Quality of Assessment

Issues

• 1. How can the need for learners to pass assessment distort the curriculum content and teaching & learning?

• 2. How far do we assess only what we can grade - especially ‘numerically’?

• 3. Does assessment act as a gate-keeping mechanism to exclude rather than include?

• 4. Why are there tensions between ‘unseen exams/tests’ and coursework?

Previously we discussed Assessment methods

• Initial/ diagnostic

• Formative

• Summative

Mastery and Developmental

Mastery Objectives• Essential skills and knowledge which underpin course

studied• Assessed on pass/fail basisDevelopmental Objectives• Apply skills and knowledge in structured way to subject

and wider curriculum- e.g. transferable skills• Evaluation, analysis, interpretation, synthesis• Assessed on formative or graded basis

• http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/resources/outcomes/objectives.asp

MM DD

Bloom

Read Dunn’s Paper

• identify which of the outcome types are ‘mastery’ and which are ‘developmental’

• Suggest appropriate assessment methods in each section which are relevant to your subject specialism

Judging assessment quality

VACSR

Reliability

Getting the assessment right

• Consistent- the same result each timeMethods to ensure reliability: (what do you think?)• Marking scheme• Answer guideCertain types of assessments tend to be more reliable:

(?)• Oral questions with answer guide• Multiple choice• Closed questions• Assignments with suggested evidence --- TASK 2

Validity

Validity is all about getting the right assessment. If an assessment is valid it is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring.

For example, within the psychomotor domain (physical/manual skills) you would want them to demonstrate the skill rather than write about it.

Validity and Reliability

• Validity is concerned with getting the right assessment and reliability is concerned with getting the assessment right.

Reece, I. & Walker, S. (2000) Teaching, Training and Learning. Business Education Publishers, Sunderland (p. 420)

Sufficiency

This is to do with the amount of work the students have to do for you to determine whether they can do something or know something to a particular level.

Authenticity

“Is it real?” On a horticultural course is performing a gardening task

indoors in a pot is authentic?

PlagiarismAlso we need to ask, is the work their own.We can assess whether work is authentic as you get a feel

for the level that your learners are at.

So the work (as far as is possible) needs to be in an Authentic setting as well as authentic to the person that has produced it.

• Task 5

Currency

• Is it up to date?

…in class…

Today’s Targets

• Review previous session’s content

• Evaluate assessment types using key terminology

• Distinguish mastery from developmental objectives and assessment methods

• Define and exemplify key assessment quality terms

Group TaskIdentify one formative assessment and one summative assessment used by one member of the group. For each one make judgements about it according to reliability, validity, authenticity, sufficiency and fairness

VASK Doc

Review

• Look at your notes and the activities

• Text

• - one thing that is clear and useful

• - one thing that’s a bit muddy still