Evaluation: Nelson Chap 14

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Evaluation Nelson Chap 14

• EDEL 4109 Humanities methods
• Dr. Nganga

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Four Unfortunate Classroom Commonalities

• Students often dont know which process is used
  to evaluate.
• Grades are often altered according to conduct
• Because of the first two, students usually see
  grades as unrelated to class time.
• Evaluation in usually summative rather than
  formative, (will explain later)

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Five Function of Evaluation

• Diagnose
• Revise Curricula
• Compare
• Anticipate needs
• Determine Objectives
• All too often, teachers focus on 5, and leave
  out 2-4. Evaluation is a fantastic teaching
  tool!

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History of Evaluation (from a national
standpoint)

• 1980s Concern for content knowledge.
  Standardized testing introduced to assess quality
  of content learning.
• 1990s Concern for critical thinking Teachers
  critical of tests because they do not measure
  critical thinking. Attempt to create tests that
  evaluate critical thinking

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Summative Evaluation

• Time Based
• Content Based
• Example Students must know all states and
  capitals by Wednesday. If they know and forget
  by Friday, it is no concern to the teacher. On
  the same note, if they dont know on Wednesday,
  and learn it by Friday, it is no concern to the
  teacher. Usually given letter grades.
• Easy to interpret
• Concrete
• Preferred by most parents

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Formative Evaluation

• Process Oriented
• No time limit, may vary with every child
• Example Students must learn all their states
  and capitals. Progress will be assessed as they
  are learning it, and instruction will vary
  according to that assessment. Final evaluation
  to be done when students prove mastery.
  Explanation instead of letter grades are often
  used.
• Difficult to interpret
• Difficult to clearly assess
• Frustrating to many parents

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Norm Referenced VS Criterion Referenced

• Norm Referenced
• Child compared against National Group
• Low SES child almost always performs lower
• Criterion Referenced
• Child compared against selves or set of
  objectives
• After students meet objectives, no further work,
  though teacher should prepare opportunity for
  practice and application.

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Types of Evaluative Instruments

• Nelson Pages 415-421

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Types of Evaluation Instruments

• Tests are the most common type of summative
  evaluation instrument used in schools. The
  purpose of tests and the extent to which they are
  used reflect ones philosophy of education and
  schooling.

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Objective Tests

• Most tests are either essay or objective.
• Objective tests are almost never truly objective
  because the teacher has only her/his view of the
  material in mind.
• The answer reflects the teachers subjective
  opinion.
• Many teachers see evaluation as a way of
  revealing what students do not know rather than
  what the do know.

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Objective Tests

• Objective tests include multiple-choice,
  true/false, short answer, matching, and fill in
  the blank type of questions.

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True/False

• The statements used in this type of test should
  be entirely true or entirely false.
• Easy to guess on these questions.

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True/False Tests

• Things to Remember
• A. Write statements clearly to avoid
  ambiguities.
• B. Include only one idea or thought in a
  true-false item.
• C. Try to develop ideas or thoughts that require
  more than just simple recall of knowledge.
• D. Avoid using statements taken directly from
  textbooks.

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Multiple Choice Tests

• The questions in a multiple choice test can
  measure more than just knowledge. It is possible
  to include items that measure comprehension,
  application, or even higher levels of
  understanding such as analysis.

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Multiple Choice

• Things to Remember
• A. Keep all answer choices about the same
  length and the same vocabulary level.
• B. Avoid All of the above or None of the
  above statements. They require less higher
  level thinking, and are confusing.
• C. State the problem or question clearly in the
  introduction state the choices as briefly as
  possible.

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Matching Questions

• These tests can be used to illustrate an
  understanding of the relationship between people
  and places, geographic names and locations, dates
  and events, people and ideas, etc.

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Matching Questions

• Things to Remember
• A. Make one of the two lists longer than the
  other so the process of elimination does not give
  students an answer.
• B. Place both sets of items on the same page,
  side by side, so that students can view all
  possibilities together.
• C. Keep directions clear and specific and
  response items short.
• D. Make relationships obvious so that students
  do not waste time pondering the lists.

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Fill In Questions

• These tests can be tricky because the students
  often fill in a correct answer that is not what
  the teacher wanted.
• Things to Remember
• A. Design items so that there is clearly only
  on response.
• B. Design items to sample more than knowledge.
• C. Stay away from statements straight out of
  textbooks.
• D. Provide sufficient space for students
  answers. Make it clear if more than one answer
  is expected.

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Essay Tests

• Essay questions should allow teachers to find out
  much more about what students know-rather than
  what they do not know-as well as whether they can
  present their ideas in a logical and coherent
  manner.
• Essay questions should focus on main ideas, not
  details, and should allow students to color in
  the picture as needed.
• Make questions interesting and list the criteria
  for evaluating student answers.

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Checklists and Anecdotal Notations

• Checklists provide an alternative to the test or
  quiz that can be used to indicate mastery of
  certain skills or material.
• Using checklists, a teacher observes students at
  work, examines their assignments, and notes their
  contributions in class discussion.
• Anecdotal records can be useful in assessing
  cognitive, affective, and psychomotor
  achievement.
• These can be expanded through lunch, after
  school, P.E., and playground.

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Noninstrumental Evaluations

• Nelson pages 421-426

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Artwork and Creative Writing

• Creative work often indicates what students are
  learning and thinking about in social studies.
• Students drawings can indicate understanding of
• Chronology
• Geography
• Social relations
• Advantage Students feels no pressure to look
  for the right answer.
• Teachers can use artwork to assess what the child
  understands and what concepts need more
  development.
• Creative writing can give clues to
  student-acquired knowledge.

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Personal Conferences

• For students who do not express themselves well
  in other areas (writing or tests with a lot of
  reading) Personal conferences may work best.
• Five minutes of interactive discussion with a
  student on a personal basis is as useful as a
  half-hour test. (Nelson, pg 422)
• Teacher is able to seek clarification
• Student can volunteer additional information

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Role Play

• Used to evaluate a students understanding of
  time or space
• Historical and Cultural role play
• Ex. Thomas Jefferson talking to Alexander
  Hamilton

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Videotaping

• Teacher should ask a colleague to videotape the
  class
• Cost effective
• What to look for in a video
• Working patterns in the classroom
• Work group less inhibited without the teacher
  listening.
• Camera can reveal cognitive, affective
  psychomotor abilities (previously unknown to te
  teacher.

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Student Statements

• I learned statements
• Either oral or written
• Gives students a chance to self select one or
  more to the thing they learned
• Statements could be used for study material.

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Test Preparation

• Most profitable evaluation is assessment of
  students prior to a test.
• Can be done diagnostically or summatively (if
  combined with the actual test or quiz)
• Students tend to be more relaxed
• Pre-tests can allow teachers to see strengths and
  weaknesses of the class and the individual
• Alerts teacher of changes that could be made in
  the material being covered

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Test Prep. continued

• Diagnostic tests can indicate if the planned unit
  has too much information or if the students do
  not have the necessary background knowledge for a
  particular unit
• Implementation
• Plan a review day two days before the test
• Have students prepare questions
• Questions are the focus of the review
• Ask students why these questions are good review
  questions.

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Test Prep Continued.again

• Variation
• Teacher tells students that part of their grade
  on the exam will come from their own questions.
• This lets the teacher know what the students
  think is important.

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Test Prep Summary

• Test preparation should focus on more than just
  the answers to the questions it should also
  determine why such answers are important, how we
  know they are important, and how this can be
  confirmed. (Nelson, pg 425)

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Portfolio Creation Assessment

• Students select a variety of his or her best work
  this serves to illustrate the capabilities and
  performance of that student
• Authentic assessment-portfolios provide a more
  accurate picture of what a student actually knows
  or can do.
• Portfolio should contain both organizational and
  critical rationales
• Student should be able to tell why each piece was
  selected for the portfolio
• Materials should be organized around some themes
  or goals that were agreed upon by the teacher and
  student

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Portfolio Creation Assessment

• Portfolios should demonstrate
• What the students knows
• What the student is capable of
• How the student has grown intellectually or in
  ability over time.
• Portfolios should include
• Work done in class
• Project work done at home or school
• Teachers comments on work
• Photos of material created
• Reflective statement from student

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Portfolios continued

• Rule of thumb for creating portfolios
• One piece is not enough
• Everything is too much
• Keep adding pieces as long as they add value

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Teacher Evaluation

• Student Performance
• Unfair to base teacher performance on student
  performance because of uncontrollable variables
  within student lives
• Student Evaluation
• Students tell the teacher what they did and did
  not like about a lesson, or report opinions to a
  higher authority.
• Elementary students are the most honest because
  they are least concerned with own grades

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Teacher Evaluation (continued)

• Self Evaluation
• Method
• Teachers write about positive and negative
  occurances no more than 15 minutes after class
• Occasionally videotape a lesson
• Advantages
• Captures the days activities
• Helps teacher evaluate progress

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Teacher Evaluation (continued)

• Peer Evaluation
• Least used method because teachers afraid of
  criticism and loss of respect from fellow
  teachers
• However, other teachers are unlikely to be too
  critical, because they can empathize.
• Best method of teacher evaluation because
  teachers learn from each other, and often have
  the best advice to give