TEMC 4804 - Middle Level Instructional Design and Student Outcomes
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 41254,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Michele McCaughtry
Email: mlmccaughtry@ysu.edu
Course Description
4804. Middle Level Instructional Design and Student Outcomes. Presents teacher candidates with skills in predicting, understanding, and controlling the fundamental principles of learning. Classroom assessment, test administration, construction, scaling, norming, reliability, validity, and interpretation of individual and group tests will be covered. Attention will be paid to how these impact instruction and assessment in middle grades. Prereq.: TEMC 3702, TELS Upper Division Status, approval of chair. To be taken concurrently with TEMC 4801. 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.