The Changing Paradigm of Classroom Assessment with Technology

For this blog post I am going to look at the three ways to look at technology in assessments and how I have seen them work or not work.

High Stakes Tests: Distal Level

• I like that state tests (MSTEP) have moved to this type of model. I feel like on tests, like the SAT, students quickly figure out where their deficiencies are and get frustrated. By making these tests adaptive, students may not find success on a question, but they may soon find success as the program adapts to their knowledge level. I feel like students may not become so frustrated with these tests with this type of model.
• I'm not sure how I would set this up in my classroom. It seems daunting to come up with a sequence of questions to give students as they either get questions right or wrong. As a former math teacher I could definitely find value in it, and I think in that setting the sequencing of questions would be a little easier to write.

Teacher-made Test: Proximal Level

• Despite this being the traditional method, I still find value in this type of testing. Technology has made these easier because they have provided platforms for the students to complete these assessments as well as giving teachers many descriptive statistics that are helpful with curriculum design.
• One problem with teacher made tests is teachers not collaborating to create these assessments. I know that I teach a class that 5 other teachers also teach. We all started with the same test, but many of us have made adjustments to the assessments over the years to work better in our classroom. If we all are grading students a slightly different way is this a true assessment of knowledge gained in a class?
• Standards based grading is something some classes in my school are trying. These are mostly low-level math classes. I think it works well in this subject because in math many of the standards are concrete, easy to assess skills for a teacher to grade on. Additionally, students who already struggle with math are given the specific skills that they need to be successful.

Recitation and Checks for Understanding: Close Level

• This is where I have put my emphasis this year. I have tried to find some new quick ways of assessing learning. I already use Kahoots, but I would like to continue to look at how I can use things such as ClassKick, Quizlet Live, Flip Grid and other platforms to increase my formative assessments.