1. Does assessment increase, decrease, or have no affect on learning? On what evidence is your opinion based?
2. How does assessment affect the intrinsic motivation of learners? The extrinsic motivation of learners? On what evidence is your opinion based?
3. Is assessment overemphasized, underemphasized, or appropriately emphasized in todays schools? On what evidence is your opinion based?
4. Review the case study below. In the section on effective assessment practices, suggestions for preparing students for assessments, administering them, and analyzing results were offered. How effectively did Ron perform each task? Describe specifically what he might have done to be more effective in these areas. 5. A great deal of criticism is being directed at education, with critics arguing that the nation’s K-12 schools are doing an inadequate job of educating students for either the workplace or higher education. How much of this criticism is based on the results of standardized test scores? What are some other sources on which the criticisms are based?
6. You are responsible for explaining the results of a standardized achievement test to parents. What types of scores will be most useful to you? Least? Why?
7. What is the future of alternative assessments in standardized testing, such as performance assessments? Is the emphasis on alternative standardized testing likely to increase or decrease compared to the emphasis on “traditional” standardized testing? Why do you think so?
8. Is emphasis on accountability likely to increase or decrease over the next decade? Why do you think so?
