Assessment Dictionary (40 points)

Anna Reid
Over the course of the semester we will work to developing your assessment academic language.
The purpose of this assignment is to have you develop a dictionary of the words that youve
learned and internalized while in the assessment course.
On the next pages you are given a list of words. Over the course of the semester you will receive
a text book definition for these words. Using these definitions you will need to do two things.
1. Write the text book definition in the appropriate box.
2. Provide a personal definition of that word, i.e. a definition that a person unfamiliar with
assessment could understand
See the syllabus for the final due date.
You will be graded on 2 aspects, the first being completeness of the dictionary and the second
being the personal definition of the word (1 point per word). Make sure that your definition is
correct and addresses each aspect needing to be addressed while doing so in a non-academic
manner.

Completeness

All words are accounted for. Every word has the

word being defined, an academic/text book
definition, and a personal definition. Any point
missing from this category is an immediate loss of 1
point for the word.

0 points

-1 point

Meets ALL
Criteria

Does Not Meet

ALL Criteria

1 point

0 points

Meets ALL
Criteria

Does Not Meet

ALL Criteria

*Completeness is expected of all dictionaries. There

is no positive point value associated with it but it is
instead evaluated only if words are missing
Personal Definition of Word

Each word is defined in a manner that is both correct

and would allow a person unfamiliar with assessment
to understand the meaning.

The words to be included are:

Word/Academic/Text Book Definition

Personal/Non Academic Definition

Academic Language
The language needed by students to do the
Language that students should have to succeed
work in school. This includes grammar,
in a classroom setting.
punctuation, conventions and vocabulary for
each subject area.

Achievement Targets
An achievement target should set the
skill/knowledge goal where you would like
each student to be

Knowledge Level Learning

Learning objectives in this category ask
students to recall information about facts,
generalizations, processes, and methods of
doing things, theories and so on

Understanding Level Learning

Demonstrating understanding of facts and
ideas by organizing, comparing, translating,
interpreting, giving descriptions and stating
the main ideas

Synthesis Reasoning Level Learning

Learning objectives in this category ask
students to combine parts into a whole that
was not there before

An objective that outlines where you would

like each student to be by the end of your class
session/semester/year

Being able to comprehend information based

on facts and methods

Showing your knowledge and comprehension

level by summarizing the content area

Making connections between parts to make

into a whole

Analysis Reasoning Level Learning

Learning objectives in this category ask
students to identify the parts of a piece of
information explain interconnections and
relationships among the parts, or explain the
organization or structure of the piece of
information.

Being able to find commonalties between

different parts, or being able to explain the
structure of the parts

Evaluative Reasoning Level Learning

The process of making value judgements
about the worth of a students product or
performance

Making decisions about a students

performance on a certain task

Comparison Reasoning Level Learning

The process of figuring out or inferring how
things are either alike or different- a
specialized kind of synthesis

Differentiating between things based on

similarities or differences

Classification Reasoning Level Learning

Process of sorting items into categories
based on specific characteristics

Being able to sort things into different

categories based on relatable characteristics

Performance Product Level Learning

The outcome of a students work that is
demonstrated through content that is taught

The work that a student produces based off of a

specific content area

Performance Skill Level Learning

A students ability to demonstrate certain
observable behaviors that indicates they are
performing well

Dispositional Achievement Target

Learning that is supported by attitude,
interests, and motivational interests

Observable behaviors of a student that proves

they are excelling

Understanding students feelings and interests

to support and improve their learning
experience

Advice
An opinion or recommendation offered as a
guide to action

Telling a student directly what to do do

__(Fill in the blank)__

Assessment
An evaluation of a students knowledge of a
specific content

Any action or occurrence that yields data on a

students knowledge

Backwards Design
Lessons, units, and courses logically
inferred from the results sought

Creating a lesson plan around an end goal

Dispositional Objectives
Accounts of how a student acts towards
learning that will promote maximum
achievement

Statements about a students feelings toward

learning that help benefit their success in the
classroom

Dispositions (Assessment)
A students feelings or attitudes toward an
assessment

How students feel about an assessment

Essay Assessment
An assessment that has one general question
or proposition, and the student is asked to
respond in writing.

An assessment that allows students to show

their knowledge of the content area in writing

Feedback
Information about how students are doing in
their efforts to reach a goal without telling
the student specifically how to fix
something.

A way to hint at ways to improve, or providing

opportunities to think critically on work done
by an individual

Formal Assessment
Tests that systematically measure how well
a student has mastered learning outcomes

A test that shows how well a student has

mastered a specific content area

Formative Assessment

As assessment that happens before a lesson is

An assessment done during learning used to

further a students learning

concluded or learned to help students continue

to learning

Grading: Achievement
Those who learn more receive higher grades
than those who do not

How much a student learns in relation to a

standard

Grading: Aptitude
Those who over achieve in relation to
their aptitude, intelligence, or academic
ability receive higher grades that those who
fall to work up to their potential

A student who moves from grade 1-4

understanding will get a better grade than one
who jumps from 1-2

Grading: Attitude
Those who demonstrate more positive
attitudes will receive a higher grade than
those with negative attitudes

A student with a cheery disposition will do

better than a despairing student

Grading: Compliance
Those who follow classroom rules receive
higher grades than those who dont

A student who breaks rules will fail, and a

student who follows every rule will do well

Grading: Effort

Students who appear to be trying will get a

Those who try harder receive higher grades

high grade

Informal Assessment
A procedure for obtaining information that
can be used to make judgements about
children's learning behavior and
characteristics or programs using means
other than standardized instruments

Assessing students through observing,

questioning, and listening that will help you
gather information that will assist you in
planning future lessons

Instructional Objectives
Objectives are specific, outcome based,
measurable, and describe the learner's
behavior after instruction

Statements that are used to describe specific

outcomes and goals to be exhibited by students

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Build strong connections with parents,
provide them with an understanding of their
childrens learning strengths and needs, and
help them be involved in their childrens
learning

Performance Assessment
Any assessment technique that requires
students physically to carry out a complex,
extended process

Personal Communication
Verbally communicating with students that
effectively and efficiently gathers
information about students to plan
upcoming lessons.

Parents meet with their childs teacher to be

informed of grades, behavior, and needs.
Usually occurs twice a year

An assessment that has students complete

certain tasks that involves a physical process

Verbally communicating with your students to

gather important information that will be
pertinent to planning future lessons

Portfolio
A limited collection of a students work
used for assessment purposes either to
present the students best work(s) or
demonstrate the students educational
growth over a given time span

Pre-Assessment Strategies
A way to determine what student knows
about a topic before it is taught

Selected Response
Matching, multiple choice, fill in blank,
true/false

Students collect and organize their work to

show their learning achievements, can be in
paper format or digital format

A way to gather information about the

knowledge your students already have before
you begin a new topic

Answers that draw on knowledge selected by

the student as opposed to knowledge created
by the student. (usually knowledge and
understanding level)

Student Involvement
Students helping to define, create, and/or grade
Active partners in the assessment process
the assessment
where they help to define the criteria they
will be assessed on, building the assessment,
and/or grading/evaluating the assessment

Student Led Conferences

Build strong connections with parents,
develop students as agents of their own

Students conduct their own conference

informing their parents of their achievements

learning, build students confidence, selfregulation skills and communication skills

Student Voice
Students expressing their understanding of
their learning process

Student-Teacher Conferences
Teachers and students talk directly and
openly about levels of student attainment,
comfort with the material the students are
mastering, specific needs, interests, and
desires, and/or any other topic

Summative Assessment
An assessment completed at the end of
learning (always graded, often cumulative)
Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)
The larger assessment taken at the end of
student teaching that is used to gauge if a
student is ready to be a teacher

in learning

Students understand the purpose of a lesson or

activity

An individual meeting between the student and

teacher where grades, needs, improvements
etc. are discussed

A graded assessment given when students

finish learning

A big assessment that determines if pre-service

teachers are ready for the real world