Ch 6: AEPA Reading K-8: Assessment Methods
About This Chapter
AEPA Reading K-8: Assessment Methods - Chapter Summary
Use this combination of text and video lessons to brush up on the different types of literacy assessments, and rediscover ways of using them. You'll cover all the essential information on assessment methods that you'll need to know for the AEPA Reading K-8 exam. Lesson topics include assessment validity, the qualities of good assessments and the different types of formative assessments. You'll also review the following:
- Importance of assessments in teaching
- The use and misuse of assessments
- Using assessments to determine literacy levels
- Instructing students with reading disabilities
- Progress monitoring assessments
- Summative assessments
- Types of formal and informal assessments
- Purpose of using assessments in reading instruction
- Early literacy assessments in young children
- Using the cloze procedure as an assessment tool
Our instructors have broken these concepts down into small packages of easily understandable information. Each topic is clearly and concisely explained so you can get up to speed in next to no time. Test your knowledge with practice quizzes to see what you know and what you still need to work on.
AEPA Reading K-8: Assessment Methods Objectives
The AEPA Reading K-8 test is part of the certification process for Arizona educators seeking an endorsement to teach elementary or middle grade reading. It consists of 100 selected-answer questions as well as one written-response assignment. Testing takes place electronically at a designated testing site and lasts for three and a half hours.
The lessons in this chapter will help you develop strategies to correctly answer questions on the foundations of literacy assessment in the Assessment, Instruction and Leadership Foundation section of the exam, which accounts for about 20% of the total test. Questions in this section will focus on the role of assessments in literacy instruction, the main purpose of reading assessments, issues related to validity and reliability in assessments, characteristics of different types of formal and informal assessments, advantages and disadvantages of assessments for ESL students and strategies for communicating the results of assessments to others.
1. The Importance of Assessment in Education
Assessment is a critical piece of the learning process. This lesson gives an overview of assessment, why it benefits both teachers and students, and the three most common forms of assessment.
2. Qualities of Good Assessments: Standardization, Practicality, Reliability & Validity
Have you ever been in the middle of an assessment and thought, 'This question is unfair!' or 'This exam covers material I have never seen before!' If so, the assessment probably did not possess the qualities that make an assessment effective. This lesson will introduce you to the qualities of good assessments: reliability, standardization, validity, and practicality.
3. Use and Misuse of Assessments in the Classroom
Assessments are excellent tools in the classroom. Used properly, they provide invaluable information about student knowledge and progress. However, if misused, assessments can misrepresent the actual knowledge and learning taking place in the classroom. This lesson will discuss the use and misuse of standardized assessments.
4. Determining Students' Literacy Levels Through Screening Assessments
Teachers use literacy assessments to determine specific student needs and focus instruction. This lesson describes the kinds of assessments used for important literacy skills.
5. Meeting the Needs of Learners with Reading Disabilities
All students, including those diagnosed with reading disabilities, have unique needs. This lesson outlines methods teachers can use to meet the needs of learners with reading disabilities and shows how to use them in classroom instruction.
6. Types of Formative Assessment
Formative assessments are an incredibly important part of the teaching process. This lesson will detail several types of formative assessments that you can use to monitor student learning in your classroom.
7. Formative Assessments: Examples, Types & Definition
Find out what formative assessments are and the part they play in the learning process. Learn about the types of formative assessments and review the examples. Read the lesson, then take a quiz to test your new knowledge.
8. Formal Assessments: Examples & Types
Formal assessments are tests that systematically measure how well a student has mastered learning outcomes. Learn more about formal assessments and test your knowledge with a quiz.
9. Implementing & Using Progress Monitoring Assessments
In this lesson, we'll learn about progress monitoring and explore some of the ways that educators can use progress monitoring in the classroom to improve student achievement.
10. Summative Assessments: Examples & Types
Think of state exams, midterms, finals, graded papers, and standardized tests such as the SAT. They all have one thing in common - they are summative assessments! Find out more in this lesson.
11. Informal Assessments in the Classroom: Examples & Types
In this lesson, we will discuss informal assessments used in the classroom. We will cover what informal assessments are and look at some types and examples, and then you will be asked to take a short quiz to assess your comprehension.
12. Validity in Assessments: Content, Construct & Predictive Validity
Ensuring that an assessment measures what it is intended to measure is a critical component in education. Assessment results are used to predict future achievement and current knowledge. This lesson will define the term validity and differentiate between content, construct, and predictive validity.
13. Purpose of Reading Assessments
Assessments are an important part of instruction. Teachers use them for many reasons and using the right ones at the right time is a useful teaching skill. This lesson will outline types of reading assessments and when and why we use them.
14. Purpose of Early Literacy Assessments in Young Children
Assessing young children as they learn to read is important for many reasons. This lesson outlines some of these and gives insight into the nuances of early literacy screening.
15. Using Cloze for Assessment
The cloze procedure is a useful tool for reading assessment. This lesson will detail several ways you can use the procedure to assess your students' reading comprehension and grammar skills.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the AEPA Reading Endorsement K-8 (AZ046): Practice & Study Guide course
- AEPA Reading K-8: Language Development
- AEPA Reading K-8: Teaching Students with Special Needs
- AEPA Reading K-8: Cognitive Foundations of Literacy
- AEPA Reading K-8: Sociocultural Influences on Literacy
- AEPA Reading K-8: Theoretical Models of Reading
- AEPA Reading K-8: Purpose of Assessments
- AEPA Reading K-8: Using Data to Drive Instruction
- AEPA Reading K-8: Phonemic Development
- AEPA Reading K-8: Appropriate Literacy Intervention
- AEPA Reading K-8: Effective Literacy Instruction
- AEPA Reading K-8: Teaching Vocabulary & Literacy
- AEPA Reading K-8: Improving Fluency
- AEPA Reading K-8: Leadership in Reading & Literacy
- AEPA Reading K-8: Phonemic & Spelling Awareness
- AEPA Reading K-8: Effective Writing
- AEPA Reading K-8: Comprehension of Content Area Texts
- AEPA Reading K-8: Reading, Writing & Critical Thinking
- AEPA Reading K-8: Types of Texts
- AEPA Reading Endorsement K-8 Flashcards
