Assessment and Rubrics

From K. Purgason andJ. Adelson-Goldstein

General Principles of Assessment   Base assessment on planned curricular outcomes   Base assessment on pre- established criteria that

Ss are aware of   Use assessment not just for a final grade but for

on- going learning   Use assessment to encourage Ss with a sense of

progress   Use a variety of means of assessment

How can assessment improve accuracy? Make sure everyone is aiming at the same thing (including accuracy).

Grading criteria for an assignment   Content   Language   Task- specific‐

Sample grading criteria Assignment

Students do a PowerPoint presentation as if to a German commandant justifying the use of gas in the First World War

Adapted from Dale & Tanner, CLIL Activities, Cambridge University Press

Sample grading criteria Content

Clear introduction about gas Correct information (dates, events) Complete information on how gas was used and by

whom Reasons why the use of gas can be justified Reasons why its use cannot be justified Clear conclusion about gas

Sample grading criteria Task specific (presentation and PowerPoint)

Attention- grabbing start‐ Enthusiasm Eye contact Speaks clearly and with adequate volume Audience involvement Visual support on slides Not too much text on slides Stayed within time limit

Sample grading criteria Language

Comprehensible pronunciation Correct use of conditionals (if…then) Accurate grammar in general

Fluent speech Use of history vocabulary Use of signpost words (e.g., on the other hand, in

conclusion) Use of persuasive language

Rubrics – how detailed? Written assignment

General level: Writing is good/poor Middle level:

Organization Grammar Word use Mechanics (e.g., spelling, punctuation)

Detailed level: Correct form and use of past tense Good topic sentences in each paragraph

Creating Rubrics Step-by-Step • REFLECT • LIST • GROUP AND LABEL • APPLY

Stevens and Levi (2013) Introduction to Rubrics

STEP 1: REFLECT Why did you create or select this task? What happened when you used it before? How does it relate to the rest of the lesson? What skills do learners need to do this well? What exactly is the task? What evidence can learners provide that

they accomplished the task? What are your highest/worst expectations

for the outcome(s)?

STEP 2: LIST

What are the learning objectives for this task? What content do learners need to master? What language skills are they developing?

listening reading speaking writing

What support skills are they developing? vocabulary grammar pronunciation _numeracy/computation

What cooperative or learning skills do they need to demonstrate?

What cognitive skills do they need to demonstrate? etc.

STEP 3: GROUP AND LABEL How do the elements and objectives of

the task as well as performance expectations relate to each other?

STEP 4: APPLY Sort the lists and labels into the rubric.

Examples Jayme Adelson-Goldstein

Rubrics Defining the level of effort

Your turn Excellent Good Not really up

Think of an assignment you usually give your students. List some criteria that characterize excellent work in terms of content, task, and language. Choose one language- related criterion ‐and list more details about it. Then develop a four- ‐point rubric for it.

Rubrics Too overwhelming? Try a checklist at first?

Did you choose a current topic? Did you have accurate information? Was your poster easy to read? Did you include some engaging visuals? Was your English accurate?

Rubrics Use rubrics at three steps in an assignment:

1.  Beginning – what are we aiming for 2.  Middle – student self- assessment‐ 3.  End – teacher final assessment

Language vs Content Assessment No definitive answer Usually content > language Ideally both at the same time, with two scores

More on self- assessment‐ Project 4- 10 incorrect sentences on the board for ‐

the class to correct. Prepare a handout with typical errors for students

to correct. Give students correction cards to work on in pairs

or teams.

Editing as a class A recession is the same a market in decline. A recession is the same as a market… A symptom of a depression is that unemployment

rise. …unemployment rises. Recessions and depressions are relate. …are related.

Editing as a class Correction cards

Get in a group of 4-6. Put your cards in a pile in the middle. Take turns picking a card, reading it aloud, and correcting it, if necessary.

Some cards have content mistakes, some have language mistakes, and some are completely correct.

Assessment During class pair or small- group activities‐

Checklist T tries to listen in on each student over the course of

the week/month Student self- evaluations‐

“Today we used English ___ % of the time.   “I heard these new words being used today: ,,

.”

Assessment Summary Relate assessment to clear learning objectives,

related to cognition (thinking skills), content (your subject matter), and communication (language)

You can’t assess everything. Prioritize. Mix informal (during class activities) and formal

(specific test time) assessment. Familiarize students with assessment types and

formats, as well as goals.

Assessment Summary Assess content knowledge using the simplest

possible language which is appropriate for that purpose.

When possible specify language assessment goals: e.g., accuracy, fluency, complexity OR organization, grammar, vocabulary OR accurate grammar and comprehensible pronunciation, etc.

Self-assessment and peer assessment enhance learning potential.