Pathways to Teaching Series: Assessment Throughout the Year

Schools have undergone enormous change in the last ten years in response to the standards movement.  New teachers will face the challenge of meeting state curriculum standards and new forms of assessment that derive in part from the No Child Left Behind policy.  As part of the “Pathways to Teaching Series”,Assessment Throughout the Year offers a brief, practical, and accessible text for teachers who need help mastering the skills of standards-based assessment and collaborative planning for this new teaching environment.    This book on classroom-based assessment can help teachers, especially those new to the classroom, to plan their instruction at the beginning of the school year based on the standards assessment data, find alternative forms of cumulative assessment to evaluate student achievement as described in the state or district standards, and to design teaching practices to meet the curriculum pacing and benchmark assessments of the school year.   Learning objectives, chapter introductions, graphic organizers, and essential vocabulary at the beginning of each chapter prepare the reader for the content to follow.    This text is intended to help teachers prepare for the assessment experiences they will encounter throughout the school year.  In this climate of school reform, it can also reinforce conventional instruction in the principles of testing and measurement and provide new approaches to assessment practices.

Table of Contents:
1. Introductions Six New Directions in Teaching, Learning and Assessment An Overview of Assessment Purposes and Methods: Then and Now   2. Introductions An Experience in Contemporary Assessment Closing the Door on Biased and Oppressive Assessment Practices? What Are the Qualities We Seek in Good Assessment Practices? How Do We Know If Our Assessments Are Measuring Student Learning Accurately? Introduction to Reliability Increasing Reliability in Classroom Assessments A First Look at Validity Validity and State Curriculum Standards Enhancing Validity inClassroom Based Tests   3. Learner Objectives Introductions Selecting Educational Goals and Objectives: Then and Now State Curriculum Standards Influence the Selection of Instructional Goals and Objectives How Do Teachers Meet Educational Goals and Objectives Teaching to Standards-Based Instructional Objectives Instructional Objectives and Classroom Management   4. Learner Objectives Introductions Essential Purposes of Pre-Instructional Assessment Pre-Instructional Assessment: Then and Now Pre-Instructional Assessment and State Standards Achievement An Introduction to Benchmark Assessment Pre-Instructional Assessment for Today's Diverse Classroom   5. Learner Objectives Introductions Formative Assessment as the Year Begins: Then and Now Characteristics of Good Summative Assessment Formative Assessment in a Standards-Based Setting Formative Assessment Through the Year: Methods and Procedures Progress Checking Assessing Affective Responses to Instruction   6. Learner Objectives Introductions Purpose of Summative Assessment Summative Assessment: Then and Now Problems with Conventional Testing Practices Alternative Forms of Classroom-Based Summative Assessment Summative Assessment in Today's Classroom Contemporary Summative Assessment Practices   7. Learner Objectives Introductions Linking Instruction to Assessment Blueprints are Tools for Instruction and Assessment Blueprints: Then and Now An Overview of Test Item Types Test Items Sort into One of Two Categories Selected Response Items Constructed Response Items   8. Learner Objectives Introductions Essential Concepts for This Chapter Administering Assessments Scoring Student Responses to Test Items Scoring Selected Response Items Scoring Constructed Response Items Grading the Test Grading Student Work in a Standards-Based System Improving Instruction Through Analysis of Test Outcomes Evaluating Student Performances and Products Determining Final Marks for Report Cards Reporting Students' Academic Achievement