Now that your superintendent reviewed your first submission and provided feedback, you will make the suggested revisions. You will also complete this section of the white paper. You will justify your topic selection and its relevance to the school district’s goal of improving its assessment results.
Note: Refer to the Overall Scenario of Assignments 1-4 by clicking here.
Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
Revise Assignment 1 using the feedback that the superintendent provided. (The revision of the previous assignment is not included in the page count for this assignment). Describe the relevance of your assessment topic in terms of meeting the K-12 assessment goals in your chosen school district as it relates to the specific focus you identified in Assignment 1. Provide specific examples of assessment goals that the school district currently uses to support your rationale. Explore at least three (3) key reasons why you selected the topic in question. Highlight the fundamental aspects of the topic that make it fit into either traditional or alternative assessment research. Justify your response. Suggest three (3) strategies that educators could employ in order to utilize technology within the classroom and thus aid your chosen school district in meeting its K-12 assessment goals. Provide relevant examples of these strategies to support your response. Provide at least three (3) additional reliable, relevant, peer-reviewed references not previously used published within the last 5 years. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Analyze traditional theories of assessment. Apply new advances and current thought in the field of educational assessment. Evaluate alternate forms of assessment for special populations. Use technology and information resources to research issues in educational assessment. Write clearly and concisely about educational assessment using proper grammar and mechanics.
Overall Scenario of Assignments 1-4 Imagine that your locally elected board of the school district has commissioned an Assessment Task Force to improve the overall standardized test scores of the students within the school district. The superintendent (a role played by your professor), has asked you, the Director of Assessment, to develop an assessment project proposal. The superintendent asked you to include the following in this proposal:
A research topic related to K-12 assessment. Research of a local school district’s Website to learn about the established assessment goals. (Note: Do not identify individuals by name, share proprietary information, etc.) Proposed recommendations for changes to the District's K-12 assessment goals. Presentation of the proposal for the task force. The superintendent will review the parts of your proposal as you develop each part and provide you feedback. The superintendent expects you to incorporate the feedback into subsequent parts of the proposal for presentation. In your initial meeting with the superintendent, he has provided the following list of sample research topics that could be the focus of your proposal:
Bias (cultural and gender) in aptitude and standardized tests Implications of cognitive science and brain research upon assessment Implications of and Changes to No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 with respect to testing Alternate assessment methods for special populations (e.g., gifted students, students with learning disabilities) Assessing students with disabilities using computer technologies or other innovations (select one or more types of disabilities) Implications of National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers, Coaches, and Students (NETS) to school districts with respect to program assessment. The Implications of the Common Core Standards with relation to your chosen local school district, state education system, or education system on a national level Balancing the use of formative or summative assessments in the classroom with required standardized assessments You may also choose an assignment topic other than those suggested.
Note: By Week 2, students should obtain professor approval on any assignment topics other than those suggested in the Overall Scenario for Assignments 1-4.
Note: You may create and /or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of these assignments including providing real research information.
Assignments 1-4 Your project will be broken into the following parts, which the superintendent will review and provide feedback:
Assignment Title Due Date 1 Assessment Project – Part 1
Background of Topic; Current Issues Related to Topic; and Challenges faced by the District, Evaluation of Assessment Strategies and Tools related to Topic Part 1 Week 3 2 Assessment Project – Part 2 Relevance of the Topic and Strategies for the Use of Technology Week 6 with revision of Assignment 1 3 Assessment Project – Part 3
Recommendations for Changes to the District’s K-12 Assessment Goals Week 9 with revision of Assignment 2 4 Assessment Project Presentation Presentation of the White Paper for the Task Force Week 10
