Course Description
Exploration of educational assessment and evaluation strategies from sociopolitical perspectives. Examination of the effectiveness of assessment strategies, consequences and value of inferences drawn from data, and situation of outcomes in a sociopolitical context.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Students in the graduate section of this course will complete an additional project. These project options will include an Annotated Bibliography: A total of 15 citations, of which 10 must be peer-reviewed scholarly articles no older than 10 years prior to the year in which the course is offered; each annotation should be approximately 1 page. Final Paper: A 3,000-3,500 word APA-formatted paper in which candidates will draw from educative experiences as students as well as their experiences in the field experience for this course. Candidates will synthesize research findings, their own experiences, and their aspirations for their own classroom.
Athena Title
Soc Pol Perspectives Assmt
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will: 1. develop a strong understanding of the basic tenets of educational assessment including basic properties of assessment; 2. define and distinguish the purpose of various types of assessments; 3. critique the value and impact of different types of assessments; 4. operationalize the significance and influence of formative assessment and performance-based assessments; 5. compare and contrast locally-designed assessments with formative and performance-based assessments; 6. describe the strengths and challenges of graded student work and its use in instructional planning and communication for various stakeholders; 7. critique the use of methods designed to evaluate teachers and academic programs and their consequences; 8. explore the history of test-based accountability; 9. explore state and federal assessment policies; 10. explore the concerns of stakeholders (teachers, parents, community members, etc.) regarding practices in educational assessment; 11. articulate positive and negative consequences from various innovations in assessment and teacher evaluation (e.g., "pay for performance"); 12. compare and contrast the complex interactions between and among the socio-political context, assessment policy, and the daily experiences of students and teachers.
Topical Outline
1. Review of foundational concepts and basic types of assessment, including: a. Reliability and validity b. Traditional forms of classroom assessment (selected response tests) c. Characteristics of standardized summative assessments 2. Rationale and strategies for the development of classroom-based assessment, with a special focus on formative and performance assessment a. The purpose and power of formative assessments b. The role of targets (standards) in developing assessments c. Types of methods of assessment d. Specifics on creating and using performance assessments e. The importance of using appropriate language for students f. Student involvement in assessment g. Grading and reporting 3. Examination of the socio-political context of educational assessment a. Historical perspective on the goals of education and what should be assessed b. The history of test-based accountability from 1983 (A Nation at Risk) to the present c. The impact of test-based accountability i. Classroom practices ii. Test preparation iii. Political discourse d. Current trends in assessment (e.g., computer adaptive testing, and many colleges no longer requiring the SAT) e. Current trends in the public’s response to assessment (e.g., the "opt-out" movement) f. The connection between the evaluation of teachers and test-based accountability.