UbD/Backward Design Project
EDER 711: Educational Assessment

The following is a draft of our formative assessment unit in EDER 711, using the project format.

Initial information about unit and learners:

Unit topic: Formative Assessment

Content/Common Core Standards: Since this is a graduate course and not one for PK-12 learners, content/common core standards are replaced by the following frameworks. The Conceptual Framework for our Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Department guides both the Advanced Diversity Proficiencies and the Curriculum & Instruction program goals. In addition, there are course goals that are based on the above and must be considered in unit development.

Conceptual Framework: We value faculty, teacher candidates and school and community partners who are:

Responsive: Educators respond to the unique qualities (strengths, needs and interests) of individual learners and the environment and broader context in which learning occurs.
Collaborative: Educators work together with their peers, other adults, the community and learners to plan learning experiences, engage students, and monitor progress.
Innovative: Educators are not limited or static in their teaching strategies and approaches. Rather, their decisions and practices are both creative and grounded in research.
Committed: Educators recognize and appreciate the time and energy needed to plan responsive and engaging activities for their learners.

Diversity Proficiencies: The graduate education program at SDSU values diversity in all forms, ground in the understanding that diversity is inclusive of all identities including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionality, language, religion, sexual orientation and geographical location. In each course we strive to develop and enhance the candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to meet the needs of all students and their families. This will be accomplished through lecture, discussion, course activities, planning curriculum and lessons, interactions with students and families, and collaboration with other professionals so that candidates can create a classroom/school environment that is respectful and inclusive of differences.

EDER 711 contributes to the following Advanced Level Diversity Proficiencies:

  • D1. The candidate differentiates instruction and/or services so that all students learn, including linguistically and culturally diverse students and students with exceptionalities.
  • D2. The candidate connects students’ experiences and culture with services and/or lessons, instruction, and assessments.
  • D4. The candidate incorporates multiple perspectives in curriculum development, pedagogy, and/or services.
  • D6. The candidate manages classroom behaviors and/or school environments consistent with ideas of fairness and the belief that all students can learn.

Program goals pertaining to this course: This course adds to candidate growth in four of the six program goals. Each of the program goals have several subgoals. For this unit within the EDER 711 course, candidates will work towards each of the following sub-goals under each of the program goals listed below. Each candidate:

  • Goal 1: Displays knowledge of current practices, research, theories, and issues in education.
  • Candidate generally understands current practice, research, theories, and issues relevant to the content area and level of education.
  • Goal 2: Demonstrates knowledge of how students learn and is able to effectively apply that knowledge within a variety of educational roles.
  • The candidate displays commitment to teaching and learning for all learners.
  • Candidate demonstrates no intolerance for those who are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, exceptionality, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or gender.
  • Goal 3: Effectively participates in curricular processes.
  • Candidate displays knowledge relevant to learning goals, objectives, and activities. Content is structured to meet student needs and expressed in terms of student achievement.
  • There is evidence that the candidate has successfully participated in curriculum development and implementation.
  • Goal 4: Effectively communicates.
  • The candidate is able to verbally and nonverbally communicate appropriately relative to intent and setting. The candidate is a competent speaker, writer, and listener.
  • The candidate is sensitive to the importance of culture in communication processes.

Course Goals/Student Learning Objectives: These broad program goals and diversity proficiencies can be specifically applied to our course in educational assessment through the following course goals and SLOs. By the completion of this course, each participant will be able to:

  • Goal #1: Expand professional critical thinking regarding how educational assessment directly influences instruction. Specifically, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Discuss current issues in educational assessment.
  • SLO #2: Apply current practices in the construction of assessment instruments that accurately reflect student learning.
  • SLO #3: Recognize and combat assessment bias and practices that could negatively impact a person due to one's race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, exceptionality, language, or geographical location (urban, suburban, rural).
  • SLO #4: Appropriately use test data to inform curricular decisions, other professionals, and parents/students.
  • Goal #2. Increase professionalism and interpersonal communication. Specifically, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Adhere to professional conduct principles during interactions with others and provide constructive feedback.
  • SLO #2: Provide well-reasoned professional reflections substantiated, as needed, by appropriate references.
  • SLO #3: Use technology to investigate and/or debate various issues relating to assessment and grading.
  • Goal #3. Display commitment to professional involvement and growth through continual learning. Specifically, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Articulate and assess personal growth in the area of educational assessment and determine areas for future growth.

Learners: Participants are all educators who have completed an undergraduate education program and are now enrolled in a graduate course EDER 711: Educational Assessment. There are fifteen enrolled in this course and their certification ranges from pre-school to high school certification. Of the fifteen, eleven teach PK-12 students in typical classrooms, one is an elementary librarian, one is a special educational paraprofessional, and two are full-time graduate students. PK-12 educational experiences range from novice to veteran educators.

All students have had EPSY 740: Educational Psychology and most have completed EDFN 745: Effective Teaching: Theory into Practice and EDFN 747: Curriculum: Theory into Practice (includes elementary and/or secondary practicums).

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Establish Goals:

This unit on formative assessment will highlight the following course goals and student learning objectives (SLO).
Course Goal #1: Expand professional critical thinking regarding how educational assessment directly influences instruction. Specifically, within this unit, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Discuss current issues in educational assessment by:
  • Analyzing and discussingkey features as well as strengths and challenges in the Understanding by Design/Backward Design process.
  • SLO #2: Apply current practices in the construction of assessment instruments that accurately reflect student learning by:
  • Crafting multipledrafts of Stage 1 and Stage 2 which demonstrate that each candidate can interpret and apply knowledge and understandings of the UbD/Backward Design Process in the development of informative classroom assessment.
  • Using knowledge and understandings gained through the construction of Stages 1 and 2 of the UbD/Backward Design Process and knowledge of guidelines for designing strong assessments, candidates will create appropriate assessment procedures and instruments.
  • SLO #3: Recognize and combat assessment bias and practices that could negatively impact a person due to one’s race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, exceptionality, language, or geographical location (urban, suburban, rural). After analyzing information regarding one’s learners,
  • Candidates will incorporate these understandings into assessment procedures and instruments by avoiding as much bias as possible so that all learners can be accurately assessed.
  • Candidates will modify assessment procedures and instruments as needed to meet student needs (students on IEPs or Section 504 Plans, English Language Learners, etc.)
Goal #2. Increase professionalism and interpersonal communication. Specifically, within this unit, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Adhere to professional conduct principles during interactions with others and provide constructive feedback by.
  • Appropriate seeking constructive feedback from others.
  • Adhering to professional conduct when expressinguseful suggestions to others regarding work done for the UbD/Backward Design Project.
  • Communicating with others in a professional manner during class discussions.
  • SLO #2: Provide well-reasoned professional reflections substantiated, as needed, by appropriate references. This will be demonstrated during class discussions by:
  • Candidates actively expressing well-reasoned, professional opinions when analyzing the Understanding by Design/Backward Design process.
Goal #3. Display commitment to professional involvement and growth through continual learning. Specifically, within this unit, participants will be able to:
  • SLO #1: Articulate and assess personal growth in the area of educational assessment and determine areas for future growth by.
  • Critiquing one’s own professional growth based on one’s personal goals for this course regarding in the development of appropriate assessment instruments and procedures.
  • Determining area(s) for future growth as an educational assessor based on one’s analysis of current professional growth.

Essential questions and desired understandings

What essential questions will be considered?
  • How might educators effectively assess student learning?
  • What are major strengths and challenges of the Understanding by Design/Backward Design process?
  • How can formative assessment be valid and avoid test bias?
  • How might assessment instruments and procedures be modified to meet individual student needs for those are English Language Learners (ELLS), those on IEPs, 504 Plans, etc.?
/ Candidates will understand that…
  • Educators should seriously select and analyze goals before determining appropriate ways to assess student learning. This should be done prior to deciding what and how they will teach.
  • Desired outcomes (goals), assessment, and instruction must be closely interwoven for maximum effectiveness for student learning.
  • Multiple forms of assessment more accurately measures student learning than a single measure.

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?

Students will know…
  • The key features of Stage 1 and Stage 2 in the UbD/Backward Design process.
  • Various taxonomies such as Bloom and Web Leveling (Depth of Knowledge).
  • The specific content/common core standards that apply to their unit.
  • The six facets of understanding as developed by Wiggins and McTighe.
  • Terms/major concepts: assessment, formative assessment, summative assessment, desired result, understandings, enduring understandings, essential questions, leading questions, content standards, common core standards, unit goals, curricular aims, learning outcomes, big idea, core task, transfer task, overarching questions, topical questions, reliability, validity, absence of bias, performance tasks, academic prompts, informal checks for understanding, performance-based assessment/task, authentic assessment/task, rubrics, holistic scoring, analytic scoring, sampling, and standardized.
/ Students will be able to…
  • Use content/common core standards to develop unit goals.
  • Using portions of Understanding by Design/Backward Design process to design at least the first two stages.
  • Create multiple forms of classroom assessment based on unit goals.
  • Modify assessment instruments and procedures as needed to meet individual student needs (ELL, those on IEPs or 504 plans, etc.).
  • Provide constructive feedback to peers
  • Discuss and critique the role of grading in student assessment.

Stage 2: Determining Acceptable Evidence

What evidence will show that students understand?

Performance Task:
UbD/Backward Design Project-- Our work using the UbD/backward design process will not be "full blown" and will not get into all the various possible components of the design but rather will give candidates a taste for the process and a better understanding of how it might be used. By the end of this project, each candidate will be able to sketch out a possible unit/topic that includes:
  • Initial information about the unit and learners (topic selected, section of 2-4 appropriate content/common core standards, and a description of the learners)
  • Stage 1: Identification of Desired Results ( unit goals, essential questions, understandings, and key knowledge and skills that students will acquire as a result of this unit)
  • Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (What evidence will show that students understand [performance task)? What other evidence needs to be collected in light of Stage 1 Desired Results? Student Self-Assessment and Reflection).
  • Performance-based task and assessment instrument (includes: good, detailed description of performance-based task that would allow one or more unit goals to be assessed; draft of instrument/rubric for this assessment).
  • Second assessment instrument (might be the more typical paper/pencil quiz or test, or portfolio, or affective instrumentor another-perhaps shorter-performance-based assignment/assessment).
  • Pre- & post-assessment instrument.

What other evidence needs to be collecting in light of Stage 1 Desired Results?

Other Evidence (e.g., tests, quizzes, prompts, work samples, observational)
  • Discussions both large and small group.
  • Peer suggestions for each draft of the project.
  • Work sample: Six facets of understanding (whole group development of concise summary for each facet).
  • Work Sample: Vocabulary and major concept study guide.
  • Creation of second assessment instrument.
  • Creation of pre- and post-assessment instrument.

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection:

1. Self-assess Stage 1 and make revisions.
2. Self-assess Stage 2 and make revisions.
3. Self-assess performance-based task and assessment procedure(s) and instrument(s).
4. Self-assess second assessment instrument and procedure.
5. Self-assess pre- and post-assessment procedure and instrument.
6. Self-assess progress made towards any personal goals for this class that included the UbD/Backward Design Process.