Assessment and Evaluation
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Looking Ahead
 What role does assessment play in the
elementary social studies curriculum?
 What tools are necessary and/or available to
elementary teacher for assessing students?
 What is authentic assessment and why is it
consistent with the problems approach?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Can You –
 Explain why grades and test scores are so
emphasized in schools?
 Explain how teachers go about determining
grades?
 Explain authentic assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Do You –
 Know why evaluation is always comparative?
 Know how evaluation should be different in the
problems approach?
 Know the strengths and weaknesses of objective
and subjective tests?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Focus Activity
 What was your favorite social studies
assignment/project when you where an elementary
student? Why?
 Discuss the details of the assignment/project and
compare with classmates.
 Does your favorite social studies
assignment/project share common attributes with
others? If so, what attributes?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
The Role of Assessment in Social
Studies
 What is assessment?
 How are grades related to assessment?
 What are the different ways of assessing?
 Normative performance
 Criterion-based
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Principles of Assessment
 Why has the job of assessment become much more
complex in the 21st Century?
 What are six major goals of assessment?
 Aim of assessment is to improve learning
 Assessment must be on-going and utilize a variety of tools
 All assessment is imperfect and flawed
 Student needs to develop ownership of the goals of
assessment
 All assessment needs to be related to the goals of the
curriculum
 Classroom evaluation should be based on what you intend to
teach, what you actually teach, and what you intend for
students to learn from that teaching.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Guidelines for Assessment
 What are three problems elementary teachers face
when assessing students?
 Placing a numerical value to the assessments
 Weighing the various assessments
 Evaluating assessments in such a way as to yield
definitive and objective grades
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Guidelines for Assessment
 What are the ten broad principles for assessment?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Base assessments on teaching objectives
Assess what we teach, not what we should teach
Focus assessment on what is important rather than on
what is easy to measure
Ongoing assessment is preferable to endpoint
Assessment of teaching should be based on what
students learn rather than on what they already know
and can do
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Guidelines for Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Provide a clear understanding of the purposes and
reasons for the assessment
Assessment should be fair and honest, not tricky
Assessment procedures should be built around the
notion of finding ways of improving instruction
Effective assessment gets the student involved in selfevaluation, taking responsibility for his or her own
learning
A teacher should always remember that assessment is,
at its very best, a subjective and risky affair
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Authentic Assessment and
Portfolios
 What does the term “authentic” describe?
 What is the role of the student in this type
of assessment?
 What are some hurdles with this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Assessment through Tests
 What are the pros and cons to utilizing tests
that utilize “objective measures”?
 What are the similarities and differences
between tests that utilize “objective
measures” and “subjective measures”?
 What considerations should a teacher have
when deciding to use a test?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Assessing Projects and Reports
 What are some inherent problems with
project and report assessments?
 What qualities are emphasized with project
and report assessments?
 How can teachers evaluate project and
report assessments?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Subjective Assessment
 What role does the teacher play in this type
of assessment?
 What role does the student play in this type
of assessment?
 What are the pros and cons of this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Peer Assessment and SelfAssessment
 What role does the teacher play in this type of
assessment?
 What role does the student play in this type of
assessment?
 What are the pros and cons of this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Checklist and Rubric Assessment
 What role does the teacher play in this type of
assessment?
 What role does the student play in this type of
assessment?
 What are the pros and cons of this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Analytical Assessment
 What role does the teacher play in this type of
assessment?
 What role does the student play in this type of
assessment?
 What are the pros and cons of this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Teacher Observations and
Anecdotal Records
 What role does the teacher play in this type of
assessment?
 What role does the student play in this type of
assessment?
 What are the pros and cons of this type of
assessment?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Looking Back
 Assessment is important and complex and should be
measured against objectives.
 Teachers need to be constantly aware of the need to
focus on what is important, not just on what is easy to
measure.
 Authentic assessment advocates argue that tests and
other traditional measures do not measure in a “real”
way what a child is capable of doing.
 Teachers could use portfolios, rubrics/check-lists, and
many other tools to diversify their assessment.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Extension
 Your principal approaches you to talk as he has received
numerous complaints regarding your grading procedures
from parents and students.
 Unaware of your grading procedures, he asks to see your
assessment plan for the assignment receiving the
complaints; however you do not have one.
 He explains that all effective teachers have an assessment
plan and he expects you to create assessment plans in the
future.
 You apologize and promise to complete an assessment for
the next social studies lesson and get it to him by next week.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Extension
 Select a social studies lesson topic and create
an assessment plan.
 The assessment plan should include
measurable learning objectives and multiple
forms of assessments to measure those
objectives.
 Create assessments that align with the
learning objectives.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Self-Test
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What does the term “basis of comparison” mean in
assessment?
Explain why both the method and the content of
assessment should be based on the teaching
objectives.
What is meant by the term authentic assessment?
Identify the criticisms of both objective and
subjective tests.
What are the traits of a good test?
What are the steps in building a test?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013
Resources
 NCSS. (1991). Position Statement: Testing and
|Evaluation of Social Studies Students. Social
Education, 55 (September), 284–285.
 Internet 4 Classrooms –
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm 157
 Rubistar for Teachers – http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
 Vinson, K. D., Ross, E. W., & Wilson, M. (2011).
Standards-based Educational Reform and Social
Studies Education: A Critical Introduction. In
Russell, W. (Ed.), Contemporary Social Studies: An
Essential Reader (pp. 153–172). Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters
Copyright 2013