Unit Two Discussion

The discussion prompts below are designed to structure either face-to-face or on-line discussion among workshop participants

• Which of the assessment options discussed in the OLAC Module Assessment and Learning do you believe would work well for you, your students, and your school? Why? Which ones seem unreasonable for use in your context? Why? 
• One practice that helps teachers differentiate instruction to meet the varied needs of learners involves modification of assessments to enable students to demonstrate learning through different channels. While all students benefit from some modification, it is especially important for students on IEPs to receive the modifications listed in those individualized plans. These modifications are useful for all types of assessment--summative, formative, short-cycle, and so on. The list below provides some examples of these types of modifications:
• Extra time for completion of the assessment (e.g., during lunch, recess, or planning period).
• Alternate format for providing responses (e.g., audio recording answers rather than writing them).
• Use of assistive materials such as a dictionary, student-created notes, word-processing software with spelling and/or grammar checks.
• Use of graphic organizers on test booklets and other assessment materials.
• Oral reading of test items to students with serious reading problems. 

 Which of these modification techniques have you observed or used? Which would you need to learn more about? Can you think of other modification approaches?  

•  What barriers do teachers confront when attempting to differentiate assessments? What strategies can assist teachers in overcoming those barriers? 

Unit Two Activity: Performance Assessment

In small groups (with no more than four participants in each group), design a set of 3 or 4 related performance assessments that use activities, exhibits, or products to gauge student learning. Each performance assessment should incorporate opportunities for teachers to provide formative feedback to students as they are completing the activity, exhibit, or product, and each should include some mechanism for providing a summative rating of students' performance. Including rubrics for evaluating the products that students develop will also be helpful. The team should decide how the performance assessments are related. For example, they might all be part of one instructional unit, or they might all focus on one concept or theme, or they might all involve the creation of products such as written reports that contribute to the development of an evolving skill.

A good working definition of the types and uses of performance assessment can be found here: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/1. Please review this article as a basis for informing the group's work on this activity. 

Scoring Rubric