Designing and Aligning Assessments

1. This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Geosciences (GEO) under grant DUE - 1125331
Designing and Aligning
Assessments
David Steer
The University of Akron
InTeGrate Assessment Team Leader

2. Webinar goals
• Know what we mean by “summative
assessment” in the context of InTeGrate
• Design an aligned summative assessment
strategy by …
– deconstructing a goal into critical elements
– linking critical elements to cognitive levels
– matching elements to summative assessments
– selecting appropriate type of scoring rubric

3. Types of Assessment• Diagnostic
– Purpose to determine current state of learning (Pre-
tests/surveys/self assessments)
• Formative
– Purpose to monitor student learning
– Immediate feedback
– Low Stakes
• Summative
– Purpose to evaluate learning
• Measured against a benchmark or standard
• High stakes (graded)
• Appropriate for cognitive level

4. Why Summative Assessments
• Measure progress toward meeting course/unit
goals: Linked to InTeGrate Guiding Principles
– Higher Level Blooms
– Administered at end of course/unit
– Used by all developers testing curriculum
– Have grading (and student) rubrics
– Can have multiple components
Student responses from these assessments will be
provided to InTeGrate to document learning

5. InTeGrate Guiding Principles
• Connect geoscience to grand challenges facing society
• Develop students' ability to address interdisciplinary
problems
• Improve student understanding of the nature and
methods of geoscience and developing geo-scientific
habits of mind
• Make use of authentic and credible geoscience data
• Foster systems thinking

6. Designing Summative Assessments
• Consider the goal being assessed
– What are the critical elements of that goal?
• Probably linked to your learning objectives
The handout shows a data-related goal from
your curriculum.
Find your goal. If your group has not developed
goals, select one related to your curriculum.
List the critical elements students should know
and be able to do that are related to that goal.
Type the first item on your list in the chat box

7. Designing Summative Assessments
• Consider the goal being
assessed
– What constitutes learning for
each element?
• Based on cognitive levels addressed
Analyze the last five elements we just
wrote down.
List the level of Bloom’s addressed by
those elements.
Now do the same with your own list

8. Designing Summative Assessments
• Consider the goal being
assessed
– How is each element best
assessed?
• Essays
• Lab Report
• Writing Assignment
• Project or Performance
• Concept Map
• Exam question(s)
See examples here: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/assess/types.html
Let’s analyze the
highest-level Blooms
element on our list.
How might we assess
that element? Make
your own list.
Type the first item on
your list in the chat box

9. Designing Summative Assessments
• Consider the goal being
assessed
– Develop rubrics
• Holistic: set of descriptions
used to assign a score to the
whole
• Analytic: Set of components
that are independently
evaluated (sum for score)
See examples at: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/assess/rubrics.html
Consider the assessment you
just chose.
What type of rubric is most
appropriate and how would you
assign scores?

10. This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Geosciences (GEO) under grant DUE - 1125331
Designing and Aligning
Assessments
We have time for discussion
and/or questions