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What is Assessment?
What is Assessment?
Assessment is the systematic process and product of collecting, aggregating, interpreting, reporting, and communicating information about a learner’s progress and achievement of the intended learning outcomes (AERA, APA & NCME, 2014).
At SLC, several policies guide our assessment practices. These policies include, but are not limited to the following: Academic Assessment, Attendance and Participation, Academic Integrity, Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom, Academic Accommodations, Academic Appeals, and LMS Administrative Standards.
We strongly encourage you to visit SLC.me > Resources > College Policy Centre to (re)familiarize yourself with these policies as you design new/renew your assessments.
Assessment Strategies
Assessment Strategies
In support of a comprehensive approach to assessment, a minimum of three different assessment strategies are implemented for each course (Academic Assessment Policy). Across our Schools and Programs, educators are using a variety of traditional and authentic assessment strategies to gather evidence of learning processes, progress, and learners’ achievement.
Learners earn a passing grade in a course by demonstrating achievement of the learning outcomes to the required standard, as explicitly stated in the course outline. Course Outlines communicate the recommended Assessment Strategies to be used in each course, which have constructive alignment with the Course and Program/Vocational Learning Outcomes.
Before designing your Assessment Plan (part of your Learning Plan), please review the following resources.
Assessment Task Design
Assessment Task Design
Assessment tasks are the instructions we provide students to have them show their knowledge and skills under specified conditions. For example, it’s important to specify the extent to which Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are permissible resources and how their use should be transparently acknowledged and cited.
Teaching Spotlight
Teaching Spotlight
Jody Souka-Marleau, Professor, Social Service Worker - Cornwall
"When teaching, I encourage students to retrieve information (As highlighted in James M. Lang's book, Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning). At the beginning of each class I use an opening question that could be used in person and on-line. A simple question such as, before we move on, can anyone tell me some of the core themes learned last class? This is the warm-up.
In addition, I use closing questions (Reflections) that are prepared ahead of time and handed out or posted in the chat, which the students answer and submit at the end of class. This helps the students extrapolate key points/themes."
Assessment Tools (Rubrics, Marking Schemes, & Scoring Guides)
Assessment Tools (Rubrics, Marking Schemes, & Scoring Guides)
Assessment tools are the instruments used to make evaluative decisions about students’ achievement of the identified Learning Outcomes as inferred through student performance on assessment tasks. Commonly used assessment tools include rubrics and marking schemes/scoring guides.
Rubrics are qualitative grading tools that guide faculty in making more accurate and consistent professional judgements about the quality of student performance (i.e., how well a student performs a specified task). The rubric specifies what criteria/learning outcomes are being evaluated through the expected task, the developmental levels of achievement, and clear descriptors (observable evidence/indicators) of performance to assist students in understanding the performance expectations for an assignment. Rubrics are task specific. There are different types of rubrics, including analytic rubrics, single-point rubrics or checklists, and holistic rubrics.
Marking schemes/scoring guides are quantitative tools that indicate the point(s) allotted for each item/question or sub-task, such that values per item can sum to obtain a composite score for the entire assessment. Scoring guides would include the points possible for a constructed response question and the points breakdown for the expected components of a response. The educator would grade the assessment using an answer key and/or exemplar responses.
Feedback Strategies
Feedback Strategies
Feedback is the process by which learners are given and receive information that is used to improve their work and learning strategies. The following resources support the provision of high-quality, constructive feedback that is timely, criterion-referenced, anchored in observable evidence, and encouraging of next steps for improvement. When constructed well, feedback helps learners to close the gap between current and desired performance and celebrates achievement.
Assessment Task & Tool Exemplars
Assessment Task & Tool Exemplars
Recommended Resources
Recommended Resources
As a resource to support your assessment practices, the SCL Library team has curated a library guide of Open Educational Resources. We recommend that you bookmark this page for ongoing reference. Please note that you must be logged in with your SLC credentials to access our library resources online.
Recommended Standards of Practice
Recommended Standards of Practice
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (2014). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. https://www.testingstandards.net/uploads/7/6/6/4/76643089/standards_2014edition.pdf
The Joint Advisory Committee. (1993). Principles for Fair Student Assessment Practices for Education in Canada. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/pdfs/assessment/fairstudent.pdf
Klinger, D. A., McDivitt, P. R., Howard, B. B., Munoz, M. A., Rogers, W. T., & Wylie, E. C. (2015). The Classroom Assessment Standards for PreK-12 Teachers. https://evaluationstandards.org/classroom/
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools. Ontario Ministry of Education. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf
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