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(Nicholas, 2 of 2) 6 Different Types of Assessments

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(Nicholas, 2 of 2) 6 Different Types of Assessments

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The following is a very handy and easy-to-understand guide.  I often turn to this source to help my newer colleagues during their training to understand the differences among the various assessment options available to teachers.

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(Nicholas, 1 of 2) Ipsative Assessments 

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(Nicholas, 1 of 2) Ipsative Assessments 

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Ipsative assessments are a very unique form of assessment that judge a student’s progress by comparing current work with earlier work. Some typical examples of ipsative assessments include multiple drafts of the same writing assignment, successive quiz scores evaluated against each other, artistic revisions, etc.

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The value of competing against yourself
Ipsative assessment is the practice of determining a student's progress based on their earlier work. Many assignments and rubrics are designed to measure student work in the normative assessment mode; that is, against a static set of criteria - often necessarily so. But it's worth it to take the time to examine why and how we use the assessment methods we do, and to consider the value of allowing students' own progress to be the benchmark against which successive performance is measured.1

Ipsative assessment reflects a "personal best' sense of progress that we see commonly in athletics, such as working to improves one's time in a 5K run. And students assessed on academic work in this way experience "pride in their work,' and it "[helps] them take a longer term view of learning,' one study suggests.2 Dr. Gwyneth Hughes suggests that it may sound utopian, but "could be used to identify students who are on an upward trajectory and are willing to learn.'Hughes suggests a few ways in which an instructor can offer ipsative feedback:

1 Look at both the student's earlier work and her current work.

2 Ask student to identify what she considers to be her own areas of weakness in specific assignments and then reflect on if/how she may have improved in subsequent work.

3 Decide how the student has progressed and suggest the next steps the student takes.

Hughes suggests that ipsative feedback be kept separate from the conventional grading system already in place for the course.1 Detractors of ipsative assessment suggest that evaluations based on this method are invalid to future instructors, or to any person or body that will be looking at the student's overall academic performance. And even if ipsative assessment is used to augment traditional grading, as it seems Hughes is suggesting, the amount of additional work that would generate might be enough to put any instructor off of the possibility of using both (or more) methods of assessment.

Ultimately, there's something to be said for, even in part, asking students to compete against themselves, and not each other. This could be a hard tack for a lot of high-performing students who thrive because of the competition of the "instant gratification' of traditional assessment methods - but again, if used in conjunction with traditional grading methods, the shake-up could prove as useful to students as to instructors.
Find out more about assessment References
(1) Hughes, G. (2014, December 9). Want to help students improve their work? Mark them on their progress. The Guardian.

(2) Brown, S., & Knight, P. (1998). Assessing learners in higher education. Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. London, UK: Routledge.

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The value of competing against yourself Ipsative assessment is the practice of determining a student's progress based on their earlier work. Many assignments and rubrics are designed to measure student work in the normative assessment mode; that is, against a static set of criteria - often necessarily so.

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Worksheets
Quiz
Survey
Pre class tests
Textbook work

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Allow teachers to collect data and adjust the learning objectives.

Students will be able to demonstrate their current level of skills and provide feedback for pupils.

It can identify gaps in skills and guide for the teaching practice.

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Performances;
Group or individual projects or tasks;
Portfolios;
Debates and discussions;
Presentations;
Exhibits, fairs and displays;

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Why use performance assessment? (Cherry)

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Why use performance assessment? (Cherry)

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Students can participate actively in the evaluation process, demonstrate their learning through performance assessment and even apply what they have learnt into real-world scenarios. It represents integrated learning, which educators have discovered boosts student engagement and improves learning.

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Diagnostic assessments are sets of written questions (multiple choice or short answer) that assess a learner’s current knowledge base or current views on a topic/issue to be studied in the course.

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Written Assessments - This may be an original piece of creative writing, narratives or an analytical essay. Anything that allows students to show off their understanding of a topic in a large written format.

Performance Assessments - Interactive tasks and activities that allow students to showcase their abilities. These are particularly useful for performance-based subjects such as drama and music

Standardised Assessments - Exams against a rubric

Oral Assessments - getting students to give speeches and presentations

A final project or portfolio - this may include getting students to make something or put a collection together to show off their understanding of a topic.

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These are used to check students' progress on academic goals and usually count for a grade
Examples include end-of-unit exams, midterm exams and final exams

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The 2 categories are: pre-assessment and ongoing assessment
These are used to check for student understanding
Examples include concept-check questions (CCQs) and exit tickets

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Designing posters, videos, research paper, portfolios, role-play are some examples of authentic assessments.

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Students self-assessment and peer assessments with rubric, Computer-based assessments, are all examples of assessment AS learning.

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Graduation portfolios, Unit tests, midterm and final exams are examples of Assessment OF learning which are summative in nature.

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Observations, questioning, conversations, quizzes, computer-based assessments, learning logs, are example of assessment FOR learning.

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Assessment FOR learning is formative in nature and occurs during the learning process. It gives teachers information to modify and differentiate teaching and learning activities.

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The purpose of assessment AS learning is to guide and provide each student the opportunities to monitor and critically reflect on his or her own learning. It allows students to think about strategies they can use to improve their own learning.

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Assessment OF learning refers to strategies that are designed to know whether or not students have met the curriculum goals and/or to certify proficiency. Is a high-stakes form of assessment and typically practiced at the end of a unit to measure and evaluate a student’s understanding.

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Authentic assessments are the ones that are representative of real-world tasks. These assessments expect students to deliver a product that has value outside of the class and school. Authentic assessments are helpful because they assess students' understanding of the concepts they learn in school. It teaches students to improve the understanding of the content by applying it in different situations and solving real-life problems.

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This assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.

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Project-based learning is nothing new. More than 100 years ago, progressive educator William Heard Kilpatrick published “The Project Method,” a monograph that took the first stab at defining alternatives to direct instruction. Predictably, the document sparked a squabble over definitions and methods—between Kilpatrick and his friend and colleague John Dewey.

Not much has changed. Today, despite major advances in ways to measure learning, we still don’t have common definitions for project-based learning or performance assessment.

Sometimes, for example, performance assessment is framed as the opposite of the dreaded year-end, state-required multiple-choice tests used to report on schools’ progress. But in fact, many performance assessments are standardized and can—and do—produce valid and reliable results.

Experts also emphasize the “authentic” nature of performance assessment and project-based learning, although “authentic” doesn’t always mean lifelike: A good performance assessment can use simulations, as long as they are faithful to real-world situations. (An example: In science class, technology can simulate plant growth or land erosion, processes that take too long for a hands-on experiment.)

In the absence of agreed-upon definitions for this evolving field, Education Week reporters developed a glossary based on interviews with teachers, assessment experts, and policy analysts. They’ve organized the terms here generally from less specific to more specific. These terms aren’t mutually exclusive. (A performance assessment, for instance, may be one element of a competency-based education program.)

Proficiency-based or competency-based learning: These terms are interchangeable. They refer to the practice of allowing students to progress in their learning as they master a set of standards or competencies. Students can advance at different rates. Typically, there is an attempt to build students’ ownership and understanding of their learning goals and often a focus on “personalizing” students’ learning based on their needs and interests.

Project-based learning: Students learn through an extended project, which may have a number of checkpoints or assessments along the way. Key features are inquiry, exploration, the extended duration of the project, and iteration (requiring students to revise and reflect, for example). A subset of project-based learning is problem-based learning, which focuses on a specific challenge for which students must find a solution.

Standards-based grading: This refers to the practice of giving students nuanced and detailed descriptions of their performance against specific criteria or standards, not on a bell curve. It can stand alone or exist alongside traditional letter grading.

Performance assessment: This assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.

Portfolio: This assessment consists of a body of student work collected over an extended period, from a few weeks to a year or more. This work can be produced in response to a test prompt or assignment but is often simply drawn from everyday classroom tasks. Frequently, portfolios also contain an element of student reflection.

Exhibition: A type of performance assessment that requires a public presentation, as in the sciences or performing arts. Other fields can also require an exhibition component. Students might be required, for instance, to justify their position in an oral presentation or debate.

Performance task: A piece of work students are asked to do to show how well they apply their knowledge, skills, or abilities—from writing an essay to diagnosing and fixing a broken circuit. A performance assessment typically consists of several performance tasks. Performance tasks also may be included in traditional multiple-choice tests.

With thanks to: Paul Leather, director for state and local partnerships at the Center for Innovation in Education; Mark Barnes, founder of Times 10 Publications; Peter Ross, principal at Education First; Scott Marion, executive director at the Center for Assessment; Sean P. “Jack” Buckley, president, Imbellus; Starr Sackstein, an educator and opinion blogger at edweek.org; and Steve Ferrara, senior adviser at Measured Progress.

Have we missed any terms that confuse you? Why not write and tell us?

A version of this article appeared in the February 06, 2019 edition of Education Week as Performance Assessment: A Guide to the Vocabulary

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Here’s a handy glossary on terms like project-based learning, competency-based learning, and standards-based grading.

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Another type of assessment, which is given at the beginning of the course or the beginning of the unit/topic, is known as diagnostic assessment. This assessment is used to collect data on what students already know about the topic.

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Formative assessment and Summative Assessments

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Formative assessment and Summative Assessments

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Classroom assessment can be used as a powerful tool for enhanced learning experiences.