Based on extensive research, this book is filled with illustrative, down-to-earth examples of how classroom assessment works in classrooms where assessment drives the instruction. The authors present the Classroom Assessment Cycle - Clarifying learning targets, Collecting assessment evidence, Analyzing assessment data, and Modifying instruction based upon assessment data - that demonstrates how one assessment action must flow into the next to be effective. Each chapter details the kinds of assessment evidence that are the most useful for determining student achievement and provides instruction in the analysis of assessment data.
Table of Contents
Figures, Tables, and Exhibits ix
Foreword xiii
Ken O’Connor
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Authors xxiii
Introduction: Assessment for Classroom Learning xxv
1. Understanding the Varieties of Assessment 1
Part One Clarifying Learning Targets 13
2. Unpacking Standards and Benchmarks 15
3. Defining Student Expectations 31
Part Two Gathering Assessment Evidence 43
4. Understanding and Selecting Assessment Methods 45
5. Written Product, Portfolio, and Project Assessments 63
6. Designing Quality Classroom Assessment Tasks 77
7. Creating Useful Scoring Guides 93
Part Three Making Sense of Assessment Data 111
8. Tracking and Analyzing Results 113
Part Four Linking Assessment to Instruction 129
9. Revising Feedback and Instructional Plans 131
10. Using Assessment to Motivate Students 159
Part Five Related Assessment Factors 175
11. Rethinking Grading Practices 177
12. Challenges of High-Stakes Assessment 197
Conclusion: An Appeal for Change 213
Appendix: Reflection and Discussion Questions 219
References 229
Index 237
