ERIC Number: ED406415
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996-Nov-7
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
External Validation of an Assessment Class.
Kennedy, Robert L.
A survey was conducted to establish the content validity of the material presented during a diagnostic and evaluative procedures course for elementary education majors. Although the content was consistent with information typical of the course, validation through the opinions of practicing teachers could strengthen its validity with the students. An additional benefit is that class members would have testimonials to the value of the class from sources other than their instructor. The 21-question survey was based on the course content outline. Most questions were of the "Do you use..." or "Do you need to know..." variety, but there were several open-ended questions, including one asking for recommendations. Members of 4 assessment classes over 2 years were required to interview from 3 to 10 teachers, depending on the semester, for a total of 333 practitioners from a wide demographic range. Results indicate that the customary topics, including behavioral objectives, Bloom's taxonomy, and short-answer test items, are being used. Portfolios and performance testing appear to be well-established, while norm-referenced standardized tests appear to be declining in popularity. Most of the teachers had few content ideas to suggest, possibly indicating that the course content is at least adequate for teachers' needs. The teacher survey is attached. (Contains five references.) (Author/SLD)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association (Tuscaloosa, AL, November 6-8, 1996).