EDFN 3710 - Educational Assessment
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 40886,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Michele McCaughtry
Email: mlmccaughtry@ysu.edu
Course Description
3710. Educational Assessment. Critical review of types, purposes, procedures, uses, and limitations of assessment strategies and techniques including authentic assessment, value-added assessment, and alternate assessment. Standardized testing and implications for current practice. Prereq.: Upper Division. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Modern Classroom Assessment | Bruce B. Frey | 9781452203492 |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/24 | Read: Syllabus and Calendar Read: Ch 1: Modern Classroom Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Intro to class Modern classroom assessment |
Do: Introduction slide & Robust Assessment Vocabulary Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: Test Taking Experiences You have taken many written tests in your career as a student both at the P-12 level and in college. How well do you think those tests reflect your knowledge and skills related to the content? Please explain your answer |
| 8/31 | Read: Ch 2: The Language of Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Language of assessment Understanding statistics and standard deviation |
Do: Case Study: Grading on a Curve Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: Curving the Grade Remember back to a specific exam you took that may have seemed very difficult, and the teacher told the class not to worry, he/she was going to “curve” the grade. What is your understanding of this “Curve” based on Ch 2, and how are the two different? |
| 9/7 | Read: Ch 3: Basic Assessment Strategies Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Basic assessment strategies Bloom’s Taxonomy Writing learning objectives Backwards design |
Do: Writing Learning Objectives Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. |
| 9/14 | Read: Ch 4 Formative Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text Read: OTR Resources folder |
Formative assessment Opportunities to respond (OTR) |
Do: OTRs Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: Shark Tank PART I: You are an educational entrepreneur and will design a concept to present to a panel of investors (classmates). Present your design for a formative assessment in a new discussion post. PARTI I: Act as an investor and analyze the design and write a product review, concluding on whether you would invest in it and noting if the design is flawed. |
| 9/21 | Read: Ch 4 Formative Assessment Read: Articles in folder Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Formative assessment environment Questioning strategies Graphic organizers, notebooks, and logs |
Do: Formal Formative Assessments Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. |
| 9/28 | Read: Ch 5 Summative Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Summative assessment | Do: Learning Objectives for Summative Assessment (aligns with week 8 Summative Assessment assignment) Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. |
| 10/5 | Work Week - Work on Week 8 assignment | Work Week - Work on Week 8 assignment | Work on Week 8 assignment (CRITICAL TASK) No assignment due this week |
| 10/12 | Read: Ch 5 Summative Assessment (written exam) Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
“Assessment Written Responses and Rubrics” Summative assessment Traditional paper/pencil tests Writing a written exam |
Do: Summative Assessment & Chart of Specifications (Critical Task) Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. This is a CRITICAL TASK and must be uploaded to Blackboard & Watermark SL&L |
| 10/19 | Read: Ch 6 Constructed Response items Read: Ch 7 Performance-based Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Constructed response items Performance-based assessment |
Do: Writing a Performance-based Assessment Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: A Picture is Worth 1000 Words Find a picture of students working on what could be a PBL. Describe what they are doing for the project and how you would assess their learning. Describe how performance-based assessments may give certain students an advantage over written assessments and why. |
| 10/26 | Read: Ch 7 Performance-based Assessment (PBA) Read: Ch 8 Authentic Assessment Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Performance-based Assessment | Do: Writing an Analytical Rubric for Performance-based Assessment Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: Show and Tell Locate a comprehensive rubric (not just a checklist or one with two items) that targets your ideal teaching situation. Compare and contrast it to the guidelines for writing a quality rubric. Explain its attributes and its deficiencies. What could you do to enhance or alter it to use in your classroom? |
| 11/2 | No New Work | No New Work | Relax & Refresh week |
| 11/9 | Read: Ch 9 Universal Test Design Read: Ch 10 Test Accommodations Read: Linked documents within the module Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Universal test design Universal Design for Learning (UDL) |
Do: UDL Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. |
| 11/16 | Read: Ch 11 Interpreting Assessment Scores Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text View: IRIS module |
Interpreting assessment scores Test accommodations |
Do: IRIS Considerations for Students with Disabilities, Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Discussion Board: Then and Now Find a lesson plan you have created for a previous course. Review the lesson and describe how you will change your lesson strategies and methods utilizing the UDL model. |
| 11/23 | Read: Ch 12 Grading Read: Ch 13 Interpreting Standardized Tests View: Graphic representation of data slide presentation Learn: Embedded content in Blackboard including slide decks, videos, text |
Grading Interpreting standardized tests |
Do: Assessment of Student Learning & Graphic Display of Data (Critical Task) Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. This is a CRITICAL TASK and must be uploaded to Blackboard & Watermark SL&L |
| 11/30 | Do: Plan ahead! | Final Portfolio Project 5-Day Performance- Based Unit |
Final Portfolio Project: 5-lesson Performance-Based Unit Due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Only upload to Blackboard Discussion Board: Reflect and Respond Consider and respond to the following: “What was the most important thing you learned during this course?” Provide a specific example(s). “What important question remains unanswered? And How do you think this can be addressed?” |
| 12/7 | No Final Exam | No Final Exam | No Final Exam |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.