Effective Assessment Practices - Research Paper Example

Effective assessment practices paper Effective assessment practices Principles of assessment (1996) define assessment as the process that is employed to identify gather and interpreted information related to a student’s learning. The core purpose of learning is to provide true indicative information on the student’s progress and achievement and enable the setting of appropriate direction for the ongoing learning and teaching. Assessment and grading practices based on the classroom environment have a greater potential to measure, report and promote learning. Research on the effective assessment has documented the possible benefits that accrue to regular users of diagnostic and formative forms of assessment as a learning feedback (black, Harrison, lee & William, 2004). The following examples are among the specific assessment practices that have been effectively used to enhance teaching and learning. a. Rubrics This the multipurpose scoring tool guide that describes the best criteria for performance to learners at various levels. It is employed mainly to assess a student’s product and performance. For effective development of a rubric to optimize workability, The Journal for Effective Teaching (2007) provides three main rubric designing steps. i. Identifying performance criteria This criterion requires that the instructor determine the quality of the work prior to giving an assignment. The performance criteria require that the assessed performance should be observable and measureable. ii. Setting performance level The assessor needs to decide on the number of appropriate performance levels of assessment. Usually rubrics contain between three to six rating levels of performance. iii. Creating performance description. This require the instructor to write a description that gives a further information of why the level of performance Benefits of rubrics 1) Clarity of learning target: when students know what is their learning targets they best hit it(Stiggins, 2001) 2) Guide to instructional design: it better enables the tutors to choose appropriate learning environment and resources to enable the learners to achieve the described outcomes (Arter & McTigue, 2001). 3) Accuracy and fairness of assessment process: this restricts the assessor to be consistent in his or her judgment. 4) Provision of a tool for peer feedback and self assessment: this enables the learners to critique their own performance (Hafner & Hafner, 2004). However the above benefit that makes rubrics an effective assessment practice, they may be ineffective in certain circumstances. Rubrics use does not mean that the assessment is simple because the designed rating process may fall a victim of human information limitations. This may leave out important description the broader professional field. The time spent in creating rubrics, particularly description may diminish the learning process. This is possible incase it prevents creations of the clarity of the value in the performance. It is actually meaningless to have an evaluation process based on individually unrecognized prejudices. b. Portfolios This a collection of various forms of evidence in regards to achievement of a learning outcomes (Davis et al, 2001). The learner’s portfolio for assessment, particularly to the health professionals, includes reports, papers and the learner’s reflection on his or her strengths and weaknesses. It is prepared by the individual learners on the directive of the faculty or an individual learner’s devised desire. Miller (1990) identifies four crucial levels of assessing students. i. Know- can factually recall the knowledge ii. Knows how-able to apply then knowledge iii. Shows how-competence is assessed iv. Does-best performance in real life setting Implementation of portfolio assessment require the following stages; collection of evidence of the learning outcome achievement, reflection on learning, evaluation of the evidence collected, defending the evidence and finally assessment decision. Among the advantages of portfolio are promotion of critical thinking, encouragement of students to be accountable, initiation of a discussion between a tutor and a learner and integration of learning and assessment. However the use of portfolios may make students to be reluctant to reveal their weaknesses. It may also interfere with privacy and confidentiality of personal documents which may as well pose a challenge of verifying whether the documents are the candidates own work of art. c. Test These are assessments that are intended to determine the knowledge, aptitude and skills of a learner. It is administered either orally or on paper. Depending on its nature, it may also be presented on a computer and may be formal or informal. Formal tests may be used for grading or measuring a test score of learners (Thissen & Wainer, 2001). Effectiveness of tests i. It determines the learners performance (Phelps& Richard, 2005) ii. It is fair and efficient(Eric, 1999) iii. Promotes prediction and selection(Phelps et al, 2005) iv. Promotes accountability(Phelps et al, 2005) v. It improves performance(Phelps et al, 2005) Ineffectiveness of tests i. It narrows the curriculum and encourages the tutor to teach to the test(Goshwami, 1991) ii. Promotes grade inflation(Paton & Graeme, 2010) iii. It is socioeconomically biased (Hedges, 1994). Application examples 1. John gave an essay about Cyberknife applications in the medical field as an open topic. Most students based their importance without giving any evidence. Out of thirty points, only one scored eleven while others scored below six points. He gave them the same question but in a different formant. He developed a rubric for them with detailed descriptions which he explained to them. The essay was highly scored with only two of his of thirty students scoring below twenty points. 2. I conducted an interview for the nursing students who were supposed to undertake their internships in our organization I requested the applicants to prepare their portfolios. All the five students who had applied to work in different departments where we had opportunities did so at their own department of choice. After thorough evaluation of their contents and suitability, we had three suitable for the public health department and two for outpatient department. At the end we lacked one appropriate candidate for our ICU department however two had applied. When the students assumed their responsibilities they did to our best desired qualities meaning that we could have wrongly positioned them I we would have based our recruitment on the application letters. This indicates how portfolios best serve to find the right candidate for a responsibility and the way to improve. 3. Jane was employed in a university college where lecturers determine the mode of assessing students. The university exam policy requires the lecturer to give two CATs of fifteen points each and a final exam of seventy points or a final paper only of hundred points. Out of the three units which Jane taught at the first semester of her work, the students failed. The administration summoned her of underperformance and gave her a warning. She decided to adopt the assessment test criteria. Her students performed poorly in the first CAT, averagely in the second CAT and passed in the final exam. However she learned that acquisition of general knowledge diminished. References Arter, J. & McTighe, J. (2001). Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Assessment in medical students’ final examinations. Med Teach 23:357–366, 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, Corwin Press. Davis, M.H, Friedman B.M, Harden R.M, Howie J, Ker J, McGhee C, Pippard M.J, Snadden D.( 2001.) Portfolio Goswami, U., (1991) Put to the Test: The Effects of External Testing on Teachers. Educational Researcher 20: 8-11". Hafner, J. C., & Hafner, P. M. (2004). Quantitative analysis of the rubric as an assessment Hedges LV (1994) An Exchange: Part I*: Does Money Matter? A Meta-Analysis of Studies of the Effects of Differential School Inputs on Student Outcomes. Educational Hirsch Jr., Eric (1999). The Schools We Need: And Why We Don't Have Them. New York: Anchor. ISBN 0- 385-49524-2. Paton, Graeme (2010). "Universities criticize exam 'grade inflation'". The Daily Telegraph (London). Phelps, Richard (2005). Defending standardized testing. London: Psychology Press. ISBN 0-8058-4912-2. Principles of assessment: Technology unit, curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of education and training: http:www.curriculumsupport. nsw.edu.au Stiggins, R. (2001). Student-Involved Classroom Assessment (3rd ed.). New York: Merrill Thissen, D., & Wainer, H. (2001). Test Scoring. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Wolf K.,& Stevens E.,(2007) The role of Rubrics in Advancing and Assessing Student Learning, The journal of effective teaching, vol. 7, no. 1,university of Colorado, Denver. Read More