Educational Assessment:
Assessing Student Learning in the Classroom
Instructor
Name: Dr. A.N. (Bob) Pillay
Phone: 509-891-7219
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday
Email: bobp@virtualeduc.com
Address: Virtual
Education Software
Technical Support: support@virtualeduc.com
Introduction
This course is designed
to further develop the conceptual and technical skills required by teachers to
help them identify their educational goals, and implement meaningful
instructional strategies for effective learning by students with special needs.
The focus of this course will therefore be on assessment for instructional
programming. The course will outline procedures for designing or selecting,
administering and interpreting, a variety of informal assessment measures
typically used in schools. The use of a range of informal assessment measures
in the academic and social skills areas will form the core of the content to be
covered. The presentation of assessment
information in an acceptable format to parents and teachers will also be
addressed.
The
course is organized into four major sections. Each section has a number of
chapters that highlight new, sometimes controversial, but always relevant,
views or practices to this most dynamic of educational fields. Each section
will include a list of objectives, which will help you focus your readings and
discussions as well as clarify tasks that you should undertake to marry theory
and practice.
Course Materials
Title: Educational
Assessment: Assessing Student Learning in the Classroom
Author: Dr.
A.N. (Bob) Pillay
Publisher: Virtual Education Software, Inc. ©2005
Instructor: Dr. A.N. (Bob) Pillay
Please keep the
CD. There is a $25 replacement fee for
CD-roms if you need to replace yours due to theft, damage, misplacement,
etc. Call 1-800-313-6744, with your
credit card information, if you need a replacement.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Academic Integrity Statement
The structure and
format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and
academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals
enrolled in a CBI distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the
following standards of academic conduct.
Academic
Work
Academic work submitted by the individual
(such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work
or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source.
Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they
are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Aiding
Honesty in Others
The individual will encourage honesty in
others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person
with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.
Violations of these academic
standards may result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss
of credit for the course.
Course Objectives
At
the conclusion of this course students will be able to:
·
Discuss the need for authentic educational
assessment in the light of current expectations of schools.
·
Describe any past or current governmental
initiatives that either impact educational assessment or define it, and explain
the rationale for the initiatives.
·
Describe the major steps in the assessment
process.
·
Outline the procedure for processing referrals
for assessment.
·
Select and discuss appropriate informal
assessment measures.
·
Demonstrate by discussion or writing the major
components for completing a report to a parent/school.
·
Discuss how to make educational or behavioral
recommendations based on assessment data.
Course
Description
This
course will cover many areas and topics on educational assessment. The
following is an outline of the topics that will be discussed in each chapter of
the course.
SECTION 1: Overview and the Nature of Assessment
Chapter 1: Course Overview
Course
Overview
Assessment
Rationale
Introduction
to Assessment
Assessment
for a New Age
The
Changing Landscape
The
Need for a New Vision
Emerging
Trends in Assessment
The
Challenge for all Teachers
Writing
Exercise: The Leaders’ Forum
Chapter 2: The Nature of Assessment
Introduction
Definition
Purposes
of Assessment
Educational
Assessment Principles
Some
Measurement Concepts
The
Classroom Teacher: An Observation Specialist
Teacher
Assessment Competencies
Steps
in Assessment
SECTION 2: Types of
Assessment
Chapter 3: Types of Assessment
Introduction
Assessment
Models
Formal
Assessment
Informal
Assessment
Discrepancy
Analysis
Performance
Assessment
Portfolio
Assessment
Rubric
Clinical
Judgment
SECTION 3: Methods of Assessment and Linking to Instruction
Chapter 4: Methods of Assessment
Introduction
Observation
Task
Analysis
Checklists
Chapter 5: Linking Assessment to Instruction
Linking
Assessment to Instruction
Individualized
Education Plan
SECTION 4: Putting it all Together and Writing an Assessment
Report
Chapter 6: Putting it all Together
Introduction
Informal
Chapter 7: Writing an Assessment Report
Assumptions
Writing
an Assessment Report
Some of the
sections in a chapter may pose a question for response. As a student you should
address these questions and make notes to yourself about your responses. Some
of these questions may be the basis for examination questions or critical
thinking questions. While you are
encouraged to write brief notes or responses to these course questions you are
not required to submit your written responses for assessment. These questions
are designed to help you gather your thoughts around the topic and to present a
cogent, cohesive discussion of the topic. What you write will become your notes
for a study guide. It is suggested you visit the questions again at the end of
the program to see whether further reading and skill development has
reaffirmed, changed or challenged your original thoughts.
Student
Expectations
As
a student, you will be expected to:
·
Complete all
information sections covering Education Assessment, showing a competent
understanding of the material presented.
·
Complete all exams covering Education Assessment, showing a
competent understanding of the material presented.
·
Complete a review of
any section on which your examination score was below 70%.
·
Retake any section
examination, after completing an information review, to increase that final
examination score to a minimum of 70% (maximum of three attempts).
·
Complete all course
journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown
for each writing assignment.
·
Complete a course
evaluation form at the end of the course.
Examinations
At the end of each section, you will be
expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may
take these exams a total of three times. The software will save the last score,
not the highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and
not allow further access. Your final grade for this course will be determined
by calculating an average score of all exams. This score will be printed on
your final certificate. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction
program, you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not
be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you
try to exit the exam section before you complete all questions, your
information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one
sitting.
Writing Assignments
This course has two required writing
components.
To save your essays:
Macintosh: When you select
the question or article you wish to write on, simple text or text edit will
automatically be launched. When you are finished, simply click on FILE>SAVE.
Do not select SAVE AS. You do not
need to give the document a name before saving. When you are done, select
FILE>QUIT. You must quit before you
write another essay.
Windows: When you select
the question or article, Notepad will automatically launch. When you are
finished, click on FILE>SAVE. Do not
select SAVE AS. You do not need to give the document a name before saving.
1) Essay Requirement: Critical Thinking Questions
There is a critical thinking question for each
chapter or section. You will do research
on the question and write a brief essay relating it to the course content (and
your personal experiences when possible).
To view the questions, click on ESSAY REQ, and then on CRITICAL THINKING
QUESTIONS. You will see the questions,
one for each chapter or section. Click
on the question you would like to work on; this will bring up a screen where
you can enter your essay. You must write
a minimum of 500 words per essay.
2) Essay Requirement: Journal Articles
This task
requires you to write a review of three journal articles of your choice on a
topic related to this course. You may
choose your topic by entering the Key Words (click on the Key Words button)
into a search engine of your choice (Google, Dogpile, Yahoo, etc.). Choose
three relevant articles and write a 200-word review of each. You may also
access the ERIC system and choose a related topic from a journal listed in that
system. Or you can access www.scholar.google.com or www.findarticles.com .Write a critical
summary of the information given in each article, explaining how the
information relates to, supports, or refutes information given in this course.
Conclude your paper with your thoughts and impressions. (200 words per journal
article minimum.) Be sure to provide the journal name, volume, date, and any
other critical information to allow the instructor to access and review that
article.
To write your
essays, click on ESSAY REQ. In the dialog box below that, click on JOURNAL
ARTICLE ASSIGNMENT; this will expand the folder which contains links to the
screens where you can write your reviews.
When you are ready to stop, click on FILE>SAVE. You may go back at any point to edit your
essays. For more information on the
features of this assignment, please consult the HELP menu.
Instructor
Description
Dr. Bob Pillay is a doctoral-level instructor who has
been teaching in the field
of Special Education for the past 30 years. Dr. Pillay has received numerous
national and international awards for his research in the field. He has headed
boards and committees in more than five countries to develop and strengthen
special services for Australia, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Pillay
has extensive knowledge of special education issues in the USA due to his
doctoral studies at the University of Louisville. He is currently a Senior
Fellow in Special Education at the University of Melbourne.
Contacting
the Instructor
You may contact
the instructor by emailing bobp@virtualeduc.com or by calling (509) 891-7219
Monday through Friday. When calling during office hours messages will be
answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per
student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please
do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or
other issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems related to
the operation of this course CD, please try everything twice. If the problem
persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at
www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section on your course disk.
If you need personal assistance then email
Minimum
Requirements
Macintosh
Operating Systems
Mac OS 9.x or OS 10.x, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free
hard disk space, 15" or larger color monitor with a minimum
resolution of 800x600, CD driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected
to your computer.
Windows Operating
Systems
Windows 2000, XP Home,
Professional or newer, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free hard disk space;
15" or larger color monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, CD
driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected to your computer.
Please contact VESi if you have any questions about the compatibility
of these systems.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Refer to the
addendum included with your software package regarding Grading Criteria, Course
Completion Information, Items to be Submitted, and where to send your completed
information.
Bibliography (suggested reading)
Alper, S., Ryndak, D.L. and Schloss, C.N. Alternative Assessment of Students with
Disabilities in Inclusive
Settings. Needham Heights,
Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
Ashlock, R.B. Error Patterns in Computation. Columbus Ohio: Charles E. Merrill, 4th ed.,
1990.
Bracey, G.W. “Thinking about Tests and Testing: A Short Primer in Assessment Literacy.” Washington, D.C.
American Youth Policy Forum,
2000.
Brady, L., Kennedy, K., and Marsh, C. Curriculum and Assessment. Sydney:
Pearson, 2003.
LeGrange, L. and Reddy, C. Continuous
Assessment. Kenwyn: Juta &
Company, 2000.
Lerner, J. Learning Disabilities. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
McLoughlin, J.A. and Lewis, R.B. Assessing Students with Special Needs. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson/P rentice Hall, 5th
ed., 2001.
Nitko, A.J. Educational
Assessment of Students. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice
Hall, 4th
ed., 2004.
Olson, L.L. and Platt, J.C. Teaching Students and Adolescents with Special Needs. Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey: Pearson,
Merrill/Prentice Hall, 4th ed., 2004.
Sieborger, R. and Macintosh, H.
Transforming Assessment. Lansdowne: Juta, 2002.
Vaughn, S., Bos, C.S. and Schumm, J.S. Teaching Exceptional Diverse and At-Risk Students. Boston: Pearson
Education Inc., 2003.
Venn, J.J. Assessing Students with Special Needs. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2nd ed.,
2000.
Journals:
Educational Leadership
Exceptional Children
Exceptional Children Quarterly
Exceptional Parent
Focus on Exceptional Children
Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis
Journal of Learning Disabilities
Journal of Reading
Journal of Special Education
Learning Disabilities Quarterly
Learning Disabilities Research and Practice
Reading Research Quarterly
The Reading Teacher
Remedial and Special Education
Teaching Exceptional Children
Web Sites:
http://www.natd.org/assessmentandevalresources.htm
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/as0cont.htm
http://psychology.about.com/od/testing/
http://pareonline.net/
http://home.gwu.edu/~kkid/testing.html
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
http://www.psychoeducational.com/
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v3n6.html
http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/ontass