A Case Study of Assessment in a High School Classroom: The Impact of Changes in Assessment on Cur... more A Case Study of Assessment in a High School Classroom: The Impact of Changes in Assessment on Curriculum, Instruction, Teachers, and Students This study examined the impact of changes in assessment on curriculum, instruction, teachers, and students. The study describes the complex, developmental process by which a particular course, teachers, and a class evolved, articulated goals and standards, and assessed their learning. My coteacher and I used a variety of assessments: conferences, peer review, reflections, portfolios, group projects, and presentations in addition to traditional tests and quizzes. The methodology was a qualitative study by a teacher /researcher in a high school Humanities class. My findings were that new theories about knowledge and its acquisition necessitate changes in our practice. 1) An integral part of this change is the need to shift assessment toward coaching and feedback and away from ranking and grading. 2) Students and teachers need to openly converse and grapple with ideas to assess their learning and to solve problems with a variety of solutions. 3) Assessment must be ongoing for both teachers and students. A variety of standards including the Massachusetts' Curriculum Frameworks were used to help my co-teacher and me to assess the course. My recommendations are that further research is necessary to study the impact of change on students and teachers. CHAPTER I The Context of the Study This study describes the evolution of an interdiscipHnary course and its curriculum; it looks at the complex process by which a particular course, teachers, and a class collaboratively evolved standards and goals. As a teacher/researcher I assessed a Humanities class from within and without. I discovered that setting high standards and goals must be an ongoing, collaborative process of assessment. Daily we monitored and adjusted our curriculum and instruction to the needs of the students to provide a positive environment for growth. In a complex developmental process, my co-teacher and I collaborated as we tried new assessment methods. We evolved our assessments from paper and pencil tests of skills and knowledge to authentic assessment methods including portfolio/timelines, puppet shows, and conferences. As co-teachers we realized that to evaluate complex thinking, and student competencies, instead of skills and facts alone, required us to fine-tune our judgment and develop a common language both with one another and with our students. In this environment, the students were affected positively when they saw their efforts, not their ability or talent, had a direct bearing on their achievement. This study is divided into three major parts:
A Case Study of Assessment in a High School Classroom: The Impact of Changes in Assessment on Cur... more A Case Study of Assessment in a High School Classroom: The Impact of Changes in Assessment on Curriculum, Instruction, Teachers, and Students This study examined the impact of changes in assessment on curriculum, instruction, teachers, and students. The study describes the complex, developmental process by which a particular course, teachers, and a class evolved, articulated goals and standards, and assessed their learning. My coteacher and I used a variety of assessments: conferences, peer review, reflections, portfolios, group projects, and presentations in addition to traditional tests and quizzes. The methodology was a qualitative study by a teacher /researcher in a high school Humanities class. My findings were that new theories about knowledge and its acquisition necessitate changes in our practice. 1) An integral part of this change is the need to shift assessment toward coaching and feedback and away from ranking and grading. 2) Students and teachers need to openly converse and grapple with ideas to assess their learning and to solve problems with a variety of solutions. 3) Assessment must be ongoing for both teachers and students. A variety of standards including the Massachusetts' Curriculum Frameworks were used to help my co-teacher and me to assess the course. My recommendations are that further research is necessary to study the impact of change on students and teachers. CHAPTER I The Context of the Study This study describes the evolution of an interdiscipHnary course and its curriculum; it looks at the complex process by which a particular course, teachers, and a class collaboratively evolved standards and goals. As a teacher/researcher I assessed a Humanities class from within and without. I discovered that setting high standards and goals must be an ongoing, collaborative process of assessment. Daily we monitored and adjusted our curriculum and instruction to the needs of the students to provide a positive environment for growth. In a complex developmental process, my co-teacher and I collaborated as we tried new assessment methods. We evolved our assessments from paper and pencil tests of skills and knowledge to authentic assessment methods including portfolio/timelines, puppet shows, and conferences. As co-teachers we realized that to evaluate complex thinking, and student competencies, instead of skills and facts alone, required us to fine-tune our judgment and develop a common language both with one another and with our students. In this environment, the students were affected positively when they saw their efforts, not their ability or talent, had a direct bearing on their achievement. This study is divided into three major parts:
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