Case Study in Assessment - 8th Grade Math 3.3

Standards Assessed: 2f

After examining the student work sample at the link above answer these questions in a written essay:

1. To what extent was this student successful or unsuccessful on this Math Performance Assessment? Please explain why the student was successful or unsuccessful in your opinion.
This student was ultimately unsuccessful with this question since he/she didn’t arrive at the correct answer and had careless errors in the division problems as well. Also, the student didn’t answer the questions in the proper way – i.e. s/he didn’t explain in words how s/he arrived at the answer. However, the student did succeed in showing his/her work and trying the long division, although, without the explanation, it is difficult to decipher where the student went wrong and to follow his/her thinking. This makes it imperative to conference with the student to understand his/her thought processes.

2. Can you always tell from a performance assessment what went wrong if the student is not successful? Explain your answer in some detail.
Not always. As is evident in this case study, without the words to explain how the student came up with his/her answer, it is entirely difficult, if not impossible, to see where he/she went wrong. This performance assessment needs to be followed up with a conference with the student.

3. Consider the other types of assessment Stiggins refers to in your text. Would it be of value to use any other types of assessments in a situation such as the one presented in this case study? Identify other types of assessments you might use and explain why in some detail.
As previously mentioned, personal communication (either one on one or in the small/whole group setting) will be of great benefit to assessing this student’s actual reasoning proficiency. Students may not be able to write the words to explain how they arrived at their conclusion, but may be more able to verbalize their thought processes. Also, selected response assessment could be very valuable since this student had some mathematical (division) errors. This type of assessment can inform the teacher as to whether or not the student needs additional instruction in multiplication and division.

4. How would you change the performance task to ensure that the assessment was valid and reliable? (Validity and reliability are discussed in your text on page 14 and again on page 20).
To make it more valid, I would change this performance task to make it more engaging and to more actively involve the student. For example, I may give the students manipulatives and observe as they work out the solutions or make a GRASPS model. I would also use anecdotal notes to measure the reliability of this task.