Education 115 K-12 Student Assessment Fall 2012

Soc Sci 2 179

TU/TH

12:00-1:45

Course Overview

The purpose of this course is to provide course participants with foundational knowledge about key issues related to assessing student learning at the pre-collegiate level. We will examine K-12 student assessment from both theoretical and practical perspectives and apply our emerging understandings to the application and critical analysis of current educational assessment policies and practices. This course is an upper division elective for the minor in Education program. 

Instructors:

Kip Téllez, Ph.D.


Education Department
Chair

McHenry 1280


University of California, Santa Cruz


1156 High Street  Santa Cruz, CA  95064


M: (831) 345-7081

O: (831) 459-2208

ktellez@ucsc.edu


http://people.ucsc.edu/~ktellez

Office hours TU 2-4pm

 

Kara Sammet, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research Center

Graduate School of Education

University of California, Berkeley

ksammet@berkeley.edu

M: 510-299-6997

Office hours: TBD

Required Text:

Thorndike, R. M., & Thorndike-Christ, T. (2010). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education (8th Ed.). Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Available at Baytree or via Course Smart (http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/1154741/9780132081726?__hdv=6.8)

Course Schedule

The schedule below is subject to change. Readings should be completed prior to class.

Date	Topic/Activity	Reading (all from Thorndike & Thorndike-Christ, 2010), except where noted	Misc.
TH 9/27	§  Course introductions §  Brief history of human measurement §  Assessment as a Career	Syllabus
TU 10/2	§  Types of Decisions, §  Current Issues in Measurement §  Testing Marginalized Populations and other Social Concerns	Chapter 1, pp. 8-20
TH 10/4	§  Quantitative Measurement §  Central Tendency	Chapter 2, pp. 23-45	Turn in group members for advocacy project.
TU 10/9	§  Quantitative Measurement §  Variability in Data	Chapter 2, pp. 46-61
TH 10/11	§  Criteria and Norm-Referenced Evaluation	Chapter 3, pp. 66-93
TU 10/16	§  Norms and Other Reporting §  Item Response Theory	Chapter 3, pp. 93-108	Turn in plan for Group project: Topic and collaboration method
TH 10/18	§  Reliability as Consistency §  Standard Error of Measurement	Chapter 4, pp. 118-134
TU 10/23	§  Improving Reliability §  Reliability of Difference Scores	Chapter 4, pp. 135-149
TH 10/25	§  Validation Methods	Chapter 5, pp. 154-181
TU 10/30	§  Validity, Consequences, and Bias	Chapter 5, pp. 181-196
TH 11/1	§  Evaluating Tests and Other Assessments	Chapter 6
TU 11/6	§  Accountability Schemes §  Large Scale Testing Efforts	Chapter 7, pp. 221-225 Reading
TH 11/8	§  Report Cards §  Public and Political Decisions in K12	Chapter 7, pp. 226-244
TU 11/13	§  Assessing Special Learners	Chapter 8
TH 11/16	§  Writing Good Tests	Chapter 9
TU 11/20	§  Performance Evaluation	Chapter 10
TH 11/22	§  Thanksgiving Holiday	Study, Eat, and Study More
TU 11/27	§  Measuring attitudes	Chapter 11
TH 11/29	§  Theories of Intelligence	Chapter 12
TU 12/4	§  Measuring Cognitive Aptitude	Chapter 12 Selections from “The Mismeasure of Man”	Group Advocacy Project Due
TU 12/6	§  Large Scale Achievement Texts §  Assessment as a Career Revisited	Chapter 13
TH 12/13 12-3pm	§  Final Exam

Course Expectations and Requirements

1.   Occasional Assessments/Reflections (10 points possible; 50% of total grade)

Participants will write written reflections or answer questions on class readings and lectures at 5 points during the quarter. The dates of the Occasional Assessments/Reflections (OARs) are not announced in advance. Participants are allowed one “make-up” administration of an OAR.

2.   Group Advocacy/Application Project  (20 points possible; 20% of total grade)

Working in a team of peers (no more than four per team), participants will complete a project of their choosing (e.g., create an assessment, formulate a policy review, analyze an issue and engage in an advocacy activity).

3.   Final Examination (30 points possible; 30% of total grade)

A comprehensive final examination covering the course content (both readings and lecture material). The test format will include approximately 100 select-response (TF, multiple choice) items and 10 supply response questions (short answer essay).   

Grading scale: 98-100: A+; 94-97:A; 90-93:A-; 87-89:B+:83-86:B;80-82:B- and so on.

Our Teaching Stance

We hope that this course is an opportunity for us to establish a genuine learning community where both faculty and students learn from each other’s knowledge and experience. Such communities imply a “social contract” between faculty and students. Our view of this contract is as follows:

o   To treat you with respect, carefully listening to your questions and comments

o   To come to class prepared, provide structure to the course and convey a willingness to work with you in helping you master the material.

o   To develop assignments that are fair (not necessarily “easy”) and that reflect the material covered in class and the readings.

o   To try to relate the material to your own experience

Miscellanea


Students with disabilities are encouraged to speak with either instructor as soon as possible regarding needed modifications to the course structure. Please also contact the UCSC Disabilities Resources Center at 831-459-2089 for general assistance. 


We hold fast to the UCSC principles of academic integrity (http://undergraduate.ucsc.edu/acd_integrity/index.html) and expect all participants to live up to the highest ideals of a genuine learning community (http://www.ucsc.edu/about/principles-community.html). Fiat Slug!