PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES:

1. PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES: RUBRICS, TEST BLUEPRINTS & MORE

2. How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to improve student learning? What assessment tools do you currently use in your courses?When was the last time you reviewed your assessment tools?

3. Why assess student learning? To determine what students have learned and to what degree To know how well we have achieved our instructional objectives in order to improve overall instruction To move from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered classroom (learner-centered) 

4. Evaluating Student Learning Use indirect measures to explain or support findings from direct measures; use multiple assessment tools Choose the most relevant level for evaluation of the learning goals: institution, program, course Select quantitative and qualitative measures based on type of student learning goals Choose appropriate research design Use formative assessment �mid-course� Use common sense: Is the result logical? Source: �Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources� (Middle States 2003)

5. Types of assessment Direct & Indirect Summative & Formative Qualitative & Quantitative

6. Classroom Assessment Strategies Rubrics & Scoring Guides Test Blueprints Student Learning Self-Assessment CATs (Classroom Assessment Techniques) 

7. Rubric: �an instrument based on a set of criteria for evaluating student work�  (Middle States 2003) Checklists Simple rating scales Detailed rating scales Holistic rating scales **See samples provided in handout packet

8. Dimensions often used in scoring rubrics

9. Test Blueprints Often called a �table of specifications� Lists key learning objectives of locally developed examinations Identifies the number of points or test questions to be devoted to each goal Provides evidence of the test�s validity When matched with test scores, it offers clear evidence of what students have learned *See sample in handout packet Source: �Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources� (Middle States 2003)

10.  Student Learning Self-Assessment  Provides useful insights into the learning process Helps students integrate what they have learned Provides students with an understanding of what they have learned Takes very little time 

11. CAT:  Classroom Assessment Techniques Real-time assessment of and adjustment to what, how much, and how well students are learning Students need feedback early and often Simple, non-graded, anonymous in-class activities that give faculty and students immediate feedback on the teaching-learning process Students monitor and take ownership of their own learning

12. How to use classroom assessment techniques Decide on what you want to learn from the CAT and choose one that will provide appropriate feedback Explain the purpose of the activity to students Review results immediately and decide what changes, if any, to make Share your finding with students as soon as possible and discuss how you will use the information

13. Classroom Assessment Techniques Minute paper Muddiest Point Memory Matrix Directed Paraphrasing One-sentence summary Exam evaluations Application Cards RSQC2 Transfer and Apply Characteristic Features

14. Designing High Quality Assessments

15. Your Challenge: Review an assessment tool in one of your courses and attempt to refine it (e.g., create a rubric or checklist that you can provide to students before the assessment) Introduce a formative assessment tool mid-course and analyze findings to improve instruction Review current literature on �Best Learning Practices�  *Check out the online resources provided in your packet and review the books available in the IRC