Foundations of Assessment Part 1
- Review purposes for assessment
- Define different types of assessment
- Summative versus formative assessment
- Informal versus formal
- Norm- versus criterion- referenced
- Review how to Interpret Norm Referenced Test Scores
- Scores of relative standing
- Developmental scores
- Explain problems interpreting developmental scores
- Practice interpreting standard scores and percentile ranks
Materials
- University of Florida Literacy Initiative: Introduction to Reading Assessment
- Southeast Psych Standard Scores
- PowerPoint Slides for Session 2: Foundations of Assessment Part 1
- Competency 3 Session 2 Activity Sheet 1
Define Session Goals
- Explain the different purposes of assessment.
- Define and distinguish between formative and summative assessment.
- Define and distinguish between formal and informal assessment.
- Define and distinguish between norm- and criterion- referenced assessment.
- Explain how assessments may be used for screening, diagnosis, progress monitoring, and outcomes.
- Interpret scores of relative standing and developmental scores.
- Identify problems associated with developmental scores.
Purposes of Assessment
Application Activity
- After reviewing the following slides and video conduct a think, pair and share with the group.
- Review slides 4 through 7.
- Purposes for Assessment
- Two Categories of Assessment
- Types of Assessment
- Play the video on the Let’s Review Slide 8.
- Review slides 4 through 7.
- Handout Session 2 Activity Sheet 1
- Using think, pair and share
- Have groups explain how they use various reading assessments for the following purposes:
- Screening
- Diagnostic
- Progress Monitoring
- Outcomes
- Ask pairs to join another pair (creating a group of 4) and share their responses. Ask them to note if anyone uses the same assessments for different purposes.
- After 2 minutes, ask the groups of 4 to review the information about Eve and identify:
- The purpose of the classwide assessment conducted.
- What Eve’s teacher should do next?
- How Eve’s teacher should use the information gathered from the next step of the assessment process?
- Have groups explain how they use various reading assessments for the following purposes:
- Whole group discussion
- Ask groups to share how they use assessment for different purposes.
- Ask groups to share their decision making for Eve.
- Explain that gathering additional diagnostic information can help Eve’s teacher pinpoint a particular area in which Eve needs more instruction.
- Then, discuss what would follow including targeted instruction to address Eve’s goals and progress monitoring to determine if the targeted instruction is working.
Interpreting Test Scores
- Review slides comparing scores of relative standing with developmental scores (slides 9 & 10).
- Interpreting Norm Referenced Tests
- A Few Example Problems with Developmental Scores
- Emphasize that developmental scores are often easily misinterpreted and misunderstood and that professional organizations advocate scores of relative standing.
- Review slide on the purpose of norm-referenced tests (slide 11).
- Share the video on norm-referenced tests and what the scores mean Southeast.
- Ask teachers to turn to a partner and explain the purpose of norm-referenced tests using the information presented in the video.
- Explain that the purpose is to determine how a student performs, but instead how a student performs compared to a norm group.
- Review interpretation of standard scores and percentile ranks (slides 12-14).
- Review standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (slide 12) and have participants chorally respond to the questions.
- Discuss which scores are easier to explain and interpret (slide 13).
- Ask participants to turn to the person next to them and explain the standard and percentile ranks (slide 14).
- Review as a whole group.
