Classroom Assessment Chapter 3

     To help us work towards our school goal of improving our understanding and practice of assessment, my principal has provided our staff with a copy of Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it Right - Using it Wellby Jan Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, and Judith Arter. As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas.


Classroom Assessment for Student Learning Cover. (Accessed 2016). Uploaded to Amazon; Pearson Education. Available online at: https://www.amazon.ca/Classroom-Assessment-Student-Learning-Doing/dp/0132685884

Chapter 3 - Clear Targets

*learning targets are statements of the intended learning

Knowledge Targets

- the factual, procedural, and conceptual understandings at the root of any subject
- factual and procedural
     - know, list, name, identify, know how to, use
     - low-level Bloom's taxonomy
- conceptual
     - understand, explain
- knowing via reference
     - things students don't need to memorize
     - make sure students know how to find the right answers

Reasoning Targets

- the thought process to apply and transfer knowledge across subjects
- inductive and deductive inference
     - a reasonable guess/conclusion based on info/clues
     - inductive uses evidence to infer a rule/principle; "reading between the lines"
     - deductive uses rules/facts to infer a conclusion
- analysis
     - to examine the components/structure of something
- comparison
     - sorting things into categories by characteristic
- evaluation
     - expressing and defending an opinion, a point of view, a judgement or decision
- synthesis
     - combining elements to make something new
*make sure you don't accidentally turn a reasoning target into a knowledge target
     - for example, if you compare/contrast characters verbally in class as you read a novel then this would be a 
     knowledge question if asked again on a test because students are simply recalling

Skill Targets

- when a demonstration of physical skill-based performance is central to the learning
- serving a volleyball, kneading dough, conversing in a second language

Product Targets

- when the creation of an artefact/product is the focus of the learning
- the qualities of that product are assessed
* don't confuse and activity with assessment of the learning target; ask yourself "what should they be learning" NOT "how will they demonstrate it"

Disposition Targets

- a student's attitude, motivations, and interests; a byproduct of education experiences
- value outcomes in social studies
- learning behaviours on provincial report cards

How to Deconstruct Curriculum Standards

1 ) Determine the target type (see above)
2 ) Identify the pre-requisite knowledge/skills needed
3 ) Check for accuracy and reasonableness 

Classroom Assessment for student learning
Chappius, et al. (2012). Figure 3.11 Benefits of Clear Targets. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning, pg 74.

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I WANT TO KNOW:

Do you clearly state the target of the lesson for your students every class?

This chapter shared a teacher story where she admitted that she used to assume that the purpose of the day's lesson was clear and evident based on her discussions; when students where prompted, however, they were unclear.

I am guilty of assuming the purpose of the lesson is clear. I discuss learning targets with students but probably not as often as a should; I don't do it every class.

Please leave your thoughts below :)

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