Assessment and

Grading Grades are often misused. We have much better ways to give students feedback, to motivate students, and to access how well students are learning

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Formative v. Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment

When During Learning After LearningExamples • Teacher Observations

• Team Project• Journals

• Unit Test• State or national Tests• Entrance Exam (SAT,ACT)

Goal Improvement of Instruction

Evaluation of Student

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Assessment and the Chili Cook-off

To distinguish between formative and summative assessment, think of the chili cook-off.

Formative

A cook-off contestant tastes her own chili to see how to improve it.

Summative

The cook-off judge rates the chili.

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Dimensions of Good AssessmentFormativeAuthenticRepresentativeMulti-dimensional

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Authentic AssessmentStandardized tests measure how well students test. Assessments too often target factual knowledge, recall, and recognition level thinking . Often they fail to capture higher levels of thinking including application and synthesis. Traditional assessments don’t measure what is important to measure, and therefore students don’t learn what’s important to learn.

Knowledge that cannot be applied has no practical value.

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Assessment of students in cooperative learning is completely contextual. It mirrors real-world situations with open and varied intercourse where students’ full range of skills and knowledge are on display.

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Representative Assessment• When teachers use cooperative learning

structures they get a very representative sample of the class because as the students are engaged in the structures, the teacher walks around, listening in to the high achievers as well as the low achievers. A representative sample of the class is sampled.

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Multi-Dimensional Assessment

The world beyond the classroom values more than linguistic and logical skills and products. Therefore, learning tasks need to be varied to engage and develop the various senses, intelligences, and learning and thinking styles. Good assessments seek to understand students along these multiple dimensions.

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Multi Dimensional Cooperative Assessment Tools

• Audio or Video Recoding • Artwork • Charts/Graphs• Debates• Group Processing Forms • Interviews• Investigations and Experiments• Journals• Models • Open-Ended Questions • Presentations• Papers and Reports

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Cooperative learning adds a number of valuable assessment approaches to a teacher’s repertoire.......

The WalkaboutSimultaneous Sharing StructuresPhysical Response Structures

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How Many? Vs. How Many at Once?Structure Students

Responding Students Responding at Once

Traditional Q & A 1 per class 1 per classTeam Whip 1 per team 1 per classClass Whip Every student 1 per classRound Robin Every student ¼ of the classRally Robin Every student ½ of the classQuiz-Quiz-Trade Every student ½ of the classShowdown Every student Every studentShow Me! Every student Every studentChoral Practice Every student Every student

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Tips for Cooperative Learning Assessment

Random Sampling: Avoid calling on the same students who repeatedly volunteer. Use a student selector to pick one student on the team or name selector to randomly pick one student by name.

Think Time: After asking a question give students 3-5 seconds of silent think time before answering.

Write Time: Give students a little time to each write their response before calling on a student to respond

Space to Walk: Make sure there is free and open access to every team from every angle.

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Tips Continued……… Establish a Sense of Security: When to correct: Do I correct the whole class or

one team? Teachable Moments: Simultaneous Assessment Differentiated Instructions and Multiple

Intelligences.

Cooperative Learning and Grading….

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No Group Grades…. Group Grades Are not Good for

Cooperative Assessment. Group Grades Undermine Motivation and

are not fair. Group Grades Are Not Good for Certifying

Students. Group Grades are Not Good Feedback Group Grades are a Poor Method of

Communication.

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Group Grades Convey the Wrong Message.

Group Grades Violate Individual Accountability.

Group Grades Create Resistance to Cooperative Learning.

Groups Grades Could be Challenged in Court.

Group grades are untenable, impractical, and ineffective. The acceptable alternative is assigning individual grades based on individual learning and performance.

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Learning Together, Testing Alone

All Cooperative learning structures are designed to promote learning not grading.Use Team Test-Taking to review for a test. Each team has a role that is rotated with each problem.• Leader leads team to share answers• Checker checks to see if everyone got the same

answer. • Coach, coaches who needs help.• Cheerleader celebrates correct answers.

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Without Individual Accountability we have group work. Me Before We. Students

independently research the topic.

Students turn in their own research paper to be graded.

Me During We. The teacher divides the labor so each student has a responsibility.

Grade student on their mini topic, or portion of team project.

Me After We. Students solve the problem or re-create part of the project independently

Use tests, quizzes, performance evaluations or portfolios for individual grades.

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If we use cooperative learning correctly and structure for individual accountability, there are plenty of opportunities for individual evaluations.