Synopses & Reviews
Classroom Assessment: Concepts and Applications views classroom assessment as an everyday, ongoing part of teaching, integral to everything that happens in the classroom. The text is organized to follow the natural progression of teacher decision making, from organizing the class as a learning community to planning and conducting instruction to the formal evaluation of learning and, finally, to grading. Classroom Assessment presents complex concepts clearly so that pre-service teachers can understand them, and solidly grounds these concepts in best practice through practical, well-integrated examples. The text conceives of classroom assessment in a broader way than many other texts. It focuses not only on the assessment needs of testing, grading, interpreting standardized tests, and performance assessments but also on assessment concerns in organizing a classroom at the start of school, planning and implementing instruction, and strategies of teacher self reflection.
Synopsis
Assessment is an everyday, ongoing, integral part of teaching, not something separate from life in classrooms. Clasroom Assessment: Concepts and Applications focuses not only on testing, grading, and interpreting tests and performance, but also on the practical concerns of organizing a classroom at the start of school and planning and implementing instruction. This is the most teacher-friendly assessment textbook available; one that future teachers will keep in their professional libraries for years to come.
About the Author
Peter W. Airasian is Professor of Education at Boston College, where he is Chair of the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation Program. His main teaching responsibilities are instructing pre- and in-service teachers in classroom assessment strategies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, with a concentration in testing, evaluation, and assessment. He is a former high school chemistry and biology teacher. He has authored numerous books on assessment, including of Minimal Competency Testing (1979), School Effectiveness: A Reassessment of the Evidence (1980), The Effects of Standardized Testing (1982), Teacher Evaluation Toolkit (1997), Assessment in the Classroom (1997 and 2000), and Classroom Assessment (1991, 1994, 1997, and 2001)). He is a past Chair of the American Educational Research Associations Special Interest Group on Classroom Assessment. Currently, he is continuing his study of the role of assessments in classrooms and examining issues related to the evaluation of teachers.
Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1: The Breadth of Classroom Assessment Purposes of Assessment Phases of Classroom Assessment Assessment, Testing, Measuring, and Evaluations Three General Ways to Collect Data: Student Products, Observation, and Oral Questioning Standardized and Nonstandardized Assessments AppopriaAppropriateents: Valid and Reliable Ethical Issues and Responsibilities Chapter 2: Learning About Students: Early Assessment Gathering Information about Students Sources of Information about Students Forming Student Descriptions Concerns about Accuracy and Validity Identifying Special Needs Improving Early Assessments Chapter 3: Lesson Planning and Assessment Objectives The Instructional Process Instructional Planning Three Levels of Teaching Objectives Three Domains of Objectives Stating and Constructing Objectives Lesson Plans Textbook Objectives and Assessments State Content Standards Improving the Tie between Planning and Assessment Chapter 4: Assessment During Instruction Assessment Tasks during Instruction Validity and Reliability in Instructional Assessment Improving Assessment during Instruction Questioning: Purposes and Strategies Accommodations during Instruction Chapter 5: Summative Assessments Formative and Summative Assessments The Logic of Summative Assessments Planning a Summative Assessment Preparing Students for Official Assessments Chapter 6: Creating Achievement Tests Selection and Supply Test Items Higher-Level Questions Guidelines for Writing and Critiquing Test Items Chapter 7: Improving Achievement Tests Assembling Tests Administering Tests Issues of Cheating Scoring Paper-and-Pencil Tests Analying Item Validity Discussing Test Results wAnalyzingents Universal Design and Test Accommodations Chapter 8: Performance Assessments The General Role of Performance Assessments Performance Assessment in Schools Developing Performance Assessments Anecdotal Records, Checklists, and Rating Scales Rubrics Portfolios Validity and Reliability of Performance Assessments Chapter 9: Grading Rationale and Difficulties of Grading Grading as Judgment Four Types of Comparison for Grading Grading for Cooperative Learning and Students with Disabilities Deciding What to Grade Summarizing Various Types of Assessment Two Approaches to Assigning Grades Other Methods of Reporting Student Progress Chapter 10: Commercial Standardized Achievement Tests How Commercial Achievement Tests are Created Administering the Test Interpreting Scores Three Examples of Test Interpretation The Validity of Commercial Achievement Tests Chapter 11: Computer-Based Technology and Classroom Assessment Growth of Educational Technology Computers and the Instructional Process Computers are Toolboxes Computers and Assessment During Instruction Computers and Summative Assessment Classroom Assessment: Summing Up Appendix A: Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students Appendix B: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Major Categories and Illustrative Objectives) Appendix C: Sample Individual Education Plan Appendix D: Statistical Applications for Classroom Assessment Appendix E: Some Resources for Identifying Special Needs Glossary References Name Index Subject Index