Assessing Assessment Texts: Where Is Planning?

Teacher Subjectivity Regarding Assessment: Exploring English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment Theories that Influence Student Learning

“…Researchers state that these assessments have not been well designed and had unclear goals and methodological flaws, with the most critical flaws identified in student assessment (Santiago et al, 2012). Furthermore, a content analysis study points out that classroom assessment lacks planning, portrays a wide variation in the depth of coverage with little focus related to assessment planning, and lacks theoretical connections between assessment and instructional practices (Fives, Barnes, Dacey, & Gillis, 2016). In addition, most studies claim that teacher assessment must support learning, but several studies of lower secondary students' perceptions of teacher support have found countless opinions expressing low teacher support (Gamlem & Munthe, 2013).…”

Informed and Uninformed Naïve Assessment Constructors’ Strategies for Item Selection

“…Brookhart (2011) identified assessment-related knowledge and skills teachers need, including the ability to (a) construct and communicate learning objectives; (b) design, use, draw inferences from, and provide feedback to students on a range of assessments; (c) administer, interpret, and communicate results of external assessments; and (d) help students use assessment results to inform their decisions. Moreover, researchers have argued for the importance of planning for assessment (Fives, Barnes, Dacey, & Gillis, 2016), providing corrective feedback (Hattie & Timperley, 2007), and using formative assessment (Black & Wiliam, 2009) as strategies for improving student learning.…”

“…However, assessment is typically taught as a single course offered in one semester, which limits the number of assessment-related issues that can be explored and provides little time for preservice teachers to practice integrating assessment knowledge into their instructional practices (DeLuca & Klinger, 2010; P. Graham, 2005). Textbooks crafted to prepare teachers for classroom assessment typically include recommendations for the construction of specific types of assessments; however, there is wide variation in the depth of coverage with little focus on “how to” apply assessment principles to practice (Campbell & Collins, 2007; Fives et al, 2016). Thus, it is not surprising that preservice teachers continue to report that they feel ill-prepared in their understanding of assessment and how to use assessment to improve teaching and student performance (e.g., Campbell & Evans, 2000; Maclellan, 2004; Volante & Fazio, 2007).…”