Chapter Summary

  • Chapter Summary
    • This chapter focused on evaluating and measuring learning. The main points associated with specific objectives were as follows:
    • Learning Objective 1: Distinguish between the concepts of assessment, evaluation, and measurement and the purposes of each.
      • Assessment is the gathering of information about students, whereas evaluation is the process of making judgments about student performance. Measurement provides the information for making judgments.
      • Evaluating student learning is a complex endeavor that requires the same careful planning as necessary for teaching content. Evaluation helps you become a better planner and to better understand students and their abilities, interests, attitudes, and needs in order to better teach and motivate them.
    • Learning Objective 2: Compare and contrast pretest, formative, and posttest (summative) evaluation and create a plan for the appropriate use of each.
      • The three types of evaluation are pretest, formative, and posttest (summative). Pretest evaluation is carried out prior to instruction for placement purposes.
      • Formative evaluation is used during instruction to promote learning. Posttest evaluation follows instruction and is used to judge the end product of learning.
    • Learning Objective 3: Differentiate among the competitive, noncompetitive, and performance assessment systems.
      • Evaluation can be competitive, noncompetitive, or performance based. Competitive evaluation requires that students compete with each other, whereas noncompetitive evaluation requires that students show improvement in their level of achievement. Performance assessment requires that students demonstrate the behavior that the assessor wants to measure.
    • Learning Objective 4: Explain what is meant by the possibility of bias in the assessment process and differentiate among the concepts of reliability, validity, and usability.
      • Reliability, validity, and usability are three important qualities of every measurement device.
      • Reliability is the consistency of a measurement device. Validity is the extent to which a measurement device measures what it is supposed to measure. Usability is how well a measurement device is suited for gathering the desired information.
    • Learning Objective 5: Describe the various sources of evaluative information and the advantages and limitations associated with each.
      • Evaluation requires information. This information can be obtained from cumulative records, personal contacts, analysis, open-ended themes and diaries, conferences, and testing.
    • Learning Objective 6: Explain the purpose of and advantages associated with the use of the value added model of teacher evaluation, rating scales, checklists, and questionnaires.
      • The value-added model of teacher evaluation levels the playing field in teacher evaluation.
      • The use of rating scales, checklists, and questionnaires can improve the reliability and validity of observational information.
    • Learning Objective 7: Define the following evaluative terms: differentiated assessment, competitive evaluation, noncompetitive evaluation, performance assessment, norm-referenced evaluation, criterion-referenced evaluation, standard scores, percentile, and student work sample.
      • Students should be give choices on how they demonstrate learning in differentiated classrooms.
      • Evaluation can be competitive or noncompetitive judgments, performance judgments, or norm-referenced or criterion-referenced judgments. Evaluative information can be presented in the form of standard scores, percentiles, or work samples.