4.4 Content Assessments

4.4 Content Assessments: Formal assessments used by teacher (if available) were consistent with content objectives (homework, lab sheets, tests, quizzes, etc.).

A formal assessment is interpreted as any work by the student that the teacher either collects for later evaluation or checks for correctness during the class period. Formal assessments can include homework assignments, group assignments, lab sheets, tests, quizzes, and worksheets, as well as teacher rubrics for student presentations, papers, or projects. This indicator measures how well the formal assessments are aligned with the objectives of the instruction. The degree to which the content is covered, in what depth, and with what emphases should all be considered when evaluating the quality of the formal assessments.

An NA should be chosen in the case where the teacher uses no formal assessments during the lesson.

General Rubric

1. This item should be rated a 1 if there was a formal assessment during the lesson, but this formal assessment was highly inappropriate and not matched with the content objectives.
   
    
2. This item should be rated a 2 if there was a formal assessment during the lesson, but the assessment was poorly designed or not entirely consistent with content objectives.
   
    
3. This item should be rated a 3 if there was a formal assessment during the lesson, and this formal assessment was generally appropriate and matched with content objectives.
   
    
4. This item should be rated a 4 if there was a formal assessment during the lesson, and this formal assessment was well designed to evaluate student understanding of important mathematical and scientific concepts that had been central components of instruction in the classroom.
   
    
5. This item should be rated a 5 if there was a formal assessment during the lesson, and this formal assessment was well designed to evaluate student understanding of important mathematical and scientific concepts that had been central components of instruction in the classroom. The assessment was also designed to push students’ thinking to the next level and provide opportunities for challenge and additional learning.

Specific Examples of Supporting Evidence

1. The worksheet the teacher gave out to students was filled with mistakes, and the students complained that they had not really covered any of the material on it before. The teacher insisted that the students keep working and refer to their textbooks when they had issues, but most students simply stopped working.
   
    
2. The quiz that the teacher gave out in class seemed to be too difficult for students, and many students raised their hands and said they didn't understand. The teacher responded by having the class do the quiz as a whole-class activity.
   
    
3. The teacher announced to the students that the classwork from this class period would be a formal assessment and told them they would have to turn it in. The textbook-based questions seemed to be adequately in line with her instructional objectives of having the students identify the properties of the tangent function, although the complicated algebra involved caused confusion and frustration for some students. Nonetheless, the teacher provided support for these students and answered their questions so they could complete the exercises.
   
    
4. The lab sheets were consistent with the instructional objectives of having the students design and conduct experiments to explore the effect of temperature on the solubility of different metal salts. As a guided inquiry, the lab sheets were designed to help provide clear instructions for students about the steps in the procedure but left open choices about some variables, like temperatures of the solvent to use. Most students were able to collect the data, create graphs, and describe the difference in solubility curves for each metal salt tested. Some students needed a little additional guidance/motivation, which the teacher was able to provide as she monitored and checked the work of each lab group during the class.
   
    
5. During this class, students worked on one part of a larger project—an instructional video for the high school band presenting and explaining a merchandising plan for spirit t-shirts to be sold at football games. In this class session, the students were writing up the first draft of the video storyboard, which contained a graphic showing the costs of materials and labor and the relationship between the prices that could be charged and the profit that could be made. The teacher also said to the observing team that for the freshman, she likes having little pieces due along the way, like the assignment today, so they can keep up with everything that will go into the video. These were excellent means of assessing students formally in project-based instruction.