Session 5: Designing and Developing Assessment

AVG 5.1 (30 min) Designing Alternative Assessments  As a group you will review a powerpoint and watch a video segment. The powerpoint reports the assessment process as outlined by Gottlieb and has a note sheet attached. The video segment is 20 min. The time allotment is 30 min. This gives only 10 min. for them to review this text dense powerpoint. This allows about 1 or 2 min per slide. There is a note sheet to record what they think is important in the assessment process. Watch the time and support them in moving along. 

LA 5.1 (40 min) Designing Assessments for Learning. This is a JigSaw activity. The expert groups are organized around the alternative assessment study they observed in their homework. Their is a worksheet that they initially filled out in homework and will now add to as they discuss with each other. Then working in their teaching group (their group of four), they will teach each other what they learned about each of the alternative assessment types highlighted in the VideoEthnography. Their is a worksheet for them to record answers on. They can take notes on their computers of what they learned about each. We have allowed 15 min for the expert group and 25 min for the teaching group.

AVG 5.2 (40 min) Selecting and Planning Alternative Assessments. This activity has two parts. It begins with a powerpoint based on Gottlieb. Then teachers work with a partner to select and analyze the alternative assessments they will use in their final project. If they are working with a partner for their final project, they work with that person. If not, they should work with someone who is working at a similar grade level. If a secondary teacher, then the match is best with a similar content area. With an elementary teacher, proximity of grade level is important but subject matter could vary. If not a teacher, hopefully they can work with people at their level of school (secondary or elementary) or their employment focus. 

LA 5.2 (15 min.) Understanding Rubrics and Scoring Guides. Teachers will need to develop Rubrics and Scoring Guides to grade the alternative assessments. Most of them will have learned about how to do this already. This is a double column reading where the reading is set up so they take notes in the right column as they read. The time is tight but they can complete the reading at home if needed. 

LA 5.3 (30 min.) Developing a Rubric or Scoring Guide. Teachers will develop a rubric or scoring guide for one of the alternative assessments they plan to use in their final project. They will be working independently (or with their partner on their project), but this allows them to share ideas and ask questions as they develop the rubric. 

Homework Review Notes If you haven't shared this video before, you may want to share it here at the end of this session. This is a video from Tom Chapin part of the anti-testing movement. He is singing a song called "Not on the Test" https://equitypress.org/-IJbk.

The homework activities for this session are complicated and take time. They learn about how to write better items for pencil/paper tests, they work on their final project (so if they are with partners they may need to meet) and they have a multi-stage homework about high stakes testing.  Finally they review and respond to a 49 item questionnaire on the pros and cons of testing. 

HW 5.1 Actions Taken in Learning. You might suggest they try out another alternative assessment or develop and use a rubric or scoring guide in their teaching. They might also involve students in developing a rubric with them for an assignment.They try it out and write a reflection on their learning.

HW 5.2 Developing Expertise in Item Writing. Teachers learn how to write better multiple choice, true/false, matching, and essay items. This is an important activity and encourage them to pull up an exam they use and make adjustments after they finish reading the assignment. The last activity has them examine and critique a test to try out their knowledge. 

HW 5.3 Re-examining Your Final Project Teachers are asked to review their final project and make adjustments. If they are working with a partner, they may need to schedule time to zoom and work through the project or meet in person and review it. They will bring the resulting version of their project to class for session 6. For session 6, teachers will create a poster and ask for feedback so they need to make certain they have these parts of their document to post on the poster. 

Create a poster  on the 11 X 17 paper provided by the facilitator. This should provide details about your EL that you accommodated for in your unit plan, the Content and Language Objectives for the unit being assessed, and at least one authentic assessment with rubric or evaluation criteria (this can be your formal authentic assessment or one of your informal assessments) and one formal traditional test. 

HW 5.5 To Test or Not to Test. Teachers fill out a 49 item survey that explores the Pro's and Con's of testing. They need to bring their responses to class next time. 

This content is provided to you freely by Equity Press.

Access it online or download it at https://equitypress.org/tell_facilitator_guide/session_5p.