CHAPTER 4

THE TEACHER AS A
CURRICULUM EVALUATOR
OVERVIEW

Curriculum evaluation is a component of curriculum development

that responds to public accountability. It looks into educational re-
forms or innovations that happen in the teacher’s classrooms, the
school, district, division or the whole education system as well. It is
establishing the merit and worth of a curriculum. Merit refers to the
value and worth of the curriculum. Test results will only be used as one
of the pieces of evidence of evaluation. For at the end, the purpose of
evaluation is to improve and not to prove.
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definition and the role of the teacher as an evaluator. It will present the
ways of evaluating the curriculum as written, planned or implemented.
It also discusses different popular models, tools, and strategies for cur- CONTENTS
riculum evaluation. It aims to help teachers and students understand
the processes in evaluating a curriculum from basic education to high-
er education especially in the Philippine context. Lesson 1.
What, Why, and How to
Evaluate a Curricu-
lum…………………………..91
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Lesson 2.
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to: Criteria for Curriculum
Assessment…………….102
1. undertake a simple rapid curriculum evaluation and discuss
the importance of conducting curriculum evaluation; Lesson 3.
Strategies and Tools to
2. conduct an analysis of the objectives formulated by a classroom Assess the Curricu-
teacher and explain how the criteria used in writing effective lum…………………………114
goals and objectives, and approaches to instruction differ; and
3. create a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences
among the assessment strategies as well as conduct an analysis TIME ALLOTMENT
on the appropriateness of the strategies to the objectives set.
9 hours
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, you should be

LESSON 1 able to do the following:

make a simple rapid curriculum

evaluation and recommendation;
What, Why,
discuss the importance of curriculum
and How to evaluation and the difference between
Evaluate a evaluation and assessment; and
Curriculum explain how stakeholders can
effectively help make curriculum
evaluation successful.

Directions: Read carefully the following questions and encircle

CONTENTS
the letter of the correct answer.
Curriculum 1. Which of the following models emphasizes that the result of
Evaluation: A
Process and the evaluation should provide data for decision making?
a Tool a. Bradley Effectiveness c. Stufflebeam’s CIPP
b. Tyler Objectives-Centered d. Stake Responsive
Reasons for
Curriculum 2. Based on some standards, curriculum evaluation will guide
Evaluation
whether the results have equaled or exceeded the standards.
Curriculum This is what we sometimes call as _________.
Evaluation a. terminal assessment c. monitoring
Models
b. needs assessment d. decision making
A Simple Way
of Curriculum 3. Which of the following models is oriented more directly to
Evaluation program activities than program intents?
Process a. Bradley Effectiveness c. Stufflebeam’s CIPP
b. Tyler Objectives-Centered d. Stake Responsive
TIME ALLOTMENT
4. Curriculum evaluation follows a procedure based on models
and frameworks to get the desired results. Curriculum evalua-
tion then becomes a ___________.
a. tool c. catalyst
b. process d. design

5. Which of the following stages compares actual ends with in-

ASSESSING YOUR tended ends and leads to a series of recycling decisions?
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE a. Context evaluation c. Process evaluation
b. Input evaluation d. Product evaluation

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95
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100
101
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, you should be

LESSON 2 able to do the following:

differentiate the criteria used in

writing effective goals and objectives as
Criteria for well as the two approaches to
Curriculum instruction;

Assessment explain how a curriculum effectively

attain educational quality; and

conduct an analysis on the objectives

formulated in a lesson plan written by a
classroom teacher.

CONTENTS Directions: Read carefully the following questions and encircle

the letter of the correct answer.
Criteria for
Curriculum 1. Which of the following elements specifies the level of perfor-
Assessment mance that students should reach when mastering a particu-
Defined lar behavior?
Criteria for a. content c. criterion
Goals and b. behavior d. condition
Objectives
2. Which of the following serves as guidelines on standard for
Criteria for
curriculum decision making?
Assessment of
Instruction a. curriculum objectives c. curriculum goals
b. curriculum criteria d. curriculum standards
Curriculum
Criteria 3. According to Hass and Parkay (1993), the following are crite-
ria that depend in part on knowledge of the different ap-
What is
Evaluation? proaches EXCEPT _________.
TIME ALLOTMENT a. diversity c. flexibility
b. individual differences d. systematic planning
3 hours
4. Which of the following fails to recognize the extent to which
valued social, emotional, and cognitive attributes may be in-
duced and sustained by the purposeful action of teachers and
parents?
a. essentialism c. pragmatism
b. existentialism d. developmentalism
ASSESSING YOUR
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE 5. What type of evaluation that is ongoing and yields information
that can be used to modify the program prior to termination?
a. summative c. diagnostic
102 b. formative d. periodic
 You have just learned various curriculum evaluation models
which you can use when evaluating the curriculum of your school
either written, planned or implemented. As future teachers, you
should understand that that there are things which you need to con-
sider when assessing the value of the curriculum.

GETTING STARTED This lesson will bring you the criteria for curriculum assess-
ment. You will explore the criteria for determining the purposes, for
implementing the curriculum, for assessing curriculum output, and
for the overall impact of the curriculum. You will bring to this lesson
your personal observations and experiences as you examine the cri-
teria questions.

Curriculum assessment is a process of gathering and analyzing information from multiple

sources in order to improve student learning in sustainable ways.

Criteria for Curriculum Assessment Defined

Criteria are a set of standards to be followed in assessment. Spe-

cifically, as they apply to the curriculum, criteria are set of standards
upon which the different elements of the curriculum are being tested.
The criteria will determine the different levels of competencies or profi-
ciency of acceptable task performance.
FOCUSING
CONTENT
Criteria for Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives are statements of curricular expectations. They are set of learning out-
comes specifically designed for students. Objectives indicate clearly what the students will learn.
They tell us what students will learn after instruction has taken place. The items must reflect the
tasks, skills, content behavior and thought processes that make up curricular domains and must
also match the students’ needs.
Goals and instructional objectives are formulated and specified for the following purposes:
1. To have focus on curriculum and instruction which give direction to where students
need to go;
2. To meet the requirements specified in the policies and standards of curriculum and
instruction;
3. To provide the students’ the best possible education and describe the students’ level of
performance;
4. To monitor the progress of students’ based on the goals set; and
5. To motivate students to learn and the teachers to be able to feel a sense of competence
when goals are attained.

103
 For goal and objectives to be formulated, criteria on certain ele-
ments should be included according to Howell and Nolet (2000).

 Content – from the objectives, what content should students learn?

 Behavior – what will students do to indicate that they have learned?

FOCUSING  Criterion – what level of performance should the students have to
CONTENT master the behavior?

 Condition – under what circumstances should the students work in

order to master that behavior?
Writing effective goals and objectives should also use the following general criteria.
1. Are the objectives syntactically correct? – Syntactic correctness
One of the first ways people think of to tell if an object is good is to look at it to see if it has
all parts. Just like instructional objectives, teachers need to include logically the elements: content,
behavior, criteria and conditions.
2. Do the objectives comply with the legal requirements of the course of subjects? –
Compliance with legal requirements
There should be a direct relationship between the annual goals and the student’s present
levels of educational performance.

 The annual goals should describe what the learners can reasonably be expected to ac-
complished within a given period and given appropriate instructional resources.
 Short term instructional objectives should be stated so clearly so that it is obvious how
we should measure to see if the objectives are met.

 The objectives should describe a sequence of intermediate steps between a child’s pre-
sent level of educational performance and the annual goals that are established.
3. Do the objectives pass the stranger test? – “the Stranger Test”
Goals and instructional objectives must be measurable so that their status can be moni-
tored. This does not mean that they need to derive from, or linked to, published tests. However,
basic measurement principles such as reliability do apply. Probably the simplest way to judge if a
goal or objective can be reliably measured is to apply the stranger test (Kaplan, 1995).
If the goals and instructional objectives pass the stranger test, someone not involved in de-
veloping the statement- a stranger-could still use them to write appropriate instructional plans and
evaluate student progress. Obviously, a stranger could not reliably do so unless the goals and ob-
jectives were written in a sufficiently observable form is using behaviors. “knowing the answer” is
hard to measure (because knowing is not directly observable), but “writing the answer” is easy to
measure because writing is a behavior.

104
 4. Do the objectives address both knowledge and behavior? – Both knowledge and
behavior are addressed
The stranger test and the need to specify the instructional objective in terms that are meas-
urable raise an issue that has proven to be disconcerting to many educators. It is the confusion of
knowledge and behavior. This confusion seems to arise because, although it is knowledge that we
are most often trying to transmit, we need to see behaviors to know if we have succeeded.
The statement of behavior must be in an objective to provide a measurable indicator of
learning. But it is the learning, not the behavior, that is of primary importance to most teachers.
Therefore, when the correct spelling of science vocabulary…” they are not teaching the student to
write, they are trying to increase knowledge of spelling. Although it us to know if the knowledge
has increased, it is a mistake to focus only on the behavior. In fact, it would be a mistake to pro-
duce an objective that requires writing for a student who can’t write, unless your goal is to produce
writing.
5. Do they pass the “so-what” test? – The “So-What” Test
The so-what test speaks of validity. Because the purpose of education is to prepare people
to be socially competent, the so-what test asks whether the goals and instructional objectives are
important. This is a more difficult test than the stranger test because it innovates value judgments
about the curriculum and speculation on about the child’s long term needs.
Good objectives specify outcomes that will benefit students by teaching them things that
are socially significant (Ensminger and Dangel, 1992) and not simply make life easier for parents
and teachers (although these are not always mutually exclusive). To past so-what test, an objective
should act to develop, rather than to suppress, behavior. In cases where behaviors need to be sup-
pressing (because they are dangerous), goals and objectives should include alternate positive be-
haviors, (Kaplan, 2000; Martin and Pear, 1996; Sulcer –Azaroff and Mayer, 1991).
6. Are the objectives aligned? –Individualization
Appropriate goals and instructional objectives are derived from
assessment data. They must be aligned with the student’s present level
of educational performance and student’s goals.
7. Do they make common sense? – Common Sense
Instructional objectives don’t have to fit into one sentence, and
trying to make them do so can be very confusing. Objectives tell what
the students will learn. A series of guidelines in the form of question-
naire is found in Table 1, the checklist for Goals and Objectives that fol- FOCUSING
low. CONTENT
The succeeding table contains another set of criteria which can
be used for judging the objectives and goals. You may check your objectives against the seven ques-
tions. If the answer to all the question is YES, then the objectives meet the criteria.

105
 Status Question

Yes 1. Do the goals and/or objectives represent an important learning outcome

that is a priority for this student?
NO
2. Is there a goal written for each area of need stated in the present level of
performance?
3. Are the goals realistic in the sense that they can be accomplished in one
year?
4. Are the goals and objectives easily measured?
5. Are the multiple objectives representing intermediate steps to each
goal?
6. Are the goals and instructional objectives appropriately calibrated
(sliced neither too broadly nor too narrowly)?
7. Are the goals and instructional objectives useful for planning and evalu-
ating instructional programs.
Table 1. Checklist for Goals and Objectives

Assessment is an integral part of instruction as it determines whether or not the goals of educa-
tion are being met.

Criteria for Assessment of Instruction

Another element of curriculum which needs criteria for assessment is instruction. In-
structions refer to the implementation of the objectives. It is concerned with the methodologies of
the strategies of teaching.

The following section describes instruction and the criteria which will be used for its
assessments. But before doing that, let us be familiar first with the two approaches to instructions.
These are:

1. Supplantive Approach- this is referred to as “direct” instruction

(Adams and Englemann, 1996). In here. The teacher attempts to pro-
mote learning by providing explicit directions and explanations regard-
ing how to do a tank. The teacher assumes primary responsibility for
linking new information with the student’s prior knowledge and ulti-
mately whatever the students learn. With this approach, information is
presented in an ordered sequence in which component sub skills are
taught directly or a foundation for later task. This approach to instruc-
tion is highly teacher directed.
FOCUSING
CONTENT
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 2. Generative Approach – This is referred to as
“constructivist” or “developmental”. In here the teacher
functions as a facilitator who takes a less central role in a
learning process that is student-directed (Ensminger and
Dangel, 1992). The teacher provides opportunities for the
FOCUSING
students to make own linkages to prior knowledge and o
devise her own strategies for work. Generative instruction is
CONTENT
“constructivist” because much of this emphasis is on helping
students to construct their own educational goals and experiences as well as the
knowledge that results. With this approach, information is presented on a schedule
determined by student’s interests and goals. With generative instruction sub-skills may
not be taught explicitly. Pre-requisites for more complex information are expected to
be learned as a consequence of the larger understanding students would be guided to
construct.
With the generative approach to instruction, learning is assumed to be socially constructed
out of interaction between the student’s innate tendencies and predisposition (following the stu-
dent’s own timeline) and the social context in which the students’ lives (Stone, 1996). But advocate
of the generative approach sometimes takes a restrictive view of social context. Often, do they not
seem to view teachers and classrooms as part of social context. Therefore, they see intentional in-
struction by teachers (or parents for that matter) as “unnatural” and “meaningless”. However, a
Stone (1996) puts it, “Developmentalism…fails to recognize the extent to which valued social, emo-
tional, and cognitive attributes may be induced and sustained (not merely facilitated) by the pur-
poseful action of teachers and parents.”
A comparison of the two approaches is shown in Table 2 below.

Attribute Generative Approach Supplantive Approach

Buzz words used by  Constructivist  Direct Instruction

proponent  Developmental  Teacher Directed
 Top Down  Mastery Learning
 Holistic  Task Analytic
 Authentic  Competency Based
 Meaning-based  Effective teaching
What proponents  Romantics  Reductionist
call the other  Fuzzy  Drill-and-kill
 Postmodernist  Dogmatic
 Unrealistic  Unauthentic
Underlying beliefs  Students construct their own un-  The skills that students need to
about what is taught derstanding learn can be derived from an anal-
 When learning is contextualized, ysis of the social demands placed
students will identify what they on them
are ready to learn

107
 Attribute Generative Approach Supplantive Approach

Underlying beliefs  Learning is “socially constructed”,  Learning can be induced through

about how learning students link new information to instruction that builds explicit
occurs prior knowledge when provided links between new information
opportunities to observe or expe- and prior knowledge.
rience
Underlying beliefs  Learning is developmental and  When learning does not occur, it
about how to teach occurs much the way early lan- can be facilitated by building it
guage is acquired from the “bottom up” through
 Teachers take a “hand’s off” ap- teaching of prerequisite sub-skills
proach and seek to provide a  Teachers take a “hands-on” ap-
meaningful context in which proach by structuring lessons and
learning will occur naturally providing explicit direction
Common error made  Creating interesting classroom  By focusing on specific learning
by proponents activities but failure to link these outcomes, they may fail to attend
activities to learning outcomes to other equally important inter-
 Too much emphasis on larger ests and topics
ideas, not enough emphasis on  Too much emphasis on the compo-
the components nents, not enough emphasis on the
larger ideas

The guidelines for selecting appropriate instructional approach are presented in Table 3
below.
Select the Generative Ap- Select the Supplantive Ap-
proach when: proach when:
The Student  Has considerable prior knowledge  Has little prior knowledge of the task
 Has adaptive motivational pat-  Has non-adaptive motivational pat-
terns terns
 Experiences consistent successes  Experiences repeated failure on the
on the task task
The Task  Is simple for the student  Is complex
 Is well defined  Is ill defined
 Can be completed using a general  Has missing information
problem-solving strategy  Requires the use of task-specific
 Is to understand, but not neces- strategy
sarily apply, what is learned  Is pivotal to the learning of subse-
quent tasks
 Must be used with a high level of
proficiency
The Setting  Allows plenty of time to accom-  Time allowed to accomplish out-
plish outcomes comes is limited
 Places priority on experiences and  Places priority on task mastery
activities

FOCUSING
CONTENT

108
 Curriculum Criteria

Curriculum criteria are guidelines on standards for curriculum

decision making. The objectives of a curriculum or teaching plan are the
most important curriculum criteria, since they should be used in select-
ing learning experiences and in evaluating learning achievement. The
criteria are stated in the form of questions as follows:
FOCUSING
1. Have the goals of the curriculum or teaching plan been CONTENT
clearly stated; and are they used by teachers and students in
choosing content, material and activities for learning?
2. Have teacher and students engaged in student-teacher planning in defining the goals
and in determining how they will be implemented?
3. Do some of the planned goals relate to the society or the community in which the cur-
riculum will be implemented or the teaching will be done?
4. Do some of the planned goals relate to the individual learner and his or her needs, pur-
poses, interest and abilities?
5. Are the planned goals used as criteria in selecting and developing learning materials
for instruction?
6. Are the planned goals used as criteria in evaluating learning achievements and in fur-
ther planning sub goals and activities?
According to Hass and Parkay (1993), individual differences, flexibility and systematic
planning are criteria that depend in part on knowledge of the different approaches to learning. The
criterions are as follows:
 Does the curriculum or teaching plan include alternative approaches and alternatives
activities for learning?
 Have the different learning theories been considered in planning alternative learning
approaches and activities?
 Has the significance or rewarded responses, transfer, generalization, advance organiz-
ers, self-concept, meaningfulness of the whole, personal meaning, imitation, identifica-
tion and socialization been considered in the planning?
What are the characteristics of a good curriculum?
A good curriculum must possess specific characteristics in the pursuit of the aims of education
the schools are to pursuit of the aims of education the schools are to pursue. A good curriculum
includes the following:
1. The curriculum is continuously evolving.
The present educational system that we, Filipinos now enjoy did not happen overnight. It
is the product of a long and tedious process of evaluation and change. It evolved from one period
to another, to the present.

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 2. The curriculum is based on the needs of the people.
It is imperative in developing a curricular program to begin with those that concern the
people themselves.
3. The curriculum is democratically conceived.
A good curriculum is developed through the efforts of a group of individuals from different
sectors in the society who are knowledge about the interest needs and resources of the learner and
the society as a whole.
4. The curriculum is the result of a long term effort.
A good curriculum is a product of long and tedious process it takes a long period of time in
the planning management evaluation and development of a good curriculum.
5. The curriculum is a complex of details.
A good curriculum provides the proper instructional equipment and meeting places that
are often most conductive to learning it includes the students-teacher relationship, guidance and
counseling program,
6. The curriculum provides for the logical sequence of subject matter.
It is accepted fact that learning is developmental. Thus, classes and activities should be
planned so as to achieve an orderly development of subject matter and step by step progress of the
learner. There is a smooth transition and continuing achievement of learners from one subject
matter, classroom, grade or school to another. A good curriculum provides continuity of experi-
ence.
7. The curriculum complements and cooperates with other programs of the community.
The curriculum is responsive to the needs of the community. The school offers its assis-
tance in the improvement and realization of ongoing programs in the community. There is cooper-
ative effort between the school and the community towards greater productivity.
8. The curriculum has educational quality.
Quality education comes through the situation of the individuals intellectual and creative
capacities for social welfare and development. The curriculum helps the
learner to become the best that he can possibly be. The curriculum sup-
port system is secured to augment existing sources for its efficient and
effective implementation.
9. The curriculum has administrative flexibility.
A good curriculum must be ready to incorporate changes when-
ever necessary. The curriculum is open to revision and development to
meet the demands of globalization and the digital age.
FOCUSING
CONTENT

110
 What are Marks of a Good Curriculum?
Here are some marks of a good curriculum which may be used
as criteria for evaluation purposes given by J. Galen Saylor.
1. A good curriculum is systematically planned and evaluated.
 A definite organization is responsible for coordinating planning and FOCUSING
evaluation. CONTENT
 Steps in planning and evaluation are logically defined and taken
 Ways of workings utilize the contributions of all concerned.
2. A good curriculum reflects adequately the aim of the school
 The faculty has defined comprehensive educational aims.
 The scope of the curriculum includes areas related to all stated aims.
 Each curriculum opportunity is planned with reference to one or more aims.
 In planning curriculum opportunities from year to year and in each area, teacher consider the
total scope of aims.
3. A good curriculum maintains balance among all aims of the school.
 The curriculum gives attention to each aim commensurate with its importance.
 The total plan of curriculum opportunities in basic areas, school activities, and special interests
reflects careful planning with respect to all aims.
 Guidance of each individual helps provide him with a program which is well-balanced in terms
of his needs and capacities.
 The school organization, schedule, and facilities help in giving appropriate attention to each
aim.
 Classroom activities and schedules are arranged so as to provide a balanced program of varied
learning activities.
4. A good curriculum promotes continuity of experience
 Provisions are made for the smooth transition and continuing achievement of pupils from one
classroom, grade or school to another.
 Curriculum plain in areas which extend over several years are developed vertically.
 Classroom practices given attention to the maturity and learning problems of each pupil.
 Cooperative planning and teaching provide for exchange of information about pupil’s learning
experiences.
5. A good curriculum arranges learning opportunities flexibly for adaptation to particular
situations and individuals.
 Curriculum guides encourage teachers to make their own plans for specific learning situations.

111
  Cooperative teaching and planning utilize many opportunities as they arise to share learning
resources and special talents.
 Time allotments and schedules are modified as need justifies.
 In accordance with their maturity, pupils participate in the planning of learning experiences.
 The selection of learning experiences reflects careful attention to the demands of the learning
situation.
6. A good curriculum utilizes the most effective learning experiences and resources avail-
able.
 Learning experiences are developed so that pupils see purpose, meaning and significance in
each activity.
 Needed available resources are utilized at the time they are relevant and helpful.
 Use of the right learning resource for each pupil is encouraged.
 Teachers discriminate wisely between activities which pupils carry on independently and those
in which teacher-pupil interaction is desirable.
7. A good curriculum makes maximum provision for the development of each learner.
 The program provides a wide range of opportunities for individuals of varying abilities, needs,
and interests.
 Extensive arrangements are made for the educational diagnosis of individual learners.
 Self-directed, independent study is encouraged whenever possible and advisable.
 Self-motivation and self-evaluation are stimulated and emphasized throughout the learning
opportunities of the school.
 The curriculum promotes individual development rather than conformity to some hypothetical
standard.
 The school attempts to follow up its former students both as a service to them and for evalua-
tive data.

What is Evaluation?

Evaluation is the process of determining the value of something

or the extent to which goals are being achieved. It is a process of making
a decision or reading a conclusion. It involves decision making about
student performance based on information obtained from an assess-
ment process. Assessment is the process of collecting information by
reviewing the product of student work, interviewing, observing, and
testing.
Evaluation is the process of using information that is collected
through assessment. The ultimate purpose of any evaluation process
FOCUSING
that takes place in schools is to improve student’s learning (Howell and
CONTENT
Nolet, 2000) .

112
 Evaluation entails a reasoning process that is based on influ-
ence. Inference is the process of arriving at a logical conclusion from a
body of evidence. Inference usually refers to the process of developing a
conclusion of the basis of some phenomenon that is not experienced or
observed directly by the person drawing the inference.
Evaluation is a thoughtful process. We use it to help us under- FOCUSING
stand things. Evaluation has been defined in a variety of ways, all of CONTENT
which have at their core the idea of comparisons between things, note
the differences, summarize our findings, and draw conclusion about
result (Deno, Winkin, Yavorsky, 1977).
Evaluation is the judgment we make about the assessment of student learning based on estab-
lished criteria. It involves a process of integrating assessment information to make inferences and
judgment about how well students have achieve curriculum expectations. Evaluation involves plac-
ing a value on and determine the worth of student assessment. Evaluations are usually made so
that process can be communicated to students and parents .
Evaluation provides information
1. Directly to the learner for guidance
2. Directly to the teacher for orientation of the next instruction activity
3. Directly to external agency for their assessment of schools functioning in the light of
national purposes.

What is curriculum evaluation?

Curriculum evaluation is the process of obtaining information for judging the worth of an
educational program, product, procedure educational objectives or the potential utility of alterna-
tive approaches designed to attain specified objectives (Glass and Worthem, 1997).
Curriculum evaluation focuses on determine whether the curriculum as recorded in the
master plan has been carried out in the classroom .in evaluation a curriculum, the following key
question are usually asked:
1. Are the objectives being addressed?
2. Are the contents presented in the recommended sequence?
3. Are students being involved in the suggested instructional experience?
4. Are students reacting to the contents?

Formative and Summative Evaluation

Summative evaluation is evaluation that takes place at the end of unit or section of instruc-
tion. Summative and formative evaluation can be contracted like this: summative evaluation takes
place at the end of a lesson or project and tells the evaluator what is happening. Summative evalu-
ation “sums up” the learning. It is after-the-fact, like end-of the-year testing. Formative evaluation
is ongoing and yields information that can be used to modify the program prior to termination
(Howell and Nolet 2000).

113
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, you should be

LESSON 3 able to do the following:

create a Venn diagram showing the

Strategies and similarities and differences among the
Tools to Assess assessment strategies;
conduct an analysis on the appropriate
the Curriculum -ness of the assessment strategies used
by the classroom teacher; and
explain how a teacher can effectively
select and use the assessment strate-
gies as well as overcome the difficulties
in choosing and utilizing them.

CONTENTS Directions: Read carefully the following questions and encircle

the letter of the correct answer.
What are
Assessment 1. Which of the following strategies allows teachers to pose ques-
Strategies? tions in order to elicit responses from the learners?
Paper-and- a. observation c. reflective
Pencil Strategy b. oral d. performance-based
Performance- 2. What refers to the process of gathering information and re-
Based Strategy
flecting on one’s own learning?
Observational
a. paper-and-pencil c. oral
Strategy
b. performance-based d. reflective
Oral Strategy
Reflective 3. Which of the following requires students to demonstrate a skill
Strategy or proficiency by asking them to create, produce or perform?
Combination of a. performance task c. select response
Strategies b. essay d. rubric
TIME ALLOTMENT
4. Which of the following is an ongoing record by the student of
3 hours what he/she does while working on a particular task or as-
signment?
a. learning log c. checklist
b. rubric d. anecdote

5. What refers to a formal or informal meeting between/among

the teacher and student and/or parent?
ASSESSING YOUR a. interview c. focus group
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE b. conference d. symposium

114
 This lesson will bring you to the strategies and tools used to
assess the curriculum. You will be able to determine which assess-
ment strategy is most appropriate for a particular curriculum expec-
tation and the tool that should be used by analyzing the purposes
GETTING STARTED and characteristics of each strategy and tool. You will also bring to
this lesson your personal experiences on how your performance in
school has been assessed.

Assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, meas-
ure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of
students.

What are Assessment Strategies?

Finding out what students know and can do requires multiple

sources of information and differing types of assessment. The key is the
match the learning and the assessment tool. The selection of a strategy
is determined both by what is to be assessed and the reasons or purpos-
es for the assessment. The phase of the learning process at w2hich the
teacher and the students are working affects the selection of the assess- FOCUSING
ment strategy and the tools used as one tool may be unsuitable for dif- CONTENT
ferent purposes.
Assessment strategies are the structures through which student knowledge and skills are
assessed. These are:
 Pencil-and-paper-strategy
Examples: essay, quiz/ test/ exam, select response
 Performance based strategy
Examples: performance task, exhibition & demonstration
 Observational
Example: observations (noted)
 Personal communication
Examples: conference and interview
 Oral
Examples: question and answers, classroom presentation
 Reflective
Examples: self-assessment, response journal
 Combination of strategies
Example: portfolios

115
 Paper-and-Pencil Strategy

The Essay
Definition
The essay:
 is a writing sample used to assess student understanding
and or how well students can analyze and synthesize infor-
mation; FOCUSING
 is a pencil-and-paper assessment where a student constructs CONTENT
a response to a question, topic, or brief statement;
 provides the student with opportunity to communicate his/her reasoning in a written
response.
Purpose
The essay is used to:
 assess the student’s ability to communicate ideas in writing; and
 measure understanding and mastery of complex information.
Characteristics
The essay:
 measures a student’s ability (e.g., in making comparisons, applying principles to new
situations, organizing information, drawing inferences, being persuasive, integrating
knowledge and applications, summarizing information);
 assesses knowledge, reasoning, organization and communication skills;
 directly measures the performance specified not the expectations;
 includes a scoring plan which specifies attributes for a quality answer (e.g. conciseness,
factual knowledge, connection between argument and supporting facts) and indicates
the value associated with each of the attributes;
 affords the student a chance to construct his/her own answers, demonstrating creativi-
ty and/or originality.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 uses professional judgment to develop the problem, question, or statement and the
scoring of the final product.
Considerations
The essay:
 is issued to assess separately the student’s ability to communicate ideas, write profi-
ciently and comprehend context;
 is less time-consuming to construct compared to objective item testing, but can require
considerable time to evaluate;
 is not an effective means of assessing a student’s entire domain of content knowledge,
or assessing more than one or two reasoning skills at any one time.

116
 The Select Response
Definition
The select response:
 is a pencil-and-paper assessment in which the student is to
identify the one correct answer;
FOCUSING  is a commonly used procedure for gathering formal evidence
CONTENT about student learning, specifically in memory, recall and com-
prehension.

Purpose
The select response is used to:
 test student learning of subject/content knowledge (facts, concepts, principles or gen-
eralizations, procedures);
 assess prerequisite knowledge (e.g. when communicating in a second language, stu-
dents can be assessed on vocabulary prior to a conversation in that language.)
Characteristics
The select response:
 can be administered to large numbers of students at the same time;
 can be scored very quickly;
 is stated in clear, simple language.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 identifies the format (e.g. multiple choice, true/false);
 selects the content to be covered;
 designs the questions.
Considerations
The select response:
 is always influenced by the student’s ability to read and understand the items;
 can utilize computer and optical scanning technology to save time and effort with item
development, item storage and retrieval, test printing and optical scan scoring;
 can make it more difficult to determine how the student arrived at an answer with
true/ false and multiple choice.

117
 The Performance-Based Strategy

The Performance Task

Definition
 is an assessment which requires students to demonstrate a skill or proficiency by ask-
ing them to create, produce, or perform;
 may be an observation of a student or group of students performing a specific task to
demonstrate skills and/or knowledge through open-ended, "hands-on” activities.
Purpose
The performance task is used to:
 provide an efficient means of assessment where the skill cannot be demonstrated with
a paper-and-pencil test;
 enable learners to demonstrate abilities, skills, attitudes and behaviors;
 provide information about a learner’s ability to organize, draw on prior knowledge and
experience, improvise, choose from a range of strategies, represent learning, and make
decisions to complete a task;
 test skills in the affective, cognition, psychomotor, and perceptual domains.
Characteristics
The performance task:
 can be diagnostic, formative or summative assessment;
 uses ongoing feedback
 allows most learners to participate successfully in varying degrees;
 provide opportunities for learners to work individually, as well as in small groups;
 focuses on the process as well as the product;
 provides contexts that have relevance to the students (may enhance motivation as stu-
dents work on “real” tasks; tasks are meaningful, “real world” applications);
 provides the most realistic assessment of job-related competencies;
 includes tasks such as painting, speeches, musical presentations, research papers, in-
vestigations, athletic performance, projects, exhibitions, and other products that re-
quire students to construct a unique response to a task.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 observes a student or group of students performing a specific
task;
 shares with students the responsibility of developing and or-
ganizing the performance task, and setting assessment criteria;
 assigns a level of proficiency based on the performance.
Considerations
The performance task:
 provides an excellent way to assess reasoning skills
 must have clearly defined criteria for the assessment. FOCUSING
CONTENT

118
 The Exhibition / Demonstration
Definition
The exhibition/demonstration:
 is a performance in which a student demonstrates individual achievement through ap-
plication of specific skills and knowledge;
 is used to assess progress in tasks that require students to be actively engaged in an
activity (e.g. performing an experiment)
Purpose
The exhibition/demonstration is used to:
 allow students to show achievement of a skill or knowledge by requiring the student to
demonstrate that skill or knowledge in use.
Characteristics
The exhibition/demonstration:
 is either an actual situation or a simulation (emphasis in a simulation is upon mastery
of the fundamentals of the knowledge/skill);
 is often used in the Arts;
 is accompanied by a list of performance attributes as well as the assessment criteria,
which should be determined prior to the demonstration;
 is frequently organized in assessment stations where the stations are used to test a va-
riety of skills (e.g. basketball circuit-jump shot, set shot, dribble around pylons).
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 assesses how well a student performs a practice, behavior or skill.
Considerations
The exhibition/demonstration:
 may be interdisciplinary;
 may require student initiative and creativity;
 may be a competition between individual students or groups;
 may be a collaborative project that students work on over time;
 should be constructed and administered in a manner which is equiva-
lent for all students (e.g., all candidates in a music demonstration play
the same piece on the same piano).

(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16, 2001.)

FOCUSING
CONTENT

119
 The Observational Strategy

Definition
Observation:
 is a process of systematically viewing and recording student
behavior for the purpose of making programming decisions;
 permeates the entire teaching process by assisting the teacher
in making the decisions required in effective teaching. FOCUSING
Purpose CONTENT
Observation:
 provides systematic, ongoing information about students in
relation to areas of strengths and weaknesses, preferred learning styles, unique inter-
ests, learning needs, skills, attitudes, behavior, and performance related expectations.
Characteristics
Observation:
 can be used every day to assess students of different ages, across subject areas, and in
different settings (alone, in partners, small groups or whole class)
 is structured with a clear purpose and focus;
 includes a written record which should be as close to the time of the event as possible.
The record should be objective.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 Watches students respond to questions, study, complete assigned tasks:
 Listens to students as they speak and discuss with others;
 Observes nonverbal forms of communication (e.g., attentiveness to lessons, signs and
frustration):
 Outlines the purpose of the observation by using the following questions as guidelines:
1. Who will make the observation?
2. Who or what is observed?
3. Why will the observation take place?
4. When will the observation take place?
5. When will the observation occur?
6. How will the observation be recorded (notes, audio and videotape)?
 Observes the students in a variety of situations and settings;
 Draws inferences on the basis of the observation gathered;
 Observes the students’ performance, then records observation on recording devices
(checklist, rating, anecdotal record) which outline the framework and criteria for ob-
servation.
Considerations
Observations:
 Are made using a checklist, a set of questions, and or a journal as a guide to ensure fo-
cused systematic observation.
 Are often the only assessment tool used for demonstration (e.g., oral speaking, draw-
ing, playing musical instruments, applying motor skills in the physical education pro-
gram, using equipment in design and Technology);
 Can be collected by audio tape or videotape allows the teacher more detailed assess-
ment of the performance after the fact):

120
 The Observational Strategy

The Conference
Definition
The conference:
 is a formal or informal meeting between/among the teacher
FOCUSING and student and/or parent;
CONTENT  has a clear focus on learning for discussion.
Purpose
The conference is used to:
 exchange information or share ideas between among the individuals at the conference;
 explore the students thinking and to suggest next steps;
 assess the students level of understanding of a particular concept or procedure;
 enable a student to move ahead more successfully on a particular piece of work;
 review, clarify, and extend what the student has already completed;
 help students internalize criteria for good work.
Characteristics
The conference:
 provides a clear focus for discussion (i.e., a specific piece of work);
 requires that responsibility for the success of the conference is shared by all partici-
pants;
 may take place as the learner is exploring a new concept or topic, or be a goal-setting
session or a report on progress;
 is brief, informal and occurs routinely;
 can be effective for both diagnostic and formative assessment.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 comes to the conference prepared with specific questions to be answered;
 gives individual feedback and clarifies misconceptions;
 puts students at ease, and supports student progress. In the case of a writing confer-
ence, for an example, a mini-lesson may be given by the teacher;
 focuses on the process of reasoning followed by the student;
 records information (conference record) during or immediately following the commu-
nication.
Considerations
The conference:
 is assisted by prepared questions:
 can be an extremely useful formative assessment strategy for students involved in ma-
jor projects or independent studies.

121
 The Interview
Definition
The interview:
 is a form of conversation in which all parties (teacher, student and parent)
 increase their knowledge and understanding.
Purpose
The interview is used to:
 focus on inquiry where the purpose of the meeting is based on investigation;
 explore the students thinking;
 assess the student’s level of understanding of a particular concept or procedure:
 gather information, obtain clarification, determine positions and probe for motiva-
tions;
 help determine student understands of qualities of good work.
Characteristics
The interview:
 tends to be a meeting which involves inquiry:
 can be adapted to probe any problem or any consideration;
 occurs routinely;
 is usually guided by planned questions.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 is responsible for the initial questions that guide the conversation, as well as the flow
and movement of the exchange;
 generates information during the interview which may lead to decisions, agreements,
solutions;
 allows, students to take the lead in the interview when appropriate.
Considerations
The interview:
 needs time built in for conversations especially when the pur-
pose is an honest and thoughtful exchange.

(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16, 2001.)

FOCUSING
CONTENT

122
 The Oral Strategy

The Questions & Answers

Definition
Questions:
 are posed by the teacher to determine if students understand what is being/has been
presented or to extend thinking, generate ideas or problem-solve.
Answers:
 provide opportunities for oral assessment when the student responds to a question by
speaking rather than by writing.
Purpose
Questions and answers are used to:
 provide a mechanism which monitors a student’s understanding while assessing stu-
dent progress (what they know and can do);
 gather information about a student’s learning needs.
Characteristics
Question and answers:
 help teachers and students clarify their purpose for learning and link previous infor-
mation with new understandings.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 notes how students answer questions during instruction to know if the students under-
stand what is being presented or are able to perform skills;
 should ensure that all students participate, not just those individuals who typically re-
spond with answers.
Considerations
Questions and answers:
 can help to ensure that all students are involved if tracking is done to ensure that all
students participate;
 is used with consideration that some individuals are not comfortable or fluent express-
ing themselves orally.

FOCUSING
CONTENT

123
 The Classroom Presentation
Definition
The classroom presentation:
FOCUSING
 is an assessment which requires students to verbalize their
knowledge, select and present samples of finished work and CONTENT
organize thoughts, in order to present a summary of learning
about a topic.
Purpose
The classroom presentation is used to:
 provide summative assessment upon completion of a project or an essay;
 assess students when it is inappropriate or difficult to test a student’s understanding or
knowledge with pencil-and-paper test.
Characteristics
The classroom presentation:
 can provide students with an opportunity to use concrete materials to express their
ideas and talents;
 may be a teaching tool if the presentation is designed to further the learning of the au-
dience.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 with the students or alone, sets the criteria for the assessment of the presentation (i.e.,
rubric);
 monitors student progress at selected stages during student preparation;
 provides oral or written feedback after the presentation.
Considerations
The classroom presentation:
 is a natural form of assessment for speeches, debates and subjects such as the study of
languages;
 holds the potential to increase peer comparisons which may be harmful to some stu-
dents because of the oral and visual aspects of presentations;
 is a critical skill to be taught, practiced, assessed and evaluated.

(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16, 2001.)

124
 The Reflective Strategy

Self-Assessment
Definition
Self-assessment
 is the process of gathering information and reflecting on one’s
own learning;
FOCUSING  is the student’s own assessment of personal progress in
CONTENT knowledge, skills, processes, or attitudes;
 leads a student to a greater awareness and understanding of
himself or herself as a learner.
Purpose
Self-assessment is used to:
 assist students to take more responsibility and ownership of their learning;
 provide insights and information that enable students to make decisions about their
learning and to set personal learning goals;
 use assessment as a means of learning;
 focus on both the process and products of learning;
 helps students critique their own work;
 help students internalize the characteristics/criteria of quality student work.
Characteristics
Self-assessment:
 promotes the development of metacognitive ability (the ability to reflect critically on
one’s own reasoning);
 may involve an introspective observation, a product assessment or a test;
 may include attitude surveys, interest inventories, and personal journals;
 involves questions such as “How do I learn best?”, “What are my areas for growth?”,
“Where do I need to improve?”;
 is used to determine if a student’s beliefs about his/her performance correspond to the
actual performance observed by the teacher.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 guides students by helping students understand how to reflect on learning;
 provides time and opportunities for self-assessment;
 designs the questions or selects the self-assessment tool;
 can use student self-assessment to determine change or growth in the student’s atti-
tudes, understandings, and achievement;
 completes the assessment based on personal reflection about achievement or perfor-
mance.
Considerations
Self-assessment:
 is used to compare whether the student and the teacher have similar views of expected
performance and criteria for evaluation;
 develops gradually as students begin to use the process in daily activities;
 can help students to witness personal growth through comparison with their own pre-
vious work, regardless of ability.
125
 The Response Journal
Definition
The response journal:
 provides frequent written reflective response to a material that a student is reading,
viewing, listening to, or discussing.
Purpose
The response journal is used to:
 record personal reflections, observations, and interpretations.
Characteristics
The response journal:
 allows time for students to formulate well- considered response;
 includes both factual information and the student’s personal reflection;
 is provide within a climate which is non- threatening and open, and which encourages
risk-taking;
 can provide the focus for a student-teacher conference;
 is a vehicle for communication with teachers, peers, parents;
 can include visual representations (e.g., artwork, sketches);
 can be used in all subject areas;
Teacher’s role
The teacher:
 writes comments in the spirit of a dialogue (by asking questions and thoughts).
Considerations
The response journal:
 focuses on the process of reflective thinking;
 includes depth of thought and connection with understandings and experience as ap-
propriate criteria for assessment;
 respects the personal nature of a journal and the learner’s de-
sire for privacy;
 does not emphasize the formal aspects of writing style or cor-
rectness.

FOCUSING
CONTENT

126
 Combination of Strategies

The Portfolio
Definition
The portfolio:
 is a purposeful collection of samples of a student’s work that is selective, reflective, and
collaborative;
 demonstrate the range and depth of a student’s achievement, knowledge, and skills
over time and across a variety of context;
 has student involvement in selection of portfolio materials as part of the process;
 is a visual presentation of a student’s accomplishments, capabilities, strengths, weak-
nesses, and progress over a specified time.
Purpose
The portfolio is used to:
 document typical student work and progress;
 provide a comprehensive view of the student’s progress, efforts and achievements;
 reflect growth and progress but my serve different purposes during the year;
 provide a focus for student reflection on their own learning;
 build a student’s sense of responsibility for his/her own learning;
 build a student’s confidence in her/his abilities as a learner;
 promote an ongoing process where students demonstrate, assess and revise in order to
improve and produce quality work.
Characteristics
The Portfolio:
 tracks student progress on a variety of assessments over a period of time;
 promotes the skills of student self-assessment and goal setting;
 has a stated purpose and intended audience which are important to the entire process;
 may include entries that the student and teacher consider as important representations
of learning;
 can provide a focus for a conference or an interview involving the student, the teacher
and parents;
 provides the opportunity for students to practice, assess, and select
their own work;
Teacher's Role
The teacher:
 makes regular formative assessments during the portfolio pro-
cess to determine individual needs and progress toward speci-
fied learning expectations in order to provide further instruc-
tions;
FOCUSING
 provides regular feedback to students regarding their perfor-
CONTENT mance related to pre-stated criteria in order to help the stu-
dents to improve.

127
  determines or negotiates with the students the purpose for the
portfolios, the criteria for selections (e.g., number of items, cat-
egories) and time frame for use;
 reads the reflections and comments on the student's assess-
ment of personal learning.
Considerations
FOCUSING
The portfolio:
CONTENT
 is developed collaborative by teachers and students, including
shared development of the purpose of the portfolio and criteria
for selecting samples for inclusions;
 requires standardization regarding what is included if the portfolio is used for evaluate
purposes.

Combination of Strategies

Recording devises provide various means of organizing the recordings of information

about student achievement. Teaches can choose or develop recording devises which suit the teach-
er's style, the students and the activity or learning being assessed. These are:
1. learning log
2. anecdotal record
3. checklist
4. rating scale
5. rubric

The Learning Log

Definition
The learning log:
 is an ongoing record by the student of what he/she does while working on a particular
task or assignment;
 makes visible what a student is thinking and/or doing through frequent recordings
over time.
Purpose
The learning log is used to:
 show student progress and growth overtime;
 provide the student with the opportunities to gather and interpret, information to ask
questions, and to make connections.
Characteristics
The learning log:
 is a useful tool if students are working on a project which stretches over several days or
even weeks;
 can provide a helpful focus for discussion during a conference where progress is as-
sessed;

128
  provides unlimited opportunities for individualized reading and writ-
ing on a consistent basis.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 provides the guidelines for the maintenance of the learning log;
 provides regular feedback to the students.
FOCUSING Considerations
CONTENT The learning log:
 may present a challenge for some students who have a difficult time
expressing their thoughts in writing;
 provides students with opportunities for reflection about their progress toward a stated
goal.

The Anecdotal Record

Definition
The anecdotal record:
 is a short narrative describing both a behavior and the context in which the behavior
occurred;
 should objectively report specific and observed behaviors,
 describes student performance in detail and in writing.
Purpose
The anecdotal record is used to:
 provide an ongoing record of written observations of students’ progress;
 to record objectively, significant observations that are not part of a formal assessment
which might otherwise be forgotten or remembered incorrectly;
 record observations of unanticipated performances, behaviors, incidents, or events.
Characteristics
The anecdotal record:
 provides rich portraits of an individual student’s achievement;
 records observation which have special significance and cannot be obtained from other
classroom strategies;
 may appear unstructured since this tool is used to record spontaneous, unexpected
demonstration and/or behaviors, statements;
 record information on a form which specifies the learner, the date of observation, and a
factual description of the event or behavior;
 show information collected over time and carefully analyzed in order to make accurate
judgments about student achievements;
 provides a mechanism to recognize patterns of student growth over time;
 is often used to document a student’s behavior for later reference.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 determine which observations are to be considered significant and important;
 pre-plans the general format of the form with labels (e.g., name of student, date, time
setting, description);

129
  should record information while the event or behavior is fresh in the teacher’s mind;
 records incident with a purpose (e.g., in terms of instructional decisions, progress re-
lated to specific student goal);
 establishes a systematic procedure for collecting records on all students, ensuring that
no individual is overlooked.
Considerations
The anecdotal record:
 is time-consuming to read, write, and interpret;
 is often used in conjunction with other assessment strategies;
 records interpretations or recommendation separately from the description of the stu-
dent’s performance;
(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16, 2001.)

The Checklist:
Definition
The checklist:
 is a list of action or descriptions that a rater (teacher) checks off as the particular be-
havior or expectation is observed;
 is a written list of performance criteria which is used to assess student performance
through observation, or may be used to assess written work;
 is a list of skills, concepts, behaviors, processes, and/or attitudes that might, or should,
occur in a given situation.
Purpose
The checklist is used to:
 record whether a specific skill or behavior was “evident” or “not evident”
 record the presence or absence of specific behavior in given situations.
 record a performance that can and should be shown to students to help them see where
improvement is needed.
Characteristics
The checklist:
 is used when the process or product can be broken into com-
ponents that are judged to be present or absent; adequate or
inadequate;
 provides a list of key attributes of good performance that are
checked as either present or absent;
 is quick and useful with large number of criteria;
 can be used in variety of settings to establish the presence or
absence of series of conditions;
FOCUSING
 enable the teacher to record whether a specific skill or behav-
ior was “evident” or “not evident”, or more specifically, wheth-
CONTENT
er the behavior was observed or not at the time the checklist
was used;

130
  includes specific concepts, skills, processes, and/or attitudes which are to be assessed;
 is diagnostic, reusable and capable of charting student progress;
 is an efficient way to obtain information about a student’s improvement over time by
using the same checklist more than once;
 is useful for diagnosing an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses;
 consists of a list of statements which are expected to be exhibited;
 usually uses a check mark, or other indicator which is placed in the appropriate space
on the checklist form to indicate that it has occurred;
 is useful for students in self and peer assessment.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 observes, judges, and determines if a student’s performance meets the criteria outline
on the checklist;
 records the occurrence of the skill, behavior, concept, process, and/or attitude on the
checklist;
 does not evaluate the quality of the work or contribution but indicates that it occurred
or was completed;
 should make a sufficient number of observations about a student before an evaluative
judgment is applied.

The Rating Scale

Definition
The rating scale:
 is a simple tool for assessing performance on a several-point scale rating from low to
high. It may have as few as 3 points, or as many as 10 points;
 assesses the extent to which specific facts, skills, attitudes, and/or behaviors are ob-
served in a student’s works or performance;
 is based on a set of criteria which allow the teacher to judge performance, products,
attitudes, and/or behavior along a continuum.
 is used to judge the quality of a performance.
Purpose
The rating scale is used to:
 provide detailed diagnostic information on a student’s perfor-
mance, products, attitudes, behavior in reference to pre-stated
criteria.
 record the frequency or even the degree to which a student ex-
hibits a characteristic;
 record the range of student achievement in relation to specific
behavior;
FOCUSING
CONTENT  describe performance along a continuum.

131
 Characteristics
The rating scale:
 provides a scale or range of responses for each item that the
teacher is assessing.
 can be analytic or holistic. Analytic rating scales describe a
product or performance on multiple dimensions (e.g., in a writ-
ing task the dimensions or criteria that might be rated are or- FOCUSING
ganization, mechanics, and creativity). Holistic rating considers CONTENT
all the scoring criteria simultaneously, rather than the assign-
ing separate scores.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 uses a scale to describe student;
 makes decisions about student’s work on the basis of description, categories, or topic
and assigns a numerical or qualitative description.
Considerations
The rating scale:
 uses statements to rank, describe or identify criteria;
 uses carefully chosen words to describe the meaning of various points on the scale so
that they have same meaning to different raters (teacher, student, peer)
 is used best as a single rating scale and applied across all performance criteria. Using
many different scales requires the teacher to change focus frequently, distracting atten-
tion from the performance and decreasing rating accuracy.
(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16, 2001.)

The Rubrics
Definition
The rubric:
 is a series of statements describing a range of levels of achievement of a process, prod-
uct or performance;
 contains brief, written descriptions of different levels of student performance;
 designs desired expectations with specific performances outlined for each level;
 is a descriptive rating scale which requires the rater to choose among the different lev-
els;
 uses criteria and associated description to assess the actual performance.
Purpose
The rubric is used to;
 summarize both student performance and product against pre-stated criteria;
 make scoring of student performance more precise than using the list of items;
 provide a clear description of what “quality” work looks like.

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 Characteristics
The rubric:
 consists several level descriptions, each for a different level of quality;
 addresses several qualities (criteria) simultaneously within the same
scale of different levels;
 uses the same set of variables to judge at each level of rating;
FOCUSING  uses specific descriptions of each of the variables for each point along
CONTENT the continuum;
 communicates to students, teachers and parents what is expected in
terms of “quality” work;
 provides a summative representation of a student’s performance;
 is used effectively in conjunction with exemplars which are concrete examples of stu-
dent work at various levels.
Teacher’s Role
The teacher:
 selects which of the descriptions comes closest to the student’s performance.
Considerations
The rubric:
 can be used in conjunction with self- assessment and peer review;
 involves the student in the process of identifying important performance criteria which
gives him/her ownership of criteria and provides concrete examples of good and poor
performance or products;
 can be designed for specific task such as design project, or it may design for generic
skill such as problem solving.
(Source: Teacher Companions Curriculum Unit Planner April 16 ,2001.)

Non-Test Monitoring and Assessment

Many of the following suggestions are similar to the suggested teaching strategies. Those
who advocate increased use of non-test monitoring and assessment argue that instruction and as-
sessment at their best are intertwined. Good instruction involves observing and analyzing student
performance and the most valuable assessment activities should be learning experiences as well.
1. Oral and written reports – Students research a topic and then present either orally or
in written form.
2. Teacher observation – The teacher observes students while they work to make certain
the students to understand the assignment and are on task. Example: Cooperative
Learning.
3. Journal – Students write daily on assignment or personal topics. Example: What is the
thing you remember about yesterday’s lesson.
4. Portfolio of student’s work – Teacher collects samples of student’s work and saves for
determined amount of time. Example: Dated samples of students’ writing, test, etc.
5. Slates or hand signals – Students use slates or hand signals as a means of signaling an-
swers to the teacher. Example:
6. Review questions – Write answers and hold up slates.

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 7. Projects – The students research on atopic and present it in a creative way.
8. Debates – The students take opposing position on a topic and defend their position. Exam-
ples: the pros and cons of an environment legislation.
9. Checklist- the teacher will make a list of objectives that students need to master and then check
off skill as the student master it.
10. Cartooning- Students will use drawings to depict situation and ideas. Examples: Environment
issues
11. Models- The students produce a miniature replica of a given topic. Example: Molecules.
12. Notes- Students write a summary of a lesson.
13. Daily assignments- The students complete work assigned on a daily basis to be completed at
the school or home. Example: Worksheets issues.
14. Anecdotal record- The teachers record a student’s behavior. Example: A daily log of a student’s
success.
15. Panel- A group of students verbally preset information. Example: A discussion presenting both
pros and cons of the environmental issues.
16. Learning centers- Students use teacher provided activities for hands-on learning. Example: An
activity folder on frog dissection.
17. Demonstration- Students present a visual enactment of a particular skill or activity. Examples:
Proving that air has a weight.
18. Problem solving- student follow a step-by-step solution of a problem.
19. Discussion- Students in a group verbally interact on a given topic. Example: Environmental
issues.
20. Organize note sheets and study guides- Students collect information to help pass a test. Exam-
ple: one 3x5 note card with information to be used during a test.

( Source: from A Guide to Curriculum Development in Social studies. (1986).

Des Moines: Department of Education)

FOCUSING
CONTENT

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