14006 Alternatives in Assessment

Credits: 4 graduate credits in Education / Learning Systems or in Educational Administration, Policy and Leadership

Prerequisites for Education: Technologies and Learning Systems: Research Methods in Education, Curriculum Development and Implementation, Theories of Learning and Instruction, Evaluation in Education: Theory and Practice

Prerequisites for Educational Administration: Research Methods in Education, Theories of Learning and Instruction, Evaluation in Education: Theory and Practice

Prerequisites for Certificate Studies Program in School Assessment and Measurement: Research Methods in Education, Evaluation in Education: Theory and Practice

The course is based on Alternatives in Assessment of Achievement, by M. Birenbaum (Ramot, 1997, in Hebrew); on two readers (in Hebrew and English) edited by Tiki Zohar; and on materials on the course website.

Objectives: To acquaint students with theoretical and practical aspects of assessment of achievement; To familiarize students with various assessment alternatives and provide an understanding of the psychological and educational concepts on which they are based; To understand the rationale underlying the call to integrate quantitative and qualitative assessment, and the value and practical implications of this approach; To acquaint students with the various options available to match the type of assessment with its goals, taking into account the purpose of the assessment and the characteristics of the learner and of the learning environment; To analyze and evaluate assessment projects in Israel and throughout the world; To develop awareness of the professional and ethical considerations relating to assessment and encourage sensitivity and responsibility toward these issues; To critically analyze attitudes toward various kinds of performance-based assessment; To acquire experience in planning and implementing assessment tools; To shape a professional and value-based outlook of assessment in general and alternative assessment in particular.

Topics: Assessment – general introduction and background; Theoretical basis – the essence of alternative assessment, its foundations, nature and logic; Assessment goals as they relate to kinds of assessment – What is the purpose of the assessment and who are the stakeholders?, What and how do pupils learn?; Tools of assessment; Design, development and implementation of assessment tools; Assessing the assessment and bias factors; Unresolved assessment issues.