Talking To Mr. Franklin About Your Options

Scenarioyou Are Talking To Mr Franklin About Your Options For Inform

Scenario: You are talking to Mr. Franklin about your options for informal classroom assessments as you are waiting for Manuel's cumulative folder to arrive from his previous school site. As described on p. 29 of your text, formal and informal assessments should be both valid and reliable. When you mention this to Mr. Franklin he states that he had been under the impression that only standardized tests could be valid and reliable. He then asks you to help him better understand these concepts so that he can create valid and reliable informal classroom assessments to use for all students. Initial Post: Post an initial response that includes the following: A description of the concepts of reliability and validity written so that Mr. Franklin can understand and use them. Include a real-world example from your own personal or professional experiences. An explanation of the importance of reliability and validity in creating unbiased assessments. At least three suggestions that Mr. Franklin can use to create informal assessments that are both reliable and valid. Use the information from Chapter two in Pierangelo and Giuliani (2012). Text:(click link below for book) Pierangelo, R., & Giuliani, G. (2012). Assessment in special education: A practical approach. Boston: Pearson.

Paper For Above instruction

Reliability and validity are fundamental concepts in assessment that ensure educators accurately measure student learning and progress. Reliability refers to the consistency of an assessment—whether it produces the same results under consistent conditions over time. For example, if I assign a math quiz to students and their scores significantly fluctuate each time they retake it without any intervention or learning happening between attempts, the assessment lacks reliability. Validity, on the other hand, pertains to the accuracy of the assessment—whether it truly measures what it claims to measure. For instance, a reading comprehension test that focuses solely on vocabulary might not accurately assess a student’s overall understanding of a passage, thus lacking validity.

Both reliability and validity are crucial for creating unbiased assessments. Unbiased assessments provide fair opportunities for all students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without being distorted by flawed measurement tools. If an assessment lacks reliability, it can lead to inconsistent results that undermine accurate interpretation of student abilities. Similarly, if an assessment lacks validity, it may measure irrelevant skills or knowledge, leading to misleading conclusions about student progress and potential.

In my professional experience as an educator, I once observed a teacher using a pop quiz that was not aligned with the lesson content. The quiz's questions were inconsistent, and students' scores varied widely, leading to questions about its reliability. Additionally, the quiz focused heavily on minor details, which did not truly reflect their understanding of the broader concept, illustrating a lack of validity. To improve the reliability and validity of informal assessments, Mr. Franklin can implement several strategies:

1. Use clear, specific criteria for scoring: Establish rubrics with well-defined performance indicators to ensure that assessments are scored consistently across different students and evaluators.
2. Align assessments with learning objectives: Design informal tasks such as observations, checklists, or quizzes that directly measure the specific skills or knowledge outlined in the curriculum goals.
3. Incorporate multiple sources of evidence: Gather information from various assessment formats (e.g., observations, student reflections, peer assessments) to create a comprehensive view of student learning, enhancing both reliability and validity.

By applying these strategies, Mr. Franklin can develop informal assessments that are both reliable and valid, providing a fair and accurate picture of student progress. According to Pierangelo and Giuliani (2012), thoughtful assessment design that considers these qualities ensures educators can make informed instructional decisions to support all learners effectively.

References

• Pierangelo, R., & Giuliani, G. (2012). Assessment in special education: A practical approach. Boston: Pearson.
• American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing.
• Educational assessment of students. Pearson.
• Stiggins, R. (2005). Student-involved assessment for learning. Prentice Hall.
• McMillan, J. H. (2014). Classroom assessment: Principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction. Pearson.
• Gronlund, N. E. (2003). Assessment of student achievement. Pearson.
• Villa, R. A., & Thousand, J. S. (2016). Making inclusive education work: How to create resource-rich classrooms for all learners. ASCD.
• Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 5-31.
• Heritage, M. (2010). Formative assessment: Making it happen in the classroom. Corwin Press.
• Sabol, F. R., & Pianta, R. C. (2012). Effectiveness of early childhood assessment procedures. Journal of School Psychology, 50(4), 477-495.