Oppression... I mean Assessment.

Welcome to IP&T 652: Assessing Learning Outcomes. I have a hard time with this class already. To me, assessment = standardization = unfair judgments = I'm not going to measure-up in this class. (Wait- I suppose that's an unfair assessment in itself! Such recursion.) Why do we even teach this stuff? Why can't we learn about stuff that is good and that works instead?

Measurement - objective observation
"The process of assigning numbers that estimate the degree to which a person or object possesses some specified property, attribute, or characteristic."

• Estimating a degree - "Let's see how you measure-up."
• IQ Test- have to know the scale to interpret the data.
• Assumption- if they get something right, they would also get the easier items right.
• NOIR- Nominal (Categorical, more of a label/description), Ordinal (Ranking), I.., Ratio Data
• Measurement is NOT classification (no nominal data). So for hair, measurement is the "Level 12," not brown, blond, or red.
• Objects have characteristics, but it is the properties of the object are what are measured. So we don't measure Sara, we measure how tall Sara is.
  
• Sometimes intelligence is measured, some who measure
  
• Measurement Process assumes that the property being measured exists in varying degrees or amounts. (issues of state or trait) For example, happiness a STATE. Our fluxuation of happiness is varied, by degree, but dependent on things. TRAITS are more PERMANENT.
  
• Measure vs. Categorize
• Measurement procedures are often indirect
  
• Measurement is a human activity
• Measurement ALWAYS contains some error.
  
• http://www.akdn.org/india_environmental.asp - Women in India not attending schools b/c of lack of private bathrooms
• Quote by Joseph Smith- all things are Spirit but vary by degrees. The Lord measures us: sin, trust in Him, knowledge... Maybe there is more to measurement that could even help me better understand the Atonement.
  

Reasons to Measure:

1. Compare
   "Spencer is 6'2". Aaron is 5'2"." -- People can understand about how tall Spencer is, and they can know that Aaron is shorter than Spencer.
   
2. Communicate
   "Spencer is 6'2"." -- People can understand about how tall Spencer is.
   

Assessment - Making a judgment regarding a person's outcome
"A systematic process of gathering measurement data and turning it into usable information for a specific purpose."

• What should a 3rd-grade student learn? At what level should they perform? (This would require evaluation component of Assessment)
  
• Assessment is missing a component of considering the goodness of data. It can't really determine whether that performance was good or bad.
• Assessment involves measurement.
  
• Tests are a particular type of assessment.
• A comprehensive assessment involves a set of planned measurements designed to provide evidence or information about a specific person or thing.
• Assessment is as factual and as objective as it can be.
  

Evaluation - More thorough investigation of something
"The process of making a value judgment about the person or object based on some set of assessment data."

• Involves judgment of merit and worth.
• By nature somewhat subjective.
• Usually based on a set of criteria (what we value).
  
• For consistency, evaluation criteria should be clearly defined and generally agreed upon. (We try for that, at least.)
• In graduate school, what should an A represent? Some degree of excellence? No truly shared view of what these really are.

• The Lord evaluates us and takes into consideration opportunity and circumstance.

Next time: Policy Trends and Assessment