Student Assessment and the Use of Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)

Assessment Inquiry (50 points)
Assessment comes from the Latin word assidere, which means “to sit beside.” The purpose of assessment is to “sit beside” students, and observe, evaluate, and guide their learning. To guide student learning, educators must make choices about the knowledge and skills students need, and use various strategies (i.e. tests, performance tasks, etc.) to measure student learning progress. Useful assessments allow educators to gather relevant data about student learning and use this data to improve their instruction and to promote the achievement of all learners. Given this broad view of assessment, critical questions might arise the form the basis of an assessment inquiry: What is the purpose of assessment in schools? What should be the purpose of assessment? How should students be assessed? How often should students be assessed? How should assessments be used? What knowledge and skills do we privilege on assessments? What knowledge and skills are not addressed by assessments? Who should make choices about educational assessments? What historical, philosophical, psychological, sociological, political, and economic analyses shape how educational assessments should be used? How do the core values of educators, school leaders, and education policymakers impact educational assessment? How can assessments be used to promote equity and excellence in education for all students?
For this assignment, you will explore a significant issue related to assessment by conducting an assessment inquiry. An assessment inquiry is a type of research that involves analyzing and justifying issues related to assessment that are not known or are not clearly understood. In an assessment inquiry, the researcher asks questions about assessment, and selects the appropriate research methods to answer those questions. This assignment will provide an opportunity for you to integrate assessment theory and practice. You will take a critical approach to assessment inquiry. That is, will you not just ask questions, but you will examine the current and historical context, confront the sociopolitical reality of the issue, and take action to address the issue. Each of the five sections of your assessment inquiry will be due throughout the semester. The final assessment inquiry should contain the following 5 sections: (1) Introduction, (2) Literature Review, (3), Methods, (4) Results, and (4) Discussion. You will present your assessment inquiry and submit your final paper during our last class.
1. Assessment Inquiry: Introduction (10 points) PLEASE IDENIFY AN ISSUE WITH MAP TESTING AND THEN PROCEED WITH AN OVERALL ISSUE WITH ASSESSMENTS.
a. Select an assessment – What is the assessment?
b. Identify a current “real-world” issue/problem related to the assessment – What is the assessment issue?
2. Assessment Inquiry: Literature Review (10 points)
a. Describe the historical context – How did it come to be this way?
b. Critically examine the issue in the current context – Whose interests are/are not being served by the way things are? Who might be harmed?
3. Assessment Inquiry: Methods (10 points)
a. Choose a research method to gather supportive research (e.g. Historical research, interview research, descriptive analysis, etc.) – How steps do I need to take to gather knowledge about the assessment issue?
b. Describe the steps in the research method – How can I make sure the data that I collect is reliable?
4. Assessment Inquiry: Results (10 points)
a. Gather supportive research – What knowledge do we need to help us better understand the assessment issue?
b. Describe the results of your research–What knowledge did you gain from your research?
5. Assessment: Discussion (10 points)
a. Discuss the implications – How can others use this research knowledge?
b. Take Action – What can we do to address the assessment issue?
Required Text: PLEASE USE THESE BOOKS AS WELL AS THE ATTACHED PDF’S AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO CONDUCT RESEARCH & LITERATURE REVIEW.
• Meier,D.&Knoester,M.(2017).Beyondtesting:Sevenassessmentsofstudentsandschoolsmoreeffectivethan standardized tests. New York, NY. Teacher College Press.
• Taylor, C. (2022). Culturally and socially responsible assessment: Theory, research, and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
• Willis,A.I.(2008)ReadingComprehensionResearchandTestingintheUS:UndercurrentsofRace,Class,and Power in the Struggle for Meaning. New York, NY: Routledge.