Chapter 11: Evaluating Student Learning

·         Mnemonics impose an order on information to be remembered using words, poems, rhymes, jingles, or images to aid memory.

·         The keyword method uses visual imagery to make material more meaningful to students and hence easier to remember.  First, a vocabulary word or fact is changed into a word that sounds similar and is easy to picture.

·         When using alternative forms of questions, the teacher changes the type of question asked (for example, multiple choice instead of essay questions) or the construction of the question (for example, adding a word blank for fill-in-the-blank questions.

·         An alternative tests site is a type of testing accommodations that involves changing the location where a student with a disability is tested to make sure the results of the test are accurate. 

·         A third grading option is using alternatives to letter and number grades, such as pass/fail grades and checklists of skill competencies.

·         Differentiated report cards are report cards that have individualized provisions for students to clarify the meaning of their grades.

·         Individualized grading includes accommodations that involve changing either the elements being graded (such as curriculum content, class participation, and homework) or the values or weights assigned to these elements.

o   Resource: http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/legal-rights/1019-grading-system-for-a-student-with-ld-and-an-iep.gs

o   This website has an article for individualizing a grading system for a student with an LD and an IEP. 

·         Basing grades on progress on IEP objectives can also be helpful for students who are in special education but do not have modified curricular expectations.

·         Performance-based assessment measured learning processes rather than focusing only on learning products.  It frequently involves using authentic learning tasks, or tasks that are presented within real-world contexts and lead to real-world outcomes.

o   Resource: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/196021.aspx

o   This is an online book on a Teacher’s Guide to Performance-based Learning and Assessment.  It offers all of the chapters online so you can quickly access the information that you need.

·         Portfolio Assessment is a method of evaluation in which a purposeful collection of students work is used to determine student effort, progress, and achievement in one or more areas.

o   Resource: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/assessment/resource/5942.html

o   This website is a guide for classroom teachers K-8 to use portfolio assessments in their classroom.  It offers key reminders to implement this form of assessment in your classroom.