Analyzing Educational Assessment
A WebQuest for Forensics Students
Ms. Liu
2004-05
INTRODUCTION:
One of the problems that
administrators and teachers experience daily is the top-down structure of the
educational school system. The US government makes crucial decisions about the
educational school system, and these decisions trickle down to regional offices
and boards of education in the form of policies, mandates, and initiatives.
These policies and mandates then trickle down to principals and school
administrators, which then trickle down to teachers, and ultimately, students.
In looking at many public
school classrooms, you can see reflections or hints of the top-down,
hierarchical structure of the
Many of us receive feedback or assessment on a daily basis. Presidents receive feedback on their performance through polls. Many businesses receive feedback on their performance by passing out surveys to not only their customers but also their workers. School administrators receive feedback on how they are doing through parents and the school community. At Bronx Science, you receive feedback on your written homework and projects. In all of these cases, the feedback we receive hopefully allows us to make positive changes to our lives, as well as to the skills that will improve ourselves, our communities, and the institutions we belong to.
You have now completed a full
year’s worth of work at Bronx Science. Last year, you turned in produced and
engaged in different kinds of work: homework, labwork,
research reports, literary essays, DBQ essays, as well as other kinds of
writing. Many of you have expressed frustration over the kind of feedback you
have received. Because this feedback is often too brief, or unclear, you
therefore are unclear on what you have to do in order to improve your work (and
therefore improve your grade).
I want you to think about the
feedback that you get in a classroom. Think of a time in your life when you
received feedback that was very useful to you. Think about the frustrations you
have experienced here. In large schools especially, with each teacher carrying
five classes and teaching 170 students, it can be difficult for you to receive
the feedback you need to improve. How can you help improve this situation? How
can you make things easier for both you and your teachers? How can you be more
proactive in getting the kind of assessment and feedback that can help you
succeed?
TASK:
This project will give you
the opportunity to be the “teacher.” In doing so, you will become acutely aware
not only of your own writing, but also gain an understanding of the what goes
on when a teacher assesses your work. You will also gain an understanding of
alternative methods of assessment and propose one of your own.
In this project, you will 1)
identify the standard methods of assessment used at this school 2) use this
type of method in assessing a sample homework 3) research alternative methods of assessment 4)
consider the advantages and disadvantages to these methods and 5) propose one
of these methods for use in our classroom 6) become a “teacher”. You will use
the method of assessment that you are proposing.
Afterward gaining a better
understanding of various methods of assessment, we will then apply take when we
have learned in this classroom and then talk about it in relation to NYC public
school system. In other words, we will be going from the micro-level to the
macro-level. Consider the problem of 3rd graders, many of whom are being
held back from 4th grade because they failed the 3rd
grade test. What does it mean to assess something accurately and fairly? What
does it mean to assess English skills? To what extent should NYC be responsible
for providing feedback to students after students take a state-mandated test?
PROCESS:
Step one: Take the sample homework I have given you and assess
it, using the method of
feedback
that you have predominantly seen in this class. Afterwards, in groups of four,
assess this method of feedback. How effective is this method? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this kind of feedback?
Step two: Research
the mandates and policies of different high schools and educational
institutions.
See the “Resources & Research” section of this web quest below.
Step 3: Analyze current public policy and alternative existing
policies.
1.
Identify the problem:
What is wrong with the way in which public HS students are being assessed?
2.
Gather evidence
to prove that it is a problem.
3.
Identify causes of
this problem.
4.
Evaluate the existing
way in which teachers assess and give you feedback
on your work.
classroom. Examine the costs and
benefits of this method.
8.
Find out the extent to which this method
of assessment has been successful in the
classroom. Ask the members in
your group about whether to what extent they find this method of assessment
effective.
9.
Take a homework that one of your peers has
written, and assess it, using the method that
your group has
decided on. Encourage your peer to revise his/her work.
RESOURCES & RESEARCH:
http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/004.shtml
-- Traci’s List of Ten. Traci is an instructional specialist who gives ideas on
how students can be more proactive about the assessment they want.
http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/english/programs/fywp/handbook/part_2/features/responding.htm
--A short handbook for Teaching Assistants (TA’s) that
gives tips on how to respond to student writing.
http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/english/programs/fywp/handbook/part_2/features/responding.htm--
A good website that distinguishes between “responding to” and “evaluating”
student work.
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~jbush/bp/eval.html
--Another good website that distinguishes between response and evaluation.
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/schools/BHS/teacherX.html--
A letter from an English teacher at
http://www.luc.edu/schools/education/c487/lap/king.htm
--Rubrics--various kinds used in English classes as an assessment tool.
http://www.wrsd.net/englishrubrics.htm
--What are rubrics? Why do we use them? What are they good for?
EVALUATION:
You will be graded on the
following factors:
1)
Group Work (turn
in the minutes)
2)
Analysis of
Current Method of Assessment and its effectiveness (turn in 1 page)
3)
Analysis of
Chosen Method of Assessment and its Implications (turn in 1 page)
4)
Proposal of a
more effective method of assessment (1-2 pages)
5)
Your assessment
of sample homework, using your chosen method
6)
Your evaluation
of NYC’s evaluation of 3rd graders (1 page)
CONCLUSION:
By the completion of this
project, you will have accomplished several things: You will have had the
experience of assessing the writing of your peers. You will have analyzed and
evaluated the method of assessment predominantly used in this school, as well
as its implications. You will also have researched and evaluated alternative
methods of assessment that are being used across the nation. You will engage in
the assessment method of your choice, and hopefully in doing so, you will have
gained greater control over what you can do to help facilitate the assessment
you want. Finally, you will have changed this classroom: by proposing and
utilizing more effective ways of assessment, both you and I can benefit.