V.V.S. 10 QUESTIONS
Student Assessment Analysis
(The How to Guide)
Question #1
Is there a relationship between the reported student performance data and the teacher’s
philosophy of education/grading? What are the specific corollaries?
It is important that teachers clarify their philosophies of education/grading. Our underlying beliefs affect the
grades we give students. For example, some teachers may grade students by comparing their performances to
those of other students. This results in a norm-referenced approach to grading. Other teachers compare
student achievement to the established performance standards. They grade students as being at, above, well
above, or below the standard. This represents a standard-based approach to grading.
Teachers should clarify what goes into a student’s grade. How much of the grade reflects effort, aptitude,
achievement, and attitude. While all teachers approach grading from different perspectives, most “experts”
believe that schools/departments need to develop basic philosophies and policies regarding grading.
We also need to see if there is a correlation between a student’s grades and his/her performance on
state/national tests. What does it mean when a student has poor grades but does well on these exams? What
does it mean when a student’s grades are consistently higher than his/her test scores?
Finally, we need to make sure that we explain each student’s grade in light of their instructional levels. For
example, you may have students who are working below the grade level. Can these students ever receive a
good grade? Yes! The secret is to make sure that we communicate the instructional levels at which students
are working to the students, their parents, and other educators working with the student.
Question #2
What types of student assessments are represented in each of the marking period grades?
Marking period grades may include a variety of assessments . . . tests, projects, reports, homework, labs, etc.
Some of these assessments are objective in nature because they involve responses which are correct or
incorrect. Short answer, multiple choice, and matching items are often associated with objective assessments.
On the other hand, some assessments are performance-based. These performances, projects, and products
are more difficult to assess because they cannot be scored correct or incorrect. Rather, they are usually
graded on a quality scale using rubrics.
How much of a student’s grade for a course is based on objective versus performance assessments?
Finally, how many and what type of formative assessments are given before a summative assessment is
administered? Are the formative assessments providing sufficient feedback on student performance to help
ensure high levels of achievement on our summative assessments?
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Question #3
How are marking period grades calculated? What are weightings for specific types of student
assessments?
What are the weightings that individual teachers give to tests, papers, quizzes, and homework? Should
students and parents be told what these weightings are at the beginning of the course? Should there be basic
policies and practices regarding grade weightings?
Most educators agree that there should be some consistency between a teacher’s grade weightings and their
instructional focus. For example, if a teacher places a high weighting on the research paper for a course,
he/she should devote a greater amount of instructional time and effort helping students meet this
requirement. Our instructional focus needs to be consistent with our assessment expectations/weightings.
Question #4
What specific content, concepts, and units of instruction are taught during each marking period?
What does the prioritized curriculum consist of? Most curriculums are expressed in a unit, standard,
benchmark/indicator format. Some of the standards/benchmarks specify what students must “know” (i.e.,
content, concepts). Other standards/benchmarks specify what students are expected to “do” (i.e., skills,
processes). These requirements should be very clear. The goal is to have a “mastery curriculum” not a
“mystery curriculum.” There should be alignment between the written curriculum and what students are
expected to “know” and “do” on the assessments.
Question #5
What are the predominant instructional strategies utilized throughout each lesson and unit in
each marking period?
This is the heart of teaching! What strategies produce the best results? More time needs to be set aside for
teachers to discuss the relative effectiveness of the instructional strategies they use. This sort of sharing and
experimentation represents the best kind of professional development.
Question #6
Is there an identifiable correlation between curricular scope and sequence, the instructional
strategies implemented, and the student performance demonstrated on standardized
assessments?
Once again, this question points to the importance of having clear alignment among the written, taught, and
tested curriculums. You can’t teach one way and test a different way and expect students to perform well on
the exams.
V.V.S.  A Great Place to Learn
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Question #7
What criteria have been set to measure the validity and reliability of teacher generated marking
period grades versus student performance on standardized tests?
An assessment is “valid” if it actually measures what we say we are measuring. Assessments are reliable if they
provide data that is consistent. What does this mean for teachers? When the written, taught, and tested
curriculums do not align, the results are typically poor. Alignment must address content, vocabulary, format,
thinking skills, and communication tasks. The percentage of questions devoted to a topic on a test should
roughly equate to the percentage of instructional time spent on that topic.
Question #8
Is the current student performance data consistent with the previous years? Why or why not?
It has become a common practice to track the percentages of students scoring at different achievement levels.
For example, on many state exams we track the percentages of students scoring 4, 3, 2, or 1. On Regents
Exams, we may track the percentages of scoring 85 and above, 65 – 84, 55 – 64, and below. The goal is to
increase the percentages of students scoring at higher achievement levels. What does it mean when the data
is not consistent with previous years? Are the trends positive or negative? What are the factors that
contribute to the results?
In addition to reviewing course results from one year to the next, it is important to track the results of cohort
groups of students as they move from grade to grade. As the challenge level of courses increases from year
to year, is it reasonable to believe that the percentage of students scoring at various achievement levels will
remain about the same? What does it mean if these percentages are very different?
Question #9
Does the data support the overall goals for student achievement in the PreK-12 Comprehensive
District Education Plan?
When teacher, department, school, and district goals are in alignment, powerful things can happen as
evidenced by the data. School improvement begins with individual teachers. It really takes off when
these individual teachers collaborate and focus on common goals. The secret is to get everyone
pulling in the right direction.
Question #10
What are the implications for the current PreK-12 program including curriculum, instruction,
and assessment design to ensure smooth transitions and effective articulation?
After completing questions #1-9, what does it all mean? What should we do next? As a group of educators
responsible for the overall educational program for our students Pre-K – 12, thoughtful coordination
determines the quality of the total program. We should look for connections and potential conflicts
throughout grade levels, content areas, and support services. We should support each other through
strengthening our connections and minimizing inadvertent conflicts in our programming. Our goal should be a
seamless and deliberate Pre-K – 12 transition that helps each child learn and grow to their potential where
positive interdependence creates a synergistic effect.
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