Assessment is
Not a Grade
How to Use Assessment as a Tool
for Achieving Learning Outcomes
Resource:
Classroom Assessment for Student
Learning: Doing It Right-Using It Well
Richard J. Stiggins, Judith A. Arter, Jan
Chappuis, and Stephen Chappuis
What is assessment?
 A tool used to measure student learning
 It is not simply a grade or a score
 It does not always have to be counted
 It can motivate and stimulate learning, not
punish students or diminish their motivation
Why assess?
 To serve all stakeholders’ individual needs
 “Stakeholders” include:
Students
Instructor
Department
Administrators
State and Federal agencies
What should be assessed?
 Clear, good learning targets
 “We must have a clear sense of the
achievement expectations we wish our
students to master”
--Classroom Assessment for Student Learning
Effectively Communicating Results
 In a timely and understandable manner
 Students must understand symbols used in
assessment i.e. letter grades, raw scores,
teachers’ comments
 Communication must be tailored to the intended
audience
 Students must understand why they got an answer
incorrect, so that they may correct it in the future
Self-Assessment Chart
Test
Question
Correct
1.
X
2.
X
3.
4.
Guessed
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
8.
X
9.
X
No Idea
X
X
7.
10
Knew it
X
5.
6.
Incorrect
X
X
X
X
X
Involving Students in Assessment
 “The most important instructional decisions [which
contribute most to student learning] are made by the
students themselves. Students decide whether the
learning is worth the effort required to attain it.”
--Classroom Assessment for Student Learning
 Students decide if they are capable of achievement
 As instructors we must keep students believing in
themselves as learners through effective assessments
The Two Types of Assessment
 Formative
Informational for both the student and instructor
Does not count toward a grade or score
Provides opportunity for student correction and
supports ongoing growth
 Summative
Document individual or group achievement
Measures learning at a specific point in time (what do you
know today)
Formative Assessment
Assessment for learning
 A Process during learning:
What do I know?What do I need to know?What do I need to learn
before it “counts”?
 Provides students insight to improve achievement
 Helps teachers diagnose and respond to students needs
 Acts as a primary motivator in the belief that success in
learning is achievable
 No penalty for making mistakes
Formative Assessment
Instructor’s Role:
 Instructor transforms learning outcomes or objectives into
learning targets
 Adjusts instruction based on results
 Offer frequent and descriptive feedback to students
Student’s Role:
 Self-assess and keep track of improvement
 Set individual learning goals
 Use as a means of self-correction
Formative Assessment
 Learning targets are statements of what we want students to
be able to know and to do
 Students can hit any clear target that stands still
 Communicate with students what they must know before they
need to know it
Example:
I will write simple sentences using a subject and a
verb.
I will write complex sentences using subordinating
conjunction.
Formative Assessment
 “No Count” Quizzes
 Verbal Feedback
 Student Signals (Thumbs up/Thumbs Down)
 Student Post-It Notes
 Discussion Logs
 Think-Pair-Share
Reflection Journal for Discussions
Date
What I Originally Thought
Classroom Discussion. Dixie Lee Spiegel. 2005
New Information
from others
What I think Now
Formative Assessment
What is Effective Feedback?
 Descriptive, criterion-based feedback
 Emphasize it is the learning that is important, not what
looks good or how it is comparable to others
 Focuses on strengths and weaknesses, or areas needing
improvement
 Does not use arbitrary symbols, such as letter grades or
numerical scores, that do not reflect specific criteria.
Summative Assessment
Assessment of Learning
 An Event after learning: Documents achievement or
mastery of learning targets
 Provides information about level of learning to both
students and others outside of the classroom
 Certifies student competence, sorts students according
to achievement, provides a mode for grading
Summative Assessment
Instructor’s Role:
 Administer assessment to carefully ensure accuracy, quality,
and comparability
 Use results to help students meet student outcomes
 Use as a means of report card grading
Student’s Role:
 Strive for highest possible score
 Avoid failure
Summative Assessment
 In-class essay
 Unit test
 Mid-term or final examination
 Placement tests
 Achievement tests
Assessment Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Plan: Assess why (purpose)? Assess what (focus)? Assess
how (method)? How Important?
Develop: Determine the sample. Select, create, or modify
test items or tasks and scoring mechanisms.
Critique: Evaluate for Quality
Administer: Administer the assessment
Revise: Evaluate test quality based on results and revise as
needed
Potential Sources of Inaccuracy
 Barriers that can occur within a student
i.e. language barriers; physical handicap; lack of test-taking
skills; lack of confidence; lack of literacy skills
 Barriers that can occur within the assessment context
i.e. distractions; poor lighting; cultural insensitivity; lack of
proper equipment
 Barriers that can occur within the assessment itself
i.e. lack of or vague directions; poorly worded questions; poor
reproduction of test; missing information
Potential Barriers in Methods
 Multiple Choice Tests:
more than one correct choice; incorrect bubbling on answer
sheet; clues to the answer in the item or choices
 Extended Written Responses:
no or inappropriate scoring criteria; biased scoring; insufficient
time to read or score carefully; students don’t know the
criteria by which they will be judged
Rubrics as Evaluation Tools
A RUBRIC is a scoring scale used to assess student performance
along a task-specific set of criteria*
 A “contract” between students and instructor. An agreement
of how students will be evaluated and the level of expectation
clearly communicated prior to completion of task.
 Comprised of three components: criteria, levels of
performance, and descriptors
 Quality Not Quantity. Instead of applying a number number of
references, concrete examples, paragraphs, etc., describe the
quality of the criteria. Can’t two good examples be better than five poor
examples?
 Clear, Objective, and Consistent. Everyone feels “graded the
same”
*http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/rubrics.htm#versus
Analytical vs. Holistic
 Analytical - assesses levels of performance for each criteria
separately and equally. Breaks down and examines various
parts.
Analytical is formative; it provide students with detailed information of
individuals’ strengths and weaknesses; detailed feedback explains how
student can improve.
 Holistic - evaluates a level of performance by assessing
performance of all criteria as a whole.
Holistic is summative; it is a snapshot of what a student can do at
that moment.
Analytical Rubric
Criteria
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Has a plan
for
Investigatio
n
The plan is
thorough
The plan is
lacking a few
details
The plan is
missing major
details
The plan is
incomplete
and limited
Use of
Materials
Manages all
materials
responsibly
Uses the
materials
responsibly
most of the
time
Mishandles
some of the
materials
Does not use
materials
properly
Collects the
Data
Demonstrates
thorough
collection of
data
Exhibits some
of the data
Major
portions of the
data are
missing
The data
collection
consists of a
few points
Georgia State University www.gsu.edu/~mstnrhx/457/rubric.htm
Holistic Rubric
Proficient- 3
points
The student's project has a hypothesis, a procedure,
collected data, and analyzed results. The project is thorough
and the findings are in agreement with the data collected.
There are minor inaccuracies that do not affect the quality
of the project.
Adequate- 2
points
The student's project may have a hypothesis, a procedure,
collected data, and analyzed results. The project is not as
thorough as it could be; there are a few overlooked areas.
The project has a few inaccuracies that affect the quality of
the project.
Limited- 1 point
The student's project may have a hypothesis, a procedure,
collected data, and analyzed results. The project has several
inaccuracies that affect the quality of the project.
Georgia State University www.gsu.edu/~mstnrhx/457/rubric.htm
How To Apply Methods in the
Classroom
Begin by clearly stating what students must be able to DO
(state in syllabus, verbalize in lecture, post on Blackboard.)
 Determine and create appropriate summative assessment
based on learning targets
(written response, speech, project, multiple choice exam)
 Design lesson plans to specifically meet learning targets
 Implement daily formative assessment of learning targets
(diagnostic test, verbal feedback, “no-penalty” quiz, discussion
log)

Email Address
Hollie.villanueva@azwestern.edu