3.1 Selecting, administering, and interpreting a wide range of formal and informal assessment tools and practices ranging from individual and group standardized tests to individual and group informal classroom assessment strategies including technology
There are many types of assessments available and choosing the right one is important to obtain useable results. When selecting assessments many things must be taken into consideration including the age of the student, abilities of the students, area or subject being assessed, time for assessment, and materials needed for assessment. Some assessments are informal and cause minimal disruptions to the typical school day. Others are formal and may require more time and materials. These tests are often normed based on a sampling group, which can be useful when the purpose of assessment is to compare a student’s scores with other students of the same age or grade level. Administration of the assessment should be done as directed in the manual to ensure validity of the assessment results. It’s important for the examiner to be familiar with the assessment prior to administration in order to plan and prepare in the appropriate manner. The results must then be interpreted so they can be used by those working with the student and shared with other individuals. Guidelines must be followed during scoring procedures to obtain accurate results. Selecting, administering, and interpreting assessment tools can be a complex process, but careful attention should be given to each step. If the inappropriate assessment is given or an assessment is administered or interpreted incorrectly, then the results will not be useful.
The first artifact I’ve chosen to show my knowledge of selecting, administering, and interpreting assessments is a stixy presentation I created for a practicum that I did focusing on assessment. I selected a wide range of formal and informal assessments, administered them with a student, and interpreted the results. I’ve also included my final report for a reading miscue class. In this class I worked with a student administering a wide range of reading assessments and interpreted the results to find strengths of this student and guide instruction based on the needs of this student. The third artifact I’ve included is a critique of the WISC-III. Completing this critique was valuable for me because I took a close look at how the test was normed and the areas that the assessment focused on. In this way, I was able to look at it from a different perspective than usual when I focus on how I will administer the assessment. All of these things helped me learn about a wide range of assessments and the importance of selecting, administering, and interpreting them correctly.
There are many types of assessments available and choosing the right one is important to obtain useable results. When selecting assessments many things must be taken into consideration including the age of the student, abilities of the students, area or subject being assessed, time for assessment, and materials needed for assessment. Some assessments are informal and cause minimal disruptions to the typical school day. Others are formal and may require more time and materials. These tests are often normed based on a sampling group, which can be useful when the purpose of assessment is to compare a student’s scores with other students of the same age or grade level. Administration of the assessment should be done as directed in the manual to ensure validity of the assessment results. It’s important for the examiner to be familiar with the assessment prior to administration in order to plan and prepare in the appropriate manner. The results must then be interpreted so they can be used by those working with the student and shared with other individuals. Guidelines must be followed during scoring procedures to obtain accurate results. Selecting, administering, and interpreting assessment tools can be a complex process, but careful attention should be given to each step. If the inappropriate assessment is given or an assessment is administered or interpreted incorrectly, then the results will not be useful.
The first artifact I’ve chosen to show my knowledge of selecting, administering, and interpreting assessments is a stixy presentation I created for a practicum that I did focusing on assessment. I selected a wide range of formal and informal assessments, administered them with a student, and interpreted the results. I’ve also included my final report for a reading miscue class. In this class I worked with a student administering a wide range of reading assessments and interpreted the results to find strengths of this student and guide instruction based on the needs of this student. The third artifact I’ve included is a critique of the WISC-III. Completing this critique was valuable for me because I took a close look at how the test was normed and the areas that the assessment focused on. In this way, I was able to look at it from a different perspective than usual when I focus on how I will administer the assessment. All of these things helped me learn about a wide range of assessments and the importance of selecting, administering, and interpreting them correctly.