1. In ch 6, we read, “Short, high-frequency, low-stakes autogradable quizzes help to keep learners aligned with content …”
How can we create a classroom culture that embraces these as a means of feedback for both the teacher and student and not as tests for grading? #csk8 pic.twitter.com/9oM5D3wbtC
— Vicky Sedgwick (@VisionsByVicky) February 18, 2021
2. “Grover’s work on assessments suggests that there needs to be multiple forms … of assessment to get a holistic and multifaceted view of student learning.”
What types of formative assessment do you use in your CS classes & how do these inform instruction?
3. How can we effectively provide feedback and assess student learning when we are teaching remotely? (As during the Covid pandemic?)
4. What does assessment look like in Project Based Learning? How can we insure that students are learning CS concepts through PBL (Project-Based Learning)? Please share rubrics and/or grading philosophies.
5. How do you choose what to assess in computer science classes for 5-14 year old students? Do you assess concept development, practice, both, something completely different?
6. What kinds of formative assessments have you found helpful in assessing student understanding of computer science concepts? Please share examples, rubrics, links, etc.
7. How do you summatively assess the CS knowledge of your students? Do you use projects, tests, reflections of students, or something else? Share rubrics, examples, links, etc.
8. It can be difficult to know what each student is learning when they are pair programming or working in groups. How can we ensure that we are assessing the learning of each student when they are not working individually?
9. As Chapter 11 suggests, in addition to disciplinary content, persistence, flexibility, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity are skills that are important in computer science classes and in life. How do you/could you assess these interpersonal and intrapersonal skills?
10. How do you/could you use the results of assessments to improve your K-8 CS classes?
11. How do we assess projects/artifacts that are created in integration settings, for example when CS and Social Studies or Science or Math (or other subjects) are integrated?
12. “Short, high-frequency, low-stakes autogradable quizzes help to keep learners aligned with content …”
How can we create a classroom culture that embraces these as a means of feedback for both the teacher and student and not as tests for grading?
As part of an NSF-funded effort, Dr. Shuchi Grover & Bryan “BT” Twarek developed Formative Classroom Assessment for Teachers (FCAT), a professional development workshop series designed to deepen teachers’ understanding of formative assessment in K-12 computer science classrooms, what they are, why they’re important, and how to design, adapt, and use them in classrooms. In this multi-part series, they present a synthesis of research and many examples, plus interactive activities to practice evaluating, adapting, and responding to assessment items. Examples cover content related to algorithms and programming, with examples across grades 3-12.
The overarching goals of FCAT PD are—
These workshops were designed as professional development (PD) in-a-box — i.e., resources that can easily be used and adapted by others to facilitate high quality PD in their own regions and contexts. We recommend implementing as a series of four sessions of approximately 90 minutes each over the course of one month (e.g., weekly) or one semester (e.g., monthly):
In this talk organized as part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation Seminar series in November 2020, Shuchi Grover distils key ideas of formative assessment from education research that are key to understanding the what and why of this crucial classroom practice that can help improve teaching and learning in computer science classrooms. Drawing on prior research in CS education on assessment (albeit summative assessment, mainly) and programming comprehension, as well as ongoing research led by the author, the paper also presents dimensions of a preliminary framework that can help guide the adoption of formative assessment in K-12 CS and progress on three key aspects of formative assessment in K-12 CS: formative assessment design, formative assessment literacy in teacher professional development (PD), and leveraging community and community- developed resources for formative assessment.
In this episode, Kim Wilkens take a deep dive into two papers: Designing an Assessment for Introductory Programming Concepts in Middle School Computer Science (2020) and Assessing Algorithmic & Computational Thinking in K-12: Lessons from a Middle School Classroom (2017) with Shuchi Grover. She is a learning scientist and computer science and STEM education researcher. Shuchi’s research is primarily centered on computational thinking, CS education, and STEM learning in the PK-14 years with a focus on the design of curriculum, assessments, tools, and environments.
Additional resources related to the episode.
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