Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students

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Running Head: Competence in Educational Assessment

Competence in Educational Assessment

Sherie Loika

Angelo State University

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Abstract

In an overview of the Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students, I have exemplified my current professional competencies and recognized weaknesses in need of improvement.

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Competence in Educational Assessment

Developed by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council on Measurement in Education, and the National Education Association, the Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students are as follows.

1. Teachers Should be Skilled in Choosing Assessment Methods Appropriate for Instructional Decisions.
2. Teachers Should be skilled in Developing Assessment Methods Appropriate for Instructional Decisions.
3. Teachers Should be Skilled in Administering, Scoring, and Interpreting the Results of both Externally-produced and Teacher-produced Assessment Methods.
4. Teachers Should be Skilled in Using Assessment Results when Making Decisions about Individual Students, Planning Teaching, Developing Curriculum, and School Improvement.
5. Teachers Should be Skilled in Developing Valid Pupil Grading Procedures which Use Pupil Assessments.
6. Teachers Should be Skilled in Communicating Assessment Results to Students, Parents, Other Lay Audiences, and Other Educators.
7. Teachers Should be Skilled in Recognizing Unethical, Illegal, and Otherwise Inappropriate Assessment Methods and Uses of Assessment Information.

As a secondary science teacher and future master of curriculum and instruction, I maintain a greater competence in choosing assessment, developing assessment, developing valid pupil grading procedures, and communicating assessment results (Standards 1, 2, 5, and 6). In relation to Nitko’s guidelines for selecting and using classroom assessment, I choose and develop assessments that address my learning objective in a method that matches the targeted content and performance (Nitko, 2004). To further enhance the validity of acquired information, I utilize a variety of assessment methods. For example, a formal test is always given at the end of a

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teaching segment. However, I also employ a portfolio to acquire information about my students’ acquisition of specific learning targets, as well as, general learning objectives. The variety of assessment not only increases the validity of my interpretation, but also allows my diverse student population to express their learning acquisition in a manner that best displays their abilities. Through experience, I have found the portfolio a priceless source for counselors, diagnosticians, parents, and myself. When called upon, I have used portfolios as communication devices for addressing parental concerns, providing writing samples for diagnosticians, displaying reason for referral for gifted and talented testing, and helping students reflect on their growth and learning experiences.

Shadowing my competence in educational assessment, my abilities diminish respectively in the areas of Standards 3, 4, and 7. With experience in administering externally produced high stakes tests (i.e. TAKS), I am capable, yet, not an expert, in administration of tests. Normally, such data is returned and formatted in a variety of ways that benefit my decisions about individual students and curriculum planning; albeit, I admittedly do not excel in interpreting the results or in applying them to their maximum benefit. Though I consider myself to be an ethical individual, I am the least familiar in the areas addressed by Standard 7. Therefore, by the end of this course, it is my intention to obtain a better understanding of these legalities, and enhance my ability to interpret and apply assessment data to my classroom.

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References

Nitko, A. J. (2004). Educational assessment of students (4th ed). Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.