Assessment of Student Learning
Yes
Side Score: 6
|
 |
No
Side Score: 5
|
|
|
|
|
1
point
I think the assessment of student learning is very important, as it shows the level of knowledge of students. In every school, college, or university, professors give marks to their students. when they answer the teachers' questions on this subject. I always studied well at school. I am currently working in a writing company www.papersowl.com, on my website you can find essays for sale, I think this will help you to improve your grades and increase your level of knowledge. Side: Yes
1
point
ProTEAM 1 - Debate Question 2 Student achievement and proficiency in the United States are measured by nationally normed standardized assessments, state assessments, and district assessments. Due to educational reform and the No Child Left Behind legislation that was passed in 2001, these large scale assessments were implemented because they are easy to administer, inexpensive, and the results are transparent to policymakers, legislators, accrediting bodies, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. However, the validity and psychometric quality of large scale assessments have been widely debated.1
Grades are used as a communication tool regarding the student’s level of achievement.2 The primary purpose is to communicate student accomplishments so that informed decisions can be made about the student’s future.3 It has also been suggested that that a major reason for assigning grades is to create a public record of the student’s academic achievement to effectively communicate the level of mastery that has been demonstrated to parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school officials, educational institutions, and employers.2-4 Grades can be used as motivational tools as well as helping students to develop good study habits.2,4 Some students also reported that grades provided a measurable marker of progress and level of understanding.5
Final grades are appropriate measures of student learning as they allow us to evaluate student learning at the end of a unit or course and compare the outcomes against a standard or benchmark. They can also be used as a reference point to help guide future learning in subsequent courses. In theory, final grades can be used as a proxy of a student’s long-term memory. If the class is designed well with appropriate rubrics, and tests/assignments are based upon learning objectives, the final grade should be an accurate measure of the learning from that class.6,7
(Formatting of the superscripts did not cross over, therefore they are listed behind the sentence). References:
1. Guskey TR. Multiple sources of evidence: An analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions of various indicators of student learning. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. Spring 2007:19-27. 2. Allen JD. Grades as valid measures of academic achievement of classroom learning. The Clearing House. 2005; 78(5): 218-223. 3. Bailey J, McTighe J. Reporting achievement at the secondary level: What and how. In Guskey. 1996: 119–40. 4. Oosterhof A. Classroom application of educational measurement. 2001. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 5. Krawczyk, RM. Effects of grading on student learning and alternative assessment strategies. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website:https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/ 6. Dixson DD, Worrell FC. Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom. Theory into Practice 2016;55(2):153-159. 7. Kibble JD. Best practices in summative assessment. Adv Physiol Educ. 2017;41:110-111. Side: Yes
Grades are commonly used as a means of communicating student achievement to various stakeholders, but they are not the only method of demonstrating achievement. Final grades are also used for decision making and are meant to demonstrate or reflect what the student learned. The question is do final grades really reflect what the student knows? When exploring the literature it becomes evident that other methods of assessment can accomplish the same items and possibly do an even better job. Competency based learning can effectively communicate if an individual has developed the desired skill sets. The act of passing a competency evaluation communicates to stakeholders a skill acquisition while leaving a clear record of achievement. (1) Competency based education can reflect accurately, what the student learned and the skill set they achieved. Grades used as a motivation is an area of rich controversy and several studies indicate that intrinsic motivation is actually increased when the focus is on task accomplishment verses getting a high grade.(2) Shifting a students motivation from extrinsic to intrinsic typically results in long lasting effects of autonomy in the learning process which is highly desired for positive outcomes.(2, 3) Focusing on a quantitative outcome is not ideal for assessing learning and promoting a continued evolving goal of learning. The “Pro-grading group” has put forth that “grading can help guide future learning in subsequent courses”. The debate, on both sides, has openly described the importance of designing appropriate rubrics and objectives. As previously mentioned, wouldn’t a grade only provide a knowledge indicator on a very superficial level for the policy maker, administrator, accrediting body, etc? Can the student perform and continue to grow in a real-world context? Looking beyond the quantitative grade, students require adequate assessment and feedback to develop both academically and professionally. The academic environment has a responsibility to create an environment which promotes learning while also acknowledging modifiable factors which may have influences on student well-being. Recent research has shown that students in a medical school curriculum, graded on a pass/fail scale, experienced less stress and burnout, plus a change to this system over the first two years of medical school did not adversely affect subsequent grades in their third year of the program.(4) The pursuit of higher education may increase the psychological stress of any individual. In order to reduce consideration of dropping out and/or discontinuing the pursuit of this education level, the grading scale should be taken into context. The research mentioned found that the grading scale was most strongly associated with a student’s well-being.(4) If we are expecting the student and subsequent professional to continue to be inspired and seek out continued development in the mentioned subsequent courses, wouldn’t we want the focus to be on the learning versus the obtainment/documentation of a quantitative superficial grade? 1. Ordonez B. Competency-Based Education: Changing the Traditional College Degree Power, Policy, and Practice. New Horiz Adult Educ Hum Resour Dev. 2014;26(4):47-53. 2. Pulfrey C, Darnon C, Butera F. Autonomy and Task Performance: Explaining the Impact of Grades on Intrinsic Motivation. J Educ Psychol. 2013;105(1):39-57. doi:10.1037/a0029376 3. Stan E. The Role of Grades in Motivating Students to Learn. Procedia - Soc Behav Sci. 2012;69:1998-2003. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.156 4. Reed DA, Shanafelt TD, Satele DW, Power DV, Eacker A, Harper W, et al. Relationship of pass/fail grading and curriculum structure with well-being among preclinical medical students: a multi-institutional study. Acad Med. 2011 Nov;86(11):1367-73. Side: No
1
point
Esteemed colleagues, our case has rested on three established truths: 1) Grades are used as a communication tool regarding the student’s level of achievement. The challenge for each instructor is to develop rubrics and assessments that are accurate tools of what was taught during a course. If the class is well designed with appropriate rubrics, and tests/assignments are based upon learning objectives, the final grade should be an accurate measurement and reflection of student learning. The second established truth is 2) Final grades are an appropriate measure of student learning as they allow us to evaluate student achievement at the end of a unit or course and compare the outcomes against a standard or benchmark. One major reason for assigning grades is to create a public record of the student’s academic achievement to effectively communicate the level of mastery that has been demonstrated to parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school officials, educational institutions, and employers. We have suggested that 3) Grades can be used as motivational tools as well as help students to develop good study habits. Some students also reported that grades provided a measurable marker of progress and level of understanding. Some students are motivated by the achievement of a grade which positively influences them to prepare for class/learn in class. Finally, our opponents contend that instructors utilize a point system which is arbitrary in nature. The reality is that different assessment measures can be used to determine different kinds of learning. With that, we end this summary and reiterate the evidence that leads to our final argument that grading is a true measurement to assess student learning. Side: Yes
|
Using backward design to first define learning outcomes will enable a more applicable analysis of what measures are suitable for the desired outcomes. Are the measures and assessments both valid and reliable? Does the assessment offer an educational impact beyond a simple scaled grade? Final course grades do not accurately demonstrate student learning. Instead, final course grades demonstrate that a student follows directions, turns items in on time, and indicates their knowledge and skill at a superficial level. Many instructors utilize an arbitrary point system to grade students’ compliance with stated directions and due dates on assignments. Failing to meet these requirements result in a deduction of points. However, this may not accurately reflect the level of learning that the student achieved by completing the assignment.1 Grades tend to reduce the amount of intellectual risk a student is willing to take because of fear of how it will impact their grade.2,3 Utilizing grades can diminish overall student interest in what they are learning. The grades may provide the student an external motivation to review content instead of creating an internal motivation to desire to learn more about a topic.2,4 Instead of generating a natural curiosity for the subject they are learning, students tend to skim information at a very superficial level and avoid learning content in a more comprehensive manner. Grades also reduce the effect of the instructor’s descriptive feedback, which may provide insight on future performance.5 Using a pass-fail system may benefit students to develop an internal motivation for learning.4 Finally, grades only provide a quantitative analysis of student performance based on a single point in time. It is almost impossible to quantify student learning into a specific grade; similar to how it may be impossible to answer every research question with a quantitative analysis.5 1. Guskey TR. Making the grade: What benefits students? Educational Leadership. 1994;52(2):14. 2. Kohn A. The case against grades. Educational Leadership. 2011;69(3):28-33. 3. McManus I, Richards P, Winder B, Sproston K. Clinical experience, performance in final examinations, and learning style in medical students: prospective study. Bmj. 1998;316(7128):345-350. 4. White CB, Fantone JC. Pass–fail grading: laying the foundation for self-regulated learning. Advances in health sciences education. 2010;15(4):469-477. 5. Lipnevich AA, Smith JK. Effects of differential feedback on students’ examination performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. 2009;15(4):319. Side: No
1
point
Our opponents state that “final course grades do not accurately reflect student learning … [and] indicate knowledge and skills at a superficial level.” Our opponents may believe that final grades are superficial, but we contend that this would only be the case if their course assessments throughout were also superficial. If one is able to design meaningful and authentic learning experiences and assessments for them, then in theory the final grade should also reflect this deep and meaningful progress. Our opponents contend that instructors utilize a point system which is arbitrary in nature. If this is the case, we wonder why our opponents have taken obvious pains to score high points on this assignment. We contend that though a point system is determined by the instructor, it reflects the importance and priority of the criteria for authentic learning. Further, we believe that contrary to reducing the amount of intellectual risk taken by students, assessments with a clear high stakes have been to improve standardized test scores.1 We concur that using a pass-fail system of grading may benefit students intrinsic motivation. However, we challenge our opponents to produce evidence that it is incompatible to incorporate final grades into a pass-fail rubric. We concur that final grades provide one data point. However, this data point is informed by many other assessments throughout the semester and thus should be conceptualized more as a forest level view compared to a single tree. Our opponents employ a false dichotomy to conclude that because every research question does not need a quantitative analysis, student learning should also not be measured quantitatively. The reality is that different assessment measures can be used to determine different kinds of learning. The power of good assessment throughout the semester can be seen in a valid way though final grades. 1. Wiliam D. Standardized testing and school accountability. Ed. Psych, 2010;45(2) 107-122. doi: 10.1080/00461521003703060 Side: Yes
Final grades have been used for decades for a variety of purposes in primary, secondary and higher education. Even with the extensive use of this system, it is far from perfect. Using it as a communication tool to inform interested parties of student achievement allows for a common language to be used, however, it can leave it to interpretation. When each individual instructor decides on what should be counted towards a grade and to what extent, grades may or may not actually demonstrate student learning at the end of a course.
We have observed that assigning final grades develops an extrinsic motivation system that forces students to learn certain content, instead of relying on the natural human curiosity to guide them to learn more about a specific topic. Often times, students are more worried about their score, instead of using qualitative feedback from an instructor to drive their learning. This extrinsic motivation may reduce the life-long learning ability of a student due to the reliance on an external grade instead of self assessing whether they have learned a new content or skills.
The use of final grades was developed with good intentions: to communicate student achievement with a wide variety of stakeholders. However, the methods we use to develop a final grade should be evaluated to ensure that we are really communicating student achievement. Final grades may be the system we have used for several decades, but there may be better options to demonstrate student learning while enhancing the internal motivation for students to learn. Side: No
|
