Education Assessment Tools

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, for standardized tests to support learning objectives, the construction of the test must be aligned with the intended aspects of the learning goals. The author points out that test results not only must be used for accountability purposes but also should be disaggregated to identify patterns. The paper states that, when school districts can discover creative and productive ways to use assessment tests rather than punitive mandates, they can make improvements in their ability to prepare students to meet the rigors of life after high school.

From the Paper:

"John Easton showed how districts use the results from standardized tests in a 2000 study prepared for the Consortium on Chicago School Research and the Illinois Business Round-table. Curriculum directors or superintendents from 60 districts were interviewed by telephone and 75 districts completed an assessment survey. One key research questions was "what do districts do with their test results?" Easton reported that 77 percent of the districts marked "evaluating school improvement" as their greatest reason for using the standardized tests."

Sample of Sources Used:

• ACT. (2005). Resource manual. Iowa City, IA: Author.
• Chafin, C. K. (2004, December). Using Student Performance Data Humanely: The Danger of Losing Perspective on Teaching and Learning and the Value of Test Scores [Electronic version]. School Administrator, 61 (11), 26-28. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ708750)
• Chudowsky, N., & Pellegrino, J. W. (2003, Winter). Large-scale assessments that support learning: What will it take? [Electronic version]. Theory into Practice, 42 (1), 75-83. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ673907)
• Easton, J. Q. (2000). Testing and assessment in Illinois school districts (ERIC No. ED470296). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED470296)
• Jacobs, H. H. (1997). Mapping the big picture: Integrating curriculum and assessment K-12. Alexandria, VA: Association for Curriculum and Development.

More papers on Education Assessment Tools:

• Comparison Essay # 106614 : "Performance Assessment Tools: A Comparison"
• Research Paper # 74942 : "Assessment in the Classroom"
• Case Study # 118208 : "Pain Assessment and Management"

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