Browsing by Subject "Formative assessment"
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Item Bridging the gap : self-assessment, e-portfolios, and formative assessment in the foreign language classroom(2013-08) Gossett, Nicholas Stanford; Garza, Thomas J.Despite the amount of empirical evidence available to validate the claim that language learners have the ability to evaluate their own abilities in a foreign language, many educators feel that self-assessments are unreliable and do not fit into the foreign language classroom. However, the move towards a proficiency-based student-centered classroom over the past two decades has caused many educators to rethink the use of self-assessment measures in the foreign language classroom. At the same time, portfolios have emerged as assessment tools for both educators and learners. Most recently, with the technological advancements in the past decade, Internet-based e-portfolios have become increasingly popular in education. However, there are very few studies on the use and implementation of e-portfolios, specifically in the foreign language classroom. This dissertation examines the role of self-assessment in the foreign language classroom. It utilizes an e-portfolio platform with pre-loaded can-do statements to create an evidence-based self-assessment for an intensive Russian language class. This dissertation presents self-assessment as a teacher-validated process utilizing formative assessment to create a learner-centered environment outside of the classroom. The study correlates results from three separate foreign language assessment tools to determine their relation to one another. The study promotes a holistic approach to language assessment and provides a process for holistic approach in the foreign language classroom. The process outlined in this study is easy to replicate and can be incorporated into foreign language courses with a limited amount of resources.Item Engineering collaboration via electronic media : how to promote reflective thinking skills and visualize data with technology(2011-08) Ramos, Noel Hector; Martin, Taylor, 1970-; Allen, David T.Online discussion forums and reflective writing are proven methods for enriching conceptual understanding and are hallmarks of engineering education. Plagiarism and many students’ apprehension to contribute to online journals can plague the effectiveness of these educational tools. Using elements of the engineering design cycle, I have created a blogging website that addresses these problems by restricting comment visibilities for users and includes a graphic visualization called a “word cloud” to supplement discussion. A prototype was tested with UTeach Engineering teachers for feedback on design and use. The critiques provided examples of classroom use, constructive design feedback, and ideas for its use as a formative assessment. The design could be used as a pedagogical tool for an investigation of formative assessments in engineering education, but further research for “word cloud” visualizations and journal data collection is needed to expand the current design.Item Formative assessment: Patterns, personal practice assessment theories and impact on student achievement and motivation in science(Texas Tech University, 2008-08) Box, Cathy; Skoog, Gerald; Wilhelm, Jennifer A.; Lan, WilliamFormative assessment is a powerful educational tool that has the potential to raise student achievement if used appropriately in the classroom. Its first priority is to serve the purpose of promoting learning, in other words, it is assessment for learning, rather than assessment of learning. Formative assessment has potential to promote learning if it provides evidence used as feedback by teachers and by their students in assessing themselves and each other, to modify the teaching or learning activity in which they are engaged (Black and Wiliam, 1998). The power of formative assessment to raise achievement is often overlooked in the current culture of high-stakes summative testing and accountability. This top-down approach to educational reform neglects one of the most important factors that affects learning - the teacher as facilitator of change. Teachers make instructional and assessment decisions based on experiences, knowledge, and beliefs, termed their personal practice assessment theories. However, those internally constructed elements are not alone in shaping their assessment decisions. Other external contextual elements have a profound effect on their decisions as well. Those internally constructed and externally imposed contextual elements influence the purpose, planning, and implementation of assessment, and subsequently impact student achievement and motivation to learn. The purpose of this research study was threefold: first, to investigate the formative assessment practices of three biology teachers in context of their personal practice assessment theories. Second, to illuminate contextual elements that constrain or facilitate the use of formative assessment. These goals were accomplished through a collective instrumental case study and cross-case analysis. The third purpose of the research was to determine the effect of formative assessment on student achievement and motivation, and was accomplished through quantitative measures. The study showed distinct differences among the three teachers in the study regarding their personal practice assessment theories and use of formative assessment. Their theories developed through personal and professional experiences, were influenced by their beliefs about learners and learning, and were based on propositional, theoretical or strategic knowledge that played a critical role in converting theories about assessment into actual classroom practice. Several other factors were identified that facilitated or constrained the use of formative assessment. Student achievement and motivation was higher, and in many cases significantly higher in the class that embraced formative assessment compared to classes that did not.Item Principals' leadership for learning : formative assessment strategies in every classroom(2013-12) Villalpando, Suzanne Martinez; Olivárez, RubénThe purpose of this study was to explore how school leaders address both the technical and professional socialization needs of teachers during the planning and implementation of student formative assessment in every classroom, an initiative that is often implemented as a means of gathering the data needed to support the academic needs of all learners (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Bolman & Deal, 2008; Heath & Heath, 2010; Leithwood & Seashore Louis, 2011; Wiliam, 2010). In order to determine school leadership considerations for addressing the technical and professional socialization needs of teachers during the implementation of student formative assessment in every classroom, two research questions guided the study: 1. What do teachers perceive to be their technical and professional socialization needs experienced during the planning and implementation of student formative assessment and how are these met? 2. What are the school principals’ perceptions of how they address the technical and professional socialization needs of teachers during the planning and implementation of student formative assessment? Using a grounded theory approach, this qualitative study examined the perceptions of both teachers and principals through a multi-site case study design (Miles & Huberman, 1994). This design was chosen in order to gather insight regarding the perceptions and experiences of principals and teachers at three elementary campuses that have implemented student formative assessment in every classroom. The sites and participants for this study were purposefully selected. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups. In order to confirm emerging theoretical explanations, the researcher gathered additional data through a review of relevant documents, such as district and campus improvement plans. The prominent technical needs identified by teachers in this study were the development of a campus-wide common terminology, participation in vertical teaming, and the maintenance of the support role of a campus instructional specialist. Furthermore, teacher participants identified their professional socialization needs as reassurance from the principal with new professional learning, a gradual pace of implementation for the student formative assessment initiatives, meaningful teacher-to-teacher interaction, open and transparent communication with the principal, and opportunities to participate in building cohesive grade-level teams. Principals perceived their technical supports as facilitating vertical teaming, providing a campus instructional specialist, embedding time for collaborative professional development, and setting clear expectations for implementation. Additionally, principals perceived their professional socialization supports for teachers as facilitating the building of cohesive grade-level teams, providing reassurance with new implementation, promoting open and transparent communication, promoting a gradual implementation pace and facilitating meaningful teacher-to-teacher interactions.