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Module 2 – 1
What is worth assessing?
I would suggest that the review team begin with the state standards. State standards, even if very broad in scope, should
guide the curriculum decisions from the beginning. Providing clear targets for both units and assessments would be the first
step in this review process. When we are clear, benefits accrue for all involved. Limits of teacher accountability are established,
setting teachers up for time savings and greater success. Limits of student accountability are established, setting students
up for success. (Stiggins, 61)
Determining what students should know and be able to do prior to assessment development is imperative. I would look at the
sample test items to determine how they relate directly to the standards and the established curriculum. If learning the symbols
is the body of knowledge that must be drawn on in order to prove understanding of something else, then it should be assessed.
If it is merely memorization, then it should not be assessed. As Stiggins states, “…I am every bit as much a master
of content if I know where to find it as if I know it outright.” (45)
I don’t believe that I could make a judgment about changing the sample test items without reviewing the curriculum and
standards. Making decisions regarding someone else’s assessment should only happen after requesting defining material
and having the team defend the reasoning behind the questions. I might opt to provide a different form of assessment that
more clearly assesses the students’ deeper understanding of the material.
I took the Praxis exam when moving to Maine from Texas eight years ago. I had been out of college for 20+ years and had been
teaching for most of those years in both private and public education. I had to take a math test that included Algebra. Although
I was good in Algebra in high school, I had not used it since 1975! I felt extremely angry that I was being assessed on something
that I not only felt had no relevance to what I do but was something that I hadn’t had a need to use in over 20 years.
I was extremely apprehensive about studying for this test, as I had no idea what to study. I tried taking sample tests, having
my husband quiz me, and reviewing a study guide. I couldn’t sleep the night before the test. I ended up passing the
exam, but not without feeling as if I had studied way too much on material that I didn’t need and way too little on
material that I did.
Our district uses a 3 step process for developing curriculum and assessments. First the teacher or team of teachers develops
a unit list that is lined up to the state standards. That list is then reviewed by the Content Area Curriculum Team. The
summative assessments are generated based on the units that have been presented. Each assessment and unit is reviewed at the
Curriculum Team level, and then sent on to the Curriculum Coordinating Committee for final approval. If approval is not received,
the unit or assessment is sent back to the Design Team for revision or clarification.
The Teams use forms that have been designed with input from the members of the Curriculum Coordinating Committee. These forms
help guide the formulation of each unit or assessment and provide a checklist of items that are needed for a complete unit
or assessment. Every unit and assessment is driven by the state standards.
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