DI/UbD Chapter 5: Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms

Chapter five discusses how to accurately develop assessments that will be effective in a diverse classroom atmosphere. Educators must provide appropriate assessments throughout each unit in order to test students’ true understanding of subject knowledge. Teachers are faced with the difficult task of presenting material to a diverse classroom in a way that can be comprehended by all. The backward design model has proven to help teachers create appropriate assessments, but it is important that teachers have the ability to recognize student needs through their performances, and are able to adjust teaching styles for the better of the class. The GRASPS model has proven to be an effective tool when developing classroom assessment techniques. Teachers use the GRASPS technique as a guide to construct performance tasks that accurately test the information taught in class. When developing an assessment, teachers must focus on identifying the goal, role, audience, situation, purpose, and standards for success. This chapter describes three principles to follow when assessing students in the classroom. The first principle to consider is “the big picture,” teachers must assess students’ in a variety of ways over the course of a unit in order to receive accurate results of student understanding. It is far more accurate for educators to grade students on each of their assessment performances rather than on a single test (i.e. standardized tests). The second assessment principle is “matching measures with the goals.” This is saying that teachers must test students in ways to get the desired results originally stated when designing stage one. Differentiated assessments must clearly test each students; declarative knowledge: what students should be able to perform, procedural knowledge: things students should display, and student dispositions: what attitudes or habits students exhibit. Form must always follow function is the third principle. When educators begin to design assessments they must consider; “What are we assessing?” “Why are we assessing?” “For whom are the results intended for?” “How will the results be used?” Teachers must use each form of assessment to gain accurate results of student learning. The three main types of assessment are; diagnostic: a form of pre-assessment to gather information on the knowledge students possess coming into a class, formative: in class assessments testing specific understandings during instruction, and lastly summative: comprehensive assessments that display a students true understanding in all six facets describe by the author. These six facets of understanding state that students’ will be able to; explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, display empathy, and have self-knowledge. This chapter ends by discussing the importance of being a responsive teacher that provides feedback to all students. When teachers continually provide feed back on a student’s progress in class it keeps them on tract and motivated. Feedback should be provided early, often and in various ways to keep students engaged. When teachers provide students with feedback it promotes the idea of self-reflection. Students who are able to reflect on their performances usually are able to get over areas they struggle with. One of the most important abilities teachers must have is being able to learn from the results their students display on assessments. Teachers must always strive to provide differentiation to their students, and adjust teaching procedures as needed.

This chapter echo’s the others by saying that assessments must be differentiated for maximum student learning. Assessment techniques are just as, if not more important then all other aspects of the backward design model. If a teacher creates a great unit full of extremely intriguing lessons but assesses students on information they were never taught, then it doesn’t matter how good the unit was designed. Results gained from well planned assessments provide teachers with more than a grade for students’, it also lets the teacher know how well they are presenting information and ideas to the class. Effective teacher must develop the ability to learn from all students performances. The topic of assessment has become controversial in over the past ten years. The governments, “No Child Left Behind Act” is forcing teachers to gage their curriculum toward the knowledge required for standardized tests. With the continuing demand of standardized testing, teachers must develop methods to stimulate self-reflection by students. Although teachers are always there to guide, students themselves can be their best teachers.