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Calendar • Curriculum • Teachers • Parents • Students |
Assessment
The goal of assessment and evaluation is to provide feedback to students, parents, teachers, and others. Assessments should guide and by guided by sound instruction. Formative evaluation is used to evaluate the processes and summative evaluation is used to evaluate outcome. The definitions below are modified from Science Educators Guide to Assessment. Assessment. The collection of information about student achievement and performance. Assessment includes both formal (tests) and informal (observations) data. Evaluation. The interpretation of assessment data, based on a set of criteria, to judge student achievement and capabilities. Evaluation usually results in a grade. Formative assessment. The collection of data about student achievement and performance that is part of regular teaching and learning in classrooms. Teachers use this data collaboratively with students to guide instruction. Needs assessments such as pretests and checklists are formative assessments. Summative assessment. Assessments given at the end of a unit, semester, or course where the data is used to generate grades and marks. Placement and selection decisions certifying student accomplishments are based on summative data. Most tests fall in the category of summative assessment. Criterion referenced assessment. The comparison of student knowledge, achievement, and skills to predetermined standards of what students are expected to know and be able to do, rather than against the achievement of other students. Most criterion-based assessments use a rubric to evaluate student achievement. Norm referenced assessment. The comparison of student achievement or skills to the achievement or skills of a peer group. Most standardized tests are norm referenced. |
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location - http://manzano.aps.edu/science/teachers/assessment.shtml
accessed Wednesday August 27 2008 |