Many schools have many different tools which are used to assess the progress of their students.  In District #77 we rely mainly on standardized tests to judge the success of our students.  We obviously administer the state mandated tests (PSAE and ACT), but we also use the Iowa Basic Skills Test and the Work/Study Skills Test.  Using additional testing to the state tests helps us determine our success as an educational institution.  Unfortunately, we do not have building or district-based testing at Cumberland.  The administration relies on the established standardized testing mentioned earlier combined with the ACT scores at the high school level to determine our success.

While the individual teacher is not formally held accountable for the scores, there is a certain amount of pressure attached with being a junior level teacher.  While we all know that all the teachers in the district should feel responsible to advance the education of each student yearly, we also recognize that those whose students are tested (like juniors) are on the "hot seat", so to speak.

At least, this is the case in my district.  I teach English to juniors.  I feel an incredible amount of pressure to bring our scores up.  So do the other junior teachers.  To prove that I have advanced my students educationally, I test my students at the beginning of the year, using a practice ACT test.  Throughout the year, I administer at least 2-3 more tests to show the consistent improvement.  then, we take the PSAE and ACT in late April.  I then list the first practice score with the official ACT score in order to prove the educational growth throughout the year.  I do this so that my administration can understand that I am not a miracle worker.  I can move a student 5-10 points on the ACT.  That sounds great unless the student starts out with a 10.  If that happens, our scores will not be where we want them, even though the student increased his ability in the subject a lot in just one year.  That is why I do the practice tests - to prove the students' educational growth while they are in my classroom.

On another note, I understand that it is important to include as many students as possible; however, I also believe too much is asked from those students who are identified as lower level students.  As mentioned before, I test the students throughout the year in order to prove educational growth.  At the end of the year, I compile the statistics.  At this point I also determine the difference between the average of the scores with all students included and the average of the scores without the scores of the students in the lower levels.  The difference is incredible.  Our ACT scores for last year's students who were in college bound courses averaged above 25; however, when the lower level kids are added to those scores, the average drops dramatically to about 18.3.  This may suggest that the ACT test is simply way over the heads of the students enrolled in the lower level classes or those with IEPs. To me, this proves that the state testing procedures need to be evaluated and adjusted.

All schools have their own stories to tell.  Cumberland is no exception to that.  Our district does, however, provide other assessments in order to get a true picture of the achievement of our students and our educational institution.

Throughout the school year, I use several different methods of assessment to measure my students mastery of the desired content.  I have used fixed-choice tests (for facts in literature, vocabulary, and grammar), diagnostic tests, and complex-performance assessments (for literature mainly).  I have also used summative assessments.  I have created surveys so students can give input on the usefulness of different units.  Also, I definitely use performance rating scales for projects and essays.  In my experience, the most productive assessment tool I have used is the complex-performance assessment.

I use complex-performance assessment for several different units throughout the year.  For example, the students write essays throughout the year.  All of their major essays are placed in their network file (portfolio).  At the end of the year, I check their portfolio mainly to assess organization.  Other units throughout the year lend themselves easily to performance-based assessment.  For example, after studying several American authors in literature, the students create and present a Power Point presentation on their favorite author.  Not only do they receive an assessment on the presentation, but they also place this presentation in their network file.  In addition, in my tech prep English class, the students participate in a unit that prepares them for future employment.  During this unit the students write a cover letter, a resume, and a follow-up letter.  These are all placed in their network file.  While it is not entered into their portfolio, the students also participate in a mock interview with a teacher.  I am hoping to make this more life-like by having community members in local business perform the interviews and give the students feedback.  They will be assessed (with input from the interviewer) on how well they present themselves in the interview.  Finally, my speech unit obviously lends itself to performance-based assessment.  The written, formal speeches are also placed in the network file.  At the end of the year, I have the students copy their network file onto a floppy disk so they can have it when they enter a new grade or school.

As mentioned before, I assess my students in several different ways.  Like most teachers, I use the traditional paper/pen tests consisting of objective questions, short answer, and extended essays.  However, most of my assessments are performance-based.  I feel the students are better able to show their understanding through applying what they have learned when completing a project rather than just answering questions on an objective test.  Using more performance-based assessments has proven to be more successful when assessing the growth of my students.

As our reading states, "Sound assessment requires relating the assessment procedures as directly as possible to intended learning outcomes" (p. 51).  Learner outcomes are the most important factor in education.  It is more important for the student to be able to USE what he/she is taught than just to KNOW things.

With this in mind, I try to focus on what skills the students will gain  throughout each unit and be able to use after the unit.  For example, for the research paper unit, I not only want the students to have a nicely typed paper at the end, but I also want them to internalize some of the skills they use during the unit.  For instance, when we study plagiarism, I want the students to know how to avoid it as well as to recognize that it is important to respect the intellectual property of others.  In other words, they should learn the mechanics of documenting or citing a source along with understanding WHY we should give credit where credit is due.  During this unit, I also expect the students to be able to evaluate the credibility of a source when researching.  Acquiring this skill is essential to the overall ability to complete a research paper on any topic.  In the end, my goal for the research unit is for the students to be able to acquire the knowledge and skills to complete a research paper of any kind in any class.  They should end up with the skills to judge the credibility of sources and identify the credible ones, perform the mechanics of research, recognize the importance of documentation, organize researched material, and write a paper.  Again, for this unit, the ultimate hope is that the student will be able to perform this task whenever and wherever necessary.  Along with these goals, I want the students to acquire time-saving techniques while learning specific skills associated with word processing (i.e. setting margins, pagination, etc.).

The above is an example of one unit's goals and objectives.  They are specific to the research paper.  Obviously, I have many other units with their own specific goals and objectives.  In general, however, as the authors of our textbook recommend, my focus is on what the students learn and can retain rather than the process by which they obtain that knowledge.  I want them to learn the basic concepts that would be commonly expected from junior and senior level English classes and be able to apply them in other settings.

Validity and reliability are very important in regards to assessments.  At times, however, these terms can be somewhat confusing.  According to Robert L. Linn and Norman E. Gronlund, authors of Measurement and Assessment in Teaching, " Validity is "...an evaluation of the adequacy and appropriateness of the interpretations and uses of assessment results" (2000). These same authors state, "Reliability refers to the consistency of assessment results" (2000).  So, what is the difference between the two terms?

Briefly, the authors state that "...validity is always concerned with the specific use of assessment results and the soundness and fairness of our proposed interpretations of those results" (2000).  In other words, how are the results being used?  Linn and Gronlund pose this example, "...if a state- or district mandated test led teachers to ignore important content not covered by the test, that consequence should be taken into account in judging the validity of that test use" (2000).  This is an example of what may happen in composition classes around the state of Illinois.  To explain, since the PSAE writing test does not test descriptive or narrative writing ability, many English teachers around the state may ignore these skills and concentrate only on teaching expository and persuasive writing techniques.  If this happens, it puts the validity of the PSAE into question.

As for test reliability, as mentioned above, it is important to look at the "...consistency of assessment results" (2000).   There are basically two things to examine in order to determine the reliability of a give assessment.  To confirm consistency, one must test the same group of students on at least two separate dates, using the same test.  As the authors state, "If we obtain quite similar scores when the same assessment procedure is used with the same students on two different occasions, we can conclude that our results have a high degree of reliability from one occasion to another" (2000).  A second check to examine reliability is possible if separate instructors test the same students, using the same assessment on different days. As Linn and Gronlund state, if these teachers "...obtain similar ratings, we can conclude that the results have a high degree of reliability from one rater to another" (2000).  The ACT testing and the PSAE writing assessment procedures provide opportunities to prove or disprove the reliability of the tests.  For example, the PSAE writing test is assessed by 2-3 graders.  If all end up with the same or similar ratings for essays, it is most likely a reliable test. Another way to check reliability is by comparing the results of ACT practice tests to those of the official ACT tests.  If it is a reliable test, we can assume that the scores of the students who practice taking the test will improve over a given period of time (2000). 

As mentioned, validity and reliability are essential in regards to assessments.  Both examine the results of a given assessment.  While they are closely related, they do have individual characteristics that distinguish each from the other.

There are several times throughout my curriculum that interpretive exercises are used.  I teach three different English classes, English III (collegebound/juniors), English IIIA (tech. prep/juniors), and English IVA (tech prep/seniors).  The interpretive exercises used in each are similar.

According to Linn and Gronlund, interpretive exercises can be "...a series of objective items based on a common set of data" (218).  In English III, I use interpretive exercises mainly throughout the literature unit. For example, I assess the students' abilities to make inferences using passages from a selection from the literature book.

The text book also mentions that drawing conclusions and making generalizations are types of interpretive activities.  It mentions that these activities could include using charts, tables, graphs, maps, and/or pictures.  The activities that are done in English IIIA often cover material that is presented in these types of ways.  For example, when studying the employment rate, percentages are often presented in pie charts while trends are often presented in graphs.  The students must be able to read the information, make judgments about it, and use it in various ways.

Lin and Gronlund state that interpretive exercises recognize the relevance of information (p. 221). The comprehensive unit tests in my English IIIA and English IVA classes are set up in such a way that they must answer multiple choice questions after interpretting passages and making inferences.  The questions are set up basically like the traditional math "story problems".  This makes it so the students must think about what they have learned throughout the unit and apply that knowledge by choosing the best course of action.

Interpretive exercises are important to a well-rounded assessment of the students' abilities.  These types of activities also assess their acquired knowledge in a given subject or area.  Interpretive exercises are excellent tools to use for educational assessments.

I have always thought that I have used portfolios as alternative assessments in some of my classes.  However, after reading chapter 12 in Measurement and Assessment in Teaching by Robert Linn and Norman Gronlund, I realize that there is much more to a portfolio than just gathering things and putting them in the same file.  Now, I am not satisfied with my "portfolios".  I don't feel that I have organized them well enough nor have I put enough emphasis on them.  Also, I realize now how important a reflection paper, a technique I have not used, is to the effectiveness of this type of assessment.

In my college bound English classess as well as in my tech prep English classes, I have the students complete a composition network file.  Within this file, they place all essays (expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive).  They also put in their research papers along with any free writing that is assigned.  The purpose of this assignment is to teach the students to save the work they do now for future use in ohnter classes.  I tell them that the essays they write now can be edited and improved upon for future assignments.  A secondary purpose is to teach them how to use the network at school, including how to save and retrieve files.  In my tech. prep. English classes, I have recently decided to assign an employment portfolio. 

So, after reading chapter 12, I have become dissatisfied with my lesson.  I plan to make several changes.  An important change I will make is that of assigning a reflection paper that discusses what they have learned throughout the assignment.  Also, I will make this an actual portfolio rather than just a network file.  The students will include essays that show their grouwth as is suggested by the authors of Measurement and Assessment in Teaching (Linn and Gronlund 293).  To do this, each quarter they will choose 2-4 essays to include in their portfolio.  By the end of the year, they will be able to see and analyze their personal growth in composition, making their reflection statement easier to complete.  This will also provide them with several essays to keep for future use as was the intention of the original assignment.  Doing this, will keep the portfolio assignment from being an "...unorganized collection of materials" (Linn and Gronlund 292).

In addition to the portfolio mentioned above, I plan to use a protfolio as an alternative assessment for teh employment unit in my senior tech. prep. English classes.  This will provide a better understanding as to the actual knowledge that the students gained throughout the unit. 

The ideas in chapter 12 really opened my eyes as to the value of portfolio assessment.  Also, it provided me with several ideas on how to improve my assessments throughout all of my classes.  This week's reading was definitely helpful to me.

After reading chapter 13 in Measurement and Assessment in Teaching written by Robert L. Linn and Norman E. Gronlund, I have a better understanding of informal assessment procedures.  While I am more likely to stay with formal assessments, I have used some informal assessments throughout my teaching.  However, some informal assessment procedures just do not seem feasible to me as a high school teacher.

There are a few informal assessments that I have used during my teaching.  One such assessment is the use of anecdotal records.  I often observe students in settings outside the classroom.  Many times I document what I see along the way.  However, I can't say that I have ever had notes on every single student in any given year.  Usually, the extra anecdotal documentation is in regards to troubled students. I do this in hopes of understanding challenging behavior.  

Another form of informal assessment that I use from time to time is the self-report inventory.  I use this during and after group work.  I also use this after large units.  I ask questions concerning the amount of work they did and if they were a good group member.  This is a good technique; however, one must be aware that the student "...responses can usually be easily faked if individuals want to present a distorted picture of themselves" (Linn and Gronlund 333).  Therefore, when analyzing the results, I do take into account that they could be distorting the facts.

Also, I have used interest inventories.  I have administered them for different agencies and colleges.   These are used for educational purposes.  Colleges are interested in the results of such surveys because they can see the different trends.  Also, they can plan their curriculum, including which courses to offer in the future.  Being a teacher of over 90% of the juniors in our district, I feel somewhat obligated to administer these interest surveys.

One informal assessment procedure that does not seem like a productive one for my level is the Guess-Who Technique.  While it does not seem too bad to ask positive questions, I totally disagree with placing negative comments on the assessment.  I realize that the intent of this assessment is not to spread negativity.  However, the youth of today are bombarded with negativity everywhere they turn.  In my opinion, they simply do not need to have it in the classroom as part of their assessment.  I don't feel like this is a technique that I will add to my files.

Obviously, formal assessments do not tell the whole story on any given student.  While informal assessments may be time-consuming, they do have their place in the total assessment of a student.