1.
Classroom Assessment
Techniques
Heartland Community College
IDC

2.
CATs
 Describe an issue you had in class?
 What would you like to have known from
your students?

3.
CATs
 What are they?
– Mechanisms by which instructors can obtain
useful feedback on what, how much and how
well their students are learning
 Adapted from Angelo and Cross, 1993

4.
CATs
“Typical Testing” “CATs”
Assess Achievement Feedback for Learning
Evaluates Outcomes Evaluates Process
Summative (one shot) Formative (ongoing)
Not Anonymous Anonymous
Longer/Involved Quick and Easy
Graded Not Graded
How do CATs compare to “Typical Testing?”
Adapted from Parkland College Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

5.
CATs
Background Knowledge What have you learned?
Content/Material What are you learning?
Process How are you learning?
Application How do you use it?
Barriers What’s hindering you?
Study Skills Do you have the tools?
Attitudes What do you think?
Areas we can explore with CATs:
Adapted from Parkland College Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

6.
CATs
PLAN
IMPLEMENT
Teach
Assess
Analyze
RESPOND
Adapt
Adapted from Angelo and Cross, 1993 and Parkland College

7.
CATs
SELF Prestage Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Concern Not good Can I? Control Partner
Content Imposed Primary Learning Big Pix
Students ???? Enemy Monkeys Partners
Evals. No Clueless Fix it Analysis
Methods Others? Basic Reflect Choose
Comm. Enough? Correct Effects Message
Adapted from Svinicki, Sullivan, Greer, and Diaz, 1991.
Self Awareness:

8.
CATs
 Background
– Misconception/Preconception Check
 What % of US Population is African-American?

9.
CATs
 Content
– One Sentence Summary
– Who Does What to Whom, When, Where, How
and Why? (WDWWWWHW)
 Relationship between the founders and slaves.
 Founders kept AA enslaved by not clearly addressing
it in the Constitution in order to forge a compromise
and pass the document.

10.
CATs
 Content
– Pro/Con Grid
 What are the reasons pro and con for passing the
Constitution?

11.
CATs
 Application
– Invented Dialogue
 Assume the role of an Anti-Federalist arguing against
the passage of the Constitution with James Madison.

12.
CATs
 On and On and On……..

13.
CATs
 References
– Angelo and Cross (1993). Classroom
Assessment Techniques, 2nd ed.
– Richlin, L. (1998). “Using CATs to Help New
Instructors Develop as Teachers”, New
Directions For Teaching and Learning.
– Parkland College Center for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (2004) “Classroom
Assessment Techniques (CATs)” Workshop

14.
CATs
 Sources
– http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/F
acDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/assess-1.htm
– http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/F
acDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/assess-2.htm
– http://www.assessment.ilstu.edu/cats/minute_pa
per.htm

15.
CATs
 Sources (Continued)
– http://www.assessment.ilstu.edu/cats/muddiest_
point.htm
– http://www.siue.edu/~deder/assess/catmain.htm
l
– http://www.sinclair.edu/about/assessment/resou
rces/index.cfm