Educational assessment and testing should have at its heart the same purpose as other psychological assessment (e.g., mental health/clinical)
- Measure and observe behaviour
- Gauge student ability and competencies (fair, objective)
- Diagnose (if conducting a clinical assessment)
- Guide ...
Lecture 8 - Educational Testing (3006PSY) || with 100%
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Educational assessment and testing should have at its heart the same purpose as other
psychological assessment (e.g., mental health/clinical)
- Measure and observe behaviour
- Gauge student ability and competencies (fair, objective)
- Diagnose (if conducting a clinical assessment)
- Guide treatment/educational interventions
- Ultimately to serve the best interests of the child,
and society more generally correct answers What are the main purposes of educational testing?
To establish where learners are in their progress at the time of the assessment
Information can be interpreted and used in a variety of ways:
by reference to the performances of other students nationally or internationally (normative
approach)
by reference to achievement expectations or standards (criterion approach)
by reference to past performances (ipsative approach)
to inform starting points for teaching
to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and interventions
to award qualifications
to diagnose specific student misunderstandings or errors correct answers Masters (2011) argued
only one fundamental purpose, what was this?
Screening
- Wide-scale, mass standardized testing
- Identify individuals needing assistance or diagnostic assessment
(e.g. literacy proficiency)
Diagnosis/Service Eligibility
- Formal assessment of strengths and weaknesses of individuals
- Diagnosis: specific learning disorder, intellectual impairment, or giftedness
Program Planning
- Instruction, intervention
Progress monitoring
- Through lesson, module-course, year, program or intervention(is it working)
- Frequent monitoring useful (for student, for educator)
Evaluate outcomes
- For individual: after special education, learning assistance, remediation, etc.
- At end of course, grade, class (how is my child progressing)
, - For whole school, district and/or country after change in curricula, policy correct answers
What uses can educational testing be used for?
Formative Assessment: achievement during instruction
- Guides further instruction
- Role in fostering motivation and learning
e.g questions in class, practice test, take-home exam,
assignment
Summative Assessment: achievement after instruction completed
e.g. formal exam, final grade in course correct answers What types of educational assessment are
there? and what are they?
To establish where students are in their learning requires a thorough understanding of:
- the learning terrain
- typical paths of development
- sequences in which understanding is normally established
- common errors, difficulties, and misunderstandings
- Appreciation of learning as an ongoing process (cf. snap-shot of standardized assessment at
one point in time).
- Provides a more 'objective' measure than subjective
impression of child's ability (may be biased for or against). correct answers What sort of
educational testing aspects would be required in a classroom testing setting? and why would we
establish it in a classroom setting? for what purpose does this serve?
Criticisms of one-off, end-of-course examinations
- Designed to judge and compare students on the amount of course content they have learnt
- Promote 'performance' rather than 'learning' culture
"learning" driven more by external pressure for results than by curiosity and intrinsic motivation
- Encourage cramming (rote learning, rather than deep understanding)
- Create high levels of stress correct answers What are some Considerations/criticisms of
classroom testing?
More precise measurement of student ability
Minimises floor and ceiling effects, so greater differentiation by using a wider range of question
difficulty, without adding to the length of the test for each student
Greater test-taker engagement
Less frustration at lower ability end (and enhanced self-esteem)
Potential to reduce anxiety, as challenge better tailored to ability level correct answers What are
the Benefits of CAT NAPLAN
Standardized assessment can also be used to inform policy decisions about curriculum emphasis,
teaching methods, and funding decisions.
When we want to know how our students are performing, we can look to large-scale
international student assessments
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