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Eddy White, Ph.D. Assessment Coordinator Center for English as a Second Language University of Arizona
The goal of assessment has to be, above all, to support the improvement of learning and teaching.
(Fredrickson & Collins, 1989)
Contents
1. Introduction: Assessment Words of Wisdom 2. Grading and Student Evaluation 3. Grading Questionnaire task 4. Grading Guidelines 5. Conclusion A Story
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Reporting
Assessment
Collecting
Analyzing
Improving student learning implies improving the assessment system. Teachers often assume that it is their teaching that directs student learning. In practice, assessment directs student learning, because it is the assessment system that defines what is worth learning.
(Havnes, 2004)
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2010
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Since the 1970s, there has been a group of educators and researchers who have argued that the key to being a good teacher lies in the decisions that teachers make.
(Anderson, 2003)
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decision making
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Contents
1. Introduction: Assessment Words of Wisdom 2. Grading and Student Evaluation 3. Grading Questionnaire task 4. Grading Guidelines 5. Conclusion A Story
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Grading/Student Evaluation
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effort students spend, grading is a powerful part of the motivational structure of a course (for better and for worse) 4. Organization: a grade helps mark transitions, bring closure and focus efforts for both teachers 27 and students
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Grading schemes
- the series of assessment tools (exams, tasks, projects, etc.) that are scored and used to arrive at a final grade for students.
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2010
MA TESOL Program San Francisco State University
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Standards for assigning grades are extraordinarily variable across teachers, subject matter, courses, programs, school systems, and even cultures.
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Contents
1. Introduction: Assessment Words of Wisdom 2. Grading and Student Evaluation 3. Grading Questionnaire task 4. Grading Guidelines 5. Conclusion A Story
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What should grades reflect?
How should different objectives, tasks, and components of a course figure into a formula for calculating grades?
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Grading Questionnaire
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Teaching Assignment
Course title/level: 50 Writing (intermediate) 16 international students Course focus: writing effective essays Main learning outcome: Students will be able to write effective 5-paragraph essays of various types (e.g. argumentative, cause &effect, compare/contrast)
Length: 8 Weeks 39
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What factors should be included in deciding the final grade for a course?
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Questionnaire responses
In a recent administration of the questionnaire to teachers as the American Language Institute at San Francisco State University . . .
the item on which most teachers agreed on was item (a)
which received percentage allocations from 50-75%.
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Brown & Abeywickrama (2010)
It is safe to assert that formal tests, quizzes, exercises, homework, essays, reports, presentations all of which are marked in some way are universally accepted as primary criteria for determining grades.
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Responses-American Language Institute, SFSU
On items (d) through (h) there was some disagreement and considerable discussion
but all of these items received at least a few votes for inclusion.
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How can these factors (improvement, effort, motivation, etc.) be systematically incorporated into a final grade? Some educational assessment experts state definitely that none of these items should ever be a factor in grading.
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Base grades on student achievement, and student achievement only.
Grades should represent the extent to which the learning outcomes were achieved by students.
They should not be contaminated by student effort, tardiness, misbehavior or other extraneous factors . . .
If they are permitted to become part of the grade, the meaning of the grade as an indicator of achievement is lost.
(Gronlund & Waugh, 2008)
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Brown & Abeywickrama (2010)
This is a strongly empirical philosophy of grading.
There are other points of view that consider other factors in assessing and grading (Grove, 1998; Marzano, 2006; Power 1998, etc)
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How many teachers do you know who are consistently impeccable in their objectivity as graders in the classroom?
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If you are willing to include some nonachievement factors in your grading scheme, how do you incorporate them along with other more measureable factors?
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Contents
1. Introduction: Assessment Words of Wisdom 2. Grading and Student Evaluation 3. Grading Questionnaire task 4. Grading Guidelines 5. Conclusion A Story
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Guidelines
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decision making
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The goal of assessment has to be, above all, to support the improvement of learning and teaching.
(Fredrickson & Collins, 1989)
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Contents
1. Introduction: Assessment Words of Wisdom 2. Grading and Student Evaluation 3. Grading Questionnaire task 4. Grading Guidelines 5. Conclusion A Story
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finally . . .
a story
A grandfather planting seeds in his garden was asked by his grandson, How do you make the seeds grow? The grandfather replied, I cant make the seeds grow, but I can provide the best conditions for them to grow.
Effective classroom-based assessment can greatly contribute to the successful nurturing and development of our students language learning.
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