EDC 698 Innovative Testing Tools

In the age of accountability, assessment is the key element in any restructuring of the educational system and is the primary focus for both individual school achievement and improvement. This course will deal directly with the issue of integrating instruction with assessment or what has been popularly referred to as teaching to the test. The paradigm featuring assessment of learning will be flipped over to reveal assessment for learning. The focus will be on creating the skills necessary to make classroom exercises and activities so compelling and powerful that the two separate fields of instruction and assessment will merge into a single domain. Teachers will begin instructional planning with the end (assessment) in mind by identifying the desired results and competency targets as related to their specific subject and grade level. Teachers will address how evidence is gathered through a variety of formal and informal assessments to effectively gauge student performance. Related issues such as classroom management, motivation and test anxiety will be addressed. Alternative methods of assessment will be introduced and incorporated into practical and classroom-friendly activities. (3 credits)