In Week 2, you will explore the purpose of assessment. You will examine the advantages and disadvantages of various assessments utilized in many K

WEEK 2: Assessment Purpose, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Overview: In Week 2, you will explore the purpose of assessment. You will examine the advantages and disadvantages of various assessments utilized in many K – 12 settings. Education is driven by outcomes. As a leader in education, you will be expected to analyze the goals and assumptions inherent in different assessment instruments as part of evaluating curriculum and instruction.

Part A – Mastery-Level Grading or Standards-Based Grading

Brookhart and Nitko (2019) suggest that increased teaching, teacher effort, and working more effectively constitute “positive test preparation” because these actions result in increased student learning (p. 779). The authors, however, dissuade the use of high-stakes test preparation strategies such as coaching and the reallocation of instructional time and resources because they narrow the scope of what is taught in classrooms to cover only sample test items.

In today’s high-stakes testing environment, consider how you, as a K–12 administrator, would respond to Brookhart and Nitko’s assertions.

Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:

Describe how Brookhart and Nitko’s assertion might apply to your school or school district.
Share specific examples of how you might work with faculty to provide a learning environment that is not high stakes test centered. Include at least 3 steps that must be taken to ensure that this conversation with your faculty might result in improved teaching and learning at the classroom level.

Reference

Brookhart, S. M., & Nitko, A. J. (2019). Educational assessment of students (8th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Part B – Article Synthesis

Select and read 2 of the Week 2 articles provided in the attachments to this post.

Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:

Describe the types of studies conducted.
Describe the population and sample size of the studies.
Compare the conclusions drawn by the authors relevant to the use of letter grades, standards-based grading, and/or mastery-based grading.
Provide citations according to APA guidelines.

Part 3 – Summative Assessment: Assumptions and Goals of Assessment Tools [

Exam Content

As the leader of your school district’s assessment and evaluation team, you have been asked to share information about two formal assessment tools with parents, teachers, administrators, and the larger community.

Identify 2 formal assessment tools used in a school district of your choice. Select assessments relevant to your current placement and/or your doctoral studies. For example, secondary teachers might consider the ACT, SAT, and/or state-mandated proficiency tests.

Create a 12- to 16-slide presentation providing an analysis of each assessment. Your presentation should:

Include speaker notes with your presentation. Speaker notes should be detailed and thoroughly cited with references.

Include a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed scholarly references with a copy and/or link to the assessments you reviewed.

WEEK 2 Learning Activities

Educational Assessment of Students, Ch. 7

Read Ch. 7, “Diagnostic and Formative Assessments.”

Educational Assessment of Students, Ch. 16

Read Ch. 16, “Standardized Achievement Tests.”

REQUIRED

Brookhart, S. M., Guskey, T. R., Bowers, A. J., et al. (2016). A century of grading research: Meaning and value in the most common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 803-848.
Klugman, E. M., & Ho, A. D. (2020). How can released state test items support interim assessment purposes in an educational crisis? Educational Measurement: Issues & Practice, 39(3), 65-69.
Scarlett, M. H. (2018). “Why did I get a C?”: Communicating student performance using standards-based grading. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 13, 59-75.