Students can self-analyze performance • Allows students to display their knowledge and performance of various critical aspects of a skill • Student Drawings • Effective assessment measure because students like to draw • Options are endless • Example: Figure 14.12

17. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Student Displays • Public displays of students’ work • Variety of forms such as posters, photography and bulletin boards

18. Chapter 14 Key Points Alternative Assessment Options (cont) • Portfolios • Collection of students’ work gathered over time • Provide an opportunity for students to share the responsibility for collecting proof of their learning • A personal record of the students’ knowledge, goals, performance etc., that reflect the purpose of your physical education program for that child • Could include many of the other assessment products • Provide a rich resource for reporting to both students and parents

19. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment(cont) • Rubrics • Provide guidelines for scoring assessment items enabling teachers and students to judge performance for specific tasks • Make learning expectations clear • Provide feedback • Support the development of skills and understanding. • Components are: • criteria or essential component to be assessed • steps of the quality or rating scale • descriptors illustrating each of the steps as related to the criteria

20. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment(cont) • Alternative assessments can be used effectively with students with disabilities, however rubrics require modifications • Reporting Progress: • Teachers are required to summarize and report pupil progress • Systems that report progress and achievement (not grades) include • Hartinger System • Lambdin System • Metz System • Should grades be required, it is recommended to specify what the grades mean and to assess exactly what is specified

21. Chapter 14 Key Points Assessment(cont) • Finding the time • Although difficult to find the time, assessment is a critical component of the learning process and cannot be ignored. • Tips for minimizing waiting times during assessment • Use technology e.g. videotapes, audiotapes and hand-help computers to record student progress information • Ask for assistance from classroom teacher or another adult • Complete an assessment at one station while rest of class performs various tasks at other stations