Alicia C. Alonzo1 & Andrea K. Whittaker2,3
Welcome to the CAESL Pre-Service Assessment Modules! These modules are based on the view that assessment is integral to informing the processes of teaching and learning. They reflect Wiggins and McTighe's (1998) principle of backwards design, in which assessment (as a reflection of the desired results of instruction) shapes classroom learning, as well as the vital role that assessment plays in providing teachers and students with ongoing feedback.
The instructional materials include instructional components (lesson plans, ranging in length from 5 to 80 minutes) and accompanying resources (electronic documents, such as lecture slides and handouts; book and article citations; and instructions for preparing materials). They are designed for teacher educators working with pre-service middle and high school teachers either in an assessment course or as part of a methods or "curriculum & instruction" course. Taken as a group, the modules could form the basis of a full assessment course. Alternatively, an instructor may choose individual modules or even individual instructional components to augment an existing course. |
| To create an entire assessment course... |
| The CAESL Pre-Service Assessment Modules consist of 63 instructional components. An assessment course could be built by completing each component in order - or, depending upon time available, using most of the instructional components in the order they appear.4 The instructional components are designed to form the core of class sessions on assessment, with multiple components being used in each class session. Click here for a sample course outline, using the CAESL Modules. You are encouraged to add your own opening and closing components for each class meeting.
The instructional components are divided into four modules, which can be viewed by clicking on the orange "MODULES" button to the left side of your screen. You may wish to explore the instructional components within a given module or you can view all of the instructional components in order.
- To view all of the components in a given module, click on that module and select the "Instructional Components" tab in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
- To view all of the components, click on the green "View All Instructional Components" button.
The instructional components are listed in a table, which provides basic information about each component. To learn more about the information in each column, click on the column heading. To get specific information about one of the components, click on its name. You will be taken to a screen with a full description of the component, and a link for you to download a PDF file with the same information.
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| To supplement an existing course... |
The CAESL Pre-Service Assessment Modules consist of 63 instructional components. You may want to implement all (or most of) the instructional components in one of the four modules. Or, you may want to examine the instructional components which meet certain learning goals. To begin, click on the orange "MODULES" button to the left side of your screen.
- To view all of the components in a given module, click on that module and select the "Instructional Components" tab in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
- To view all of the components which meet a particular learning goal, click on that goal in the chart on the main modules page.
The instructional components are listed in a table, which provides basic information about each component. To learn more about the information in each column, just click on the column heading. To get specific information about one of the components, click on its name. You will be taken to a screen with a full description of the component, and a link for you to download a PDF file with the same information.
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1 Alicia C. Alonzo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Iowa. Work on the CAESL Pre-Service Assessment Modules was completed when she was a research associate and lecturer at Stanford University. She has taught teacher education courses in classroom-based assessment and elementary science methods at Stanford and San José State Universities. Her scholarly work explores ways in which to support the teaching and learning of science, including novel science assessments and the use of formative assessment tools in science classrooms. Recent publications include Briggs, D. C., Alonzo, A. C., Schwab, C., & Wilson, M. (2006). Diagnostic assessment with ordered multiple-choice items. Educational Assessment, 11, 33-63 and Alonzo, A.C., & Gearhart, M. (2006). Considering learning progressions from a classroom assessment perspective. Measurement, 14, 99-104.
2 Andrea K. Whittaker is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education at San José State University. She teaches teacher education courses in multicultural education, young adolescence, and classroom-based assessment. Her scholarly interests include equity based pedagogy, case methodology, and the design of authentic assessments of student and teacher performance. Recent publications include Using assessment to teach for understanding: A casebook for educators, co-edited with J. Shulman and M. Lew (Teachers College Press, 2002) and Whittaker, A. & McDonald, M. (2005). Learning together what we do not know: The pedagogy of multicultural foundations. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(3), 127-142.
3 The instructional components described in the CAESL pre-service modules are based in large part upon Andrea Whittaker's assessment course at San José State University.
4 Instructional components which introduce a homework assignment appear directly before the homework assignment. However, the instructor is encouraged to utilize these components well in advance (for example, before the instructional components which prepare pre-service teachers to complete the homework) so that there is plenty of time to complete the assignment. (These are not the type of assignments which can be assigned one week and due the next!)
 This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0119790. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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