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UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
EPSE 310 – 2014
Assessment Vignettes
Task
This multi-step task involves writing, reflection and analysis of vignettes (short cases). Write one vignette about a positive assessment experience, and another about a negative assessment experience. With support from a peer and the instructor, you will identify and discuss the assessment purpose and quality issues in your vignettes. This is the first of three learning/assessment tasks for EPSE 310A.
Purpose
The main purpose of this task is to help you identify and reflect on your personal experiences with classroom assessment. Research on developing educators’ assessment literacy suggests that we should begin by making the experiences, knowledge, and values that inform our working philosophies explicit (Black, Harrison, Hodgen, Marshall, & Serret, 2010; McMillan, 2003; Whittington, 1999). The analysis will help you “unpack” your assessment experiences, which will also generate discussion and support learning in class.
Learning Outcomes
- Writing about your assessment experiences will help you in the process of becoming a reflective teacher LO1.
- Providing feedback to a peer and discussing how others have experienced assessment will help you in the process of becoming a receptive teacher LO2.
- Analyzing assessment vignettes will contribute to your demonstration of knowledge about the purposes and principles of classroom assessment LO3.
Procedure
- You will begin by jotting down in class the most positive memory you have of an assessment. Small group discussion will focus initially on the purposes of assessment in teacher candidates’ vignettes. You will then elaborate on and edit your vignette (apx. 150 to 250 words).
- You will write a second vignette about a negative experience and repeat the same process.
- After reading Chapter 3 of the textbook (McMillan, Hellsten & Klinger, 2011) and discussing assessment quality in class, you will choose one of your two vignettes for analysis. You will answer the following two questions in writing for one vignette:
- What was the primary purpose of the assessment?
– To answer this question it is often helpful to identify when the assessment took place.
– See Chapter 1 in McMillan et al. (2011), particularly Tables 1.1 (p.6) and 1.3 (p.17) for text support.
2. What quality issues are embedded or implied in this situation?
– To answer this question it is often helpful to think about what made the experience memorable.
– See Chapter 3 in McMillan et al. (2011), particularly Tables 3.3 (p.66), Figure 3.4 (p.72), and Figure 3.6 (p.76) for text
support. Additional sources that will be useful in this process will be identified in class.
- You will give feedback to a peer and you will receive feedback from a peer regarding the accuracy and depth of the analysis (using the attached peer assessment form) for one vignette.
- Reflect on your peer feedback and consider the evaluative criteria for the task (below) in revising your analysis. You are encouraged to seek feedback from your instructor during class time or via Dropbox before Day 4.
Mode
- Individual process of reflective writing (two vignettes)
- Small group discussions (on assessment purposes and quality issues)
- Feedback in pairs (on the analysis)
- Individual product (two vignettes, one with analysis)
Submission Format
Electronic document (MS Word compatible) that contains two written vignettes (apx.150-250 words each), your analysis of one vignette, and a copy of the assessment form a peer used to give you feedback.
Evaluative Criteria
Your analysis will be evaluated for its accuracy, depth, and rigour.
- You can demonstrate accuracy by providing specific and defensible information about the assessment purpose and quality issues in the analysis of your vignettes.
- You can demonstrate depth with genuine reflection and analysis that goes beyond a superficial or single line statement.
- You can demonstrate rigour through your use of supporting information. Use more than one source of information and include the reference. For print resources include the authors’ names, the publication date and the title. For online resources, include the organization or page title and the URL. Additional sources that you can access easily (online and on reserve in the library) will be suggested in class.
Due Dates
- Formative feedback opportunities: Days 1-4
- Summative assessment: By end of Day 4 (put in Dropbox)
It will not be possible to grant extension for learning/assessment tasks in EPSE 310 due to the short schedule.