Alabama A & M University

School of Education

"The Educator as a Service Professional"

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Syllabus of FED 404 TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS

Course Number: FED 404 TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS
Credit: Three Semester Hours

Instructor: Sha Li, EdD

Office location:  211 CCN

Office Hours:  11:00 am to 1:00 pm  Monday through Friday

(256) 372-5973

sha.li@aamu.edu

Textbook:

 Kubiszyn, T., & Borick, G. (2003). Educational Testing and Measurements: Application and Practice. (7th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Prerequisites: Admission into the School of Education Program,

Course Description:

A complete exploration into the pertinent theories, research, procedures, and
problems in measurement and evaluation. Various readings and experimental

problems will be explored Students will be required to do a terminal assessment

research project.

 

Rational/Relationship to Conceptual Framework:

This course represents a performance-based approach design to enable the
candidate to become an educational professional through the development of
proficiencies specific to knowledge, skill, and dispositions required by the
nation, state, regional, and institutional standards. Through a constructivist
design, learning will be facilitated by collaboration that results in feedback
that should result in continual reflection and self assessment. Much
significant learning will be achieved through integrated experiences and
performances designed to contribute toward the preparation for their license
to teach and the development of skilled, entry-level practitioner who can
help all students in diverse society learn.

 

Ethics Statement:

All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct that could results in a failing
grade in FED 404: Test and Measurements, and FED 504 Evaluation of Teaching and Learning. Academic dishonest includes but is not limited to

cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information. According to the University’s policy, students who plagiarize (1) can receive a failing grade,

or (2) be suspended from the university.
Disability Statement:

Alabama A & M University is committed to serving the needs of students with disabilities,
and the institution recognizes its responsibility for creating an instructional climate in
which the student with disabilities can thrive. If there is a documented disability for which
special accommodations are required to promote learning in this class, please contact the
Office of Disability Services to verify eligibility and to discuss the options for reasonable
academic accommodations that might be available.

Technology Statement:

The School of Education is committed to increasing the use of technological devices to enhance
and support teaching and learning. The use of computers, videos, databases, Powerpoint
presentations, and other technologies by faculty and candidates is encouraged in all aspects of the
teaching and learning.

 

Major Content Topics:

Unit One: The Measurement and Assessment Process

1. The role of measurement and assessment in teaching.

2. Instructional Goals and objectives: Foundation for Assessment

3. Planning Classroom Tests and Assessments

Unit Two: Constructing Classroom Tests and Assessments.

1. Constructing objective test items: Simple Forms

2. Constructing objective test items: The Interpretive Forms

3. Constructing subjective test items: Essay forms

4. Constructing Complex test items: The Interpretive Forms

5. Constructing Complex test items: Performance-Based Assessments

6. Portfolios

 

Unit Three: Characteristics, Uses, Advantages and Limitations of Different types of tests
and Assessments

1. Advantages and Limitations of Subjective tests (essays, short answers, and
complications)

2. Advantages and Limitations of Objective tests (Multiple-choice, true-false, matching
and classification)

3. Advantages and Limitations of Portfolios

Unit Four: Reliability and other desired Characteristics

1. Test Validity

2. Test Reliability and other Desired Characteristics

3. Test Norms, Bias, and Ethical use of tests and results.

Unit Five: Assessment Procedures observational techniques.

1. Anecdotal Records.

2. Student Judgment and Reports

3. Peer Appraisal

4. Self-Reports Techniques

5. Attitudes Measurement

6. Interest Inventories

7. Personality Measures

8. Peer Appraisal, and Self-Reports.


Unit Six: Scoring Interpreting and Reporting Test Results

1. Grading and Reporting Student Progress

2. Interpreting Test Results and deviation
a. Mode
b. Median
c. Mean

3. Interpreting Test Results: Variability
a. Range

b. Quartile Range and Deviation
c. Variance
d. Standard Deviation

Unit Seven: Teacher Performance Self-Evaluation

 

GOALS OF THE COURSE:

Teacher candidates should be skilled in:

 

1. Choosing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions

·       Teacher candidate will be able to describe various assessment methods, to include norm-referenced and criterion-reference tests, oral

·       questioning, structured performance assessment, portfolios, rating scales, scoring rubric, writing samples, paper-and pencil tests, seatwork,

·       homework, peer-and self-assessments, student records, observations, questionnaires, interviews, and projects.

 

2. Developing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions.

·                    Teacher candidates will be able to create and implement assessment methods based on their instructional goals and their learning objectives.

 

·       Teacher candidates will be able to use students' data to analyze the quality of each assessment technique they use.

 

 

 

3. Administering, scoring, and interpreting the results of both externally produced and teacher-produced assessment methods.

·       Teacher candidates will be able to interpret informal and formal teacher-produced assessment results, including pupils' performances in class

·       and on homework assignments. Teacher candidates will be able to use guides for scoring essay questions, and projects, stencils for scoring

·       response-choice questions, and scales for rating performance assessments.

·       Teacher candidates will be able to interpret the commonly reported scores: percentile ranks, percentile band scores, standard scores, and

·       grade equivalents.

·       Teacher candidates will be able to discuss the summary indexes commonly reported with assessment results: measures of central tendency,

·       dispersion, relationship, reliability, and errors of measurement.

 

4.  Using assessment results when making decisions about individual students, planning teaching, developing curriculum, and school
improvement.

·       Teacher candidate will be able to plan and evaluate assessment data that has curriculum validity.

·       Teacher candidate will be able to interpret local, regional, state, and national assessment and their appropriate use for pupil, classroom,
school, district, state, and national educational improvement.

 

5. Developing valid pupil grading procedures that use pupil assessments.

·       Teacher candidates will be able to devise, implement, and explain a procedure for developing grades composed of marks from various assignments,

·       projects, in-class activities, quizzes, tests, and/or other assessments that they may use.

 

6.  Communication assessment results to students, parents, other lay audiences, and other educators.

·       Teacher candidate will be able to communicate to students and to then-parents, or guardians, students' educational progress.

·       Teacher candidate will be able use appropriate assessment terminology to communicate effectively with others on matters of student assessment.

·       Teacher candidate will be able to articulate the meaning, limitation, and implication of assessment results.

·        Teacher candidate will be able to explain printed reports of the results of pupil assessments at the classroom, school-district, state, and national levels.

 

7.   Recognizing  unethical, illegal, and otherwise inappropriate assessment methods and uses of assessment information.

·       .Teacher candidate will discuss various assessment procedures that can be misused or overused resulting in harmful consequences such as embarrassing students, violating a student's right to confidentiality, and inappropriately using students' standardized achievement test scores to measure teaching effectiveness.

Objectives are based upon the Standards for Teacher Competence in [educational Assessment of Students. Developed by the American Federation of Teachers the National Council on Measurement in Education and the National Education Association.

COURSE OBJECTIVES OR LEARNING TASKS

After the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Choose assessment methods appropriate for instructional decision.

·       Students will develop a portfolio of their work from this class.

·       Students will develop a rubric, Likert scale and checklist for traditional and nontraditional assessment.

·       Using Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, students will prepare questions and interview a designated classmate.

2. Develop assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions.

·       Students will construct a Unit Plan and a Unit Test in their specific field.

3. Administer, score, and interpret the results of both externally produced and teacher-produced assessment methods.

·       Students will administer, score and interpret the result of their Unit Test

·       Students will interpret the result of a standardized test provided by their instructor.

·       Given data by the instructor, the students will be able to identify the summarizing indexes associated with assessment
 results.

4.  Use assessment results when making decisions about individual students, planning teaching, developing curriculum, and school improvement.

·       Based on data supplied by the instructor, students will make inferences about individual students, the teacher's planning, the
curriculum, and instructional improvement. This evaluation will take place in class.

 

5. Develop valid pupil grading procedures that use pupil assessments.

•  Students will develop three grading scales to assess students’ work.

6.  Communicate assessment results to students, parents, other lay audiences, and other educators.

•  Students will write a letter to parent(s)/guardian(s) explaining the discrepancy between a standardized score (norm-referenced interpretation) and a GPA which is a criterion-referenced interpretation of scores. The letter must contain: school heading, date, salutation, minimum 5 paragraphs, and signature.

7. Recognize unethical, illegal, and otherwise inappropriate assessment methods,
as well as unethical use of assessment information.

·       Students will summary the article on high-stake testing. The article discusses the effect testing has on students and on teachers. Paper should be 1page.

 

NOTE: ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON DATE LISTED. IF LATE, ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE GRADED UNTIL THE END OF THE SEMESTER.

 

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK

SCHEDULE

ASSIGNMENTS

PERCENTAGE POINTS

WEEK ONE

Syllabus

Article on High-Stake Testing—Dave Orphal

 

 

 

On Testing

Assessment ppt ---PPT 1

ARTICLE SUMMARY (1page)

2

 

Bloom Taxonomy/Instructional Objective—PPt2

 

 

 

Bloom Taxonomy/Instructional Objective

 

 

WEEK TWO

Bloom Taxonomy/Instructional Objective

 

 

 

Matching Test Items with Instructional Objectives

 UNIT PLAN (4 weeks)

 

8

 

Test Construction----PPT 3 & PPT 4

TABLE OF SPECIFICATION

2

 

 

TEST ONE

Bloom Taxonomy/Instructional Objective/ High-Stake testing/Assessment

 

10

WEEK THREE

Test Construction (cont’d)

LESSON PLAN (one)

10

 

Administering, Grading Tests (weighed averages) PPT 5

 

 

 

Alternate Assessment: Portfolios, Performance, ect.

UNIT TEST (51-test items)

10

 

Rubrics—Likert Scale, Checklists, Holistic/Analytical

 

 

WEEK FOUR

Validity/Reliability –PPT

 

 

 

Correlation

LIKERT SCALE, RUBRIC, CHKLIST

6

 

Frequency Distribution--PPT

 

 

 

TEST TWO--Comprehensive

 

10

WEEK FIVE

Central Tendency PPT

 

 

 

Normal Distribution

PHILOSOPHY EDUCATION (minimum 2pp; minimum 2 refs.)

3

 

Skewed Distribution

RESUME

1

 

A HOLIDAY WEEK

 

 

WEEK SIX

Standardized Scores PPT

 

 

 

Standardized Tests

 

 

 

Disaggregation of Data

LETTER TO PARENTS

5

 

TEST THREE--Comprehensive

 

10

WEEK SEVEN

REVIEW

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

 

 

RETN LETTER

 

 

 

PORTFOLIO DUE

 

5

WEEK EIGHT

TEST FOUR—Comprehensive Final Exam

 

20

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

 

 

 

Attendance Rule: Three (3) lateness = 1 Absence; Each absence = -5pts from grade.

 

All assignments must follow the format given in class to receive credit.

 

 Notes on Testing:

·       If you do not attend class on a regular basis, you will not be allowed to take tests. In other words, you cannot just show up for a test.

 

·       I will NOT give any make-up tests. If you miss a test (that is one test only), your next test will double in points assigned. 

 

·       With the exception of Test One, all tests are comprehensive.

 

 

 

GRADING SCALE: NOTE: A GRADE OF A “C” IS REQUIRED TO PASS THIS CLASS.

100 - 90 = A

  89 – 80 = B

  79 - 70 = C

  69-   60 = D

  < 60       = F

 

 

 

 

REMEDIATION:

 

Candidates whose classroom or clinical performance is judged “needing improvement” will be provided reasonable remediation.

 

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT POLICIES

 

Classroom Management Policies:

  • BE REMINDED THAT I HAVE A DRESS POLICY IN MY CLASSROOM. I DO NOT ALLOW BREAST DISCLOSURE, AND MUFFIN TOPS. EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SUMMER, DRESS APPROPRIATELY. ALTHOUGH, I DON’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I WILL ALSO REMIND YOU THAT WE DON’T SAG (I KNOW YOU DON’T).

 

•  Students are expected to be in class on time.

•  If there is a need for you to be out, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that
the instructor is either contacted in advance by telephone the day of the absence,
or provided with a message.

•  It is the student's responsibility to ensure that he/she is aware of what transpired
(to include assigning of additional class work) during the session in which he/she
is absent.

•  All assignments must be turned in on the date assignments are due.

•  All assignments must be turned into the instructor (unless otherwise noted by the
instructor).

• Problems with grades, confusion about assignment(s), or any situation which
student may feel needs clarifying, please feel free to contact instructor for office
appointments.

• ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED. UNTYPED ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR GRADED.

• Students will maintain a copy of all submitted assignments to protect themselves against lost work or missing grades.

• Students will copy and save all assignments. When asked, or requested, copies should be produced.

• Students will maintain a record of their grades in order to monitor his/her own
progress.

• NO EARLY EXAMS. No early grading for students' convenience.

• Students will not ask for grades before appointed day for turning in grades.

• If you receive an "I," you will have only one semester to turn in the incomplete assignment.

 

 

WARNING:

PLEASE DO NOT CROWD AROUND ME AFTER CLASS. IF YOU DO, I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF ANY CONVERSATIONS THAT TAKES PLACE.

 

 DO NOT HAND ME WORK IN THE HALLWAY, OR SLIDE IT UNDERNEATH MY DOOR.  IT WILL DEFINITELY BE MISPLACED.

 

 

References

Abruscato, J. (2001). Teaching Children Science: Discovery Activities and

Demonstrations for the Elementary and Middle Grades. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.

Bybe, R. W. (1997). Achieving Scientific Literacy: From Purposes to Practices.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Chiappetta, E. L., & Koballa, T. R, Jr. (2002/ Science Instruction in the Middle and
Secondary Schools. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle Rivers, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice
Hall.

Ebenezer, J. V., & Lau, E. (2003). Science on the Internet: A Resource for K-12 Teachers.(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle Rivers, New Jersey. Merrill Prentice Hall.

Etheredge, S., & Rudnitsky, A. (2003). Introducing Students to Scientific Inquiry: How
Do We Know What We Know? Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Kellough, R. D., & Kellough, N. G. (1999). Middle School Teaching: A Guide to
Methods and Resources. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle Rivers, New Jersey: Merrill.

Koballa, T. R. Jr., & Tippins, D. J. (2004). Cases in Middle and Secondary Science
Education: the Promise and Dilemmas. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle, New Jersey:

Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

 

Linn, R. L., & Gronlund, N. E.  (2000). Measurement and Assessment in Teaching.

(8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Roberts,P.L.,& Kellough,R. D. (2004).A Guide for Developing Interdisciplinary
Thematic Units. (3rd ed,). Upper Saddle Rivers, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill
Prentice Hall.

 

May 7, 2012