Experts In Assessment Series – serie

Are we preparing students for a life of tests or for the tests of life?Educators agree that the characteristics of self-directed learners are traits that students will need to succeed in school and in life. Accurately assessing the skills and behaviors of self-directed learning is essential in developing life-long, self-initiated learning habits.  Assessment Strategies for Self-Directed Learning provides successful methods for assessing students′ progress towards becoming self-managing, self-monitoring, and self-modifying learners. Using practical examples drawn from a variety of classrooms and schools, renowned authors Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick present educators with strategies for designing diverse ways of gathering, organizing, and reporting evidence of continual learning.  This hands-on book provides the practical tools that educators need to implement these ideas, including: Classroom activities Sample rubrics Forms, portfolios, questions, and checklists Examples of student work Assessment Strategies for Self-Directed Learning offers a more balanced and complete evaluation method that includes classroom-based assessments that complement state-based assessments. Authors Costa and Kallick illustrate the means to develop and cultivate the intellectual dispositions of self-evaluation and self-correction in all students.

Cooperative groups work to make each member a more successful student.Compelling research conclusively proves that group learning increases students′ academic and social skills. Many teachers use cooperative groups in their classrooms, but they can be extremely difficult to implement and even harder to assess. Assessing Students in Groups explains how to form productive groups and assess individual student performance in group work. David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, prominent experts in cooperative learning, provide many practical resources that teachers can put to immediate use, including scoring sheets, observation forms, learning contracts, classroom activities, and questionnaires. Key concepts are clearly defined in each chapter and a comprehensive glossary is included.This user-friendly and insightful guide includes chapters on: When and where to use groups Making groups productive Developing an assessment plan for groups Assessing performances of individual group members Self-assessment in groups Peer assessment in groups Designed for teachers, principals, and staff developers, Assessing Students in Groups is also an essential resource for district and state-level administrators and pre-service teachers.

Cooperative groups work to make each member a more successful student.Compelling research conclusively proves that group learning increases students′ academic and social skills. Many teachers use cooperative groups in their classrooms, but they can be extremely difficult to implement and even harder to assess. Assessing Students in Groups explains how to form productive groups and assess individual student performance in group work. David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, prominent experts in cooperative learning, provide many practical resources that teachers can put to immediate use, including scoring sheets, observation forms, learning contracts, classroom activities, and questionnaires. Key concepts are clearly defined in each chapter and a comprehensive glossary is included.This user-friendly and insightful guide includes chapters on: When and where to use groups Making groups productive Developing an assessment plan for groups Assessing performances of individual group members Self-assessment in groups Peer assessment in groups Designed for teachers, principals, and staff developers, Assessing Students in Groups is also an essential resource for district and state-level administrators and pre-service teachers.

Take the confusion out of assessment, and make it work to enhance the learning process—every day!

Assessment and evaluation are central to educational reform, and they represent major shifts in thinking about learning, about schools, and about teaching. Assessment as Learning represents one of these crucial changes, but it encompasses more than just using a variety of new techniques. The concept of Assessment as Learning allows teachers to use their judgment about children's understanding to inform the teaching process and to determine what to do for individual children.

This timely resource takes the mystery and confusion out of assessment by reframing its purpose in student evaluation and learning. It will provide teachers and school and district administrators with:

Mechanisms for effective use of assessment as learning in a variety of contexts Compelling, real-life examples and case studies drawn from the author's own experiences Sample rubrics and lesson plans as well as "Ideas for Follow-up" at the end of each chapter An understanding of the possible confusion surrounding assessment and its place in the learning process A detailed discussion of the changing role of schooling and our increasing knowledge about the complex nature of learning

Learn to embrace assessment, not just as a tool for student evaluation, but as a valuable strategy for everyday classroom learning.

Take the confusion out of assessment, and make it work to enhance the learning process—every day!

Assessment and evaluation are central to educational reform, and they represent major shifts in thinking about learning, about schools, and about teaching. Assessment as Learning represents one of these crucial changes, but it encompasses more than just using a variety of new techniques. The concept of Assessment as Learning allows teachers to use their judgment about children's understanding to inform the teaching process and to determine what to do for individual children.

This timely resource takes the mystery and confusion out of assessment by reframing its purpose in student evaluation and learning. It will provide teachers and school and district administrators with:

Mechanisms for effective use of assessment as learning in a variety of contexts Compelling, real-life examples and case studies drawn from the author's own experiences Sample rubrics and lesson plans as well as "Ideas for Follow-up" at the end of each chapter An understanding of the possible confusion surrounding assessment and its place in the learning process A detailed discussion of the changing role of schooling and our increasing knowledge about the complex nature of learning

Learn to embrace assessment, not just as a tool for student evaluation, but as a valuable strategy for everyday classroom learning.

No-nonsense, practical advice for identifying and deterring cheating!Who cheats and why? How do they cheat? What are the consequences? What are the ways of stopping it before it starts? These critical questions and more are comprehensively answered by esteemed researcher Gregory J. Cizek in this user-friendly, authoritative guide. By offering invaluable insight and straightforward strategies on how to deal with, detect, and discourage cheating, this practical resource will help you achieve more accurate assessments, which are so important in the current accountability-driven educational climate. Detecting and Preventing Classroom Cheating is a one-stop resource for everything educators need to know about this ever-present detriment to learning and assessment—from what constitutes cheating, to future steps on how it can be eradicated. Highlights of the book include: High-tech sources that aid students in cheating and plagiarizing, or aid educators in combating the problem Sample forms, school policies, and honor codes Characteristics of students and classrooms associated with cheating Simple classroom changes that can prevent cheating Specific techniques for responding to cheating Questions for Further Discussion in each chapterK-12 teachers, principals, school board members, and policy makers alike will benefit from the practical suggestions and no-nonsense approach offered in this definitive source on cheating.

A practical guide to more effective assessment for improved student learningLearn how to be more consistent in judging student performance, and help your students become more effective at assessing their own learning! This book offers a practical approach to assessing challenging but necessary performance tasks, like creative writing, "real-world" research projects, and cooperative group activities. Judith Arter and Jay McTighe, experts in the field of assessment, wrote Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom to help you achieve three main goals: Clarify the targets of instruction, especially for hard-to-define problem solving Provide valid and reliable assessment of student learning Improve student motivation and achievement by helping students understand the nature of quality for performances and productsEach chapter is framed by an essential question and includes illustrative stories, practical examples, tips and cautions, and a summary of key points and recommended resources for further information. The resources section contains a wealth of rubrics to adopt or adapt.Teachers and administrators will find this an essential resource in increasing teacher effectiveness and student performance.

A practical guide to more effective assessment for improved student learningLearn how to be more consistent in judging student performance, and help your students become more effective at assessing their own learning! This book offers a practical approach to assessing challenging but necessary performance tasks, like creative writing, "real-world" research projects, and cooperative group activities. Judith Arter and Jay McTighe, experts in the field of assessment, wrote Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom to help you achieve three main goals: Clarify the targets of instruction, especially for hard-to-define problem solving Provide valid and reliable assessment of student learning Improve student motivation and achievement by helping students understand the nature of quality for performances and productsEach chapter is framed by an essential question and includes illustrative stories, practical examples, tips and cautions, and a summary of key points and recommended resources for further information. The resources section contains a wealth of rubrics to adopt or adapt.Teachers and administrators will find this an essential resource in increasing teacher effectiveness and student performance.

Assess classroom learning and improve instruction with comfort and ease!

Now there is a fresh perspective on assessment that starts from your strengths in the classroom and results in improved instruction and learning. Even the beginner teacher can learn how to use assessment to help students focus on strengths and overcome weaknesses.

Natural Classroom Assessment was written to illustrate how assessing classroom learning can be a natural extension of the teaching process. Learn how to analyze results in your classroom using your own particular teaching style and learn how to evaluate the assessments of others.

Some of the key topics covered:

Determining goals, targets, and objectives Designing assessments that evolve from instruction Choosing authentic assessments and projects Using multiple choice, essays, and reports Preparing students for assessment Scoring and communicating results Planning parent-teacher conferences Assessing students with special needs

This is a comprehensive but accessible guide to increase effectiveness in the classroom. An essential resource for both experienced and novice teachers who want to gain confidence about the assessment process.

Assess classroom learning and improve instruction with comfort and ease!

Now there is a fresh perspective on assessment that starts from your strengths in the classroom and results in improved instruction and learning. Even the beginner teacher can learn how to use assessment to help students focus on strengths and overcome weaknesses.

Natural Classroom Assessment was written to illustrate how assessing classroom learning can be a natural extension of the teaching process. Learn how to analyze results in your classroom using your own particular teaching style and learn how to evaluate the assessments of others.

Some of the key topics covered:

Determining goals, targets, and objectives Designing assessments that evolve from instruction Choosing authentic assessments and projects Using multiple choice, essays, and reports Preparing students for assessment Scoring and communicating results Planning parent-teacher conferences Assessing students with special needs

This is a comprehensive but accessible guide to increase effectiveness in the classroom. An essential resource for both experienced and novice teachers who want to gain confidence about the assessment process.

"In Holistic Accountability, Reeves succeeds in recasting the accountability dilemma into a win-win plan for school administrators who are weary of the test score sweepstakes and for policy makers who are demanding results. It is an excellent approach—one that is sound, reasonable, comprehensive, and relevant. The accompanying sample accountability reports are very useful." —School Business Affairs, October 2002

Accountability is more than just test scores!

Nationally recognized expert on assessment, Dr. Douglas B. Reeves, offers a comprehensive program of holistic accountability, a system that includes not only test scores but also the instructional and leadership practices at a school. Holistic accountability systems yield information about curriculum, assessment, and instruction that can lead directly and swiftly to better practices and better decision making for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers.

This essential guide explores the four building blocks of accountability: structure, collaboration, implementation, and communication. Dr. Reeves offers a complete, practical program that can have a profoundly positive impact on students, teachers, and parents. This practical and powerful book:

Links accountability and academic standards Includes three case studies of effective accountability systems Explains how to communicate about educational accountability Contains sample reports adaptable to any school or system

   

. . . always focusing on the central purpose of accountability: the improvement of student achievement.

Educators, administrators, school leaders, school board members, school leadership teams, and parents can make use of this groundbreaking work to improve accountability policies at the classroom, school, or district level.

 

 

New advances in interpreting results!

The plethora of educational data resulting from the explosion of assessments in the 1990's created a very real challenge for educators—how to evaluate and interpret the often idiosyncratic and difficult to compare results. Edward Kifer, an expert in the field of large-scale assessment, helps make sense of assessments that often vary in context and subject, serve multiple purposes and multiple audiences, and were built on complex statistical and measurement ideologies.

In Large-Scale Assessment, Kifer addresses:

Critical assessment themes Perspectives for viewing large-scale assessments Laying the foundation for plausible interpretations of results Understanding the thorny issues of assessment Monitoring what matters

With the help of assessment grids, charts, and frameworks for each assessment story, educators are enabled to judge the merits of complex reports. A comprehensive resource list of existing assessments, organizations, and informative Web sites make this an essential resource for educators and administrators who want to be able to understand and use critical data to increase student learning.

Teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community members all agree that we need better grading and reporting systems. Often, these systems are inadequate because they are part of a tradition that can go unexamined and unquestioned for years. Here is the first serious look at the issue, written to provide all those involved — especially teachers — with a coherent and thoughtful framework. Guskey and Bailey offer four pillars of successful grading and reporting systems: Communication is the primary goal of grading and reportingGrading and reporting are integral parts of the instructional processGood reporting is based on good evidenceCreating change in grading and reporting requires creating a multi-faceted reporting systemWritten to help readers develop a deeper and more reflective understanding of the various aspects of the subject, Thomas Guskey and Jane Bailey′s work brings organization and clarity to a murky and disagreement-filled topic.Here is a practical and essential guide for teachers, administrators or anyone concerned with understanding and implementing best practices in grading and reporting systems.