style="font-size:15px;"> Mathematics: To assess the students’ ability to make reasonable estimations of weight, students are given four objects each. They must consider the weight of each object and write down estimations they consider to be reasonable using the units of measure studied in class. They must also write brief justifications for their answers. At the end of class, the students turn in their assessments.
Science: To assess the students’ understanding of the systems of the human body, the teacher provides them with a blank outline of a human body. He asks them to graphically locate the heart, the lungs, the liver, and the stomach. They are also asked to write down the system associated with each organ and provide brief explanations of that system’s major purpose.
Social studies: To assess the students’ knowledge of United States geography, the teacher provides a blank map of the country. Students must write in the names of as many states as they can in the time allotted.
Physical education: To assess the students’ ability to hit a golf ball, the teacher asks each student to demonstrate a golf swing using a driver. After hitting the ball, each student is asked to evaluate his or her own swing and name one thing he or she could have done to make it better. After analyzing the swing, the student is asked to demonstrate again, this time thinking in advance about what he or she needs to improve on.
Art: To assess the students’ ability to draw using perspective, the teacher presents them with three-dimensional objects such as cylinders, prisms, and cubes. They are asked to choose one object and use the relevant elements of perspective to draw it as realistically as possible within the allotted time.
Technology: To assess the students’ ability to use PowerPoint, the teacher assigns students the task of creating a brief PowerPoint presentation designed to teach their classmates about one of their hobbies. Students begin the task in class and are asked to finish the projects at home in preparation for in-class presentations the next day.
Unobtrusive Assessments
In contrast to obtrusive assessments, unobtrusive assessments do not interrupt the flow of instruction. In fact, students might not even be aware that they are being assessed during an unobtrusive assessment.
Unobtrusive assessments are most easily applied to content that is procedural, or content that involves learning a skill, strategy, or process. For example, a physical education teacher observes a student on the playground executing an overhand throw and notes that he or she performs the skill quite well; during independent work in the laboratory, a science teacher notes that a particular student is not following the correct procedure for combining chemicals safely. Each of these situations provides the teacher with information about the student’s current status regarding a specific skill, strategy, or process, but in neither case is the student aware that such information has been obtained by the teacher. The following examples briefly depict unobtrusive assessments that might be employed in various subject areas.
Language arts: A teacher observes a student writing a haiku poem of his or her own design. The teacher considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to write this type of poem.
Mathematics: A teacher observes a student working a division problem from a homework assignment on the board. The student works through the problem correctly, and the teacher considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to perform the process of division.
Science: A teacher observes a student performing the steps of a scientific procedure and taking notes in a lab book. The teacher considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to perform and document a scientific experiment.
Social studies: A teacher observes a student identifying on a map of the city where his or her house is located. The teacher considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to read a map.
Physical education: A teacher observes a student stopping a soccer ball with his or her feet and then kicking it to a teammate during a game played in class. The teacher considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to stop a ball and kick it with accuracy.
Art: A teacher observes a student acting a part in a role-playing exercise and considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s ability to create and maintain a character.
Technology: A teacher observes a student typing with correct technique while looking at the computer screen instead of the keyboard. He or she considers this an unobtrusive assessment of the student’s typing ability.
Student-Generated Assessments
Student-generated assessments are probably the most underutilized form of classroom assessment. As the name implies, a defining feature of student-generated assessments is that students generate ideas about the manner in which they will demonstrate their current status on a given topic. To do so, they might use any of the types of obtrusive assessments discussed in the preceding text. For example, one student might say that she will provide an oral answer to any of the twenty questions in the back of chapter 3 of the science textbook to demonstrate her knowledge of the topic of habitats. Another student might propose that he design and explain a model of the cell membrane to demonstrate his knowledge of the topic. The following examples depict student-generated assessments that might be employed in various subject areas.
Language arts: To demonstrate her understanding of a book read in class, a fifth-grade student proposes that she write a paper describing the events of the story and how one event caused another, leading to the story’s ultimate resolution.
Mathematics: To demonstrate his understanding of geometric angles, a fourth-grade student proposes that he measure and draw acute, obtuse, and right angles as well as complementary and supplementary angles in the presence of the teacher.
Science: To show that she understands the solar system, an eighth-grade student proposes that she draw a diagram of the solar system and write a paper describing the major features of each different planet and its relationship to the other planets in the system.
Social studies: To demonstrate his understanding of the causes of World War II, an eighth-grade student proposes that he write a paper on how the war might have been avoided if the Treaty of Versailles had not been so punitive to Germany.
Physical education: To show that she can do a forward and a backward roll, a kindergarten student offers to demonstrate both movements for the teacher.
Art: To show his skill at shading, a sixth-grade student offers to draw and shade an object in his house and bring the drawing to class.
Technology: To show that she understands how email works, a first-grade student offers to send the teacher an email from the school computer lab and bring a printed copy of the teacher’s reply to class.
Exercise 2.1 provides some practice in classifying assessments. (See page 35 for a reproducible of this exercise and page 132 for a reproducible answer sheet. Visit MarzanoResources.com/classroom strategies to download all the exercises and answers in this book.)
Exercise 2.1 Obtrusive, Unobtrusive, and Student-Generated Assessments
After reading each of the following classroom assessment scenarios, determine whether it is best classified as an example of obtrusive, unobtrusive,
