Function of 6 Standardized Assessment Tools by LBD Students - Research Paper Example

?Research Project Function of 6 standardized assessment tools utilized with LBD (learning by design) Introduction Assessment is an importantpart of education. Without it, the need for education is almost defeated. This is because assessment paves way for the standardization and effectiveness of any educational program to be assessed. To achieve effective assessment however, educationists need to put in place very vibrant and workable assessment tools. In educational cycles, the type of assessment tool used by an educationist says a lot about the educational competence of the educationist. This is because good educationists have often been identified with the selection and usage of assessment tools that can be classified as valid. By valid assessment tool, reference is being made to an assessment tool that achieves the purpose for which it was set out. An assessment tool that is not able to achieve the purpose for which it was set out is ineffective and as unhelpful as there was no assessment tool in place. This essay therefore seeks to examine a number of assessment tools used with LBD students to find how effective they are in the delivery of the functions for which they were set out. The assessment tools shall also be scrutinized in accordance to their diagnostic benefits to student programming and planning utilizing technology. What is Assessment? As mentioned earlier, assessment is an integral part of education. Assessment concerns the practice of finding the effectiveness of an educational system. Assessment however concerns a series of activities and events. CyberSleuth-Kids (2011) therefore explain that assessment is “the process of documenting, often times in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.” This means that documentation is an important practice in assessment. Observations in measurable phenomenon such as knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs are all documented. In a closely related definition, Kizlit (2011) assessment as “a process by which information is obtained relative to some known objective or goal.” From this definition, we note that assessment seeks to find the achievement of a set goal or objective. This means that in the absence of goals and objectives, assessment cannot take place. The Northwestern Science Health University (2010) also posits that “Assessment is an ongoing process of setting high expectations for student learning, measuring progress toward established learning outcomes, and providing a basis for reflection, discussion and feedback to improve University academic programs.” This seems to be a broader definition that integrates not just what assessment but the reasons for undertaking it and the importance that comes with conducting assessment. The relation this definition has with the earlier definition is that there should be a set of objectives in place that will be assessed. 6 Assessment Tools used for LBD Students To undertake a successful assessment exercise, it is important to have a collection mechanism in place. This mechanism with which assessment is conducted is referred to in the educational cycle as assessment tool. Broadly speaking, assessment tools can be classified as either teacher based or student based. Teacher based assessment tools focus on the teacher as the sole assessor. With teacher based assessment tool, the tools are kept and manipulated by the teacher in determining how best or worse the student is performing. Student based assessment tools on the other hand focus on students. Most of these assessment tools are kept by the student. They are used by the student to determine his or her performance. Teachers however have a lot of role to play with student based assessment. This is because the teacher acts as a facilitator, who directs the student on how to go about the implementation of the assessment tool. The teacher also ensures that the student uses the assessment tool correctly. Both teacher based and student based assessment tools are appropriate for LBD students. This is because with teacher based assessment tools, teachers are given the opportunity to monitor specific objectives and goals they wish see in their LBD students. Student based assessment on the other hand also help students who learn by design to identify how well they are coping with the educational system in place for them. In a typical LBD school based environment, there are a lot of teacher based and student based assessment tools that are used. Student Assessment Card The student assessment card is a kind of assessment tool used for LBD students. Student assessment card can be used both as a student assessment tool and teacher assessment tool. It is useful for both academic assessment and for planning and programming of student activity. The student assessment card as an assessment tool is beneficial to LBD students in the sense that it helps educationists in controlling behavior of students. Behavior as used in this context refers to a set of learning outcomes that assessors hope to achieve. This benefit relates directly to the student planning and programming as it helps in placing them in the most appropriate courses and educational programs Rating Scale Another assessment tool is known as rating scale. This is a set of questions on the performance areas to be assessed. Each area comes with a rating or ranking; normally from 0 to 5. The teacher or student rates or ranks the student according to the student’s performance. As much as this assessment tool comes in the form of a manual card, it can also be created using basic technology. Rating scale assessment tool is also beneficial for teachers in the sense that it “guides their own instructional planning and subsequent activities with students” (Socy, 2009). Nothing could be more diagnostic in a teacher’s career than for him or her to have an opportunity to plan their lessons based on the feedback they receive from assessment on students. This means that though this second benefit has been linked to the teacher, the student also benefits immensely because once their teacher’s instructions meet their learning needs and performance, they are sure to advance in their academic performance. Questionnaire Questionnaire is another assessment tool. This involves a set of questions to be answered by the student to determine his level of competence. This is different from test item in the sense that test items are marked and act as an evaluation rather than assessment. Both students and teachers can keep electronic questionnaire to assess their performance. When this happens, we say technology is being employed in the implementation of assessment tools. Diagnostic benefit of assessment tools could be said to be the benefits of assessment implementation that embraces the achievement of all goals set by the assessor. These diagnostic benefits are seen in several ways. More importantly, assessment benefits students in the sense that it aids their teachers in taking decision on their academic progress. To this effect, Socy (2009) states that “the first purpose is to form specific decisions about a student or a group of students.” These decisions could be either be on academics, for programming or in terms of planning. Learner Libraries Learner libraries are a relatively new form of assessment tool. It is an integrated assessment tool that requires the learner to keep a whole ‘library’ of his or her performance. Library as used in this context refers to a compilation of series of assessment tasks. A typical learn by design environment is characterized by certain components. Some of these components are task based tuition in real world terms, multiplicity of contexts for learning (design activities), different feedback approaches, collaborative discussion, experimentation and reflective learning. As much as possible, any diagnostic assessment tool designed for LBD students must ensure that its benefit cuts across all the components discussed. Learner libraries have been identified to have the potential in helping assessors achieve this goal. Dialogue Journal Dialogue journal is a form of assessment tools used for LBD students. Dialogue journal and learner library come typically in manual print feeds though dialogue journal can be adopted for technological purposes. Coombee & Canning (2002) explain that in using dialogue journal, “Learners should be encouraged to write about what they learned, their perceived level of mastery over the course content, and what they plan to do with their acquired skills.” This means that the use of dialogue journal promotes personal or self assessment among students. Videotapes Videotapes are more technological and allows for more enhanced ways for students to assess themselves. It also gives instructors an opportunity to find their performance level and the progress their learners are making. Writing on how videotapes could be used to assess students, Coombee & Canning (2002) explain that “students can be videotaped or they can videotape each other and then assess their language skills.” The use of videotape is more personal and judgmental. Coombee & Canning (2002) therefore posit that “an obvious advantage to the use of video in self-assessment is that students can assess not only their communicative or language skills but their paralinguistic (i.e. body language) skills as well.” This is to say that with the use of videotapes, students are offered the opportunity to assess several aspects of their learning at a go. The Role of Technology in Assessment Technology plays an important role in assessment. Technology can be used as assessment tools or integrated into the use of assessment tools. This is perhaps possible because assessment is a flexible academic exercise that allows for modification. Phillips (1993) explains that assessment modification refers to a change in administration that alters the constructs assessed or the comparability of scores (Phillips, 1993). This information widens the scope or role of use of technology (and for that matter computer) in assessment. There could be a computer generated assessment tool in most of the six standardized assessment tools discussed earlier. In the use of student assessment card, rating scale, questionnaire and videotapes, computer can be made to play very crucial role in the design of these assessment tools. These assessment tools can also be generated into comprehensive computer program that will be accessed exclusively by the use of the computer. One common computer program that has been used in the design of some of these assessment tools is the Microsoft Excel Program. With this, a database of students’ progress can be built in a folder that contains files of all students. Because the Excel Program is manipulative, editable and updatable, the assessor can alter whatever changes he or she wants to give to values at any time. And example of computer generated student assessment card is illustrated below. Learning Area Student Teacher Addition of 4-digt number by 4 digit number e.g. 7231 + 7214 Multiplication of 3-digt number by 2 digit number e.g. 1 4 5 x 2 1 Reading one paragraph of a story with less than 30% of mispronunciation. Observing the correct use of subject-verb-agreement. Write an itinerary for the weekend. Describe people and places using terminologies such as colour, shape and size. Perform experiment on diffusion Read the minute hand of the clock TEACHER’S REMARK Teacher Only PLACEMENT Teacher Only The student assessment form presented above is an integrated assessment card that cuts across subjects such as English, Mathematics and Natural Science. It has also been generated from a computer program. Again, the assessment form acts as both student-based and teacher-based assessment where both the teacher and student have roles to play in using the assessment form. The final decision on placement or any other decision that might be taken with the assessment however rests with the teacher only. Similar assessment tools can be generated with the computer. Using a computer based assessment comes with a lot of benefits. Notably, computer based assessment is highly manipulative and can be adjusted at any time to include new information. For example the assessor may decide to add more assessing areas. Computer based assessment also offers a more secure form of storing data because data stored in the assessment tool saved in both soft and hard copy formats. Finally, the use of technology or computer based assessment makes the assessment process very interesting to learners at all ages. The constant interaction with the computer also helps in building their skills in using the computer. Conclusion As an educational practice, assessment must continue. Educationists must however concern themselves with coming up with more and more innovative ways of making assessment an integral part of learners. One of the ways to do this is to continue to uphold the statues in computer based assessment and adhering to all principles that come with it. REFERENCE LIST Coombee & Canning (2002) Using Self-Assessment in the Classroom:  Rationale and Suggested Techniques. Karen’s Linguistics Issues. Retrieved 20 February 2011 from http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/selfassess2.html CyberSleuth-Kids (2011). Assessment in Education. Retrieved February 17, 2011 from http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Education/Assessment/index.htm Kizlit B. (2011). Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Education. ADPRIMA. Retrieved 20 February 2011 from http://www.adprima.com/measurement.htm Northwestern Science Health University (2010). What is Assessment. Centre for Learning, Teaching and Assessment. Retrieved 18 February 2011 from http://www.nwhealth.edu/ctl/asmnt/whatis.html Phillips, S. E. (1993). Legal implications of high-stakes assessments: What states should know. Oak Brook, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Socy B. (2009). What is The Purpose and Benefits of Classroom Assessment? Retrieved August 21, 2011 from http://socyberty.com/education/what-is-the-purpose-and-benefits-of-classroom-assessment/ Read More