EDUC4590 – Assessment and EvaluationCase Study Assignment

Assessment Case Study

“Chad’s Choices”

  1. What is the main problem in this case?

I think that the main problem in this case is that Chad has no idea of proper assessment strategies and methodologies. At the time this case takes place, Chad has designed a 100-question multiple choice test as the ONLY assessment in the course, and has prepared it immediately before administering it. This provides no considerationfor student’s differences in performance on a single test type (eg. multiple choice), and it appears that there have been no practice assessments or formative assessments to gauge students’ assimilation of the course materials to this point. It also is quite unfair to the students to base a mark on a single test score,[1]and assessments should be fair. According to Mueller, proper design of courses and assessments should include ‘multiple and varied assessments’ in order to obtain a sufficient number of samples and to use a sufficient variety of measures.[2]This should take place as early as possible in the year, and evidently did not take place in this case. Chad is totally unprepared, making up test only just before its delivery, when it should have been prepared well ahead of the lessons. Proper design of assessments stipulates a ‘top-down’ design, where assessments are designed first, followed by lessons leading up to those assessments. Assessments should not be an afterthought, but should drive the design of the course.[3]

  1. Identify other secondary (or less major) problems you can see happening in this case.

One secondary problem is Chad’s attitude in speaking with the principal – it is terrible (“I hope you aren’t saying you think I should change those marks.”)![4] A much better approach would be for Chadto admit to some responsibility, and to ask the principal for some suggestions on how to handle the situation. Chad’s behaviour implies that he, a first year teacher, knows better than the principal. This is probably incorrect but, regardless, it is definitely NOT the way to speak to a superior. He should be asking for advice from someone with much more experience, rather than getting defensive.

Even though Chad just got the position, he is totally scattered in his preparation. He gets caught up in the administrivia, such as equipping the labs, and does not concentrate enough on his own lesson and assessment preparation. As a result, he is totally taken by surprise when the reporting period arrives. Even though he has been “sponging everything he could off friends and colleagues,”[5] he apparently has not been ‘sponging’ anything about proper assessment strategies and course outlining. He desperately needs to immediately plan his course for the next term, beginning with the assessment planning and design.

A problem exists in Chad’s communications with students and their parents. He should be letting them know his course outline and assessment strategies. Even if he had nothing concrete planned, he could have put together a draft with the help of a colleague, and sent it out at the beginning of term. This could have been refined as the term progressed, and would also have served to keep Chad focused.

Although knowledge and understanding of assessment strategies and techniques has been dealt with as the primary problem above, some of the details are deserving of mention. It is apparent that Chad is unaware of the ‘primary purpose of assessments and evaluation’ as one where assessment, evaluation, grading and reporting are used to improve student learning.[6] He also appears to be unfamiliar with the concept of the use of ‘recent and most consistent’ assessments as the guidelines for assigning a grade.[7]

  1. Chad clearly could have done better, or could have done some things to prevent this situation from ever happening. Indicate three (3) important things you think he should have done differently, and explain why.

One thing that Chad could have done to prevent the situation is to have planned the course in outline format as soon as possible, including both teaching topics and assessments. This could then have been given to the students, and sent home to parents, as a draft, with an explanatory letter indicating that details might be changing as the term progressed. He could then have stuck to this plan as closely as possible, using it as a focus so that things such as assessment were not overlooked.

Chad should not have gotten so caught up in administrative details at the beginning of the year. It was important for him to gather materials for his course, but it seems that he spent too much time on things such as equipping the labs.[8] With proper time management, this could have been delegated. He was right to approach colleagues and friends for materials, but he apparently was not specific enough – he got nothing on evaluation, and this slipped by without his noticing until it was too late. He also should have checked with the teacher who taught the course last year, for both advice and materials.

It is evident that Chad was not organized in many respects, and this caused many of his problems. This is first indicated by his course and assessment planning, which was non-existent. At the beginning of the term, he got totally distracted by details such as equipping the labs, when he should have been organizing his course materials and planning for the term. This would have allowed him to avoid much of the difficulty he has experienced. This lack of organization is also evident in the fact that it took a full period for Chad to distribute textbooks, which should have taken much less time. If Chad had been more organized, this could have been routine and quick. Organizing and managing his time effectively would have allowed Chad to avoid many of the problems he experienced.

Finally, Chad should have provided practice assessments for the students as frequently as possible,[9]in order to assess their learning levels and to allow them to practice the course material. This would have let him know whether the students were properly assimilating the materials, and given both Chad and the students an idea of how they would perform on the test. Assessments should be fair, and should be part of the learning process rather than simply a means to give students marks. Giving practice and other formative assessments would also have had the benefit of keeping Chad focused on his assessments, and he would not have been caught unprepared.

  1. However, Chad is now stuck. What are three (3) important things he can do next to reduce the damage, and get the class back on track? Consider what immediate actions need to be considered, as well as actions within the next weeks and further down the road.

The first thing Chad must do is to immediately back down with the principal, and discuss options to deal with the current situation. He should be up front with her about his desperate planning and lack of assessment, show principal his materials, and ask for advice. She is likely an experienced educator, and should have some good suggestions for Chad. Perhaps, with her advice, the current crisis can be mitigated.

Very quickly, Chad must plan the lesson and assessment schedule for the next term, including practice and formative assessments, with expected dates. This can still be in draft format, but should be communicated to students and their parents as soon as possible. Dates for lessons and assessments can be modified as the term progresses, but students and parents should be ‘kept in the loop,’ and notified of any changes as soon as possible. Chad should also plan his third term as soon as possible, so that he is prepared when the time arrives.

In the medium to long term, Chad must learn more about the techniques of the proper design and useof assessments. He must learn to design his assessments so that they encompass a variety of methods, rather than just one (eg. multiple choice), and to design the assessments properly ahead of time. According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, “Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (including assignments, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a course.”[10] Assessment should drive the curriculum, rather than the reverse.[11]Chad should plan his assessments according to the curriculum to be covered during the term, and then plan his lessons and timing around these assessments. He must also learn to give as many formative assessments as possible, rather than using only a few larger summative ones. He can learn about proper assessment design and use from colleagues, from previous teachers of the course, or by taking a formal course in Assessment and Evaluation (perhaps at UOIT, from Dr. Knaack?). This should be his primary professional development focus in the near future.

Assessment Case Study

“Chad’s Choices”

It was like a mantra at school that first Friday in November: “Are you ready for report cards?” By noon, Chad MacIntosh was tired of hearing it, but he was even more bothered by the fact that his honest answer would have to be “No, I am nowhere near ready.”

Chad taught Grade 9 general academic science. It was his first year. There had been so much to do: preparing his plans, equipping labs that had been ignored by the outgoing teacher, distributing texts (it took half of one of his double periods just to get the books to the kids and get the paper work right), developing lab activities, screening videos, etc. Most days he just barely had enough material to keep the good students interested.

Chad obtained this position a mere 1 week before he started work, and really wanted a Grade 11 or Grade 12 university course in his specialty: physics. He wasn’t that comfortable with the whole spectrum of science in Grade 9 (especially the biology parts) and had been struggling all term learning content the night before, relying a lot on the text book and basically sponging anything he could off friends and colleagues. Chad also had difficulty managing his students some days as they often got chatty when they finished activities quickly or wondered what to do next. Ahhhh…it had been a rocky start to the year.

He had not even thought about marks before people started asking him “Are you ready for report cards?” He knew from his teacher preparation year that assessment was important, but he just got so caught up in planning his lessons and finding materials that assessment didn’t happen as he has planned. By the end of the day, though, he had formulated a plan.

Chad’s plan was to spend the entire weekend writing multiple choice items. Thank heaven he had learned how to write those types of questions! He had a small set of items already written; by Monday, he would have 100 items on the material he had covered in class since the first day. Administering the test would take an entire class period, but he could use the department’s optical scanner to score the tests and the report cards would be ready for next Friday.

Everything went according to plan. Chad was one happy novice teacher until the Tuesday after report cards went out when the principal called him into her office and said, “Chad, what’s up here? I have had four parents call already complaining about their kids’ science marks. One said her daughter can’t deal with multiple choice questions, another said he was sick of teachers who thought science was about memorizing facts, two just said their kids never got a C before. Those last two say their kids were just one point away from a B but the kids say you won’t consider changing the marks. What is this all about?”

Chad was taken aback. Maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought. He knew he could have done better, but he thought he had done well enough in the circumstances. “Well, Ms. Strickland, I don’t know what to say, but I know this: the standard for a B is 70%. I had two kids that answered 69 questions correctly. That’s not a B. I hope you aren’t saying you think I should change those marks.”

David KefferPage 1 of 4

Student #10025768210/03/2005

[1]“Fundamental Assessment Principles for Teachers and School Administrators;” McMillan, James H.; page 5.

[2] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[3] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[4]Case study.

[5]Case study.

[6] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[7] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[8]Case study.

[9] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[10] [accessed 08/03/2005].

[11] [accessed 08/03/2005].