Through this course, I have been exposed to several things I did not know about the education system and the changes and revamps circling about discussions of educators. There are many revolutionary minds currently proposing progressive upgrades to former assessment structures.
The first concept introduced to me that was intriguing, where the different branches of assessment opportunities accessible, offer varieties of performance assessment options, thing . That would be the different types of assessments that teachers have access to. For instance, there are performance assessments where students and teachers participate together and test through different methods, like group projects or any research project. Another one is the portfolio assessment where instead of testing the student on a multiple choice bubble sheet, the student is required to compile a portfolio, throughout the course, in which they have the option to use their creativity and unique mind. These two types of test assessments give me reassurance when I envision myself as a teacher. Struggling with time assessments, either multiple choice or fill in the blanks, as an adolescent, I would get very devastated and frustrated since time tests were my weakness. In fact, the majority of my implanted memories of being educated were by teachers who had other activities besides memorizing text and taking timed, rigid test assessments. The real treasures in education came from teachers who allowed me to access my individuality and with the two assessments aforementioned, I can allow the same opportunity for the next generation of students.
Early in the course, we learned about No Child Left Behind and the new and evolving Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act. For my preferences of assessing points, the No Child Left Behind does not make sense when the expectation is that children of different origins, personalities and skill sets should all perform the same and are required to have close to identical scores. And when I learned about the IDEIA, I was fascinated to realize that changes are being proposed for the education system and the testing standards. Teachers, principals and school board members are working on revamping the programs so that students of all speeds have a slot to which they can fit into where they can score an average for the type of personality they are, but not expected to score the same as the smartest student in the class. Currently, they are working on integrating it into the education system, therefore, resolving No Child Left Behind to a test, not the answer, and giving categories to all the pieces of the pie chart of intelligence.
The next topic learned in this course was measurements on gauging learning outcomes that educators have produced for their students. With measurable learning outcomes, there are several different ways to weigh scores and give points for grades to individual students for diverse activities within groups, as opposed to just a bi-annual bubble sheet test. With learning outcomes, however, there are varieties of activities and multiple ways to create rubrics which can guide students through their courses clearly understanding what they need to do to earn the score. The expandable measures range from all sorts of different activities, indoors and outdoors, and they work on creating varieties of activities through these alternative assessments.
Some students have great strengths for situations like the No Child Left Behind and they excel at time tests, however, on the other side of the spectrum, there are many students that don’t necessarily feel as though they are in their element and can be very intimidated and frustrated by time assessments. The IDEIA is revolutionary for the education system, in that, it recognizes the issue of the diverse spectrum of students, with different backgrounds and different types of intelligences. We can only hope that, in the near future, the IDEIA is implemented into the school system even if No Child Left Behind must continue to exist.
The next concept I will take with me from this course is the idea of accuracy and error on assessments. For these cases, teachers are to test their own exams to make sure that they qualify for accuracy through a system of checking the errors. When the teacher examines their own exam, it can be a learning experience for them as well. Another thing teachers can do is look at average scores and realize if there was a certain question a majority of students missed, it could suggest the error is due to the test question, being either vague or too varied. When the teacher works with the student scores to better her test assessments to suit the frames of the students, both the teacher and the students can gain new understandings of more diversified methods. Educators must remember that tests are always subject to error, and the accuracy of the test is dependent upon the types of errors it contains. For this concept, there are several mathematical equations in which teachers can use to calculate error scores, true scores and obtained scores. There are standard deviation measurements they can use in weighing the quality of the scores and tests through the acknowledgement of the average score of the student body. Finally, the skeptical educator comes face-to-face with the paradox of testing and scores, and it can seem that no matter how creative or mathematical the equations, scores are still quite an elusive distinction of character and qualities and cannot necessarily capture all the different traits and strengths that students have.
The next concept that inspired me in our textbook was the chapter on summarizing data and measures of central tendency. This system uses inferential statistics. In the textbook it states, “Thus far we have been talking about statistics in general. In reality, there are two types of statistics: descriptive and inferential. For our purposes we will deal entirely with the “easy” side of statistics, descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics are more complicated and are best taught in more advanced courses.” (p 265) With measures of central tendency when summarizing data, there are several methods that can be used for distribution of points. Each of these methods have a road of their own and the teacher has more options to consider when distributing assessment scores. And although we may never break through the paradox of the score system, for now it possesses several options for averaging scores and weighing grading systems.
The next new topic that was introduced to me were different methods of creating graphing data and blue printing the creative assessments. The more clear and advanced the blue prints for the exam are, the more readable a graph is in seeing how scores exist and compare with one another. Using mathematics and equations, graphs can be an interesting work of art to hand to your students as a separate interpretation of requirements for the course. Graphs and blue prints can range from lengthy and complex to small and simple. Therefore, the teacher has to utilize her creativity with the methods of calculation to produce a valid and accurate scoring system. Ultimately, for these cases, educators are searching for the mean or average of a group of scores for a class of students. The wide variety of examples in a textbook of graphs and blue prints prove how infinite graphs can be when they fit in certain equations accurately.
With all these new concepts introduced, there are still a few I have yet to master. For instance, this concept has been the most difficult concept for me to master ultimately since it has to do with mathematical equations that I have not studied since high school. When I went to Iowa and enrolled in the liberal arts program, I had already earned my necessary college credits for math and science, and due to this, the last math and science course I took was my senior year in high school. Fourteen years later, I realize that although math is strength for me, I am entering the new age of technology and having to re-familiarize myself with the mathematical and scientific calculations for scoring systems that the Internet and information technology has opened gateways to. The cyber-space gateways are more natural for our younger generation than they were for my generation which takes some adjustment on the educator’s part to stay with the technology and times in which their students are experiencing. Ultimately, this will require more practice on my part and will eventually start to make better sense through trial and error.
For the course learning and assessments for the 21st century, I have been introduced to these and all sorts of other complex theories and I realize that only time, practice and patience will eventually lead me to the mastery of cyber-space technology. There are so many concepts to learn and so many categories to divide different types of test assessments that it is really up to the teacher to discover the best method for their course. As a future educator, I will endeavor the new path with an open mind and a PowerPoint board instead of a chalkboard.
References:
Kubiszyn, Tom & Borich, Gary (2010). Educational Testing & Measurement: Classroom Application and Practice (9th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ. (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2010).
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Representativeness, Rubrics, and Relevance
The three challenges to validity when using portfolios as assessments are representativeness, rubrics, and relevance.
The first of these challenges is representativeness requires precise expectations and clear directions without ambiguity followed through with several varieties of different testing methods and result measurements techniques. In additions to these measurements, representativenss requires some sort of model for students to be able to observe and connect with the requirements, for example, a sample of how a measurement would appear as a final response. More clearly, you want something concrete and finished to show as an example of what is to be expected for the assignment included in the portfolio to add to the clarity and defined prospects. This allows for students to have examples within the portfolios, as to keep them on the track of the assignment, while still expecting high quality and original responses from students. This can also help to avoid time being spent doing assignments in a misunderstood fashion, as a result from wording that may have seemed elusive in description or to complicated. With concrete examples, students have a blue print to follow in addition to wordy instruction interpretations. This will save time for the educators and the students and avoid simple misunderstandings that may lead to alternative outcomes due to specific individuals analysis’ and singular understanding.
The next of the three challenges, are rubrics, which literally call for some sort of framework to represent a scoring technique to track students measurements through out a course, and this is in order to keep students on the right track towards the same outcomes. The rubrics also allow for students and educators to follow along through a lesson while recognizing peaks and dips in different point measurements. For starters, this method of keeping track periodically of scoring through the course of a distinguished portfolio will in the long run save educators the time and tediousness it takes to attain grade levels at the courses ending. This allows the students, in addition to the educators, to gage their own progress or failure, and monitor different changes through the entire process of the course. All students and educators involved will have the advantage of knowing when and how and where they need to work towards bettering their own personal scores. With a well developed rubric, individuals are going to be able to identify early where improvements are necessary and where strengths are defined. This variety of scoring methods and measurements through portfolios allows for accuracy and fairness and duration effectiveness of different measures. With rubrics, teachers standards can be clearly defined from the starting point, giving all students fair and timely opportunities to achieve what is expected from the teacher. This removes potential biases and ensures fair and equal opportunities for all students and teachers.
The third and final challenge for attaining validity through portfolio assessments is relevance. Relevance requires the educators expectations to stay inline with stated expectations outlined in portfolio, and for those expectations to be in reasonable alignment with the age category the portfolio is designed towards. Relevance is not just related to the materials within a portfolio, but also the prospects for the portfolio must be congruent with the age category and measure without being beyond the reach of certain age categories or levels. The clarity expressed through relevance ensure the students with what they are expected to do, without drawing them into side tracks of confusion where they are unnecessarily overachieving or doing unconnected work that may be both distracting and waste of time for the student and the educator. In other words, what the portfolio assessments should measure should be contained to specific areas of academia, and not left up to interpretations or fluxuations. The relevance simplifies measures and allows them to be contained to specific and defined proposals, ensuring clear, successful, and timely assessments
The first of these challenges is representativeness requires precise expectations and clear directions without ambiguity followed through with several varieties of different testing methods and result measurements techniques. In additions to these measurements, representativenss requires some sort of model for students to be able to observe and connect with the requirements, for example, a sample of how a measurement would appear as a final response. More clearly, you want something concrete and finished to show as an example of what is to be expected for the assignment included in the portfolio to add to the clarity and defined prospects. This allows for students to have examples within the portfolios, as to keep them on the track of the assignment, while still expecting high quality and original responses from students. This can also help to avoid time being spent doing assignments in a misunderstood fashion, as a result from wording that may have seemed elusive in description or to complicated. With concrete examples, students have a blue print to follow in addition to wordy instruction interpretations. This will save time for the educators and the students and avoid simple misunderstandings that may lead to alternative outcomes due to specific individuals analysis’ and singular understanding.
The next of the three challenges, are rubrics, which literally call for some sort of framework to represent a scoring technique to track students measurements through out a course, and this is in order to keep students on the right track towards the same outcomes. The rubrics also allow for students and educators to follow along through a lesson while recognizing peaks and dips in different point measurements. For starters, this method of keeping track periodically of scoring through the course of a distinguished portfolio will in the long run save educators the time and tediousness it takes to attain grade levels at the courses ending. This allows the students, in addition to the educators, to gage their own progress or failure, and monitor different changes through the entire process of the course. All students and educators involved will have the advantage of knowing when and how and where they need to work towards bettering their own personal scores. With a well developed rubric, individuals are going to be able to identify early where improvements are necessary and where strengths are defined. This variety of scoring methods and measurements through portfolios allows for accuracy and fairness and duration effectiveness of different measures. With rubrics, teachers standards can be clearly defined from the starting point, giving all students fair and timely opportunities to achieve what is expected from the teacher. This removes potential biases and ensures fair and equal opportunities for all students and teachers.
The third and final challenge for attaining validity through portfolio assessments is relevance. Relevance requires the educators expectations to stay inline with stated expectations outlined in portfolio, and for those expectations to be in reasonable alignment with the age category the portfolio is designed towards. Relevance is not just related to the materials within a portfolio, but also the prospects for the portfolio must be congruent with the age category and measure without being beyond the reach of certain age categories or levels. The clarity expressed through relevance ensure the students with what they are expected to do, without drawing them into side tracks of confusion where they are unnecessarily overachieving or doing unconnected work that may be both distracting and waste of time for the student and the educator. In other words, what the portfolio assessments should measure should be contained to specific areas of academia, and not left up to interpretations or fluxuations. The relevance simplifies measures and allows them to be contained to specific and defined proposals, ensuring clear, successful, and timely assessments
Bloom's Taxonomy
Megan Smith
As we continue to quickly dive into our textbook, Teaching Today: An Introduction to Education, through chapters 6 and 7, I begin to realize how complicated things are to measure in education. There are so many things to consider, and various complicated levels to divide.
Here in this practice the focus is on Bloom’s Taxonomy, which uses six methods to sort mostly the cognitive processes. It is a tool to develop outlines in measuring learning outcomes with various assessment strategies. “In using Bloom’s Taxonomy to plan your assessment procedures, you start by looking at your knowledge-level learning outcomes. Next, you choose measurement approaches that can provide information about learners’ abilities to store and recall specific bits of information.”(Armstrong p 183).
The class I am working with will be college entry course working with medieval literature, in this case we will work with the classic, Beowulf, a translation by Seamus Heaney 2000, and I will use three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy to examine different outcomes and assessment strategies.
The first of Bloom’s methods useful in our measurements: comprehension. “Comprehension. This category requires a cognitive process that is a step beyond recall. It requires that learners not only recall specific items of information, but that they also reflect on their grasp of its meaning by interpreting, translating, or extrapolating. Many refer to this category when they say they want learners to “understand” the material.”(p183).
Outcome: The students will be expected to understand the isolation of Beowulf from the people, and draw connections between other historical facts and fables, to understand the deeper meaning behind the medieval texts.
Assessment Strategy: Students will write essay in which they find some historical fact and compare it to the fable of Beowulf, and they expand on how the stories collide morally, ethically, and historical. Finally the will interpret what they interpret as the lesson of the fable.
The second of Bloom’s methods to be utilized: analysis. “Analysis. This category refers to the ability to break complex information down into parts and to understand how the parts are related or organized. This level involves having learners understand the structure of complex information. It involves cognitive processes such as comparing and contrasting.”(p183)
Outcome: The students will be expected to understand the different characters in Beowulf, determine the protagonist and the antagonists, and determine how the characters evolve through the course of the stories; they must chronologically understand the rises and falls of characters and plot.
Assessment Strategy: The students will be asked to give a presentation. The presentation will be speech in which they explain to story of Beowulf and draw comparisons to lessons in their own lives, and how the morals of the stories connect and effect lives.
The final method of Bloom’s applied: synthesis. “Synthesis. This category refers to the cognitive processes that we usually associate with creativity. Synthesis is the reverse of analysis. It requires putting parts together in some new or unique way and might involve such tasks as writing a composition or designing a science experiment to test a theory.”(p183)
Outcome: To develop an understanding of the power of humans’ patience, compassion, forgiveness and grievances. And to understand the power of these types of stories in medieval literature, and to develop an explanation as to the original author’s possible intentions, and to understand how such a story represented a time in history. To reflect upon the power of literature and the connection to history.
Assessment Strategy: A project is assigned where students will create an outline that parallels Beowulf with any other fable and fact of the medieval times, and present it to the class modeling characters of Beowulf with the other story, using only pictures, they must orate this to the class as a speech which analyses the entire story structure and intent Then create their own fables using the morals they learned from different stories, the fable will be used for the class as challenge to meet, different for each student.
Armstrong, D.H. (2009). Teaching Today: An Introduction to Education (8th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Qualitative & Quantitative Test Item Analysis
Qualitative & Quantitative Test Item Analysis
Megan Smith
EDU 645 Learning & Assessment for the 21st Century
Professor Griggs
May 2012Professor Griggs
The psychology test consists of five questions total, without defined time limits or explanation along side test questions. Each of the individual questions contains it own uniqueness’s, but also they each contain there own sets of problems. Along with calculating the means, or average, of each questions, and the exam as a whole, I will be creating a graph to represent the mathematics and measures by which we can represent the outcomes of the exam on a visible scale. In addition, I will also be applying item theories and conduction both a quantitative and qualitative item analysis to show positive changes to be considered for bettering the overall functions and effectiveness of the text questions and components.
First we will calculate the means for each question and the text as a whole together. The means of the test questions are the arithmetic average of the scores, and the mean is calculated by taking the total number of scores for the test and dividing it by the sum of all the score. For this test, there were five questions worth two points each for 10 students, totaling 20 points each for each question. So for this example, the math is fairly simple; 100 points possible, for five questions, making total of 20 points possible for each question. So the mean score for the total, is the sum of all the correct answers divided by 100. In the textbook, the author states, “The mean has several characteristics that make it the measure of the central tendency most frequently used. One of the characteristics is stability. Since each score in the distribution enters into the computation of the mean, it is ore stables over time that other measures of central tendency, which consider only one or two score,”(p. 282). So it is almost as those the mean score calculation is one of the clearer and simpler ways, and for this and other reasons it has retained a steadfast part of the score calculation mathematics. After going through each question from the text, finding the mean score and analyzing the various elements of the text questions, and after this is completed I will show mean score values for both the text as a whole and the individual questions in a graph form towards the end of the essay.
For question one of the essay there for 1 out of 10 incorrect, or a total of 18 points out of 20 earned. So for the mean score we take the sum of all the points and divide it by the total amount of points possible to score, so M(mean score), would be M=18/20, which would equal 0.90 as the mean score. For this question the word choice was poor, “Who came up with psychosexual stages?”, the term, ‘came up with’ is vague in itself, there have to be other word choices that would be more suitable. Also the choices for the multiple choice are silly and shallow, Lady Gaga, as a choice, is really just a humorous distraction. Also, there is an asterisks next to Sigmund Freud as a choice, is also very much a distactor. In the textbook, it states, “Quantitative Item Analysis is the introspection on the quality or utility of item of testing or academia. It does so by identifying distractors or response options that are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. The quantitative item analysis procedures that we will describe are most appropriate for items on a norm-referenced test”(p.228). So for the choices being shallow and out of the ordinary, but also does not offer challenges or difficult choices. Also the second and third choice would only be the last name, which also does not make much sense of multiple choices, the answers should be clear and concise, not confusing and superficial.
For question 2, there were 14 points out of 20 points earned, so 7 out 10 scored the answer correctly. The mean score here would be 14/20=M. So the mean score would be 0.70 plugging it into the means calculation. For question 2, they use the same possible choices that were in question one, and the repeating these answer is not necessary and is also confusing and distracting for an multiple choice exam. And again, the word choice is bleak, using the word who ‘tested’ dogs, “Which psychologist tested classical conditioning with dogs?”, takes away from the concreteness of the possible answers. Many people could have tested classical conditioning, do the mean created? Little fundamental changes like this can make the questions more accessible and better for testing adequacy in the long term. Also they use word switches in the answer choices, shifting first and last names, and this only seems to take away more validity and possibilities with this exam, being that these are more distractors and are also very repetitious choices and random word flops. Perhaps this exam was not proof read, and perhaps if it had been answers would not have been repeated in the questioning. But when the choices are silly like these, the student may also suffer if they do not know the choice to pick, and this may throw them into even more confusions and distractions to take away from the focus to complete the text. Proofreading is important in many aspect
Always proofread, and usually make sure to have a third party proofread and edit as well.
As it says in the textbook, “A correct-for-guessing formula ca be used to penalize students for randomly answering test questions”(p.226). This can make or break the utility of the test, and we need to consider this when taking on that certain type of task.
Avoiding the mundane elements of the testing process can save time and help overall the function of the test to improve with each edit.
To begin with only one person got the test question points, so 2/20 points are what received, therefore, the mean score is 0.10. For question 3, the text takes a different turn from multiple choice to short essay answers. “Explain the difference between operant and classical conditioning and give an example of each.”. Not only does the text change without anticipation, from multiple choice to essay, but it repeats the same issues questions in the first two test questions. This is an unpredictable measure, and addition to this, the question does not poses breadth or depth, it just ask for explanations and asks for examples. This is part of the content validity of a test, the predictability and wavering requests. As it says in the textbook, it states, “Essentially, when we talk about qualitative item analysis, we are talking about matching items and objectives and editing poorly written items. It is appropriate to edit or rewrite items and assess their content validity after a test, as well as before it,”(p.234). The text goes on to say, “Check test direction. Check your directions for each item format to be sure they are clear. Directions should specify: 1. The number of items to which they apply. 2. How to record answers. 3. The basis on which to select answers. 4. Criteria for scoring.”(p.224). Therefore, to change test midway for no reason with no instructions or specifications. In addition to it repeating issues from questions one and two, the question is poorly stated. With lots of information in the to be tested on, they limit topics and then change formats. Especially considering that only 1/10 people answered correctly, it seems there is a lot to be analyzed of for this question. If essay question is the text the teacher wants them it needs to be specific more, like length required or details required. Or at least have instructions at the beginning of the text that explain the test format and why it is presented in this manner or this order.
For the fourth question the call all answered correctly, so there was a 10/10, which meant 20 points out of 20, making a mean score for this test question M=1. This question they manage to change test format again into a complete the sentenced multiple choice, or multiple choices were the sentence is completed. This type of test, finishing the sentence can be very effective, but to change format for the third time in the middle of the test seems out of the ordinary and does not flow well. In addition to this, one of the choices is all of the above, which has not been included in this test before, but seems to take away from the fluency and consistency of it. One of the answer choices has an asterisks and a … before the statement and this seems unnecessary and distracting. Also only the other two choices, punishment, or positive reinforcement. These responses are vague in the overall quality of choices and limits students ability to critical consider tough and probable answers. ‘The act of removing stimulus to gain certain behavior’ could be both punishment and negative or positive reinforcement considering the issue at hand. In the textbook, the authors state, “A correct-for-guessing formula ca be used to penalize students for randomly answering test questions”(p.226). So it seems that they vague word plays they have for finishing the sentence do not contribute to the strength or validity of the test, making it again distracting and unnecessary to employ those such choices out of all other word choices available for multiple choice finish the sentence test. For the students to take the exam seriously, they must be presented with serious legitimate choices for sentence completions. When test answers are treated with slack it will only influence students in the same manners. Perhaps the questions were typed incorrectly and not edited, and for these mistakes the text recommends pre-testing measures to assure this does not happen. In the text, it states, “Miskeying, When an item is miskeyed, most students who did well on the test will likely select an option that is a distractor, rather than the option that is keyed,” (p.232). Just as the same way the student will slack with confusing answers to chose from, they can just as easily not take the test seriously and instead answer sarcastically or without caring whether they are right or wrong. Adjusting these easy fixes ahead of time will keep the students taking the teacher seriously and studying for the test objectively.
For the 5th question, there was one student out of 10 that answered correctly. So the calculation for the mean score would be 1/10, or 2/20, or M=0.10. This time the question format is fill in the blank, and so this test has utilize four test methods all together for only five questions. This question is short answer, stemming from the start of sentence, “Psychology is ____”, and only gives one option to choose from, *the study of the psyche, the only choice of answer for that vague and open winded question. This very easily could have been test construction error, which may not have been noted in time, however, this quickly takes away from the challenge and the legitimacy of the test as a whole. Also, why do they insist on have asterisks in the word choices. The author in the text states, “Just as you can expect to make scoring errors, you can expect to make errors in test construction No test you construct will be perfect-it will include inappropriate, invalid or otherwise deficient items. In the remainder of this chapter we will introduce you to a technique called item analysis. Item analysis can be used to identify items that are deficient in some way, thus paving the way to improve or eliminate them, with the result being a better overall test,”(p.227). A mistake like this one, with only one choice available was most likely an error and/or a typing error, and does not make much sense in the way it has been placed, as the last text question. But, in addition, expecting a end of the sentence filler for the statement, “psychology is ____” is too broad a statement, and even with one choice, seems tough question to fill in so briefly. This question could work as multiple choice but should be more specific with what it is asking of for clarities purpose and to make test more legitimate and adequate.
As the textbook helped to explain, item analysis becomes a construct by which teachers can test their own tests. In addition to anonymous grading measures, freeing from preconceptions and unfairness, correct our own tests can be revolutionizing for educators, realizing that the outcome of the students rely on the manner the teachers use to test students with, and measurements that those tests produce. What would make an answer key effective and logical for structure test effectiveness? “Appropriate changes and upgrades and applicable objective structures, such things as listing test questions out of order, but wastes of time and uncertainty are identified and avoided quickly,”
(p.231). This can only be determined through trial and errors of tests, and practicing tests, and constantly upgrading and revamping measures within the test itself. Teachers must constantly edit their lesson plans, their techniques and their testing methods in order to achieve improvements and stronger statistics. Practicing to employ and develop the answers through a medium which is legitimate to the issues and purposeful and functional for growth and development and keep it consistent and useful.
For the entire test, the 50 question, there were 35 questions that were correct, and since they were each worth two points the mean score measurement will by 70/100. So the mean score for the entire text is 0.70 overall. Even if you calculated with 35/50 for the M, it would still calculate to be the same amount, M=0.70. Overall mean score for the entire test M=0.70. This statistic can be used as the test measurements and methods are improved and innovated as the test structure improves and becomes more efficient. The qualitative and quantitative item analysis are essential for the improvements and innovations for testing procedures, and educators must be critical and detailed in manners of improvements and functionality of test changing processes.
Overall mean score M=0.70 for the entire test.
| questions | Mean Score M= | Average Score | Points Average |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
References:
Kubiszyn, Tom & Borich, Gary (2010). Educational Testing & Measurement: Classroom Application and Practice (9th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ. (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2010).
Validity, Reliability, & Accuracy
Validity, Reliability, & Accuracy
Megan Smith
may 2012
For the fifth week of this course, we worked with different theories regarding validity, reliability and accuracy. We were shown how to create assessments that support learning outcomes through various methods of assessments, but also the ability to determine their authenticity through a variety of error measurements.
For this case, I will be providing a performance assessment for literary analysis, that is, applying analytical skills and knowledge of literary analysis to reading and writing about poetry. Since it is a liberal arts course, I will be using different performance assessments when testing my students and rating their ability to comprehend and connect with the written form of art. From all of these different assessments, the points will be weighed equally giving fair opportunity to all students for their final grade. For this performance assessments there will be three different sets used to score.
In the beginning of the course, the students will work on diction and cadence through oral presentations and group discussions. In the course, we will be working with four different legendary poets, each from a different culture and background and will be pulled from medieval texts, for example, one of the books, Beowulf, the students would practice until the final assessment where they are orally presenting what they have learned about interpretation and the pace and tonality of the reading. Beowulf is from Scandinavia and is an old English epic poem consisting of heroic acts and very long poetry stances. The student can choose to research the difference in the tones from those time periods to our current time periods and will be scored on their effort to orally interpret the poems as originally told. They will be graded on consistency and depth of understanding, meaning that, as long as the students put forth a genuine effort and their interpretation is fitting or accurate with the time period of Beowulf, they will earn the points. The only way to fail this assessment would be to have no change in current diction or cadence which would prove minimal effort in researching the current aspects of the poetry’s tonality and the rhythm of the long stances. In the textbook, the authors state, “Then how does one go about discovering one’s true score? Unfortunelty we do not have an answer. The true score and error score are both theoretical and hypothetical values. We never actually know an individual’s true score or error score,”(p.352). Because of the diversity of the test, it passes more error scores, due to the fact that it is waged on what the student shows about what they have learned. The only way to fail the point, would be to ignore entire assignment and show no lack of knowledge and no relevance to the time periods.
For the second assessment, we will be working with the poems of the Arabian Knights. The assessment will be the final week of the class and the student will be required to rewrite the AK in a more modern fashion as if to compare those epic poems of war and struggle to our current global struggles to compromise. The students will be required to identify specific elements of the poem that are re-occurring throughout the story and design the structure and intention of the original poet. They will upgrade the dialect to an Anglo-Saxon one while still getting the same message across about war, control and the history of mankind’s various battle fields. It will be a written assessment and the students will have the option to share segments as presentations to the class, but it is not required. Rather the only requirement given points as a hand-in creative portfolio is the quality and effort of the translation of the text from the former translation set forth in the past. Again, one of the only ways to lose points in this assessment is to no put forth creative and cognitive creative skills efforts to exercise the mind and reconsider how language is used several thousand years after the stories were originally told. In the textbook it states, “In considering the table, remember that the only value in the table we are sure about is the obtained score value. We never really know what the exact true scores are or what the exact error scores are. This is probably one of the most difficult concepts to master,”(p.352). This paradox of scoring systems work in our favor to be flexible to the creative assessments and diverse activities. Therefore, error is in the lack of creativity or originality, and since this assignment offers a lot of room for original ideas, the only way to fail is to not put forth ignorant efforts. Other than that the score is up to the energy and time put into preparation of the final assessments.
The very last assessment, students will collaborate with one another in small groups. Each group will be given a medieval text of poetry and through the course, the groups must work together to create a 15-minute dramatic presentation in which they create a scene and stage for the stories depending on the time period, the region or the social and political aspects of the times. The costumes must be created from the most minimal of sources, in other words, they are not allowed to buy remakes of interpretations of how people were dressed in this time period. They must, instead, innovate what is around them, to recreate the style of living in the characteristics of the humans in their time period. This performance assessment will be one-third of the grade, just like the other two assessments and will take place the last two weeks of class. The students will share their different dramatic scenes created with other groups. The students will have the whole semester to prepare for this and will be given the option of which day they would like to present their dramatic interpretation. The scoring system for this assessment, must like the other scoring systems, will be mostly decided upon effort and authenticity. The only way to lose points for this assessment would be to show a lack of research on the culture and time period of the poet and poetry. In this example, the students As long as the students show sincerity and authenticity through their performance assessment, and present the different aspects of the research that inspired them to recreate there particular preference of poetry. were to study Boethius, the Constellation of Philosophy, the poet and philosopher of the early 6th century, they would, in turn, study the history of the Roman courts and their laws and the social and political elements of the Roman Empire, Boethius, being imprisoned while writing the Constellation of Philosophy, created a work of poetry that opposed the Roman laws and defied restrictions of religious shame induction. During the fall of the Roman Empire, there was total chaos and madness and Boethius, instead of combating what he disagreed with, he recorded it so that readers and learners could get an idea of his convictions without him directly having to deal with the Roman courts up front. The students would research where the divisions of enlightenment and controlled Catholicism divided. So when the team presents their dramatic performance of Boethius, they would show through creative innovation, what they learned about the history and how they felt about the circumstances. As long as the students remain relevant to their time period, and portray accurate interpretations of the poets and their time periods of writing them, then there is no worry about error. This particular assessment is new, and so using the results of my current students responses and scores, I can later determine what changes are necessary to meet the comprehension of the students, by using the assessment as a model for improvement. This is another way to measure error score probabilities. As long as the students research the correct time period and shows they have gained a greater understanding of the poet, through the minds eye of the poet, and their illuminations of beauty and art, through literary arts development as humans have evolved intellectually.
Ultimately, the learning outcome for this course is to gain a compassion and empathy for the poet given the circumstances of the medieval time period in which they composed their works. And by understanding the roots of literary arts and their origins, in this outcome of integrating the different elements of history, religion, culture and wisdom into a clear interpretation that lends a poetic structure of some sort that has become epic for readers around the globe. They will learn about the medieval time period, they will learn about barbaric, they will learn about hermits, but ultimately, the idea is to travel back in time and to experience what they experienced in order to understand the strengths and potentials of poems and the structures that have attracted people for thousands of years. They will determine which type of poetic methods can be used for these different categories and by accessing higher levels of thinking and creativity to integrate the time travel into a scene, they will view the poem through the eyes of the poet, the eyes of the humans at the time and understand how interpretations into modern language can still have the same effectiveness of these original poetic structures. They will walk away with more empathy for poetry wherein the poet is able to capture beauty through his mind’s eye amidst tumultuous times of history. They will understand the power poetry had for medieval thinkers and have a full comprehension of the importance of this literary art in marking the evolution of mankind to higher levels of consciousness. Overall, performance assessments stand separate from other basic test assessments, in the different varieties of presentations, and open range of creative opportunities , and can often times overrule the measurements of errors.
References:
Kubiszyn, Tom & Borich, Gary (2010). Educational Testing & Measurement: Classroom Application and Practice (9th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ. (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2010).
Testing Reliability
For the fifth week of this course, we worked with different theories regarding validity, reliability and accuracy. We were shown how to create assessments that support learning outcomes through various methods of assessments, but also the ability to determine their authenticity through a variety of error measurements.
For this case, I will be providing a performance assessment for literary analysis, that is, applying analytical skills and knowledge of literary analysis to reading and writing about poetry. Since it is a liberal arts course, I will be using different performance assessments when testing my students and rating their ability to comprehend and connect with the written form of art. From all of these different assessments, the points will be weighed equally giving fair opportunity to all students for their final grade. For this performance assessments there will be three different sets used to score.
In the beginning of the course, the students will work on diction and cadence through oral presentations and group discussions. In the course, we will be working with four different legendary poets, each from a different culture and background and will be pulled from medieval texts, for example, one of the books, Beowulf, the students would practice until the final assessment where they are orally presenting what they have learned about interpretation and the pace and tonality of the reading. Beowulf is from Scandinavia and is an old English epic poem consisting of heroic acts and very long poetry stances. The student can choose to research the difference in the tones from those time periods to our current time periods and will be scored on their effort to orally interpret the poems as originally told. They will be graded on consistency and depth of understanding, meaning that, as long as the students put forth a genuine effort and their interpretation is fitting or accurate with the time period of Beowulf, they will earn the points. The only way to fail this assessment would be to have no change in current diction or cadence which would prove minimal effort in researching the current aspects of the poetry’s tonality and the rhythm of the long stances.
For the second assessment, we will be working with the poems of the Arabian Knights. The assessment will be the final week of the class and the student will be required to rewrite the AK in a more modern fashion as if to compare those epic poems of war and struggle to our current global struggles to compromise. The students will be required to identify specific elements of the poem that are re-occurring throughout the story and design the structure and intention of the original poet. They will upgrade the dialect to an Anglo-Saxon one while still getting the same message across about war, control and the history of mankind’s various battle fields. It will be a written assessment and the students will have the option to share segments as presentations to the class, but it is not required. Rather the only requirement given points as a hand-in creative portfolio is the quality and effort of the translation of the text from the former translation set forth in the past. Again, one of the only ways to lose points in this assessment is to no put forth creative and cognitive creative skills efforts to exercise the mind and reconsider how language is used several thousand years after the stories were originally told.
The very last assessment, students will collaborate with one another in small groups. Each group will be given a medieval text of poetry and through the course, the groups must work together to create a 15-minute dramatic presentation in which they create a scene and stage for the stories depending on the time period, the region or the social and political aspects of the times. The costumes must be created from the most minimal of sources, in other words, they are not allowed to buy remakes of interpretations of how people were dressed in this time period. They must, instead, innovate what is around them, to recreate the style of living in the characteristics of the humans in their time period. This performance assessment will be one-third of the grade, just like the other two assessments and will take place the last two weeks of class. The students will share their different dramatic scenes created with other groups. The students will have the whole semester to prepare for this and will be given the option of which day they would like to present their dramatic interpretation. The scoring system for this assessment, must like the other scoring systems, will be mostly decided upon effort and authenticity. The only way to lose points for this assessment would be to show a lack of research on the culture and time period of the poet and poetry. In this example, the students As long as the students are innovative and show through their performance different aspects of the research that inspired them to recreate the scene. were to study Boethius, the Constellation of Philosophy, the poet and philosopher of the early 6th century, they would, in turn, study the history of the Roman courts and their laws and the social and political elements of the Roman Empire, Boethius, being imprisoned while writing the Constellation of Philosophy, created a work of poetry that opposed the Roman laws and defied restrictions of religious shame induction. During the fall of the Roman Empire, there was total chaos and madness and Boethius, instead of combatting what he disagreed with, he recorded it so that readers and learners could get an idea of his convictions without him directly having to deal with the Roman courts up front. The students would research where the divisions of enlightenment and controlled Catholicism divided. So when the team presents their dramatic performance of Boethius, they would show through creative innovation, what they learned about the history and how they felt about the circumstances.
Ultimately, the learning outcome for this course is to gain a compassion and empathy for the poet given the circumstances of the medieval time period in which they composed their works. And by understanding the roots of literary arts and their origins, in this outcome of integrating the different elements of history, religion, culture and wisdom into a clear interpretation that lends a poetic structure of some sort that has become epic for readers around the globe. They will learn about the medieval time period, they will learn about barbaric, they will learn about hermits, but ultimately, the idea is to travel back in time and to experience what they experienced in order to understand the strengths and potentials of poems and the structures that have attracted people for thousands of years. They will determine which type of poetic methods can be used for these different categories and by accessing higher levels of thinking and creativity to integrate the time travel into a scene, they will view the poem through the eyes of the poet, the eyes of the humans at the time and understand how interpretations into modern language can still have the same effectiveness of these original poetic structures. They will walk away with more empathy for poetry wherein the poet is able to capture beauty through his mind’s eye amidst tumultuous times of history. They will understand the power poetry had for medieval thinkers and have a full comprehension of the importance of this literary art in marking the evolution of mankind to higher levels of consciousness.
For this case, I will be providing a performance assessment for literary analysis, that is, applying analytical skills and knowledge of literary analysis to reading and writing about poetry. Since it is a liberal arts course, I will be using different performance assessments when testing my students and rating their ability to comprehend and connect with the written form of art. From all of these different assessments, the points will be weighed equally giving fair opportunity to all students for their final grade. For this performance assessments there will be three different sets used to score.
In the beginning of the course, the students will work on diction and cadence through oral presentations and group discussions. In the course, we will be working with four different legendary poets, each from a different culture and background and will be pulled from medieval texts, for example, one of the books, Beowulf, the students would practice until the final assessment where they are orally presenting what they have learned about interpretation and the pace and tonality of the reading. Beowulf is from Scandinavia and is an old English epic poem consisting of heroic acts and very long poetry stances. The student can choose to research the difference in the tones from those time periods to our current time periods and will be scored on their effort to orally interpret the poems as originally told. They will be graded on consistency and depth of understanding, meaning that, as long as the students put forth a genuine effort and their interpretation is fitting or accurate with the time period of Beowulf, they will earn the points. The only way to fail this assessment would be to have no change in current diction or cadence which would prove minimal effort in researching the current aspects of the poetry’s tonality and the rhythm of the long stances.
For the second assessment, we will be working with the poems of the Arabian Knights. The assessment will be the final week of the class and the student will be required to rewrite the AK in a more modern fashion as if to compare those epic poems of war and struggle to our current global struggles to compromise. The students will be required to identify specific elements of the poem that are re-occurring throughout the story and design the structure and intention of the original poet. They will upgrade the dialect to an Anglo-Saxon one while still getting the same message across about war, control and the history of mankind’s various battle fields. It will be a written assessment and the students will have the option to share segments as presentations to the class, but it is not required. Rather the only requirement given points as a hand-in creative portfolio is the quality and effort of the translation of the text from the former translation set forth in the past. Again, one of the only ways to lose points in this assessment is to no put forth creative and cognitive creative skills efforts to exercise the mind and reconsider how language is used several thousand years after the stories were originally told.
The very last assessment, students will collaborate with one another in small groups. Each group will be given a medieval text of poetry and through the course, the groups must work together to create a 15-minute dramatic presentation in which they create a scene and stage for the stories depending on the time period, the region or the social and political aspects of the times. The costumes must be created from the most minimal of sources, in other words, they are not allowed to buy remakes of interpretations of how people were dressed in this time period. They must, instead, innovate what is around them, to recreate the style of living in the characteristics of the humans in their time period. This performance assessment will be one-third of the grade, just like the other two assessments and will take place the last two weeks of class. The students will share their different dramatic scenes created with other groups. The students will have the whole semester to prepare for this and will be given the option of which day they would like to present their dramatic interpretation. The scoring system for this assessment, must like the other scoring systems, will be mostly decided upon effort and authenticity. The only way to lose points for this assessment would be to show a lack of research on the culture and time period of the poet and poetry. In this example, the students As long as the students are innovative and show through their performance different aspects of the research that inspired them to recreate the scene. were to study Boethius, the Constellation of Philosophy, the poet and philosopher of the early 6th century, they would, in turn, study the history of the Roman courts and their laws and the social and political elements of the Roman Empire, Boethius, being imprisoned while writing the Constellation of Philosophy, created a work of poetry that opposed the Roman laws and defied restrictions of religious shame induction. During the fall of the Roman Empire, there was total chaos and madness and Boethius, instead of combatting what he disagreed with, he recorded it so that readers and learners could get an idea of his convictions without him directly having to deal with the Roman courts up front. The students would research where the divisions of enlightenment and controlled Catholicism divided. So when the team presents their dramatic performance of Boethius, they would show through creative innovation, what they learned about the history and how they felt about the circumstances.
Ultimately, the learning outcome for this course is to gain a compassion and empathy for the poet given the circumstances of the medieval time period in which they composed their works. And by understanding the roots of literary arts and their origins, in this outcome of integrating the different elements of history, religion, culture and wisdom into a clear interpretation that lends a poetic structure of some sort that has become epic for readers around the globe. They will learn about the medieval time period, they will learn about barbaric, they will learn about hermits, but ultimately, the idea is to travel back in time and to experience what they experienced in order to understand the strengths and potentials of poems and the structures that have attracted people for thousands of years. They will determine which type of poetic methods can be used for these different categories and by accessing higher levels of thinking and creativity to integrate the time travel into a scene, they will view the poem through the eyes of the poet, the eyes of the humans at the time and understand how interpretations into modern language can still have the same effectiveness of these original poetic structures. They will walk away with more empathy for poetry wherein the poet is able to capture beauty through his mind’s eye amidst tumultuous times of history. They will understand the power poetry had for medieval thinkers and have a full comprehension of the importance of this literary art in marking the evolution of mankind to higher levels of consciousness.
Education, Diversity, and America
The United States of America has truly evolved into a melting pot of cultures, and the diversity is expanding at a rapid pace and will continue to evolve for future generations. This has created quite the impact on our education system, and has influenced our teaching methods in many manners.
In addition to adjusting to different cultures, it is also pertinent to adjust to different learning disabilities, and to accept these differences with grace and compassion. These assorted personality traits and diversity elements call for an extreme amount of patience and perseverance from the teachers. Most importantly educators must be aware of the range of different students needs, from young children entering kindergarten, all the way to the young adults working towards college educations. Most importantly, different students share the same needs all over the globe, all youngsters can grow when need compassion from teachers to grow, and ask for understanding in order to develop.
Because of the different elements of upbringing and all the different cultural backgrounds, today‘s teachers face more changes and challenges than ever before. Teachers must remain open-minded and empathetic to all personalities, and also thoughtful to different types of characters including those with learning disabilities. Educators of all kinds have had to adjust traditional lessons and methodologies in order to meet the different needs of the new generations of multicultural and multifaceted students. This has required educators to abandon pre-conceived notions, and to set aside there personal belief systems, all in order to accommodate the variance of new learners. The changes in our education programs involve expanding elements of teaching, which may alter original old fashioned techniques, and demands an extension of knowledge and methods to meet the needs of all learners as equals. It is the educators responsibility to adapt to various changes, and to consider all ethnicities in lessons and processes. Teachers must remain open-minded and flexible and consider every child as an individual.
Each age group of students require different attentions. The younger the group of students, the more vulnerable they become, and more patients is important for teachers. Children this young are very susceptible to influence, and have only had their family as an example for the most part. As children get older they reach different stages development mentally and physically. For instance, children near 4th grade and older are facing many changes biologically, and age there is also a struggle with gender separation that may create a lot of anxiety in youngsters. As the mind compounds and grows through adolescence, the students may become more disassociated and distraught. Teenagers are medaling with so many factors in the current world; socially, economically, physically, and emotionally. Due to all these factors usually teenager need inspiration and guidance the most, they need guidance through their complicated journeys. It is necessary, particularly with teens, to consider all these changes, and to acknowledge the students struggles and insecurities, and to take into account all the various distractions that may keep a student from lessons at hand. Young adults are put up against so much stress as to who they are to become, and therefore require different paces, which teachers must learn to adjust with. Students in their teens may be distracted or preoccupied, but with the help of good teachers their focus can be demanded, and as teens are still being shaped and adapting to social environments can still learn to their full abilities with the extra attention of the educators.
Ultimately modern day teacher are endeavoring a huge but essential challenge. Lessons and techniques must be adaptable, and will continue to change as diversity expands. It is up to teachers to carve a path for generations to come and to hold the grace and compassions to allow different types of students to develop to full potentials.
Megan Smith
In addition to adjusting to different cultures, it is also pertinent to adjust to different learning disabilities, and to accept these differences with grace and compassion. These assorted personality traits and diversity elements call for an extreme amount of patience and perseverance from the teachers. Most importantly educators must be aware of the range of different students needs, from young children entering kindergarten, all the way to the young adults working towards college educations. Most importantly, different students share the same needs all over the globe, all youngsters can grow when need compassion from teachers to grow, and ask for understanding in order to develop.
Because of the different elements of upbringing and all the different cultural backgrounds, today‘s teachers face more changes and challenges than ever before. Teachers must remain open-minded and empathetic to all personalities, and also thoughtful to different types of characters including those with learning disabilities. Educators of all kinds have had to adjust traditional lessons and methodologies in order to meet the different needs of the new generations of multicultural and multifaceted students. This has required educators to abandon pre-conceived notions, and to set aside there personal belief systems, all in order to accommodate the variance of new learners. The changes in our education programs involve expanding elements of teaching, which may alter original old fashioned techniques, and demands an extension of knowledge and methods to meet the needs of all learners as equals. It is the educators responsibility to adapt to various changes, and to consider all ethnicities in lessons and processes. Teachers must remain open-minded and flexible and consider every child as an individual.
Each age group of students require different attentions. The younger the group of students, the more vulnerable they become, and more patients is important for teachers. Children this young are very susceptible to influence, and have only had their family as an example for the most part. As children get older they reach different stages development mentally and physically. For instance, children near 4th grade and older are facing many changes biologically, and age there is also a struggle with gender separation that may create a lot of anxiety in youngsters. As the mind compounds and grows through adolescence, the students may become more disassociated and distraught. Teenagers are medaling with so many factors in the current world; socially, economically, physically, and emotionally. Due to all these factors usually teenager need inspiration and guidance the most, they need guidance through their complicated journeys. It is necessary, particularly with teens, to consider all these changes, and to acknowledge the students struggles and insecurities, and to take into account all the various distractions that may keep a student from lessons at hand. Young adults are put up against so much stress as to who they are to become, and therefore require different paces, which teachers must learn to adjust with. Students in their teens may be distracted or preoccupied, but with the help of good teachers their focus can be demanded, and as teens are still being shaped and adapting to social environments can still learn to their full abilities with the extra attention of the educators.
Ultimately modern day teacher are endeavoring a huge but essential challenge. Lessons and techniques must be adaptable, and will continue to change as diversity expands. It is up to teachers to carve a path for generations to come and to hold the grace and compassions to allow different types of students to develop to full potentials.
Megan Smith
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