Creative Testing
Creative Testing
Creative Testing
Teachers who test in creative ways give students who aren't good test takers an
opportunity to succeed. Creative test taking can come in the form of spelling
bees, geography bees and math and science Olympiad teams. Math and science
Olympiad teams use groups learning to solve problems. Spelling bees and
geography bees give those students who test better orally a chance to shine.
Math and science Olympiad teams can be within the classroom or school- and
district-wide. Offer both a numeric grade for math and science team projects as
well as a participation grade to reward those students who worked hard even if
their answers weren't correct.
Portfolio Assessment
Instead of a standard final exam in language arts and social studies classes,
consider using a portfolio assessment. Portfolio assessment combines several
different elements into a portfolio project that is worked on over the course of a
term and then presented in the final days of the class. A portfolio assessment in
language arts could be the culmination of the lessons that have been learned
throughout the term. The project can focus around a central theme with several
different examples of writing styles: poetry, essay, personal narrative, slogans
and a book report from a book that fits the theme. Along with required elements,
give students an opportunity to earn extra credit for extra poems, artwork and
photography. This gives students who excel creatively the chance to really shine.
Individualized Assessment
There are several areas where students can be evaluated on skills at their own
speed and instructional level. Within elementary classrooms, this is especially
useful in spelling and math fact memorization. Each student takes both a spelling
and math facts test each week, and move on to the next stage when they've
passed the current level. This way, students are all being tested at the same
time, but at a specific level catered to them. Students who get through all spelling
words and math facts tests required for their grade can use the time for silent
reading, enrichment assignments or to catch up on other work. This method is
also effective in middle and upper grades for vocabulary lists and reading
assignments where individual quizzes can be given on what has been studied.
Variety of Materials
Portfolios can consist of a wide variety of materials: teacher notes, teacher-completed checklists,
student self- reflections, reading logs, sample journal pages, written summaries, audiotapes of
retellings or oral readings, videotapes of group projects, and so forth (Valencia, 1990). All of
these items are not used all of the time.
Student Involvement
An important dimension of portfolio assessment is that it should actively involve the students in
the process of assessment (Tierney, Carter, & Desai, 1991).
Linn, Baker, and Dunbar (1991) indicate that major dimensions of an expanded concept of
validity are consequences, fairness, transfer and generalizability, cognitive complexity, content
quality, content coverage, meaningfulness, and cost efficiency. Portfolios are an especially
promising approach to addressing all of these criteria.
Verbal Presentations
Oral presentations assess students on several educational features. To
successfully complete a verbal presentation, the student must first locate,
organize and structure all information to be presented, and then present it,
typically in front of a class full of peers. Verbal presentations are especially useful
for their purpose in assessing students' ability to articulate knowledge about a
subject.
Group Projects
Group projects allow students to practice and directly apply what they have
learned in class. Group projects are particularly beneficial because they offer
students a chance to learn teamwork skills in an academic setting. Some
examples of projects include creating posterboards and collaborative
presentations.
1. Formative Assessment
o Formative assessment tools are used to evaluate a student at the
beginning or middle of a class, semester or subject. Placement tests, interviews
and teacher observation and feedback are examples of formative assessment
tools. Formative assessment tools are designed to help a teacher understand a
student's progress. Formative assessment tools are not graded. They are
intended solely to guide a student to mastery of the given subject and inform
the teacher where she needs the student to focus.
Summative Assessment
o Summative assessment tools are used to gauge the outcome of the
learning process. They focus on the curriculum presented during the learning
unit and are used to find out whether or not a student was effectively taught a
particular subject. A graded test, final exam, quiz, thesis paper and midterm
exam are all examples of summative teachers' assessment tools. Summative
tools should be designed to reflect the information given in the course. Unlike
formative tools, they are designed to reveal what already has been learned
during the course of a particular educational unit. Only summative assessment
tools should be graded.
o
Objective Assessment
o Teacher's assessment tools, whether formative or summative, can be
further divided into two other categories: objective and subjective. Objective
assessment tools have a clearly defined right and wrong answer. They are used
to assess a student's knowledge of particular facts and figures that are
universal. Examples of objective assessment tools are true/false and multiple-
choice questions. Math problems are almost always objective assessment
tools, as they leave little room for interpretation. Objective assessment tools are
the easiest to design and grade and, therefore, are the more common type of
assessment tool.
Subjective Assessment
o Subjective assessment tools require a little more creativity and opinion on
the part of the student. These are questions, papers or tests that rely on the
presentation of arguable material. Essay questions, research papers and
argumentative speeches are examples of subjective assessment tools. They
can often reveal more than an objective assessment tool because they allow for
more than just memorization on the part of the student. The student's tastes,
personality and approach to education can more effectively be observed with
subjective assessment tools. Objective and subjective teachers' assessment
tools often are used in conjunction, such as a test that has a section of
true/false questions and then an essay question at the end.
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Assessment tools include more than standard paper-and-pencil
tests.
Assessment tools help score student understanding. Determining the ideal assessment tool
to use largely depends on what needs to be tested. Using a variety of assessment tools in
the classroom can create a more rounded view of students. Though assessment is
necessary for learning, it doesn't have to be boring or stressful for students.
1. Tests
o Tests are a common assessment tool. Many teachers give a weekly test
that assesses student understanding of that week's lesson objectives. Tests
usually comprise a mixture of questions to assess student understanding.
Multiple-choice, true-or-false, fill-in-the-blank and essay questions appear on
these examinations.
Quizzes
o Quizzes -- a shorter form of a test -- may be given once or twice a week.
They assess the mastery of information on something specific like a book's
passage or math concept. Pop quizzes are given spontaneously, when students
have no time to study.
o
Final Exams
o A final exam -- given at the end of a semester or school term -- covers all
information learned during that term. Final exams usually take up the entire
class time. Like tests, final exams use multiple-choice, true-or-false, fill-in-the-
blank and essay questions.
Rubrics
o A rubric scoring guide assesses student performance. A rubric's range
typically rates specific performance characteristics. For example, a rubric used
to score a student presentation will show how well the student addressed:
knowledge of subject matter, proof of research, use of visual aids and level of
communication. For each part, the teacher can check: "Excellent," "Competent"
or "Needs Work."
Portfolios
o Portfolios are flexible assessment tools. Teachers gather student work for
a particular period; this work shows the level of mastery a student has on a
specific learning objective. Tests, projects, class work and homework are used
in a student portfolio.
Presentations
o Students can share information to the class on an assigned topic when
they give presentations. Students must research the topic and then gather
information together to give a class presentation on their findings. Teachers can
assess student understanding based on how well students seem to understand
the knowledge they are essentially teaching.
Reports
o Reports are typed papers that discuss a topic and display comprehension
of the subject matter. Book reports, for instance, summarize what took place in
the story and discuss character perspectives or include the student's analysis or
deconstruction of the text and its themes. Teachers can read these reports to
determine how well students understand the story.
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Child assessment tools are vast and varied. Children can be tested scholastically as well as
emotionally, behaviorally and physically. The type of assessment conducted depends on
the type of results the tester is attempting to observe. These tests can be used
independently, but produce wider results when used in combination with each other.
1. Scholastic Assessments
o Standardized tests are the most common scholastic assessments used in
classrooms. These tests search for general knowledge within a subject; the
assessments provide information for state funding of schools and create an
overall picture of student progress.
Emotional Assessments
o Emotional and behavioral assessments often coincide. An example of an
emotional assessment is Connors' Rating Scales - Revised, or the CRS-R. This
assessment was created to define a child's emotional and behavioral issues
from ages 3 to 17. It is conducted in three parts: the educator's questionnaire,
the parent's questionnaire, and the student's self-evaluation. Results are
charted and compared to a generalized behavior scale to measure the severity
of any emotional problems that could lead to behavior issues.
o
Behavioral Assessments
o According to the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, a
functional behavioral assessment is an effective assessment for adverse
student behavior. Using a functional behavioral assessment involves seeking
answers beyond the behavior to discover reasons behind the actions. The focus
of this type of assessment is to identify significant, student-specific factors such
as social, affective, cognitive, or environmental incidences occurring with the
behavior. Understanding the cause of the behavior assists educators and
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) coordinators to help the student resolve
underlying problems before attempting to directly address the undesired
behavior.
Physical Assessments
o According to the Adapted Physical Education Assessment Scale, or
APEAS II, physical assessments should measure five areas of physical ability:
motor function, object control, movement skills, physical fitness and adaptive
behaviors. This assessment is conducted to determine whether a child between
the ages of 3 and 17 years is in need of special physical assistance. The results
of the assessment are compared to general guidelines accounting for the child's
age and body mass index (BMI).
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