Week 10 Technology Based Assessments
An essential question to consider: How do technology-based assessments contrast with paper-based assessments? What are the issues that you can encounter with technology-based assessments? What are the benefits of technology-based assessments?
Assessment via technology can be a strong area of debate as there are many times concerns about validity, reliability, and even rigor. Your text presents ePortfolios as one way to address those issues. What are some other ways that technology can be used to enhance assessment experiences for students? What are the areas of concern?
One of the first objections to technology based assessment is that the modality of the assessment makes the assumption that all students are equally adept with technology and/or all students are equally interested in a technology based implementation.
I know that in rural Alaska AND in the lower 48, kids come to school with very different levels of sophistication with regards to their use of technology. That aside. Most of my experience with technology based assessments is with the Measures of Academic Progress through NWEA. This is a measure that we have been using in Dillingham City Schools for about 7 years. It is meant to be a comprehensive assessment of reading, language use and mathematics. It is an adaptive test, meaning that the test adapts as students enter answers and either pitches a high level question or lower level. As with may of these tests the assessment attempts to measure more than one thing with each question. One of the biggest problems with this test is that the measurement of error is larger than the grade level bands that it purports to assign based on the results.
Another problem with these kinds of tests is that they give us a snapshot in time rather than any meaningful ideas about growth. On the other hand, these tests CAN give some decent information about how students in one district are doing in comparison to others of their age range.
As for the electronic portfolio, we have tried implementing something like this in the past. At present we are just using a paper portfolio. However, this is more of a one year project than a true portfolio that grows over time. For some kids I think the portfolio is a really good and meaningful tool. Mostly this is for kids who have a fairly grounded idea of what it is they want to do after high school. For those who are still searching, it can be a useful tool for exploring possibilities, but these kids are far less likely to actually follow the plans they have made.
As for assessment tools for performance, the one I am presently working with is Labster. this is a program that allows students to do virtual science labs on their computers. I have JUST started using it but I think it shows some promise in allowing my students to access the kinds of labs that are just impossible in my classroom.
One of the first objections to technology based assessment is that the modality of the assessment makes the assumption that all students are equally adept with technology and/or all students are equally interested in a technology based implementation.
I know that in rural Alaska AND in the lower 48, kids come to school with very different levels of sophistication with regards to their use of technology. That aside. Most of my experience with technology based assessments is with the Measures of Academic Progress through NWEA. This is a measure that we have been using in Dillingham City Schools for about 7 years. It is meant to be a comprehensive assessment of reading, language use and mathematics. It is an adaptive test, meaning that the test adapts as students enter answers and either pitches a high level question or lower level. As with may of these tests the assessment attempts to measure more than one thing with each question. One of the biggest problems with this test is that the measurement of error is larger than the grade level bands that it purports to assign based on the results.
Another problem with these kinds of tests is that they give us a snapshot in time rather than any meaningful ideas about growth. On the other hand, these tests CAN give some decent information about how students in one district are doing in comparison to others of their age range.
As for the electronic portfolio, we have tried implementing something like this in the past. At present we are just using a paper portfolio. However, this is more of a one year project than a true portfolio that grows over time. For some kids I think the portfolio is a really good and meaningful tool. Mostly this is for kids who have a fairly grounded idea of what it is they want to do after high school. For those who are still searching, it can be a useful tool for exploring possibilities, but these kids are far less likely to actually follow the plans they have made.
As for assessment tools for performance, the one I am presently working with is Labster. this is a program that allows students to do virtual science labs on their computers. I have JUST started using it but I think it shows some promise in allowing my students to access the kinds of labs that are just impossible in my classroom.
Howland, J. L., & Jonassen, D. & Marra, R. M. (2012). Assessing Meaningful Learning and Teaching with Technology. In Meaningful Learning with Technology (233-271). Boston: Pearson.
Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.nwea.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIis_-6Y2c1wIVApF-Ch1TyA_qEAAYASAAEgImFfD_BwE
I am curious on MAPS and its success so thank you for sharing! Also appreciate when you said,
ReplyDelete"Another problem with these kinds of tests is that they give us a snapshot in time rather than any meaningful ideas about growth. "
So what might be the answer to this predicament?
Your concerns are valid.
ReplyDeleteI am of the mindset that technology-based test tools such as MAP should be used in a diagnostic or formative assessment role, not in a summative sense if at all possible. Technology could/should certainly be used in the construction of the performance piece however.
Would like to hear more about Labster as you move through it. I didn't see any demos available on their site unfortunately, just some screenshots.