In this chapter, Wiggins and McTighe explain how important is for teachers to use criteria when they assess students in the classroom. Evaluating learners’ results is important for their learning. However, what is needed to assess is not just their knowledge, but also how they apply what they know in context. For example, it is different to evaluate activities with one correct answer and assessing open-questions activities. According to Wiggins, “clear and appropriate criteria specify what we should look at to determine the degree of understanding and serve us in making a judgement-based process consistent and fair” (Wiggins, 172), what is to say that teachers must be aware of what are the most important points they need to consider in students’ assessment.
The most complex issue in assessing students is when teachers evaluate not just items of yes or not questions, like multiple choice, but assessing students performance that can be demostrated in quiestions that evaluates real comprehension, quality or proficiency in a certain topic. In order to organize what to assess, teachers need to follow a rubric. This is defined as a
“criterion based scoring guide consisting of a fixed measurement scale [...] and descriptions of the characteristics for each score point”(Wiggins, 173), therefore this rubric will evaluate and determine which points are the student’s strenghts and weaknesses.
In this chapter it is also emphazised the concept of validity, now as a challenge within the classroom. As we know, the validity allows the teacher to determine how are students performing in the clase by basing in the scores. It also determine how effective the contents were for students understanding. However, teachers have to relate that evidence they get from the students with teachers’ criteria. Teachers need to interpretate how well students understood the lesson very carefully which makes validity a challenging issue. Besides, teachers need to be aware of how his lessons, activities or tests assessment will measure what is needed to evaluate in terms of students’ understanding.
Therefore we can conclude that developing an appropriate criteria is important for teachers to evaluate students performance by following the most important points which are organized in a evaluative rubric. Besides the concept of critaria can not be separated from the concept of validity, because in order to interpretate students understanding teachers must be aware of how effective the content was in comparison to what teachers expect from students.
Wiggins, Grant –McTighe, Jay. “Understanding by Design”. Chapter 8: Criteria and Validity. (2005)
Knowledge and understanding are two concepts that teachers should know how to handle very well in order give the appropriate kind of test for the contents that need to be tested on knowledge and others ones in understanding, for example if we want our students to explain, to name or to identify something from a story or from a text, we can't given them an objective test. It is important that you highlighted the role of validity after the results are obtained because it leads the teacher to make important desicions.
ReplyDeleteIt ´s true sebastian, that is more complex to realize tests based on reading comprehension rather than true and false answers. It is a pity that most of the time, teachers dont want to increase students´understanding and they always prefare multiple choice tests since they are easier to correct.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that teachers focus on the time they will spend checking the answers instead of the content itself. this way, we cannot make a change in education and we will continous working in something useless, I hope this finish when we graduate, thus, fullfiling the expectations of everybody.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping an appropriate criteria is the first step to develop an instrument valid and reliable as a support in the assessment process. Besides when teachers evaluate student's performances criteria is the stone to build an effective process.
ReplyDeleteI really think that the teachers' problem when they have to assess is that they don't base that assessment on a rubric, which will considerable make that work easier.
ReplyDeleteWell, the importance of having clear criteria and rubrics make the assessment procedure better to work with. At the same time, teachers should present them to students in order to see what they are going to be assess on. These feature of assessment empower teachers to assess more carefully and confidently.
ReplyDeleteThese two concepts, Criteria and Validity, are under Wiggin's point of view, THE most important ones in the assessment process. Another important issue is how to assess students performance, it is not that easy to do it, because it can be misinterpreted or influenced by our own expectations and personal opinions about certain students.
ReplyDeleteLos criterios sí son necesarios en el proceso de evaluación, y las rúbricas nos ayudan asegurar que todos, los estudiantes y nosostros como profes, entendemos las expectativas de la evidencia de aprendizaje. También, porque empezamos pensando en los criterios al principio, podemos incluir las preguntas y tareas, como dices, que buscan comprensión real y que eliciten la demostración de calidad y competencia en cuanto al tema.
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