
Educational Assessment:
Assessing Student
Learning in the Classroom
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Instructor Name: |
Dr. Karen Lea |
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Phone: |
509-891-7219 |
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Office Hours: |
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday |
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Email: |
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Address: |
Virtual Education Software |
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23403 E Mission Avenue, Suite 220F |
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Liberty Lake, WA 99019 |
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Technical Support: |
Introduction
Welcome
to Educational Assessment: Assessing
Student Learning in the Classroom! Curriculum, instruction, and assessment
work together to support student learning. Students are provided with
opportunities to learn the skills, concepts, and work-study practices necessary
to be successful in classrooms. Assessments measure student progress toward the
standards, help teachers identify each student's instructional needs, and
inform parents about what and how their child is learning. The assessments also
help to gauge how well schools are supporting the achievement of all students.
However,
no matter how many assessments there are, without educators able to use
assessments, those assessments are worthless. As educators, we must know how to
conduct the assessment, interpret the data, and develop priorities for action.
We also must take into account data from other
sources, notably the parents and psychologists. We then have
to put all this information into some organized format and make the
information clear to colleagues and parents.
To do this, we have to bring our skills and knowledge about the subject
matter into play while answering these questions:
·
What is the prerequisite knowledge for this area of the
curriculum?
·
How important is the particular area?
·
Would having a “less than very high” level of competence in one
area predispose the child to failure in other areas?
·
How much time should be spent on a particular topic?
·
Should we consider an alternative area?
This
computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides
instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school
computer. Technical support information can be found in the Help section of
your course.
Course Materials (Online)
|
Title: |
Educational
Assessment: Assessing Student Learning in the Classroom |
|
Publisher: |
Virtual
Education Software, inc. 2005, Revised 2010, Revised 2013, Revised 2016,
Revised 2019, Revised 2022, Revised 2026 |
|
Instructor: |
Dr. Karen Lea |
Academic Integrity Statement
The
structure and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of
personal and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework.
Individuals enrolled in a distance-learning course are expected to adhere to
the following standards of academic conduct.
Academic Work
Academic
work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests)
shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in
whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group
prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Students
are required to view/read each screen in each exercise of each chapter.
Screens, exercises and chapter content may not be skipped. Students are also
required to access and read all content in each course handout. A participant
who fails to complete the entire course in the manner intended and as outlined,
may have their grade reduced or fail the course. It is the student's
responsibility to contact the facilitator, instructor-of-record, or VESi
registrar if there is any question as to the manner in which
this course is to be completed.
Aiding Honesty in Others
The
individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing
materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials
or information will be used improperly.
Violations of these academic standards will result in the
assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit for the course.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Assessment of learning is a complex process and it is important to be clear about the purpose of
the assessment. At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:
·
Articulate the purpose and types of educational assessments
·
Create high quality assessments for the classroom
Course Description
This
course will cover many areas and topics on educational assessment. The
following is an outline of the topics that will be discussed in each chapter of
the course.
Chapter
1: Overview
Course
Overview
History
of education assessment
What
is educational assessment
Discrepancy
gap
Effective
assessments
Validity/Reliability/Accuracy
Common
Core and assessments
ELL
and Special Needs Students
Chapter
2: Formative vs. Summative
Summative
assessments
Formative
assessments
Chapter
3: Types of Formative Assessments
Performance-based
Portfolios
Rubrics
Checklists
Learning
centers
Other
types
Chapter
4: Feedback & Writing Questions
Multiple
Choice
True/False
Essay
Short
Answer
Feedback
As
a student you will be expected to:
·
Students are required to view/read each screen in each exercise
of each chapter. Screens, exercises and chapter content may not be
skipped. Students are also required to access and read all content in each
course handout.
·
Complete all four section examinations, showing a
competent understanding of the material presented. You must obtain an overall
score of 70% or higher, with no
individual exam score below 50% to
pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by
college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to
determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
·
Complete a review of any
section on which your examination score was below 50%.
·
Retake any examination,
after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a
minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a
minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum
exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you
should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score
requirements are.
·
Complete a course
evaluation form at the end of the course.
At the end of each section, you will be
expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may
take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the highest score. After your third attempt, each
examination will lock and not allow further access. The average from your exam
scores will be printed on your certificate. As this is a self-paced computerized
instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary.
You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all
questions. If you try to exit the exam section before you complete all
questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the
entire exam in one sitting.
Instructor Description
Karen
Lea holds a Ph.D. in education, has TEFL certification, and has been Project
Management Professional certified. Dr. Lea has 15 years’ experience teaching at
the K–12 level and another 17 years’ experience teaching education and
leadership courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She has
decades of experience developing online course content and assessment and
teaching online. Dr. Lea has been professionally published over 15times and has
served on more than a dozen panels and boards, including serving on the NCATE
(CAEP) Board of Examiners.
Contacting the Instructor
You
may contact the instructor by emailing karen_lea@virtualeduc.com or by calling 509-891-7219, Monday
through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST. Phone messages will be answered
within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student,
per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not
contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other
issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If
you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course, please
try everything twice. If the problem persists please
check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also
the Help section of your course.
If
you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com or call 509-891-7219. When
contacting technical support, please know your course
version number (it is located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen)
and your operating system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time
of your call.
Minimum Computer Requirements
Please
refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further
questions about the compatibility of your operating system.
Refer to the addendum
regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be
Submitted, and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also
note any additional course assignments that you may be required to complete
that are not listed in this syllabus.
Bibliography (Suggested Reading)
Carnegie Mellon
University, Eberly Center. (n.d.a). What is the
difference between formative and summative assessment? https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html
Carnegie
Mellon University, Eberly Center. (n.d.b). Why should assessments, learning objectives, and
instructional strategies be aligned? https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html
Carvalho,
B. (2020, May 4). What is a portfolio for the classroom? https://spacesedu.com/en/what-is-a-portfolio-for-the-classroom/
Collins,
J. (2021, April 19). DIY guide to writing good multiple-choice questions.
https://thereadingroom.mrionline.com/2021/04/diy-guide-to-writing-good-multiple-choice-questions/
Collier,
K. (2025, July 10). Empowering students through effective feedback. https://www.edutopia.org/article/effective-feedback-strategies-elementary-students/
Common
Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.a). Frequently
asked questions. https://www.thecorestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/
Common
Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.b). Myths vs.
facts. https://www.thecorestandards.org/about-the-standards/myths-vs-facts/
Conley,
D. T. (2014, October). A new era for educational assessment. Students at
the Center: Deeper Learning Research Series. Jobs for
the Future. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED559683.pdf
Dame,
B., & Lea, K. (2020, May 29). Using universal design to create better
assessments. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-universal-design-create-better-assessments
Deubel,
P. (2022). Standardized test preparation and tips for success. Computing
Technology for Math Excellence. http://www.ct4me.net/standardized_test_preparation.htm
Dyer,
K., & Rodriguez, M. (2026). 75 digital tools and apps teachers can use
to support formative assessment in the classroom. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2024/75-digital-tools-apps-teachers-use-to-support-classroom-formative-assessment/
EduNova. (n.d.) True/False tests. https://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40594-019-0169-0
Georgia
Association of Educators. (2024). Code of ethics for educators. https://www.gapsc.com/Ethics/CodeOfEthics.aspx
Huynh,
T. (2023). Making assessments more equitable for multilingual
learners. https://www.edutopia.org/article/making-assessments-equitable-multilingual-students/
IRIS
Center for Training Enhancements. (2004). Classroom
assessment (part 1): An introduction to monitoring academic achievement
in the classroom. http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/gpm/
Kansas State
University. (2015). Is this a trick question? http://www.k-state.edu/ksde/alp/resources/Handout-Module6.pdf
Lewis, L. (2025).
24 formative assessment examples to add to daily lessons. https://www.formative.com/read/formative-assessment-examples
Luke, S. D.,
Schwartz, A. (2007). Assessment & accommodations. https://dev.successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Assessment-Accommodations-NICYC.pdf
Marco
Learning. (2025). Importance of validity and reliability in classroom
assessments. https://marcolearning.com/the-two-keys-to-quality-testing-reliability-and-validity/
National
Foundation for Educational Research. (n.d.). Assessment. https://www.nfer.ac.uk/key-topics-expertise/assessment/
New
York State Education Department. (2025). 2025 grades 3–8 ELA, math, and science
test manuals. https://www.nysed.gov/state-assessment/archive-2025-grades-3-8-ela-math-and-science-test-manuals
Noel,
W. (2024). Formative vs. summative assessment: 7 differences to know. https://www.formative.com/read/formative-vs-summative?_rid=jrge5s
Orr,
R., Csikari, M. M., Freeman, S., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2022). Writing and
using learning objectives. https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.22-04-0073
Pappas,
C. (2025). 10 best practices for writing multiple choice questions in elearning. https://elearningindustry.com/best-practices-writing-multiple-choice-questions-elearning
Polat,
M. (2020). Analysis of multiple-choice versus open-ended questions in language
tests according to different cognitive domain levels. Novitas-ROYAL,
14(2), 76–96. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1272114.pdf
Resilient
Educator. (2020). Summative assessment: What teachers need to know. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/summative-assessment-what-teachers-need-to-know/
Sideris,
C. (2025). A guide to different types of assessment questions. https://agolix.com/blog/a-guide-to-different-types-of-assessment-questions/
Sood,
A. (2025). How to choose the right assessment questions. https://learnexperts.ai/blog/choose-right-assessment-questions/
Sparks,
S. D. (2018). Getting feedback right: A Q&A with John Hattie. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/06/20/getting-feedback-right-a-qa-with-john.html
Strauss,
V. (2021, April 5). Why the Common Core standards failed—And what it means
for school reform. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/04/05/common-core-failed-school-reform/
Sunburst
Digital Learning. (2022). The rise of online testing: how better
typing could improve test scores. https://www.typetolearn.app/news-and-articles/online-testing-teaching-typing-could-improve-test-scores/
TEAL
Center. (2012) Metacognitive processes.
American Institutes for Research. https://lincs.ed.gov/state-resources/federal-initiatives/teal/guide/metacognitive#:~:text=4%3AMetacognitiveProcesses,-FacebookLinkedInTwitter&text=Metacognitionisone'sabilityto,modifyone'sapproachasneeded.
The
Core Collaborative Learning Lab. (2025). Empowering students through growth
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Thomas,
A. (2025). the cost of standardized testing: How a single metric is failing
our students. https://circeinstitute.org/blog/the-cost-of-standardized-testing-how-a-single-metric-is-failing-our-students/
Ujifusa, A. (2021). Map: Tracking the common core state
standards. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-states-academic-standards-common-core-or.html
UNESCO.
(n.d.). Assessment for improved learning outcomes. https://www.unesco.org/en/learning-assessments
Warner,
M. (2025). Building student ownership through portfolios and
student-led conferences. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2025/building-student-ownership-through-portfolios-and-student-led-conferences/
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A. (2021, November 23). Learning gaps: Types, examples, and tips to solve
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Wisniewski,
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Course
content is updated every three years. Due to this update timeline, some URL
links may no longer be active or may have changed. Please type the title of the
organization into the command line of any Internet browser search window and
you will be able to find whether the URL link is still active or any new link
to the corresponding organization’s web home page.
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