Work Sample Seminar 1

Developing a Pretest & Posttest for the Literacy Work Sample

Portland State University

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Overview

Constructing a Pretest and Posttest– A. Identify a possible unit goal/objective– B. Consider Pre-skills– C. Select items that match the objectives– D. Decide on a format– E. Describe how it will be administered– F. Describe how it will be scored

A. Identify a possible unit goal/objective: Your unit goal/objective should be at the heart of your assessment

Plan to create, assess, and revise your assessment

and objectives several times

Developing a Pretest based upon the Unit Goal/ObjectiveDraft Unit Goal:Example: Given a narrative text written at the fourth grade instructional level, Jane will correctly write answers to comprehension questions focused upon story elements (i.e. character, setting, sequence of 3 main events) with 80% accuracy.

This objective helps students make progress toward the following Common Core State Standard:College & Career Readiness (CCR) Standard for Reading:Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Link to Common Core State Standards (CCSS)Grade Level Standard 4.RL.Key Ideas and Details 4.RL.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. 4.RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Developing a Pre test based upon the Unit Goal/ObjectiveDraft Unit Goal:Example: Given 20 single syllable words containing the vowel combinations ai, ow, ea, and oa in isolation and in the context of a sentence, students will read the words aloud with 95% accuracy by May 31, 2014 for three consecutive days as measured by beginning of class list word reading activities.

This objective helps students make progress toward the following Common Core State Standard:

College & Career Readiness (CCR) Standard for Reading:Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Link to Common Core State Standards (CCSS)Grade Level Standard 9.RL.10Key Ideas and Details 9.RL.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

B. Consider Pre skills

What are the pre skills for this unit?– Read 4th grade text

– Conceptual Understanding:• Time• Place• Sequencing events

How will you assess the pre skills?

C. Select Items to Assess the Objective – comprehension example

Match definitions:1. Character how the problem is resolved2. Setting who the story is about3. Problem how the characters try to solve the problem4. Attempts the time and place the story occurs5. Solution the goal or challenge the characters face in the story

Student reads a passage and writes answers to open ended questions to identify:

Setting 5. Time _____________ 6. Place _____________ 7. Main Character ___________ Sequence of 3 events

8. Event 1 (Problem indicator)9. Event 2 (Attempt to solve it)10. Event 3 (Solution indicator)

C. Select items that match the objective(s) – phonics example

Preskills Way to Assess

1. Recognizing vowels from consonants

Present 20 letters in random order, 5 of which are vowels. Have student circle the vowels.

2. Saying the long vowel sound for a, e, and o.

Point to each circled vowel (above) and have student say its long sound.

3. Saying most of the consonant sounds

Have students say the sounds for the consonants in the list.

4. Blending 3 to 4 letter sounds –> word

Have students read these words: pal, rep, tog, mend, frat.

Select items that match the objectives – phonics example

Target Skills Way to Assess

1. Reading words with ai

Present words with ai in list and a sentence.

2. Reading words with ow

Present words with ow in list and a sentence.

3. Reading words with ea

Present words with ea in list and a sentence.

4. Reading words with oa

Present words with oa in list and a sentence.

C. Select Items to Assess the Objective – Vocabulary Example

Step 1: Preskills– Are prefixes at the beginning or end of a word?– Are suffixes at the beginning or end of a word?– How many syllables are in the word employment? List the syllables, if more than

one. Step 2: Circle prefixes

– Advertise– Consultation– …

Step 3: Circle suffixes– Financing– Employer– …

Step 4: Read the words aloud to the teacher– Adept– Assiduous– Reference – …

Step 5: Write a definition, in your own words, for each word– Professionalism– budgeting

D. Decide on a format•Example Since the unit objective specifies 20 words, select five words each for ai, ow, ea, and oa. Put four of each word type in a word list, randomly mixed among the words with other vowel combinations.

Write four sentences that each have one of the vowel combination words. (check to make sure the student can read all the other words in the sentence!)

To assess preskills, randomly list the vowels and consonants type the words pal, rep, tog, mend, and frat. Prepare a sheet for the student to read from and a scoring sheet.

E. Describe how it will be administered.

1. How will you introduce the test?2. How will you assess the pre skills? 3. How you will pretest the sequence

objectives?

How will you introduce the test?Example

The pre/posttest will be individually administered to each student in the group.

Introduce the test by saying, “this short activity will see which things you know how to do and which things we want to teach you to do. Some things will be easy for you and some things will be hard. Don’t worry about how you do, just do the best you can.”

F. Decide how you will score it: Example:

Give one point for every story element word the student can match to a definition (questions 1 – 5).

Give 0 - 2 points for every story element the student can correctly write after reading the story.

0 – no answer / incorrect answer1 – partial answer2 – fully correct answers

Rubric: Data on Learning Gains

To meet criteria, assessment tools must: match description of student performance on

unit /step objective (conditions and behavior), include administration procedures and directions to

students, include criteria for scoring acceptable/ incorrect

responses, have identical or comparable pre and post

measures (difficulty, number of items, format).

Helpful HintsOrder the test items in the same order as you

will teach the skills.

The test must include items that assess your desired outcome, as indicated in your unit objective(s).

The test format should match the conditions part of your unit objectives

Helpful Hints

The pre- and posttest must measure the same skills in the same way.

Two options:

1. Posttest = pretest

2. Different items or prompts, but the same in its format, length, response modes, and level of difficulty.

Pre test Design Questions: Is the pre-test implied in the unit objective/does it match the

objective?

Does the pre-test scoring match the unit objective criteria?

Is the pre-test reasonable to complete in a short period of time?

Does the pre-test measure meaningful skills?

Does the pre-test measure relevant pre-skills?

Closing

Read the pre-test assignment and draft a pretest to assess your unit objectives

Be prepared to administer and revise your pretest several times

Your students should perform in a range that indicates the objective is appropriate (scoring about 20%-70% on the pretest)

Work Sample Seminar 23