Assessing Student Learning by Design: Principles and Practices for Teachers and School Leaders
Assessing Student Learning by Design: Principles and Practices for Teachers and School Leaders
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Overview
How can we help teachers use classroom assessments to gather appropriate evidence for all valued learning goals, and to use those assessments not just to measure learning but to promote it? This book provides an answer in a practical, proven, and principled Assessment Planning Framework that moves away from solely multiple-choice tests toward a wide range of approaches to classroom assessment activities, including performance-based assessments. The Framework examines four different types of learning goals, considers various purposes and audiences for assessment information, reviews five categories of classroom assessment methods, and presents options for communicating actionable results. To the authors, the primary purpose of classroom assessment is to inform teaching and learning, rather than simply to assign grades. This concise resource will be a reliable go-to reference for teachers, school leaders, mentors, and coaches in guiding classroom assessment practices and understanding their underlying principles.
Book Features:
- Builds on the classic book Understanding by Design, written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.
- Offers a practical, nontechnical presentation appropriate for teacher preparation and busy practitioners (K–16).
- Explores different purposes for, and methods of, classroom assessment and grading.
- Addresses assessment of academic standards as well as transdisciplinary outcomes, such as 21st-century skills.
- Describes the principles and practices underlying standards-based grading.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780807779590 |
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Publisher: | Teachers College Press |
Publication date: | 04/16/2021 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
Sales rank: | 603,211 |
File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Contents (Tentative)Foreword
Introduction
1. Principles of Effective Classroom Assessment Principle #1—Assessment Should Serve LearningPrinciple #2—Multiple Measures Provide More EvidencePrinciple #3—Assessments Should Align with GoalsPrinciple #4—Assessments Should Measure What MattersPrinciple #5—Assessments Should Be FairConclusion
2. An Assessment Planning Framework Begin with the End in MindClassroom Assessment and National Content StandardsPurpose and Audience MatterClassroom Assessment and Statewide Accountability TestingConclusion
3. Assessment Methods Selected ResponseBrief Constructed ResponsePerformance-Based AssessmentsProcess-focused AssessmentsConclusion
4. Evaluating Student Performance Criterion ListsRubricsEvaluation RolesConclusion
5. Communicating Assessment Results Communication MethodsGrading Principles and PracticesFormative Assessment and FeedbackConclusion
6. Classroom Assessment Strategies for Teachers Practice 1. Use assessments to frame learning goalsPractice 2: Diagnose before you start teaching.Practice 3: Create an authentic context for performance-based assessmentsPractice 4: Show evaluative criteria in the beginningPractice 5: Provide illustrative modelsPractice 6: Offer appropriate choicesPractice 7: Provide ongoing feedbackPractice 8: Encourage self-assessment and goal settingConclusion
7. Tips for School Leaders 1. Assess the Staff2. Conduct a School Assessment Audit3. Offer Targeted Professional Development4. Share and Discuss Assessment-Related Articles5. Develop or Adopt Principles of Assessment and Grading6. Share Successful Practices7. Schedule Peer Visitations8. Design Assessments Collaboratively9. Examine Assessment Results in Teams10. Discourage Excessive Test Prep11. Organize a Voluntary Book StudyConclusion
Glossary of Assessment Terms
References
Index
About the Authors
What People are Saying About This
“In Assessing Student Learning by Design,authors Jay McTighe and Steve Ferrara lay out principles and practices—that is, knowledge and skills—that teachers and school administrators need to mount the learning curve toward being an effective user of classroom assessment. It’s concise and readable, full of examples, and covers all the basic principles and practices.”—From the foreword by Susan Brookhart, professor emerita, Duquesne University
“Oh my, how our vision of excellence in assessment has improved the past few decades! McTighe and Ferrara map our collective assessment future by strongly advising teachers and school leaders to tap profound school improvement gains by refocusing their assessment spotlight from once a year to continuous, from accountability testing to classroom assessment, from emphasis on selected response to performance assessments, from grading/sorting to assessment for learning, and from student as assessment victim to assessment partner.”—Rick Stiggins, Assessment Training Institute, Portland, OR
“Every classroom teacher should read this book to affirm, fine tune, or challenge their assessment practices and decide what they will continue, what they will start doing, and most importantly, what they will stop doing. Furthermore, at any time that they are making assessment plans, they should refer to the three-part assessment framework that summarizes the components of high-quality classroom assessment—assessment planning, assessment methods, and evaluation and communication methods—because it is the best description of the three purposes for assessment I have ever seen.”—Ken O'Connor, author and consultant
“Just as the pioneering work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe influenced teaching practices around the world, Assessing Student Learning by Design will help the next generation of educators transform standards and curriculum into engaging assessments for learning. For veteran teachers who have grown cynical about the never-ending onslaught of things called ‘assessments,’ the authors provide an essential alternative—assessments focused on student needs that are fair and accurate. For educational leaders, this book is an important consumer’s guide that will steer them away from false claims of assessments that are labeled as ‘formative’ but are in fact more accurately described as uninformative. McTighe and Ferrara give us a framework that places assessment where it belongs—as part of the daily practice of teachers and students as they receive continuous feedback, gain understanding, and regain the joys of teaching and learning.”—Douglas B. Reeves, founder, Creative Leadership Solutions
“The strength and uniqueness of this concise and clearly written text is that it uses nontechnical language to provide fundamental classroom assessment principles that teachers and administrators across grade levels and subjects can use to effectively personalize assessment strategies in their classrooms and schools. The internationally recognized authors bring their extensive experience and expertise to show how high-quality classroom assessment is planned, implemented, and used to both evaluate and enhance student proficiency. Through the extensive use of reflective questions and realistic examples, prospective and practicing teachers will learn how to apply contemporary assessment principles. Among the key assessment strategies presented, there is a notable emphasis on authentic performance-based assessment. There is also a very helpful chapter for school leaders that presents strategies for improving classroom assessment. This is a book that is much needed in the education profession to provide a solid, succinct roadmap to improved classroom assessment.”—James McMillan, professor emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University
“This book is a small but mighty primer for educators of all kinds who want to understand and harness the power of classroom assessment that, as the authors say, enhances learning. Its writing is spare, clear, and accessible. Its carefully chosen analogies make important ideas relatable to readers. Its illustrations come from a broad range of subjects and grade levels. The accompanying Assessment Planning Framework guides teachers in revisiting and connecting the key aspects of assessment as they select, develop, and engage students with assessment practices. In a time when high-stakes standardized tests have become the dominant measure of student and teacher success, this book reminds readers that assessment becomes truly valuable as it improves learning.”—Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development
“In Assessing Student Learning by Design, McTighe and Ferrara offer teachers clear and practical guidelines for developing assessments that truly inform teaching and improve student learning. What makes their book unique, however, is that instead of simply describing what to do, the authors explain why. Their book does what they want assessments of student learning to do: Encourage deeper understanding and higher levels of learning success.”—Thomas R. Guskey, professor emeritus, University of Kentucky
“In Assessing Student Learning by Design, Jay McTighe and Steve Ferrara outline principles and practices that promote assessment literacy by clearly defining the purposes of assessing and evaluating, and by outlining the importance of communicating results. They provide school leaders guidance on evaluating their teachers’ understanding of sound assessment principles and supply strategies and resources to help promote professional learning. This is a valuable resource for educators and school leaders alike that will ultimately impact student learning.”—Kristen Maxey-Moore, North Carolina assessment program and former assessment director in the Guilford County, NC and Denver public school systems