• Summative Assessment: This is assessment of learning. It typically occurs at the end of a unit, term, or year to evaluate overall student achievement against specific learning goals or standards. Examples include final exams, end-of-unit projects, standardized tests, and comprehensive performance tasks. The focus is on summarizing what students have learned.

Reliability, Validity, and Fairness:

These three concepts are crucial for ensuring the quality and trustworthiness of any assessment:

• Reliability: Refers to the consistency and stability of assessment results. A reliable assessment yields similar scores if administered multiple times under similar conditions (for the same student) or if scored by different raters (inter-rater reliability). Factors affecting reliability include the clarity of the assessment instructions, the length of the assessment, and the consistency of the scoring rubric.
• Validity: Refers to the extent to which an assessment measures what it is intended to measure. There are different types of validity, including:
  • Content Validity: The extent to which the assessment tasks represent the content and skills taught.
  • Construct Validity: The extent to which the assessment measures the underlying construct or concept it aims to assess (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving).
  • Criterion-Related Validity: The extent to which the assessment scores correlate with other measures of the same construct (concurrent validity) or predict future performance (predictive validity).
• Fairness: Encompasses the equitable treatment of all students during the assessment process and in the interpretation of results. A fair assessment minimizes bias related to students’ background, culture, language, or other irrelevant factors. This includes:
  • Accessibility: Ensuring all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their learning (e.g., providing appropriate accommodations).
  • Lack of Bias: Avoiding content or format that unfairly advantages or disadvantages certain groups of students.
  • Clear Expectations: Ensuring students understand what is being assessed and how their performance will be evaluated.

Belief in Large-Scale Standardized Tests

My belief in the inherent worth of large-scale standardized tests is nuanced and cautious. While they can provide a snapshot of student performance at a specific point in time and allow for comparisons across large populations, I believe their value is limited and can be outweighed by potential drawbacks if overemphasized or used as the sole measure of student learning or school effectiveness.

Norm-Referenced vs. Criterion-Referenced Tests:

• Norm-Referenced Tests: These tests compare a student’s performance to that of a large, representative group (the norm group). Scores are typically reported as percentiles, stanines, or grade equivalents, indicating how a student performed relative to their peers. These tests are often used for selection purposes (e.g., college admissions) or to identify students who are performing significantly above or below average.
• Criterion-Referenced Tests: These tests measure a student’s performance against a set of pre-defined criteria or learning standards. Scores are usually reported as a percentage correct or a performance level (e.g., proficient, basic, advanced), indicating what a student knows and can do in relation to specific content. These tests are often used for accountability purposes (e.g., state assessments) and to inform curriculum and instruction.

Comparison with Performance Assessments (PBA/PBL) and Formal Observations:

• Performance Assessments (PBA or PBL): These assessments require students to apply their knowledge and skills to create a product or complete a process. They often involve real-world tasks and allow for the assessment of complex skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. PBAs and PBLs offer a more authentic and holistic view of student learning compared to the often decontextualized nature of standardized tests. They can provide rich qualitative data about student understanding and the learning process.
• Formal Observations: These involve systematic observation and documentation of student learning behaviors, participation, and application of skills in the classroom setting. They can capture aspects of learning that are difficult to assess through traditional tests, such as engagement, collaboration, and communication skills in real-time.