Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW 1

Literature Review

Lauren Gilster

12 May 2018

Dr. Pengilly

In partial fulfillment of TED 690

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Abstract

This paper reviews the book Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources, by the

Middleton States Commission. This book supports Domain B of the California Teaching

Performance Expectations. Domain B requires teachers to assess student learning through

monitoring them during instruction as well as interpret and use to the benefit of the students.
LITERATURE REVIEW 3

Literature Review

The book, Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources, written by the Middle

States Commission on Higher Education, is a representation of Domain B of the CTC Teacher

Performance expectations. Domain B states that teachers are required to assess students’

learning through monitoring student learning during instruction and interpret and use the

information from the assessments. This book encapsulates some of the most important factors

when it comes to assessing students learning, while also giving descriptions of the different types

of assessments that can be used to assess student learning.

First, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education explains the importance of

explaining the need of assessment. Since there are people who do not like necessarily

understand the importance of assessment, it is important that there is a thorough explanation of

why assessment is necessary. Also, having clearly defined learning goals before creating an

assessment, or even delivering the content can also play a major role in the effort of students if

they are prepared for what they are going to learn and how they are going to learn it. The Middle

States Commission on Higher Education (2008) explains:

The best way to motivate the community is to promote an understanding of the benefits

that assessment brings to students, faculty, the institution, and the public. The extent to

which learning goals and assessment processes that already exist will form the core of a

more clear and integrated assessment process. (p. 5)

It is important for students to know what they are going to learn because they are mentally

preparing themselves for what is to come during the lesson.

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Not only is creating and explaining learning important for the motivation of the students,

but it also directs the teacher in what they should be assessing their students on. The Middle

States Commission on Higher Education (2008) states that “Goals are the basis for determining

how best to collect, assess, and interpret the data in order to improve. Data collection not tailored

to goals will not provide information about the achievement of desired student learning, nor will

it lead to new approaches to teaching and learning” (p. 17). Without the goals, there is no

possible way to use the data that a teacher has collected from the students. The teacher cannot

use it for assessing where the students are truly at, nor will it be able to improve the curriculum

and delivery of the material.

Lastly, there are a wide variety of assessments that teachers can use to assess the level of

student understanding. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (2008) points to the

two types of assessments that are almost always found in a classroom. “Formative assessment is

ongoing assessment that is intended to improve an individual student’s performance. […] In

contrast, summative assessment occurs at the end of a unit, course, or program” (p. 27). These

two types of assessments can be found within any unit, and they can be found through different

methods of assessment. Some of the assessments that the Middle States Commission on Higher

Education (2008) includes rubrics/rating scales, simple checklists, simple rating scales, detailed

rating scales, holistic rating scales, self-reflection, placement rates, surveys, focus groups,

portfolios (p. 42-51).

Assessment of student learning is a very important task for educations. However,

without clearly defined and explained learning goals, there is no practicality for the interpretation

and use of assessment results.

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References

Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources. (2nd ed.). (2008). Place of Publication

not identified: Middle States Commission on Higher Education.