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Performance Assessment
of Student Participation
Outline:
When approaching the idea
of assessing student "participation" (i.e., groupwork, cooperative
learning participation, class involvement, etc.), there are a number of
critical considerations to be made. Without addressing the threats to
reliability, validity, and professional consequences, this form of assessment
can be difficult to justify, can be unsound, and can have unintended negative
byproducts. Here are four steps to follow when developing a
"participation" assessment system.
Reasons not to
incorporate a participation assessment program:
· it can be used to
manipulate and control, not to promote learning.
· it is intrusive into
areas of student behavior that are very personal.
· it can be very
unreliable, and subjective.
· it can be hard to justify
to others (i.e., administration, parents, students)
Reasons to incorporate a
participation assessment program:
· it can reward behaviors
over which students have control, thus fostering an increased sense of internal
locus of control.
· it can promote a better
quality of the behaviors that you are assessing.
· it can reinforce a success
psychology, and motivate behavioral problem students.
· it can be a very
reliable, and sound form of assessment.
2.
Operationalize what you mean by "participation." Do a task analysis,
and define your concept of a "good participant" clearly. The more
concrete the behaviors you expect the better your reliability will be, the
better your students will understand and accept the system, and the better it
will act as a tool to teach your concept of "good participation."
Here is an example of what
one school did with their concept of "a good cooperative learning group
member."
GOOD PARTICIPATION
IS:
Being cooperative. Good participants cooperate with
the other group members. They share ideas and materials. They take turns
talking. They listen to one another and expect to be listened to. They perform
their role in the group.
Having a positive
attitude.
Good participants approach the task with a positive expectation. They bring
others in the group up not down. They say only positive things to their
classmates and themselves. They look for ways to solve problems cooperatively
and do not blame or quit.
Trying your best. Good participants make their best
effort when things are going well and when they are not. They work hard
regardless of the situation or the behavior of the other members of the group.
Their effort is consistent from the beginning of the period until the end.
3. Create an assessment
scale that is efficient, easy to interpret, and sound. The scale should fit the
situation in which you intend to use it. Each student's participation behavior
needs to fit easily into the categories so well that two persons watching a
student's participation, using the scale, would draw the same conclusion. Any
type of scale can work, but often a rubric like the
one in the following example is the best choice.
PARTICIPATION IS SUCCESS
Student's Daily
Participation is defined by the following five levels.
EXCELLENT: Students at this level show a
consistently high level of effort for the entire period. They are cooperative
with their classmates and show a consistently positive attitude. They listen to
their group members and to the teacher. They stay on task and do their best at
their role in the group.
SELF-DIRECTED: Students at this level are
self-directed and do not need to be reminded to stay on task. They try their
best consistently throughout the period. They cooperate with their group. They
are attentive to their group and the teacher.
INVOLVED: Students at this level made a good
effort during the period. They are on-task and consistently involved in the
activity.
ADEQUATE: Students are involved in the
activity, and refrain from inappropriate behavior.
UNACCEPTABLE: Students were unable to refrain
from inappropriate behavior.
4. Develop a system for
collecting data.
You need to have an efficient method to observe and collect data from all the
students so that you obtain a representative sample of their participation
without taking away from the other areas of your teaching.
Some things to consider:
· Does each group member
receive a separate grade? (individual grades are easier for students to accept,
but group contingencies develop cooperation skills more fully)
· How long do you need to
watch each student?
· Grades need to be
recorded immediately (do not rely on your memory), but can not be recorded too
much before the end of the activity (things can change, especially if you
assess consistency).
· Consider having student
self-assess using your scale. It helps them learn the scale and how to be
self-reflective and self-corrective.
· Pay close attention to
yourself as the instrument. Are you a bias-free instrument? Do you have an
expectancy? Would you really give a "4" or a "0" to any and
all of your students if their behavior dictated it?
· You need to do this
regularly, or your sample will be less representative, it can be confusing to
the students, and it will lose its impact and importance.
· The more visible the
scale is to the students, the more it works to reinforce the concept of
"good participation." Don't be afraid to post it, review it, and even
test on its contents.
· When compiling the scores
at the end of the term, a median central tendency may be more accurate than a
median (average). Make the participation grade a separate, but meaningful part
of the whole. If you are not going to factor it in, it will never be
meaningful.