Assessing and Grading
for Performance
Languages and Languages and Learning for Learning for
Schools of the FutureSchools of the Future
Lexington 1 Lexington 1
Agenda
• What is assessment?•Why assess?•What does the research say?•What options are there for
Lexington ?
What isassessment?
Definition of Assessment
Techniques used to analyze student accomplishment against specific goals and criteria.
Wiggins and McTighe
Beyond Measurement
Referring to “assessments” instead of “tests” implies a distinction of attitude and more closely reflects the Latin origin of the word to assidere, or “sit with the student.”
Wiggins and McTighe
In times of rapid change, experience is our worst
enemy.
Chinese Proverb
Why do weassess?
Purpose of Assessment
Possible responses – Group 1•need for grades•end of the marking period• influence student behavior•motivate students
Purpose of Assessment
Possible responses – Group 2•plan for instruction•monitor progress•provide feedback to students•gather evidence of learning
Attitudes Towards Assessment
•Reward / Punishment?•Motivator / Morale buster?•Snapshot / Time-lapse?•Student-directed / Teacher-
directed
Questions to Consider
•Do our current assessment practices improve learning?
•Could alternative assessment practices have a greater impact?
•Can we design assessments that have the effect of helping students WANT to learn and feel ABLE to learn?
Richard Stiggins
Assessment as Information
Assessment•provides teachers, parents and
administrators with information on student achievement.
• informs the instructional process.
•helps students want and be able to learn.
Assessment of Learning
STANDARDS
ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENT
INSTRUCTION
How do current assessments inform the
instructional process and help
students want and be able to learn?
Informing Instruction
Too little,too late.
Danish Proverb
Purposes of Assessment
•Assessment “of learning” provides evidence of achievement for reporting.
•Assessment “for learning” serves to help students stick with the learning process.
Assessment for Learning
• is a powerful tool for learning.
• is a powerful tool for instruction.
•can result in significant gains in achievement.
Richard Stiggins
Assessment for Learning
Teachers• decide the achievement targets
before teaching.• let students know the achievement
targets before teaching.• create assessments that can
accurately gauge student performance.
• use assessments to build student confidence.
Richard Stiggins
Assessment for Learning
Learning Facilitators• give students meaningful
feedback.• adjust instruction based on the
assessments.• engage students in self-
assessment based on stable criteria.
• involve students in communicating with them and their families.
Richard Stiggins
Assessment for Learning
Without sufficientassessment for
learning–student learning is not measured accurately.
–student needs are overlooked.
–students misunderstand their ability to learn.
What Does Research Say?
What improvements in classroom assessment are likely to yield the greatest
gains in student achievement?
Black and Wiliam, 1998
Research Results
Improved formative assessment •helps low achievers more than
other students.• reduces the “achievement
gap.”• improves achievement for all.
Black and Wiliam, 1998
Research Results
Feedback includes•definition of the desired
performance goal.•evidence of current student
performance status.•ways to close the gap between
the goal and the status.
Black and Wiliam, 1998
Research Summary
Students show gains in improvement
when teachers•give performance assessments,•provide students with frequent,
informative feedback, and• involve students in assessment,
record-keeping and communication.
Brainstorm a list of current
assessment practices used in language classes.
Sample Assessment Tasks
•Memorize vocabulary•Conjugate verbs•Fill-in-the-blanks•Translate sentences•Analyze grammar•Mechanical drills•Listen and repeat
Sample Assessment Tasks
•Take a personality survey and make a list of qualities required for your dream job.
•Compare an American school experience with that on a target culture.
•Prepare a radio spot/Public Service Announcement
How do these practices- improve language learning?- give students meaningful feedback?- help students WANT to learn and feel ABLE to learn?
“…learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice"
Assessment for Learning
Angelo and Cross, 1993
Provides information on what an
individual student needs• to practice.• to have re-taught.• to learn next.
Assessment for Learning
While it is possible to change
without improving,it is impossible to improve
without changing.
Anonymous
What type of assessments should I
»stop doing?
»start doing?
»do less?
»do more?
Self-Assessment Checklist
Research Results
Improved formative assessment •helps low achievers more than
other students.• reduces the “achievement
gap.”• improves achievement for all.
Black and Wiliam, 1998
Assessment for Learning
Teachers• decide the achievement targets
before teaching.• let students know the achievement
targets before teaching.• create assessments that can
accurately gauge student performance.
• use assessments to build student confidence.
Richard Stiggins
Assessment for Learning
Teachers• give students meaningful
feedback.• adjust instruction based on the
assessments.• engage students in self-
assessment based on stable criteria.
• involve students in communicating with them and their families.
Richard Stiggins
Assessment of Learning
STANDARDS
ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENT
INSTRUCTION
How does the “assessment
triangle” apply to language teaching?
Assessment for Learning
•Feedback•Guidance•Evaluation
Grant Wiggins
What isfeedback?
Definition of Feedback
Feedback is information about what was and was not accomplished, given a
specific goal.
Grant Wiggins
Assessment as Feedback
• Identify the expected accomplishments.
•State the requirements of each accomplishment.
•Describe how performance will be measured and why.
•Set exemplary standards, preferably in measurement terms. Thomas Gilbert
Assessment as Feedback
• Identify exemplary performers and resources to become performers.
• Provide frequent and unequivocal feedback on how well each person is performing.
• Help people troubleshoot their own performance.
• Relate poor performance to remedial actions.
Thomas Gilbert
“In years of looking at schools and jobs, I have almost never seen an ideal [feedback system]. Managers, teachers, employees, and students seldom have adequate information about how well they are performing.”
Thomas Gilbert
In the world of sports, what “is”
and “is not” feedback?
Feedback
Grant Wiggins
Is not• Comments of
praise or blame• Focus on product
directions• Sporadic• Evaluative
language• Based on lists of
goals• Promotes
dependency
Is• Comments about
performance• Focus on end
product• Frequent • Descriptive
language• Based on
specific exemplars
• Promotes autonomy
Feedback
• Information about what happened, the result and the effect of student actions
•Others (teachers, peers, or students themselves) “feed back” the impact, intended or unintended, of the student actions
Grant Wiggins
Guidance
•Guidance gives future direction.
•Students ask “What should I do in light of the feedback received?”
•Teachers collaborate with students to determine the next steps.
Evaluation
• Judges overall performance against the criterion of an exemplar.
•Prompts students to ask “How successful was I in the task?”
Benefits of Feedback
Feedback promotes the development of student
autonomy and competence.
What tools do language
teachers use to give meaningful
feedback?
Definition of Rubric
From the Latin, “ruber” or red, a set of instructions written in red ink
Provide feedback!
Definition of Rubric
In assessment, a rubric is a set of scoring guidelines for evaluating student work.
Grant Wiggins
Elements of a Rubric
Rubrics include•a scale of possible points on
a continuum of quality.•descriptors for each level of
performance.
Characteristics of Good Rubrics
•Sufficiently generic to relate to general goals beyond an individual performance task.
•Discriminate among performances validly, by the central features of performance, not those easiest to see, count, or score.
Grant Wiggins
Good Rubrics
•Focus on one criterion in one indicator.
•Base rubrics on the analysis of many work samples.
•Rely on descriptive language – what quality or its absence looks like.
•Provide a reasonable basis for discrimination. Grant Wiggins
Good Rubrics
•Use rich descriptors to enable students to
- verify their scores - self-assess and - self-correct.•Highlight the effect, given
the purpose of the performance, rather than reward processes. Grant Wiggins
Rubric as Feedback
Well-written rubrics provide•qualitative, not quantitative
differences in performance.•comparative vs evaluative
language.•consistent scoring among
assessors.•degrees of difference that are
constant.
What are possible criteria included
in rubrics for language learners?
Possible Criteria
•Presentational Speaking?•Presentational Writing?• Interpersonal Speaking?• Interpersonal Writing?• Interpretive Reading?• Interpretive Listening?
Types of Rubrics
•Holisticgives a single score based on an overall impression
•Analyticalgives individual scores for each trait/criteria in the rubric
Caution
Strengths and weaknesses that are easy to see and count are not necessarily signs of performance.
Interpretive Rubrics
•Reactivate or establish background knowledge
•Focus on comprehension•Monitor student use of
strategies to negotiate meaning
Interpretive RubricExceeds Meets Does not meet
Comprehension
Answers are relevant and accurate and show that student understood what was heard or read
Most answers are relevant and accurate and show that, for the most part, the student understood what was heard or read.
Answers are irrelevant and/or inaccurate and show that student really didn’t understand what was heard or read.
Communication Strategies
Student accurately identifies vocabulary words that have already been taught, and can figure out new words based on the context of what was heard or read
Student accurately identifies most vocabulary words that have already been taught
Student cannot accurately identify many vocabulary words that have already been taught
Main idea Student can identify the main idea
Student can identify the main idea
Student cannot identify the main idea
Recognition Student can successfully relate image and what is read
Student can somehow relate image and what is read
Student cannot relate images and what is read
Interpersonal Rubrics
•Focus on negotiation of meaning
•Communication strategies are key
•Accuracy is taken into account only when it interferes with meaning
Interpersonal RubricExceeds Meets Does not meet
Comprehensibility Student’s partner can understand without difficulty
Student’s partner can understand most information without difficulty
Student’s partner has difficulty understanding information
Comprehension Student answers partner’s questions appropriately
Student answers most of partner’s questions appropriately
Student answers some of partner’s questions inappropriately or not at all.
Vocabulary Use / Language Control
Student is able to speak using sentences with some elaboration and detail
Student completes the task with mostly memorized chunks of language and some sentences
Student speaks using mostly words and lists
Communication Strategies
Student asks for clarification by asking for repetition and additional information
Student asks for repetition for clarification and previous information
Student often resorts to English for clarification of meaning
Presentational Rubrics
•Focus on transmission of information
•Presentation strategies are key
•Accuracy will be a part of the overall score
Presentational RubricExceeds Meets Does not meet
Comprehensibility
Student’s partner can understand without difficulty
Student’s partner can understand most information without difficulty
Student’s partner has difficulty understanding information
Vocabulary Use Student presentation is rich in appropriate vocabulary
Student accurately uses vocabulary that has been taught
Student’s vocabulary is limited and/or repetitive
Language Control
Student is correct with memorized language and sometimes when creating sentences
Student is mostly correct with memorized language
Student is correct only at the word order level
Impact Student uses gestures, visuals and tone of voice to maintain audience attention
Student uses some gestures, visuals and tone of voice to maintain audience attention
Student makes no effort to maintain audience attention
Communication Strategies
Student’s presentation has a beginning, middle, end and supporting details
Student’s presentation has a beginning, middle, end
Student presents information randomly
Analyze the following
presentational rubric using the
characteristics of well-written
rubrics.
Rubric Analysis
Well-written rubrics provide•qualitative, not quantitative
differences in performance.•comparative vs evaluative
language.•consistent scoring among
assessors.•degrees of difference that are
constant.
Rubric - ExampleExceeds Meets Does not meet
Amount of Communication
150-175 words 125-150 words Less that 125 words
Organization Well organized. Information clearly conveyed with elaboration.
Good organization.Acceptable attempt to convey information.
Lacks order. Lacks information. Frequent repetition of phrases/structures
Language Usage and Control
Task fully completed.Extensive information shared. May have occasional minor errors.
Task completed meeting minimum requirements.Appropriate information shared. Predictable usage errors that do not interfere with comprehension.
Task not completed. Essential, missing components. Inadequate usage, excessive errors and is difficult to comprehend
Rubric - Analysis
•Quantitative information•Evaluative language in the
descriptors•Descriptors open to
interpretation by various assessors
•One criterion for two separate traits
When I write rubrics, what should I
»stop doing?
»start doing?
»do less?
»do more?
Self-Assessment Checklist
Garden Analogy
Assessment OF learning
Measuring the plants. We can compare and
analyze measurements
but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of the
plants.
Assessment FOR learning
Feeding and watering the
plants appropriate to their needs. This daily care directly affects their growth.
•Evaluating students on their own merits.
•Focus on quality of the work.•Providing advice for
improvement.
Encouraging Growth
Feedback
Grant Wiggins
Is not• Comments of
praise or blame• Focus on product
directions• Sporadic• Evaluative
language• Based on lists of
goals• Promotes
dependency
Is• Comments about
performance• Focus on end
product• Frequent • Descriptive
language• Based on
specific exemplars
• Promotes autonomy
Rubrics as Scores
•Rubric marking is designed to provide students with motivation.•Rubric comments give students guidance for self-improvement.•Scores are associated with rubrics only for the end-of-unit assessment.
Grade Components
Scoring Options
Exceeds Meets Doesn’t Meet
Grade Components
Scoring Options
High Low High Low
Exceeds Meets Doesn’t Meet
Grade Components
Scoring Options
Exceeds Meets Not Yet Doesn't Meet
Caution
Strengths and weaknesses that are easy to see and count are not necessarily signs of performance.
What do you include in the
“end-of-a-marking-period”
grade?
Grades
QuizzesTestsHomeworkParticipation
Current Grading Pitfalls
Grades•may not be based on
achievement alone.•may be based on easily
measured facts rather than on
performance.•may be not make sense
mathematically or pedagogically.•may not support learning.
If you wanted to make just one change that would
immediately reduce student failure, the most effective place to start would be challenging
prevailing grading practices.
Douglas Reeves
What should be the key criteria
for grading?
Criteria for Grading
•Honest•Fair•Transparent•Credible•Valid•Useful and User-Friendly•Pedagogically-Wise
Grant Wiggins
Learning and Evaluation
Learners need• transparent priorities.• recognition of effort and
progress. • regular, timely, and user-
friendly feedback. •personalized learning.
Grant Wiggins
The Assessment Cycle
Performance Measurement
Motivation
Sanctions vs. Motivation
Examples•Zeros for work not submitted
or dishonesty•Lowering a grade for work
submitted late•Awarding extra credit
Grading Pitfalls
Many grades conceal more than
they reveal!
Grant Wiggins
Grading on a Curve
If we are effective in our instruction, the distribution of achievement should be very
different from the normal curve. In fact, we may insist
that our efforts have been unsuccessful to the extent
that [grades] approximate the normal distribution.Benjamin Boom et
al
Averaging Grades
If the purpose of grading and reporting is to provide an
accurate description of what students have learned, then
averaging must be considered inadequate and
inappropriate.
Thomas Guskey
Olympics Analogy
•Athletes performance is based on consistency of scores.
•Highest and lowest scores are dropped.
•Factor in the degree of difficulty.
Olympics in the Classroom
•Practice and Performance•Feedback and Motivation•Marking and Grading
Marks vs. Grades
•Marks are temporary indications of the learner’s current position in the progression of the unit.
•Grades are the final evaluation of a learner’s performance at the conclusion of a unit or marking period.
How can you change your
current grading policy to reflect performance?
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be
counted.Albert Einstein
Grading Considerations
Temporary•Minor•Marks•Interim scores•Intermittent performance
Final•Major•Grades•IPAs•Consistent performance
Pre-Standards
Grade Components•Quizzes•Tests•Homework•Participation
Grade Components
Standards-Era
Minor Major Minor Major Minor Major
Interpretive Interpersonal Presentational
Student A
Minor Major Minor Major Minor Major
72 78 88
80 89 92
88 84 0
85 81 85
85 84 89
Interpretive Interpersonal Presentational
Avg
81 83 66
83 85 83 84 87 89
85 84 89
Student B
Minor Major Minor Major Minor Major
90 86 92
94 82 96
100 94 78
93 80 87
86 80 84
Interpretive Interpersonal Presentational
Avg
94 86 88
93 86 84 80 90 84
86 80 84
The best thing you can do is make sure your grades convey meaningful, accurate information about student achievement. If grades give sound information to students, then their perceptions and conclusions about themselves as learners, and decisions about future activity will be the best they can be. Susan Brookhart
When I grade, what should I
»stop doing?
»start doing?
»do less?
»do more?
Self-Assessment Checklist