Course Overview
This course introduces the essential concepts and practices of educational assessment. Assessment information that drives decisions about the classroom student, the effectiveness of the instructional program, and the instructor is derived by studying:
- Achievement targets and assessment design
- Test construction within the context of validity, reliability, and fairness
- Analysis of test results and progress monitoring
- Assessment reform and district, state, and national assessments
In the course project, Model Assessment Program (MAP): Planning and Implementing Effective Assessment and Evaluation, candidates demonstrate the ability to plan and implement effective evaluation through the creation of a Model Assessment Program (MAP) that incorporates technology, benchmarks, assessment targets, and a scheme for scoring, analyzing, and reporting assessment results. The project is a key assessment for candidates in the MEd in K-12 Instructional Technology programs and it is designed to demonstrate mastery of the International Society for Technology in Education Technology Facilitation Standards.
This course includes field-based activities that take place in a K-12 school/district community setting.
Course Learning Objectives
- Describe the purposes for and principles and practices of classroom assessment in a standards-based curriculum
- Construct academic achievement targets that define the behavioral outcomes to be assessed in a standards-based curriculum
- Develop an assessment blueprint that describes the elements of the assessment program, including the proper assessment methods to be employed for each achievement target
- Utilize technology resources to construct assessment tools and a test item database that accurately assesses the achievement target
- Evaluate an assessment program for validity, reliability and fairness
- Create a variety of assessments that are developmentally appropriate, responsive to the needs of diverse learners, and include content standards.
- Establish and advocate a position on the issue of standardized testing programs
- Promote the use of good classroom assessment practices among colleagues
- Apply a variety of technology resources to develop assessment tools for scoring, recording, analyzing, and reporting assessment results.
- Identify basic concepts related to standardized tests and testing, including history and context of standardized testing, characteristics of sound standardized tests and testing, and processes for identifying and evaluating published standardized tests an
- Recognize multi-tiered models of school-wide responses using standardized screening, diagnostic, progress-monitoring, and outcome measures.
Special Requirements
If students elect to use the (provided) web-based videos to complete Assignment 6.2 (rather than completing a field observation), they will need to download and install the Quicktime plugin to play the videos. The plugin is free and takes just a few minutes to download and install. The videos will not reliably play using Windows Media Player.
