EDCT 5847 - Elements of Assessment

Course Description

Assessment is the often complex and controversial process of measuring what students know and can do. When used for authentic purposes, assessment can also be understood as the “why” of teaching (curriculum representing the “what” and instruction the “how”). Most importantly, meaningful assessment builds confidence, spurs action, and helps students and teachers improve their work. In this course participants will examine their current understanding of and experiences with assessment; explore the purposes of assessing (diagnostic, formative, summative, interim); identify the types of assessments typically used inside formal learning environments (performance tasks, authentic, portfolio, and self-/peer-assessment); and learn to analyze and the elements of effective assessment design (alignment, rigor, precision, bias, and scoring). Throughout this course, participants will also investigate “scandalous ideas” about assessment, such as daylighting student thinking instead of simply sorting and ranking (assessment as a window as well as a ladder), using assessments for growing teaching practice, and accepting that we may never really know what students have learned.