How to Assess Student Performance in History

How to Assess Student Performance in History:

Going Beyond Multiple-Choice Tests

How to Assess Student Performance in History:

Going Beyond Multiple-Choice Tests

? SERVE, 2006

Associated with the School of Education,

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

PRODUCED BY

The SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

WRITTEN BY

Julie Edmunds

EDITED BY

Donna Nalley

DESIGNED BY

Tracy Hamilton Jane Houle

This publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

This document was originally developed with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. ED-01-CO-0015.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1:

CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 6:

Introduction and Overview of Assessment............................... 1

1 ........Introduction 2 ........The Purpose of This Manual 2 ........What is Classroom Assessment? 4 ........Anatomy of an Assessment

Desired Student Outcomes in History ....................................... 6

9 ........Articulating Course Objectives

Methods of Assessment .......................................................... 14

16 ........Dialogue and Oral Response 20........Essays and Open-ended Responses 26 ........Projects and Investigations

Establishing Criteria ................................................................ 31

33 ........ Checklists 34........A Point System 37 ........Rubrics (Holistic and Analytic)

Using Assessment Information: Feedback and Grading ....... 47

47 ........Formative Assessment: Providing Feedback 49........Summative Assessment: Grading

Some Concluding Thoughts.................................................... 52

52 ........Appropriate Assessments in an Era of Accountability 53........Getting Started

References............................................................................... 57

Resources ................................................................................ 59

iv

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction and Overview of

Assessment

Introduction

"When teachers' classroom assessments become an integral part of the instructional process and a central ingredient in their efforts to help students learn, the benefits of assessment for both students and teachers will be boundless." (Guskey, 2003, p. 11)

SERVE, in its role as the federally funded Regional Educational Laboratory for the southeast, has worked since 1990 to provide professional development to teachers in the area of assessment. The work has focused on translating what is known from the measurement, applied research, and practitioner worlds into concrete ideas for teachers to implement to improve their assessment practices. The particular focus has been on how to improve the assessments teachers use and the way they use them to improve student motivation and learning. SERVE has learned over the years that working on assessment in the classroom is best accomplished within the context of the content area taught. This publication builds on work SERVE has done with districts that are piloting new approaches to professional development in U.S. History through the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History grant program.

How to Assess Student Performance in History: Going Beyond MultipleChoice Tests addresses some real assessment challenges that teachers have identified:

Figuring out what really is important for students to know and be able to do in history.

Teaching the skills of "doing history" in a world of testing that often seems to value only factual knowledge.

Identifying and using assessments that provide teachers with better information than only multiple-choice exams.

Getting students motivated to do a good job on essays and other written work.

Helping students learn to improve their own work and produce quality products.

Holding students accountable for quality work as opposed to just turning in something.

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