PRE-ASSESSMENT

The Meaning of Assessment

Pre-assessment are administered before students begin a lesson, unit, course, or academic program. Students are not necessarily expected to know most, or even any, of the material evaluated by pre-assessments—they are generally used to,

(1) establish a baseline against which educators measure learning progress over the duration of a program, course, or instructional period.

(2) To determine general academic readiness for a course, program, grade level, or new academic program that student may be transferring into.

Pre-assessment provides a way for teachers to gather key information about what students know and are able to do prior to instruction, as well as what student interests and learning styles are. 

Pre-assessments can be paper and pencil tasks or performance-based. 

They provide evidence to help teachers effectively match instruction with the needs of students. This includes decisions about content, pacing, materials, grouping, and specific learning activities. 

Examples for Pre-assessment :

1. End-of-chapter/unit test
2. Sequential Roundtable Alphabet (Buehl, D. 2001, p. 33)
3. Know-Want-Learn Chart (KWL)
4. Performance task such as solving math problems
5. Yes/No cards (Gregory & Chapman, 2002, p. 41) 
6. Anticipation Guide
7. Mind Map 
8. Five-Hardest Most Difficult First (Winebrenner, 2001, pp. 35-39) 

The Purpose of the Pre-Assessment and the Way it is Conducted

Pre-assessment plays a critical role in your ability to differentiate instruction. You administer pre-assessments before you being the instruction in a curricular unit in order to gain an understanding of what your students know, understand, and are able to do.

• Differentiate Instruction 
• Guide whole-group instruction 
• Plan learning activities that address varying levels of readiness 
• Determine which students have/have not achieved mastery of specific objectives 
• Identify problems that might cause students difficulty with mastery of an objective 
• Form flexible groups 
• Determine master level of individuals or small groups.

My personal's view/ reflection/ opinion about the issues raised by the assessment

      Pre-assessment is a small test to test student what they has learnt after the class. In my opinion, pre-assessment is a very good test for student, due to by it the teacher can know how works the lesson after the class. 

     For one type of the pre-assessment like mind-map. It is a way to let the student to remember and to more easy to remember what they has learnt after the class. This is due to the fact, mind map is very simple, clearly and concise for student to study or refer back what they had learnt.

     Besides that, instructional decisions are based on evidence. Student are challenged at an appropriate level based on prior knowledge and skills. As a result, students are more likely to demonstrate continuous progress and growth. 

      Lat but not least, by using pre-assessment, student can engaged more by using their interests, learning styles and prior experience.

   
    The Suggestion and Ways to Improve Pre-Assessment
    

     In my opinion, the ways I think can properly run smooth pre-assessment among the students is by making the pre-assessment be more fun, creativity, and relaxed. This is the way that student won't feel any pressure and very excited to involve themselves to take participant nicely in the assessment activity. 

    For an example, pre-assessment can go through by gaming. Children love game all the time, so most of the student will integrate well in the activity. By this way, not only the children can learn and more remember what they had learnt (recall the memories). For the teacher too, teacher can easily to evaluate the student and also determine how much effectiveness is the lesson.

   

THE HIGH-STAKES ASSESSMENT

The Meaning of High-Stake Assessment 

High-stakes assessments are typically standardized tests used for the purposes of accountability—i.e., any attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers.  

In general, “high stakes” means that important decisions about students, teachers, schools, or districts are based on the scores students achieve on a high-stakes test, and either punishments (sanctions, penalties, reduced funding, negative publicity, not being promoted to the next grade, not being allowed to graduate) or accolades (awards, public celebration, positive publicity, bonuses, grade promotion, diplomas) result from those scores.

When tests and teaching are both matched to the set standards, students perform well on the test.

There are different types of tests that students typically take in a school year. One test the teacher creates and bases it on the information that has been provided in the classroom within a particular span of time. It provides information to the teacher, the parent and the student describing how much of a grasp the student has on the material.

Another test is a standardized test. Typically students take this test once each year to gauge their understanding and abilities in math, reading and writing. This provides the state and each school district a broader view of where students are in these subjects.

The Purpose of the High-Stake Assessment and The Way it is Conducted

High-stakes tests come in many forms and may be used for a wide variety of purposes, the following provide a brief overview of a few representative applications of high-stakes testing:

Students: Test results may be used to determine whether students advance to the next grade level or whether they receive a diploma. For example, a growing number of states require students to pass a reading test to advance from third grade to fourth grade, while others require students to pass a test to graduate from high school.

Educators: Test results may be used in the job-performance evaluations of teachers or to determine professional compensation. For example, in recent years more school reformers, elected officials, and policy makers have been calling for teacher pay (including bonuses), as well as hiring, firing, and tenure decisions, to be partly based on student test scores. 

Schools: Tests results may be used to trigger penalties for schools, including negative public ratings, the replacement of staff members, or even closure. For example, some federal and state policies require that test results be used to impose a variety of consequences, such as firing or transferring some or all of a school’s administrators and faculty, or forcing a school to pay for additional services and transportation costs for students. In addition, standardized-test scores are also increasingly being used, along with other measures, in various state and independent efforts to assign A–F letter grades to schools.

My personal's view/ reflection/ opinion about the issues raised by the assessment

Supporters of this style of testing claim that it is the best way to track nationwide student progress and keep the same educational standards across the country. 

However, one of the criticisms of current standardized testing is that because they are high-stakes, they create a lot of stress for the students taking them. This may create invalid results if the student performs worse on the test under stress.

While the debate around high-stakes standardized testing heats up, their effects are being felt by students and teachers as well as their schools and communities across the nation.

The Suggestion and Ways to Improve High-Stake Assessment

The ways to improve high-stake assessment are :

First, we must know that every pupil have their own different intelligence, standardized-test is not fair to every student. 

Assessment for the student not support to be standardize, but should be diversify. 

Thus, every capacity of the student will be developed well.

Second, the focus zone of the parents, teachers, school or the government should be more on the growth of the student, but not on the test.  

What we always get wrong were,

" How many marks did you get for the exam?"

" What grade are you?"

" Are you in the Dean's list?"

But, we never ask,

" Did you satisfied with you own result?"

" What will you do next?"

A very famous Chinese's proverb said that,

One may distinguish himself in any trade.

 Every trade has its master.

 In any profession there is some one who excels all the rest.

Every profession produces its own leading authority. 

Therefore, a good result not means that the personality of the student is good; A bad results not means that the personality of the student is bad. Result doesn't means anythings.

The growth of the student is most important than the result, so, try to encourage the student more, while the student feel value. The student's physical and mental will be more robust.

Bibliography

Taylor, D. (1 February, 2014). Part 2: High-Stakes Testing Opting Out : The Type of Tests . Retrieved from Parents Across America: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/part-2-high-stakes-testing-opting-out-types-tests/

Vanderbilt University. (2015). Why do you think Ms. Flores describes the testing as “high stakes?”. Retrieved from The Iris Center: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/hst/cresource/q1/hst_04/#content

YANOS, T. F. (24 May, 2013). The Rise of High-Stakes Standardized Testing. Retrieved from IndyKids: http://indykids.org/main/2013/05/the-rise-of-high-stakes-standardized-testing/

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT

Assessment are used for a wide variety of purposes in school and education systems.

Assessment has been separated in three types, which as the table shows below,

In the following six weeks, we will discuss different type of assessment in education, which are listed here:

 

1. High-stakes assessment
2. Pre-assessments
3. Formative assessments
4. Summative assessment
5. Interim assessment
6. Placement assessment
7. Screening assessment.

Every week the discussion of the assessment will including:

The definition of the type of assessment

The purposes of the assessment and how it is conducted

My personal's view/ reflection/ opinion about the issues raised by the assessment

The suggestion and ways to improve the assessment

STAGES OF ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The meaning of assessment is the gathering of information to make critical decisions about a child. There is a variety of ways are used to collect assessment information, including observation of the child, visiting with the family, checklist and rating scales, informal test, standardized and formal tests.

Assessment information is very effective for identifying the child as qualified for special services, planning instruction, and measuring progress.

Early intervention take a very important role. At the young age of a children, there are necessity with special service. (Janet W. Lerner ,2015)

From child-find to program evaluation, there are six stages in the assessment process.

Source: J. Lerner, B. Lowenthal, R. Egan (1998). Preschool Children with Special Needs: Children At-Risk and Children with Disabilities. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, p. 67

Stage 1: Child-Find/ Case-Finding

Preliminary stage, called “Child-Find”, refers to procedures composed to locate those young children who might require early intervention services and programs. This stage is compulsory because many parents still don’t understand that service are available for young children, some parents may not realize that their child has a developmental problem. Sometimes, family may disavow that a problem exists because of strong cultural beliefs and traditions.   

Among the strategies that are used for locating young children in the community who may need special services are:

         

•  Building community awareness through public agencies and organization

•      Setting up a system for referrals

•    Canvassing the community for     young children who need screening.

•   Maintaining local publicity and   contacts with sources of referral

Stage 2: Developmental Screening

Developmental screening is a rough method for obtaining general information about a child's development and detecting any potential problems.

The screening is not intended to be a comprehensive diagnosis, but rather provides a first quick look at a child.

Screening procedures are typically used with large groups of children.

Screening tests should be brief, inexpensive, have objective scoring systems that are valid and reliable.

It is important that families understand the purpose of screening procedures and be informed about the results. When the screening indicates that a young child has potential problems, it is critical that the child receives a more comprehensive diagnosis.

Stage 3: Diagnosis 

Diagnosis is a more intensive evaluation than screening. Information is obtained through observation, interviews, case history, and informal and standardized tests. The examiners strive to determine the nature of the child's difficulties, the severity of the problem, and the child's strengths and weaknesses. This information becomes the basis for determining eligibility for special education services.

The diagnosis is conducted by members of a multidisciplinary team. For example, if the screening indicates that the child has language difficulties, members of the multidisciplinary team could include a speech/language pathologist; a specialist in hearing, such as an audiologist or otologist, to evaluate hearing loss; and a psychologist to determine how the child's development related to language acquisition. A family interview would provide additional information about the case history, language performance at home, and the primary language of the family. Information collected through the diagnosis leads to decisions about the nature and severity of the problem and assists in planning intervention.

Stage 4: Individual Planning of Program and Intervention

If the diagnosis indicates there is a need for early intervention, the next stages involves assessment for the planning of programs and interventions. To closely link this stage of the assessment to the actual curricula of the child's early intervention program, curriculum-based or criterion-referenced instruments and procedures are used. The areas considered in the planning process for preschool children include:

• Sensory/physical development

• Language and communication         abilities

• Fine and gross motor development

• Cognitive abilities

• Adaptive or self-help skills

• Social-emotional development

Stage 5: Program Monitoring

After the child is placed in an intervention program, it is important that the child's progress in monitored frequently. Multiple checks include observations, developmental checklists, and rating scales.Collect data on a regular basis and analyze to determine mastery of targeted skills.

Note progress in meeting goals and objects on the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Determine the effectiveness of the invention and changes that are needed in the intervention plan.

Stage 6: Program Evaluation

It is also important to evaluate the intervention program itself. Program evaluation is objective, systematic procedure for determining progress of children and the effectiveness of the total intervention program. It may be necessary to make needed changes and modifications in the intervention program.

Bibliography

Lerner, J. W. (2015). Stages of the Assessment Process. Retrieved from Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/stages-assessment-process

THE WORLD OF ASSESSMENT

In our daily life, there are too many kind of assessment. 

We are revealed too many 'assessment' topics almost everyday, whether in the news, on a television, on the radio, in newspapers and across the internet. 

Now and then, we will consciously or unconsciously talk about assessment among our family, friends or community that we have experienced. But, is it we really understand the meaning of assessment?

So, the question is....what exactly is ASSESSMENT.

The definition of assessment based on the Oxford Dictionaries are,

''The evaluation or estimation of nature,quality, or ability of someone or something'',

"An opinion or a judgement about somebody or something that has been thought about very carefully'',

''The act of judging or forming an opinion about somebody/something'',

and

''An amount that has been calculated and that must be paid''.

According to the Glossary of Educational Reform, the term of assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. 

While assessments are often equated with traditional tests—especially the standardized tests developed by testing companies and administered to large populations of students—educators use a diverse array of assessment tools and methods to measure everything from a four-year-old’s readiness for kindergarten to a twelfth-grade student’s comprehension of advanced physics.

Just as academic lessons have different functions, assessments are typically designed to measure specific elements of learning:

e.g., the level of knowledge a student already has about the concept or skill the teacher is planning to teach or the ability to comprehend and analyse different types of texts and readings.

Assessments also are used to identify individual student weaknesses and strengths so that educators can provide specialized academic support, educational programming, or social services.

In addition, assessments are developed by a wide array of groups and individuals, including teachers, district administrators, universities, private companies, state departments of education, and groups that include a combination of these individuals and institutions.

Without assessment, a teacher will not be able to know the efficacy of the pedagogical method he/she adopts thus the need for constant assessment to both understand the pupil’s and student's interests and abilities.