ABCTE PTK Assessment Concepts
with Complete Solutions
An 11th grade class has just finished reading the Grapes of Wrath by John
Steinbeck. The BEST way to assess students' understanding of the book is _____? -
ANSWER - A homework assignment that requires the students reflect on facts and
key points
Because the assessment is aligned with lesson content. The question does not state
that the teacher has taught the class about literary terms, why the book was
written, and a verbal discussion does not assess individual student knowledge as
well as a written assignment.
At the end of a unit on WW2, students take a test on major aspects of the war. The
teacher uses the test results for grading and evaluation. This is an example of a ___
assessment. - ANSWER - Summative b/c measures learning and understanding for
grading purposes.
Formative: provides feedback to teacher after students practice and not used for
grading to see where potential gaps may be.
Performance: hands-on skill application or example activity.
Diagnostic: helps teacher understand student's skills and prior knowledge to adjust
future lessons.
A social studies teacher wants students to identify important events and the dates
that they occurred. The teacher first created a multiple choice test, but later
modified it to a matching exercise. What is the BEST reason for this change? -
ANSWER - The chance of guessing correct answers decreases.
It's easier for students to guess the correct answer on MC tests than with matching,
especially as the length of the item sets increases. Bias and ease in grading is not
altered with changing test type, both MC and matching are objective tests, and
there is no use of multi-step problem solving in this type of test.
, A small number of students are struggling with regrouping in three digit addition.
How could a teacher BEST address the needs of the students? - ANSWER - Pull the
group aside and use hands-on material to show regrouping.
Giving the struggling students extra instruction will help them master he concept of
regrouping. They need structured practice, which cannot be monitored by sending a
note home, scaling back the level of work, or having them signal when they need
additional help. You already know they need help, so a notification that they're
struggling during work time doesn't help them improve on the task at hand.
An 11th grade science class has been divided into small groups for lab work. Which
method is the BEST way for a teacher to monitor student progress? - ANSWER - Use
a checklist to determine if all students have participated.
Teachers should have procedures for monitoring student progress during group
activities. Using a checklist to determine whether all students have participated
equally will enable the teacher to provide individual grades for group work.
Assigning tests to assess knowledge doesn't assess how they participated during
group work, just like grading based on total group activity and questioning to
identify knowledge gaps makes it difficult to assess individual students.
During a teacher-led discussion on the Civil War, the teacher notices that a few
students are providing all the answers to questions. What is the BEST reason for the
teacher to notice response patterns? - ANSWER - To identify knowledge gaps and
adjust instruction accordingly.
Monitoring verbal responses during teacher-directed instruction enables teachers to
informally gauge students' understanding of the material and re-emphasize
important info that students do not appear to be grasping.
A 9th grade class has finished a written exam on the addition and subtraction of
improper fractions. Which one of the following is MOST important for the teacher to
look for when grading the test? - ANSWER - Patterns of student or class mistakes in
responses.
Teachers should use assessments to identify patters of student/class mistakes,
which indicate that the teacher should modify instruction/reteach.
with Complete Solutions
An 11th grade class has just finished reading the Grapes of Wrath by John
Steinbeck. The BEST way to assess students' understanding of the book is _____? -
ANSWER - A homework assignment that requires the students reflect on facts and
key points
Because the assessment is aligned with lesson content. The question does not state
that the teacher has taught the class about literary terms, why the book was
written, and a verbal discussion does not assess individual student knowledge as
well as a written assignment.
At the end of a unit on WW2, students take a test on major aspects of the war. The
teacher uses the test results for grading and evaluation. This is an example of a ___
assessment. - ANSWER - Summative b/c measures learning and understanding for
grading purposes.
Formative: provides feedback to teacher after students practice and not used for
grading to see where potential gaps may be.
Performance: hands-on skill application or example activity.
Diagnostic: helps teacher understand student's skills and prior knowledge to adjust
future lessons.
A social studies teacher wants students to identify important events and the dates
that they occurred. The teacher first created a multiple choice test, but later
modified it to a matching exercise. What is the BEST reason for this change? -
ANSWER - The chance of guessing correct answers decreases.
It's easier for students to guess the correct answer on MC tests than with matching,
especially as the length of the item sets increases. Bias and ease in grading is not
altered with changing test type, both MC and matching are objective tests, and
there is no use of multi-step problem solving in this type of test.
, A small number of students are struggling with regrouping in three digit addition.
How could a teacher BEST address the needs of the students? - ANSWER - Pull the
group aside and use hands-on material to show regrouping.
Giving the struggling students extra instruction will help them master he concept of
regrouping. They need structured practice, which cannot be monitored by sending a
note home, scaling back the level of work, or having them signal when they need
additional help. You already know they need help, so a notification that they're
struggling during work time doesn't help them improve on the task at hand.
An 11th grade science class has been divided into small groups for lab work. Which
method is the BEST way for a teacher to monitor student progress? - ANSWER - Use
a checklist to determine if all students have participated.
Teachers should have procedures for monitoring student progress during group
activities. Using a checklist to determine whether all students have participated
equally will enable the teacher to provide individual grades for group work.
Assigning tests to assess knowledge doesn't assess how they participated during
group work, just like grading based on total group activity and questioning to
identify knowledge gaps makes it difficult to assess individual students.
During a teacher-led discussion on the Civil War, the teacher notices that a few
students are providing all the answers to questions. What is the BEST reason for the
teacher to notice response patterns? - ANSWER - To identify knowledge gaps and
adjust instruction accordingly.
Monitoring verbal responses during teacher-directed instruction enables teachers to
informally gauge students' understanding of the material and re-emphasize
important info that students do not appear to be grasping.
A 9th grade class has finished a written exam on the addition and subtraction of
improper fractions. Which one of the following is MOST important for the teacher to
look for when grading the test? - ANSWER - Patterns of student or class mistakes in
responses.
Teachers should use assessments to identify patters of student/class mistakes,
which indicate that the teacher should modify instruction/reteach.
