Hanna Abdool Mohammed
EDFL 5400
Pedagogy as Process Portfolio
Part D
Growth in Assessment Competence
Caption
Validity and Assessment Design are the two standards for classroom assessment that will be examined in this section. Both standards are essential for my teaching practice because they ensure that my assessments are crafted in a way that tests my students only on what was taught to them and matches the objectives of the lessons and goals of the curriculum. The design factor is also crucial in ensuring that students are treated fairly and caters to their varied needs, ensuring that they are well positioned to succeed.
1a. Standards of Classroom Assessment
Validity of an assessment reflects that the assessment measures what it is intended to measure and is aligned with the learning objectives. It should be appropriate and relevant to what is taught (Nitko & Brookhart, 2011). For example, an assessment that intends to measure oral competence on the topic of sports and recreation in Spanish should include the linguistic skill of writing, nor should it include items linked to chores, or any other unrelated topics. Additionally, the assessment must reflect the level of the students and their capabilities, and the content they were taught.
Assessment Design is another essential standard for classroom assessment and refers to various types and methods of assessing students which permit them to demonstrate not just their knowledge but also their varying abilities. In this way, teachers can better gauge students’ learning and understanding (Haladyna, Downing & Rodriguez, 2002). For example, in Spanish, the topic La Familia is taught both at the Form 1 and Form 4 levels, however the assessments for both levels will differ drastically by complexity to ensure they are age appropriate, where at an intermediate level, high order thinking skills would be required at Form four as compared with Form 1 students where objectives would be at a novice level and include lower order thinking skills based on the level of content they are taught. Other design considerations that should be adopted for assessments include word choice and complexity based on students’ proficiency levels, clarity of instructions and diagrams, task familiarity and differentiated assessments (Sheppard, 2019).
Both standards are crucial to assessment as they ensure that the assessment covers the full range of content and skills aligned with the objectives and allows for differentiation among my students. This is particularly important in maintaining fairness and equity among them, so as not to advantage or disadvantage any student or group of students. It minimizes bias and promotes equal opportunities for all learners. Thoughtful consideration of assessment design informs validity and can also motivate the students as they recognize a direct alignment with the assessment and their learning goals and gain a sense of achievement. (McMillan, 2019)
1b. Critique of Assessment
This is a summative assessment administered at the end of Term I to Form Three (3) students. This test covers three major topics covered during the term which are modes of transport, vacation, food and at the restaurant. It assesses three linguistic skills which include reading, writing, and listening and encompasses elements of Argentine culture. The exam is set to a duration of two hours which corresponds to the number of sections, the number of items and adequate time for reasoning and response.
This assessment meets several criteria for validity, as it contains questions derived from topics covered throughout the term. It contains contextualised questions and cultural integration and is appropriate to the students’ level of understanding. Moreover, items are aligned with the objectives and each section contains questions that are relevant to specific topics.
The design is structured into sections which each examine a specific skill area, and instructions are clearly outlined with appropriate choice of words. The students are familiar with the structure and layout, as routines have been established in formative assessments though task familiarity. Sufficient spaces are provided for all responses and assessment items reflect differentiation via pictorial stimuli, reading comprehension, auditory assessment, and written responses.
Questions contain both higher order and lower order thinking skills appropriate to their age, and requisite information is pitched to their level of proficiency. The design sought to align with the structure and standards of the National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE) format, which was then taken at the Form 3 level and included listening comprehension, written situations, dialogue writing, and reading comprehension. These components also echoed the format of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Section one includes a listening comprehension with multiple choice items and cover pertinent vocabulary and content related to transport. Students are given three listening opportunities per item, to be able to respond appropriately. Students are also tested on their knowledge of food items and are required to label drawings appropriately in the target language. This section is purposely designed with pictorial elements for differentiated approach and reflects validity as it is aligned to the objective of identifying various food items. Pictures are clearly distinguishable and familiar to students as they have been used in class activities.
Section two (2) incorporates dialogue writing in the target language, which students are accustomed to doing regularly in Spanish class. Context, instructions, and cues are clearly and simply stated for ease of understanding. The question requires higher order thinking skills of application and synthesis, productive skills and content knowledge of shopping, transactions, market items and currencies which have been covered and aligned with the objectives and scheme of work for form threes.
The third section of the exam requires students to read, analyse and respond to directed situations in the target language via written answers. Students are also familiar with this category’s structure through regular practice. Students have also been thoroughly exposed to content on the restaurant and objectives from the lesson.
The final section of the exam includes a reading comprehension which is presented in the target language; however, students are required to answer in English to demonstrate their analytical skills and understanding without duplicating lines from the passage in their answers. They will therefore demonstrate a deeper comprehension of grammatical structures, vocabulary and expression in Spanish and their ability to interpret contextual clues will be evident. This assessment item reflects key aspects of validity as there is a clear purpose, appropriate complexity and difficulty level and incorporates valid content on food and cuisines that is relevant to what was taught. The scoring is also reliable so that if another teacher were to mark it, they would arrive at the similar results.
Suggestions for Improvement
To improve on this assessment, I would rearrange the sections from least challenging to most challenging. I would also provide some prompts in the dialogue section where students fill in the rest of the dialogue instead of them being overwhelmed by producing it in its entirety. An allocated space for jotting down of ideas for the dialogue would assist students in their planning. For the directed situations section, fewer items may be considered at the form three level to avoid cognitive overload.
Assessment Critiqued
2a. Performance Assessment and Rubric
2b. Purpose of Performance Assessment and Rubric
Performance Assessment
This project based on daily routine encompasses 3 major linguistic areas for assessment and showcases students, knowledge, and application of the topics within the unit. Students will be able to present their daily routines at various points of the day as well as weekends. They will produce written texts which will engage both writing and reading skills, engage in oral presentation to boost their oral proficiency, vocabulary retention and grammatical skills.
The use of digital visual aids/ video clips of their personal routines in this task encourages students to integrate technology in their learning towards developing 21st century skills. These tasks also enhance students’ creativity and talents while supporting differentiation, offering kinaesthetic alternatives such as sketching and drawing on flipcharts.
The project also requires students to incorporate previous knowledge for a seamless flow of content from greetings to personal information and descriptions. It embodies a realistic context that supports real world scenarios of sharing details about one’s life and routines with others. The main content of the presentation is aligned with the core objectives of the unit’s lessons, such as morning and evening routines, weekend routines, transitional phrases, and reflexive verbs and will assess students’ application and synthesis of knowledge. It also requires students to include the times they perform these daily activities and to properly sequence these events and reflect a realistic timeline.
In addition to strengthening reading and writing skills, a major goal of this performance task is to increase students’ confidence, willingness to communicate and oral proficiency. It is unique from other tasks due to its ability to harmonise 3 skill areas as well as all three learning domains. It is centred on the principles of communicative language teaching (CLT) and serves as a vehicle for self-directed learning and independent critical thinking skills. It encourages students to use their imagination and originality and would provide them with a sense of achievement upon completion. The autonomous nature of the task will also motivate students as they desire to have their individual efforts awarded and recognized. The rubric provides clarity of instructions and safeguards against unfair evaluation, promoting equity. The task also requires students to reflect on their routines which may influence them to make positive changes towards developing a well-balanced lifestyle, thus integrating aspects of Health and Family Life Education for holistic development.
Rubric
Part A of the rubric provides students with a clear, detailed guide of what is expected of them, and is used to measure their compliance with these requirements. It captures their ability to follow instructions in a sequenced mode, and serves as a checklist for requisite content, while also taking their creative efforts into account.
Part B contains criteria that would assist me in meeting these oral competency goals by measuring students’ fluency and pronunciation, their level of preparation and ability to produce the language naturally and fluidly, without hesitation versus dependency text from slides or charts. It notes their appropriate use of vocabulary and grammatical structures which measures their application.
Challenges
Despite these strengths, the assessment and rubric present several challenges. It may be time consuming to conduct oral assessments using the rubric especially in large groups. This can make marking and gathering detailed, individualised feedback burdensome. It may also discourage students from taking risks when using the target language as they may feel pressure from the overemphasis on linguistic accuracy outlined.
Oral assessments tend to cause anxiety among students which can affect their performance. In fact, speaking and assessment combined is considered one of the “most anxiety-inducing situations that can occur in a second language classroom” (LaScotte, 2016; Phillips, 1992). La Scott (1992) further claims that the higher the anxiety the lower the score. This suggests that the assessment and rubric may not capture an accurate representation of the student’s actual proficiency or capability. Teachers may consider doing warm up activities where students practice and acquire feedback to build confidence and competency before assessing.
