The Four Fundamentals - Part 2 - Balanced Assessment

From Amanda Mendoza

What are Balanced Assessments according to KSDE?

A Balanced Assessment system refers to a collection of varying types of assessments that provide feedback regarding instruction and student learning. It utilizes assessment as a measure for learning and of learning.

We assess students for risk and standards and use data to adjust instruction. We have a deep understanding of the purpose of each assessment and how to use the data to raise achievement.

This definition generally refers to the standardized assessments for certain subject areas, such as: ELA, Math, HGSS, Science, Structured Literacy, and Early Childhood. Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Content Knowledge are assessed in these areas. Notice that World Languages and ESL are not mentioned. However, there are many ways to assess those students in their L2. Proficiency and knowledge-based assessments, including but not limited to, the AAPPL, STAMP, AP, and IB, are available to schools to use as data for their programs.

Who are assessments for and what are the most important characteristics?

It is important to note that assessments are for both teachers and students, but they serve different purposes. Assessments are a guide for teachers to measure their students’ competency with the content and help them plan for further instruction. For students, assessments are a way for them to take ownership of their learning and their proficiency by allowing for reflection and setting goals toward further growth.

The main characteristics of an assessment are very simple:

Your assessments should align with the standards EVERY SINGLE TIME. Remember that World Language standards are competency-based, not content-based. The focus is on what students can DO WITH the language based on your instruction. Formative assessments are daily, usually ungraded (low-stakes), directly aligned with the lesson objective, and are used to show progress during learning. Summative assessments take place at the end of the unit, they are graded (high-stakes), directly aligned with the unit objectives, and are used to show proficiency after learning. You can think of Formative assessments as the steps leading to the Summative assessment target.

Things to ponder…

Grammar

Since the WL Standards are competency-based and KSDE’s Balanced Assessment fundamental dictates that assessments be aligned to the standards, where does grammar fit in? If you are assessing grammar, you are NOT aligning your assessments to the WL Standards; therefore, you are not using Balanced Assessments. While grammar has its place in assessing accuracy in language acquisition/proficiency, it should not be the sole focus of any assessment.

Rigor

Rigor is defined as follows:

If your objectives are aligned to the standards and you are teaching students content in the language to improve their depth of knowledge about a topic, you are creating rigor in your classroom.