07.750 Graduate Summative Seminar
Brandon University
June 2018
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THEORY AND PRACTICE OF STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT
04.706
SUMMARY
This course will emphasize the development, selection and use of standardized assessment in education programs. Students will consider practical, applied approaches to measurement and testing, including how educational practitioners can use evaluation as part of instruction. Course participants will examine the assessment process, understand assessment skills and concepts, consider how to assess general performance in various domains, and examine methods, strategies, and instruments for assessing academic achievement. Tools, techniques, and procedures that are foundational to educational assessment will be considered. Current educational tests as well as curriculum-based measurement and assessment will be addressed.
WHAT TO EXPECT
With a plethora of assessment tools available to educators and clinicians, it can be challenging to choose the appropriate tool to assess the child in question in the most effective manner. This course will provide an overview of the many factors that need to be considered in assessment. Various types of assessments are discussed, along with ethics of assessment
REFLECTION
Through this course, I discovered that assessment is a far more complex matter than I had known. There are a great many factors that must be considered in selecting the appropriate assessment tool and technique, administering assessment, and interpreting the results of the assessment. Becoming acquainted with the assessments used by clinicians helps make sense of the acronyms used during meetings (WISC, FBA, etc.).
SIGNIFICANT READINGS
Burgoyne, K., Whiteley, H. E., & Hutchinson, J. M. (2013). The role of background knowledge in text comprehension for children learning English as an additional language. Journal Of Research In Reading, 36(2), 132-148.
Healthy Child Early Development Instrument (EDI) Resources
www.gov.mb.ca/healthychild/edi/resources.html
Venn, J. J. (2014). Assessing Students with Special Needs, 5th Ed. Toronto, ON, CAN: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN-10: 0133400026 • ISBN-13: 9780133400021
ARTIFACTS
In my professional life, I have discovered that interpersonal skills can make a significant impact on teaching and learning, and classroom climate. Having recently changed schools, it became apparent to me that not all schools value and emphasize teaching empathy, compassion, and care as much as others. The reflection assignment on interpersonal skills is my attempt to begin the discovery of how to incorporate these skills into the daily curriculum in my classroom.
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As a result of changing schools, becoming more aware of multicultural considerations became a necessity. The population of my new school is much more diverse than my previous school. This reflection was a way to learn about becoming more sensitive and responsive to multiculturalism in the classroom.
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As with most assignments in my graduate studies program, this synthesis assignment is a PowerPoint based on an element of literacy: reading assessment. Teaching literacy is incredibly important, but assessing for learning is nearly equally as important. It is imperative to make informed choices and use the appropriate tools to inform instruction and to assess progress, while making adaptations as needed.
