Core Abilities |
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| Facilitators of WTCS Certification
Activities may incorporate core abilities established by the sponsoring
organization or they may address the core abilities suggested in the WTCS
Certification Professional Development Design. |
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Competencies and Performance Standards
Unit A - Planning for Assessment
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| A.1. |
Develop a plan for assessing
student learning within the context of a course or other learning experience.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- by developing an assessment plan for a specific course or other
learning experience
- using competencies and performance standards for an existing course
(If you do not have course competencies and performance standards,
you may use those from a course that is provided by your facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your plan evaluates the assessment opportunities and constraints
in your learning environment (e.g. class size, delivery mode, availability
of technology and/or equipment)
- your plan describes how you will communicate the learning outcomes
targeted by the assessments to learners at the beginning of the learning
experience
- your plan explains steps you will take to make assessment valid,
reliable, fair and "learner friendly"
- your plan includes strategies for providing feedback to learners
about their performance from a variety of sources (e.g. self, peer,
instructor, and outside evaluators)
- your plan includes provision of opportunities for learners to improve
their performance
- your plan includes a summary of how you will incorporate the use
of a variety of formative (continuing improvement) and summative (accountability/graded)
assessment tools (e.g. CAT, project, interview, experiment, report,
presentation, portfolio, question/answer test, demonstration)
- your plan includes a statement illustrating how your plan for assessment
at the course level is integrated with your course, program, and college
plans for assessing learning
- your plan includes an explanation of how it addresses the needs
and preparedness of learners
- your plan includes a statement describing the feasibility of your
assessment plan
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| A.2. |
Construct an annotated list of the assessments you will use in your
course.
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Performance Standards
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Conditions: You will demonstrate
your competence:
- after successfully completing the requirements for competency A1
"Develop a plan for assessing student learning within the context
of a course or other learning"
- by developing an annotated list of summative (accountability) assessments
for a specific course or other learning experience
- using competencies and performance standards for an existing course
(If you do not have course competencies and performance standards,
you may use those from a course that is provided by your facilitator.)
Criteria: Your performance will be successful when:
- you write an annotation (brief explanation) for each item in your
list of assessments
- your list of assessments incorporates a variety of assessment tools
(e.g. project, interview, experiment, report, presentation, portfolio,
question/answer test, demonstration)
- each annotation designates the target learning outcomes [competency,
core ability, program, or general education]
- each annotation identifies the type of assessment tool you will
use(e.g. project, interview, experiment, report, presentation, portfolio,
question/answer test, demonstration) that you intend to use
- each annotation notes how the assessment requires learners to apply
what they have learned
- each annotation includes a brief description of the opportunities
learners will have to learn and practice prior to the assessment
- each annotation identifies who will evaluate learner performance
- each annotation explains how learners will receive feedback on their
performance and the opportunities they will have for improving performance
that does not meet minimum standards
- each annotation presents a brief evaluation of the assessment's
validity, reliability, and fairness
- your Annotated List of Assessments is added to your Assessment Plan
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| A.3. |
Develop a grading system to
communicate and report learner performance.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- after successfully completing the requirements for competency A1
"Develop a plan for assessing student learning within the context
of a course or other learning" and A2 "Construct an annotated
list of the assessments you will use in your course"
- by developing a grading system for a specific course or other learning
experience (If you do not have course competencies and performance
standards, you may use those from a course that is provided by your
facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your grading system credentials (documents) learner performance
of pre-determined learning outcomes, not seat time
- your grading system identifies weight and significance of each assessment
used in the course
- your grading system requires learners to meet minimum standards
for
- each required competency and/or other learning outcome (does not
permit averaging)
- your grading system includes provisions for learners to retest if
they do not meet minimal performance expectations on an assessment
- your grading system incorporates one or more assessment tasks
- your grading system provides a detailed written rationale to be
given to learners at the beginning of the course to help them understand
how grades will be determined
- your grading system lays out a plan for keeping records of learner
achievement throughout the course
- your grading system is compatible with your college's grading policy
- your grading system is added to your Assessment Plan
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| Unit B - Developing Assessment
Tools |
| B.1. |
Design performance assessment
tasks that assess products/artifacts.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- by designing at least one performance assessment task (PAT)that
evaluates an artifact (product) produced by the learner
- using one or more target competencies and performance standards
for an existing course (If you do not have course competencies and
performance standards, you may use those from a course that is provided
by your facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your performance assessment task (PAT) identifies the targeted
outcome(s) [competency, core ability, program, or general education]
- your PAT fulfills the conditions described by the performance standards
for the target outcome(s)
- your PAT requires the learner to produce an artifact (product) that
is assessed according to the criteria or indicators for the target
outcome(s)
- your PAT identifies evaluators (self, peer, instructor, outside
evaluator)
- your PAT provides clear directions for the learner
- your PAT includes a prompt or scenario if needed
- your PAT includes a scoring guide (rubric or checklist) with criteria,
ratings, and rating scale
- scoring guide criteria describe the desired qualities or attributes
of the artifact (product)
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| B.2. |
Design performance assessment
tasks that assess skills/processes.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- by designing a performance assessment task (PAT) that includes scoring
guides to measure learner performance of a skill or process
- using one or more target competencies and performance standards
for an existing course (If you do not have course competencies and
performance standards, you may use those from a course that is provided
by your facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your performance assessment task (PAT) identifies the targeted
outcome(s) [competency, core ability, program, or general education]
- your PAT fulfills the conditions described by the performance standards
for the target outcome(s)
- your PAT requires the learner to demonstrate a skill or process
while being observed and assessed according to the criteria or indicators
for the target outcome(s)
- your PAT identifies evaluators (self, peer, instructor, outside
evaluator)
- your PAT provides clear directions for the learners
- your PAT includes a prompt or scenario if needed
- your PAT includes a scoring guide (rubric or checklist) with criteria,
ratings, and rating scale
- scoring guide criteria describe the desired qualities or attributes
of the performance
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| B.3. |
Construct question and answer
tests.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- by developing a question and answer test
- using one or more target competencies and performance standards
for an existing course (If you do not have course competencies and
performance standards, you may use those from a course that is provided
by your facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your test includes a list of targeted learning outcomes [competency,
core ability, program, or general education]
- your test is valid, measuring the intended skills, knowledge, or
attitudes described by the targeted learning outcomes
- your test consists of at least ten items, including three different
types of test items (e.g. essay, multiple choice, matching, short
answer, true/false, etc.)
- your test items meet the criteria on the checklist for true/false,
matching, multiple choice, short answer, or essay as they apply
- your test items are consistent with the levels of knowledge represented
in the learning objectives and/or the target learning outcomes
- your test includes a scale and a checklist or key for grading
- your test includes clear directions for the learner
- you describe how you will use the test results to provide feedback
to learners
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| Unit C - Using Assessment for
Continuous Improvement |
| C.1. |
Employ a variety of Classroom
Assessment Techniques (CATs).
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your competence:
- by developing a collection of annotated Classroom Assessment Techniques
(CATs)for a specific course or learning experience
- in a written or oral evaluation of the results of a CAT that you
administered (or observed) in a real or simulated situation
Your performance will be successful when:
- your CATs are learning centered, focusing primarily on improving
learning rather than on teaching
- your CATs are mutually beneficial to learners and teacher, involving
learners in the process of improving their learning
- your CATs are designed to improve learning, not to provide evidence
grading
- your CATs are customized for a specific discipline and learning
environment
- your CATs are quick and easy to administer
- your collection of CATs includes at least two CATs that assesses
course related knowledge and skills (e.g. recall and understanding,
analysis and critical thinking, synthesis and creative thinking, problem-solving,
application, or performance)
- your collection of CATs includes at least one CAT that assesses
learner attitudes, values, and self awareness
- your collection of CATs includes at least one CAT that assesses
learner reactions to the learning experience
- your annotations describe the following for each CAT in your collection:
an example of a typical learning outcome for which it might be used,
what it assesses (i.e. knowledge and skill, attitudes, or reactions),
how the results could help learners and the instructor improve learning
- your evaluation of the results of a CAT includes a critique of
the CAT according to the first five criteria for this competency,
a summary of the results, recommendations for the improvement of learning,
and a description of how you shared the results with the learners
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| C.2. |
Use assessment results to
improve the teaching and learning process.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your
competence:
- after completing competencies B1 "Design performance assessment
tasks that assess products/artifacts, B2 Design performance assessment
tasks that assess skills/processes, and B3 "Construct question
and answer tests"
- by analyzing the results of an assessment (performance assessment
task or question or answer test) that has been administered to a group
of students (If you do not have results of an assessment that you
developed and administered, you may use an assessment and results
provided by your facilitator.)
Your performance will be successful when:
- your analysis evaluates the alignment between the assessment and
the target learning outcomes [competency, core ability, program, or
general education]
- your analysis shows patterns of learner performance on the assessment
- your analysis diagnoses possible causes for high frequency of learner
failure to meet specific criteria or correctly answer specific items
- your analysis proposes revision of specific components of the assessment
task or revision of specific test items with a high failure frequency
- your analysis proposes strategies for improving teaching and learning
of the target learning outcomes
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| C.3. |
Summarize your philosophy of assessment.
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Performance Standards
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You will demonstrate your competence:
- after successfully completing the requirements for competency A1
"Develop a plan for assessing student learning within the context
of a course or other learning" and A2 "Construct an annotated
list of the assessments you will use in your course"
- in a written or oral presentation of your philosophy of assessment
Your performance will be successful when:
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your summary describes your approach to assessment at the course level
- your summary outlines your assumptions and beliefs about assessment
- your summary illustrates how your assessment plan (developed in competency
A1) aligns with your approach and assumptions
- your summary critiques how your approach, assumptions, and beliefs align
with your college's assessment plan and/or policies
- your summary includes a discussion of how
your approach, assumptions, and beliefs align with at least three current
performance-based research or best practice references
- your summary provides bibliographic citations
for each of the three performance-based research or best practice references
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Certification
