Further Adventures in Alternative Assessment: An Annotated Bibliography (exerpt)

Don Robishaw

In this issue of Adventures in Assessment we have taken you into the world of ongoing assessment-examining the process and the tools and techniques practitioners use and looking at how ongoing assessment can benefit and serve the interests of learners as well as teachers.

Alternative assessment tools are designed and used to show what students know, not what they do not know. Alternative assessment is alternative because it provides choices that go beyond traditional or standardized measurement. Alternative assessment empowers learners and helps them become self-directed; standardized instruments may disempower learners by assuming all of the "authority" or by making them dependent on teachers.

Alternative assessment is ongoing and part of the curriculum, not imposed or added on at the end. An alternative assessment component may contain a variety of tools, including writing progress check- lists, reading progress checklists, learning contracts, booklists, miscue analyses, etc. Depending on their developmental level, some learners can actually create their own self-assessment tools.

The primary purpose of alternative assessment is to assist students, advance learning, and improve instruction. Ongoing alternative assessment is continuous and not separated from instruction.

To support and enrich teachers' endeavors, the Research and Design unit of SABES has compiled " Alternative Assessment: An Annotated Bibliography. " This bibliography is intended to be a resource to teachers who are interested in learning more about the topic as well as those interested in using the various procedures described in Adventures in Assessment. In the last issue of Adventures, I reviewed several publications that related to "getting started" with alternative assessment. This time, I have excerpted several annotations relevant to ongoing assessment.

Sample Annotations

003 Arrastia, M., Betancourt, A. & Wang, D. (1990). Report on Staff Development Project on AltemativeAssessment: Mothers Reading Program. New York: America Reading Council.

This selection discusses how one adult literacy project examined standardized testing used with its students. It proceeds from the premise that for evaluation to be useful it must help learners to evaluate themselves, so that they can be in full control of their own learning. Standardized tests are often used as gates (exclusionary) that close off certain opportunities to learners. Evaluation and tests often contribute to learners developing a belief that they are inadequate.

Besides the short narrative, this article also includes an appendix containing samples from student portfolios. Items of interest in the portfolio include teacher- and student-made tests based on student generated text.

016 Nash, A. , McGrail, L. &others. (1989). "Our Class: A Weekly Literacy Ritual." Talking Shop: A Curriculum Sourcebook for Panicipatory Adult ESL. Boston: University of Massachusetts.

"Our Class" is the name of a weekly class journal which documents the activities of a group of adult learners in Boston. The teacher collects thoughts, quotes, factual information and anything else of interest and writes them at the end of the week for the class to use as a reading and writing exercise. Eventually, the class itself compiles the journal.

The authors explain their method and discuss the importance of ritual in the literacy classroom. Samples of "Our Class" summaries are included.

026 Lawson, L. (1988). Record Keeping in Adult Education. "Current Issues in Teaching ESL." Nicholas, S & Hoadley-Maidment, E. Eds. New York: E. Arnold.

This paper discusses the theory behind keeping certain kinds of records. It also describes some innovations in record keeping in adult education. Record keeping has become very important in the field of adult education in the last few years, especially since the onslaught of alternative assessment strategies and wider recognition of the importance of independent learning theory.
This short article is chock full of alternative record keeping tools and instruments, as well as a brief rationale for using them. For the "organiza- tionally challenged, " this article will put you on the road to getting your act together.

029 Soifer, R., Irwin, M. & others. (1990) The Complete Theory to Practice Handbook of Adult Literacy: Curriculum Design and Teaching Ap- proaches. New York: Teacher's College Columbia University. pp. 170-180.

The primary purpose of this chapter is to give a brief overview of seven different ways to assess adult literacy learners' progress. The main feature is an assessment grid that analyzes each of the seven assessment tools that follow:

1. Booklist
2. Spelling and vocabulary graph
3. Anecdotal records (teachers)
4. Anecdotal records (students)
5. Writing assessment .
6. Reading behavior questionnaire
7. Attendance

The authors contend that all tools, including those mentioned, should be used in ways that focus on strengths, progress, and applications rather than weaknesses, deficiencies, and isolated skills.

Notes

As with many works which assemble a collection of readings, this bibliography is the result of the efforts of several people--from the development of the initial idea, to the search and collection ofbooks and articles. I am indebted to the following people for their assistance in this project: Loren McGrail of World Education/SABES who supplied me with many of the resources and Joan Dixon, the Literacy Support Initiative Coordinator. In addition the following people acted as reviewers: Janet Kelly, Director of the Read/Write/Now program; Janet Isserlis of the International Institute of Rhode Island; and the following University of Massachusetts graduate students: Michele M. Sector, Barbara Huff. Susan Schellenberger, Haleh Arbab, Keyvan Kabastioun, and Ed Graybill.

The complete annotated bibliography contains 51 entries and will be updated on an ongoing basis. Contributions to the collection are welcome. Specifically we are looking for help in the next edition of Adventures in Assessment: Looking Back. Articles and/or annotations on student/teacher confer- ences, classroom evaluation and program evaluation are welcome. Please contact your Regional SABES Coordinator or Loren McGrail at World Education if you would like to annotate some of the collected articles and/or add new ones.

Originally published in Adventures in Assessment, Volume 2 (May 1992),
SABES/World Education, Boston, MA, Copyright 2003.

Funding support for the publication of this document on the Web provided in part by the Ohio State Literacy Resource Center as part of the LINCS Assessment Special Collection.