Assessment – Practices and Strategies

Where is what I need?

• Find your Standards.

• Find your prompt descriptors.(Assessment at a glance) • Find your scoring guides for the prompts.

The Test – Are You Ready

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What can you expect?

What is the test like?

What to do to get ready?

Assessment Center Exercises

• Respond to 6 computer-delivered prompts, each allowing up to 30 minutes for the candidates typed response.

• Demonstrate breadth and depth of content knowledge associated with the certificate field.

Breaking Down Exercises Stage 1

• Take out one of the charts you picked up this afternoon and locate Assessment Center Exercise 1 info.

• Take 15 minutes to individually complete the first 3 columns of the chart.

Share it out

• In your certificate area, share your responses for 10 minutes

Standards Connection Stage 2

In content groups, get out your standards and look for connections between the exercise question and standards language.

Complete column 4

Brainstorming Resources Stage 3

• In groups, complete column 5 in which you will think of books, websites, discussion groups, or anything else you could use to study for these exercises

Brainstorm Potential Prompts – Stage 4

• In groups, complete column 6 by thinking of potential questions or themes that might be asked

Assessor’s Process

• Did this candidate answer every part of the question, or are some elements missing?

• Is the candidate’s answer accurate and on target?

• Did the candidate provide convincing evidence to support the answer?

• Does the rationale for each strategy make sense? Is it explained clearly?

Level 4 Key words

clear

consistent convincing insightful

in-depth thorough accurate tightly connected targeted

focused

informed substantive closely linked significant

Level 3 Key Words accurate clear

thorough significant connected appropriate in-depth targeted informed effective complete detailed

Level 2 Key Words

limited simplistic confusing minimal some inaccuracy loosely connected over-broad unclear

vague

Level 1 Key Words

little no inaccurate

missing

ambiguous minimal misinformed inappropriate disconnected weak confused simplistic

Prompt Response

• What is one significant feature of the student’s oral discourse?

• What is one significant feature of the student’s written discourse?

• What do these features tell you about the student’s second-language development?

• A significant feature of the student’s oral language is . . .

• A significant feature of the student’s writing is . . .

• These features tell me that the student is struggling with verb tenses and homophones, but is otherwise approaching mastery. . .

Prompt Response

• Describe two specific modifications/adaptat ions you would make to this activity for the given student. Explain what the student will be doing and how the modifications/ adaptations will promote the given student’s learning of the science and mathematics concepts in the topic area.

• One modification I would make to this activity would be . . .

• This adaptation would require the student to. . .

• This strategy will promote the student’s comprehension of the science concept by. . .

• A second modification needed for this student is. . .

Practice Ideas

• Use the web site and get familiar.

• Complete online tutorial • Reread your content standard.

• Make a mnemonic for your standards • Make a wordle of everything that could be covered on each prompt • Write practice prompts and use a timer to type answers • Score and then share answers with others to get more information

A Practice Run

• Take out your laptop or a clean sheet of paper.

• You will have 10 minutes to respond to the question.

• Are you ready?

Prompt (Choose one from the Assessment at Glance)

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List all of your Standards. Pick two and explain the meaning of them.

Discuss how you exhibited both of these in your classroom this past week. Include how each has had a positive impact on student learning in your classroom.

Scoring the Practice Prompt

– Everyone begins reading with a “3” in mind.

– After intense training, the assessor looks for evidence and then at the quality of the evidence – The score is based on the PREPONDERANCE of evidence.

– The assessor MUST justify the score by responding to the evidence supplied by the candidate.

– The assessor ONLY responds to evidence.

Break Down the Prompt

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List all of your Standards. Pick two and explain the meaning of them.

Discuss how you exhibited both of these in your classroom this past week. Include how each has had a positive impact on student learning in your classroom.

What can you expect?

• Relief – when it’s over… • Anxiety – before you begin… – Complete the web tutorial. It will save you time and headache – Sign-in/picture taken/lockers – Pens/IDs/Materials – Timekeeper or not?

• Pressure – during the test… – Dress Comfortably – No eating, drinking, or smoking – Raise your hand to go to the restroom – TIME DOES NOT STOP

Collaboration

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This is time set aside to work in your certificate area group to break down each remaining exercise using the charts provided.

Mission Accomplished?

CELEBRATE – You Finished!