Project Prospectus
How can students take ownership of their grades in school and view it as more than just a number or a letter? How does the use of criterion-referenced assessment, such as ELOs, affect student learning? How do techniques such as student self-assessment and student-created rubrics affect student learning?
For my inquiry project, I will be looking into how teachers can maximize the effectiveness of assessment to help students make the most of their own learning, with a potential focus on the use of criterion-referenced assessment.
Assessment is something that students are just accustomed to receiving. Even in grade eight, students are keenly aware that receiving a number is the traditional form of assessment in secondary school. At my practicum school, some grade eight and nine English teachers have started using Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) as a guideline for student assessment. Percentage grades are still given for assignments and are shown on report cards, but students are made aware of what skills they are being graded on. The ELOs also assist teachers in creating appropriate tasks for students by ensuring that activities and projects must fall under one of the categories from the ELOs. Students must pass all ELOs in order to pass grade 8. Because this is only the second semester ELOs have been used at my practicum school, I’m interested in researching the effect of criterion-referenced assessment in the classrooms (especially English). A copy of the English 8 ELOs have been attached below.
This project will involve researching academic sources related to the the theory, implementation and outcomes of criterion-referenced forms of assessment and its effectiveness in classrooms, as well as some personal feedback from teachers using this assessment strategy. I expect to conclude that the use of criterion-referenced forms of assessment has a positive influence in the classroom and on student learning. Hopefully, a greater understanding of ELOs will be developed and will lead to better utilization of assessment in my own classroom.
Bibliography:
Davis, Andrew. “Criterion-referenced Assessment and the Development of Knowledge and Understanding.” Journal of Philosophy of Education 29.1 (1995): 3-21. Web.
Hay, Peter J., & Doune Macdonald. “(Mis)appropriations of criteria and standards-referenced assessment in a performance-based subject.” Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 15.2 (2008): 153-168. Web.
Hudson, Thom. “Trends in Assessment Scales and Criterion-Referenced Language Assessment.” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 25 (2005): 205-227. Web.
Jewels, Tony, Marilyn Ford & Wendy Jones. “What Exactly Do You Want Me to Do? Analysis of a Criterion Referenced Assessment Project.” Journal of Information Technology Education 6 (2007): 1-16. Web.
Vasasova, Zlata. “The Influence of Criterion-Referenced Assessment on Students’ Attitudes towards Education.” The New Educational Review 20.1 (2010): 261-274. Web.
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