For Teachers: Using Assessment

Robert J. Marzano distills 35 years of research to bring you expert advice on the best practices for assessing and grading the work done by todays students. (Also available as a print book.)

Grades are imperfect, shorthand answers to "What did students learn, and how well?" In How to Use Grading to Improve Learning, best-selling author Susan M. Brookhart guides educators at all levels in figuring out how to produce grades--for single assignments and report cards--that accurately communicate students' achievement of learning goals. Brookhart explores topics that are fundamental to effective grading and learning practices: Acknowledging that all students can learn Supporting and motivating student effort and learning Designing and grading appropriate assessments Creating policies for report card grading Implementing learning-focused grading policies Communicating with students and parents Assessing school or district readiness for grading reform The book is grounded in research and resonates with the real lessons learned in the classroom. Although grading is a necessary part of schooling, Brookhart reminds us that children are sent to school to learn, not to get grades. This highly practical book will help you put grading and learning into proper perspective, offering strategies you can use right away to ensure that your grading practices actually support student learning.

Has the standards movement in the United States led to improved classroom instruction and effective assessment? In too many cases, the answer is no. As authors Robert J. Marzano and Mark W. Haystead explain, two major reasons account for this situation: state and national standards documents typically identify far more content than teachers can actually teach during a school year, and the standards are not written in a manner that supports effective instruction and assessment. In Making Standards Useful in the Classroom, Marzano and Haystead present a way to convert standards documents into a format that teachers can actually use to guide instruction and to create meaningful formative assessments. In Part I of this practical guide, teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists will find answers to questions such as these: * What are the steps to follow in unpacking and rewriting standards so they are useful for classroom teachers? * What is a measurement topic and what kind of content should it include? * How can measurement topics be organized into a coherent system for learning and assessment? * Why is averaging a flawed method for calculating grades? * What is the best way to assess learning and determine a grade that accurately represents students' growth in knowledge and skill? Part II of the book consists of scoring scales with sample measurement topics for language arts, math, science, and social studies for kindergarten through 8th grade, and sample measurement topics for life skills for kindergarten through 12th grade. Using the samples as a guide, districts and schools can create their own systems for translating standards into useful components of effective instruction and formative assessment that truly drive student learning.

Learn everything you need to know to implement an integrated system of assessment and grading that will enhance your teaching and your students' learning. Dr. Robert J. Marzano details the specific benefits of formative assessment--assessment that is used during instruction rather than at the end of a course or unit. He explains how to design and interpret three different types of formative assessments, how to track student progress, and how to assign meaningful grades, even if a school or district continues to use a traditional grading system. Detailed examples brings each concept to life, and exercises help reinforce the content. The second book in the Classroom Strategies Series library, this clear, highly practical guide follows the series format, first summarizing key research and then translating it into recommendations for classroom practice.BenefitsThis comprehensive guide: Identifies three types of formative classroom assessments that should be used in a comprehensive system and explains how to design them Explains the difference between "standards-based" and "standards-referenced" systems Explains why it is usually inappropriate to use the 100-point scale in conjunction with formative assessment Describes a systematic approach to the design and use of rubrics Presents four basic approaches to tracking student progress and provides reproducible grade sheets Discusses the use of technology in tracking progress and generating reports Addresses the issue of grades for teachers using formative approaches Includes an appendix that clearly explains the concept of effect size Provides exercises to help readers assess and reinforce their understanding of the new strategies.

Part of The Classroom Strategies Series, this clear, highly practical guide follows the series format, first summarizing key research and then translating it into recommendations for classroom practice. In addition to the explanations and examples of strategies, each chapter includes helpful comprehension questions to reinforce the reader's understanding of the content to create both short- and long-term strategies for teaching and assessing 21st century skills. Presents relatable classroom stories that depict the presented strategies. Provides end-of-chapter comprehension questions to help readers assess and reinforce their understanding of the new strategies. Offers an appendix of rubrics for assessing cognitive and conative 21st century skills

This book argues that the role of teacher assessment needs to be put firmly at the forefront of the educational agenda and that assessment by teachers needs to be developed in a widespread, high quality and sustainable fashion.

This practical guide to outcomes-based assessment in student affairs is designed to help readers meet the growing demand for accountability and for demonstrating student learning. The authors offer a framework for implementing the assessment of student learning and development and pragmatic advice on the strategies most appropriate for the readers particular circumstances. Beginning with a brief history of assessment, the book explains how to effectively engage in outcomes-based assessment, presents strategies for addressing the range of challenges and barriers student affairs practitioners are likely to face, addresses institutional, divisional, and departmental collaboration, and considers future developments in the assessment of student success. One feature of the book is its use of real case studies that both illustrate current best practices in student affairs assessment that illuminate theory and provide examples of application. The cases allow the authors to demonstrate that there are several approaches to evaluating student learning and development within student affairs; illustrating how practice may vary according to institutional type, institutional culture, and available resources. The authors explain how to set goals, write outcomes, describe the range of assessment methods available, discuss criteria for evaluating outcomes-based assessment, and provide steps and questions to consider in designing the reflection and institutional assessment processes, as well as how to effectively utilize and disseminate results. Their expert knowledge, tips, and insights will enable readers to implement outcomes-based assessment in ways that best meet the needs of their own unique campus environments.

In Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work, Robert J. Marzano provides an in-depth exploration of what he calls "one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal." An effective standards-based, formative assessment program can help to dramatically enhance student achievement throughout the K-12 system, Marzano says. Drawing from his own and others' extensive research, the author provides comprehensive answers to questions such as these: * What are the characteristics of an effective assessment program? * How can educators use national and state standards documents as a basis for creating a comprehensive, topic-based assessment system? * What types of assessment items and tasks are best suited to measuring student progress in mastering information, mental procedures, and psychomotor procedures? * Why does the traditional point system used for scoring often lead to incorrect conclusions about a student's actual knowledge? * What types of scoring and final grading systems provide the most accurate portrayal of a student's progress along a continuum of learning? In addition to providing teachers with all the tools they need to create a better assessment system, Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work makes a compelling case for the potential of such a system to transform the culture of schools and districts, and to propel K-12 education to new levels of effectiveness and efficiency. (Also available as an ebook.)