From Pedersen, Arslanyilmaz, & Williams (2007)1:
"However, as we began to scale up the program and teachers began to implement [the problem-based learning (PBL) unit] without our involvement, grading became an important issue and teachers wanted additional ‘‘gradable’’ products. They requested two things in particular: an objective item test that could be used at the end of the program, and worksheets or activities that could be used during the program as ‘‘check-points’’ or to generate ‘‘daily grades.’’ We complied with teachers’ requests, despite some concerns that these instruments would alter the nature of PBL. A twenty-item test was developed that used a modified multiple choice format that allowed for multiple correct answers within a single item. Our reasoning in using this format was that it required a greater understanding of a given concept than a standard multiple choice format, and did not facilitate guessing or a process of elimination approach. Teachers were strongly dissatisfied with this format, arguing that it was difficult for students this age and that, because it differed from the format used on standardized tests, that it might confuse students. They wanted standard multiple choice items with one correct answer and distracters that could be quickly eliminated."
Is this mad desire for grading & multiple-choice assessment driven by the way our institutions are set up (i.e. NCLB, etc.)? How teachers view what assessment should look like? How do we change this? I'm aware of this problem and I still feel the pressure/need to have grades and old-fashioned assessments. Is there any hope here?
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- That is: Pedersen, S., Arslanyilmaz, A., & Williams, D. (2009). Teachers' assessment-related local adaptations of a problem-based learning module. Education Technology Research Development, 27, 229-249. [↩]
Ben,
Ben following you on Twitter for a while. I appreciate your tweets and comments.
Your frustration is real. Unfortunately, as long as funding is tied to test scores, authentic assessment won't ever extend beyond the individual teacher... and maybe that's okay because teachers are certainly more experience at designing authentic assessment than policy makers. However, as you said, you are forced to use conventional grades. When I was teaching (moved to the darkside - administration - 5 years ago) I was 100% standards-based in my assessment. At the end of each quarter, I was forces to turn my "grade" into a conventional A, B, C, etc... It essential rendered a useful and informative assessment of what a student knew and could do and turned it into a relatively meaningless letter grade.
Anyway, I appreciate your comments, please keep them coming. I'm interested to see how you grow and excited to continue to learn from you.
Tony
.-= Tony´s last blog ..No honey, Webkinz is not in my computer… =-.
@Tony: Thanks for the kind words. I am struggling with that exact thing (how to assign traditional grades in a non-traditional setting) as I develop my self-directed unit for my Master's Project. I'd like to simply have a set of objectives and through conversation, student self-reflection, student documentation of their own learning, and perhaps a final exhibition, go through and decide whether or not the student has shown mastery over all the objectives. This shouldn't be done with grades. I also know that if I do traditional grades the rest of the year and switch over to objectives or standards-based assessment that I'll be setting myself up for failure.
What was the general process you used to arrive at a conventional grade based upon your non-conventional assessments?
Oh, it's also important to realize administration is only the dark side if their decisions don't consider student learning as the primary goal, are made in secret, and focus on control of teachers and students instead of community with teachers and students. 🙂