Curriculum Constructs and Assessment: Secondary Methods

This course focuses on the methodology and assessment strategies that enhance learning at the secondary level. Integrated content, interdisciplinary teaching, and curriculum and assessment issues are emphasized. Multiple perspectives of students as learners of secondary content, along with current research on pedagogy, are explored. This course provides students with an opportunity to develop the ability to use and evaluate instructional and curricular materials and appropriate assessment strategies.

Topics and Objectives

Educational Needs of Secondary Students

  • Identify the educational needs and attitudes of secondary students.
  • Analyze social and developmental issues that impact secondary classrooms.

Instructional Planning in the Secondary School

  • Apply methods of integrating secondary curricula.
  • Apply the concept of "backwards design" to instructional planning.

Methods of Teaching in Specific Content Areas

  • Analyze basic teaching methods and their application in a secondary school setting.
  • Apply current methods for teaching in a specific content area.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of the variety of materials available for instructional use.

Classroom Assessment

  • Evaluate effective pre-assessment strategies to determine what to teach and assess.
  • Describe the appropriate uses of various assessment methods.
  • Analyze various assessment methods.
  • Compare and contrast formative and summative assessment.
  • Select appropriate achievement targets to measure.
  • Construct appropriate objective tests.
  • Examine methods of increasing reliability and validity of student assessments.

National, State, and Local Curriculum and Instruction Standards

  • Apply national, state, and local standards for instruction in a specific content area.

Role of Assessment

  • Analyze personal beliefs about classroom assessment.
  • Explain the role of assessment in learning and instruction.
  • Examine the characteristics of sound classroom assessments.
  • Analyze critical issues related to assessment.

Performance Assessments

  • Describe various types of performance assessments.
  • Examine scoring tool(s), either analytic or holistic, that accompany performance assessments.
  • Design a complete performance assessment for students in (a) selected content area(s) and level(s).

Special Needs Students and Educational Assessment

  • Examine various assessment tools for evaluation of special needs students.

Student Portfolio Assessments

  • Describe the key elements of an effective student portfolio.

Standardized Testing: Norm- and Criterion-Referenced Tests

  • Examine standardized testing formats and terms and the vocabulary used to explain student results.
  • Analyze appropriateness of standardized tests and procedures for administration and score reporting.
  • Compare and contrast norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests.
  • Examine critical issues related to assessment.

Reporting Student Progress

  • Analyze factors in report card grades.
  • Compare and contrast arguments for each factor in report card grades.
  • Examine methods for recording student progress and determining final grades.
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