1. ASHFORD EDU 645 ENTIRE COURSE
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EDU 645 Week 1
Assessment Crisis. Watch the video “Linda Darling-Hammond on Competing
Internationally.” Then, explain the current crisis in America with regards to
education and assessment. What do you think the cause(s) of this crisis might
be? What are the possible implications? Explain your reasoning. Respond
substantively to at least two of your peers. Analyze their responses and compare
and contrast their reasoning with yours.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and High-Stakes Testing (HST) Debate. The
effects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on high-stakes testing (HST) has
generated controversy amongst educators. In this discussion you will briefly
debate the efficacy of NCLB. Find your assigned “Debate Group” below: Debate
Grouping (by first letter of last name)
§ A-L: Proponents of NCLB and HST
§ M-Z: Opponents of NCLB and HST
Conduct research on NCLB using the web and the Ashford library, and develop a
cohesive and research-based argument for or against NCLB based on the
position you’ve been assigned. Then, respond to at least two peers of the
opposite group with a critical evaluation of their argument. Comment on the
accuracy and clarity of their post and ask follow-up questions if needed. Your
response should be based on your research and not on your opinion
Response to Intervention. What is the purpose of the response-to-intervention
(RTI) approach? What are the benefits of this approach? What are the
challenges? Can you think of any way to overcome these challenges? Why is it
important to intervene early in a student’s learning experience? Your paper
should be 4-6 pages (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted to APA
standards
EDU 645 Week 2
Two Classroom Measurement Problems. What do the authors say are the two
general problems encountered in classroom measurement? How are these two
problems similar to each other? Explain why it is important to surmount these
challenges, and brainstorm strategies for overcoming them.
Respond to at least two of your classmates, offering substantive feedback on
their strategies for overcoming these two general challenges. Address whether or

2. not you think their strategies are feasible in the classroom and justify your
response.
Three-Stage Model of Classroom Measurement. What do the authors mean in
saying “any good classroom test begins with your objectives” (Kubiszyn&Borich,
2010)? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not? Respond
to at least two of your classmates, offering substantive feedback on their
interpretation of this quote, and providing your thoughts on why some teachers
(intentionally or unintentionally) choose not to use objectives or outcomes.
Learning Outcomes. Create a blog using WordPress or Blogger. This will act as
a portfolio for your work in this course, so it is important to make it presentable
and polished by using a professional URL and a consistent theme and format
throughout the blog. Then, using the information in Chapter 6 of your textbook
and the article “Enhancing curriculum and delivery: linking assessment to learning
objectives,” write at least three measurable learning outcomes for a hypothetical
unit of study and grade level of your choosing. Later, you will be asked to develop
the learning activities and assessments that support these learning outcomes.
Once you have written your learning outcomes, post a link to your blog within a
Word document. Then, upload that Word document to two locations:
a. Classroom Assignment Basket
b. Doc Sharing feature at the top of the classroom
Finally, browse your classmates’ learning outcomes for ideas, through the Doc
Sharing feature. Feel free to leave supportive and constructive comments on their
learning outcomes within their blog. Please Note: You will be using these
outcomes throughout the course.
EDU 645 Week 3
Portfolio Assessment. Explain the three challenges to validity when using
portfolios as assessments, and evaluate the benefits they offer to the learning
experience. Respond to at least two of your classmates, offering substantive
feedback on their evaluation of portfolios as learning tools. Do you agree with
your classmates’ evaluations? Why or why not?
Performance/Authentic Assessments. The authors state that “there is a
temptation to limit the scoring criteria to those qualities of performance that are
easiest to rate rather than the most important required for doing an effective job”
(Kubiszyn&Borich, 2010). What do they mean by this? Explain the benefits and
challenges of incorporating performance assessments, and evaluate their overall
effectiveness in the classroom. Respond to at least two of your classmates with
substantive feedback on their evaluation of this quote. Explain how your
interpretation of this quote is similar and/or different

3. Test and Essay Items. In the portfolio blog you created last week, develop at
least three test items that support your outcomes, and write at least one essay
item that supports your outcomes. These should be included in the same post as
your outcomes. Then, start a new post in your blog that explains your thought
process and rationale behind the test items and essay item(s). Use the textbook
to support your decisions. Once you have updated your blog with your test items
and rationale, post a link to your blog within a Word document. Then, upload that
Word document to the Classroom Assignment Basket.
EDU 645 Week 4
Item Analysis. Explain quantitative item analysis and qualitative item analysis.
What are their benefits to learning and assessment? What are the risks to
learning and assessment if these types of analyses are not administered? Finally,
provide two examples of imperfect test items for your peers to qualitatively
analyze. Explain why you think it is necessary for teachers to use a combination
of both qualitative and quantitative item analysis. Respond to at least two of your
peers, identifying the errors in their listed test items, and providing suggestions on
how they can be improved.
Marking. Why do the authors propose that marks only reflect academic
achievement, and not other factors like effort or attitude? Could including factors
like these in the marking data affect instructional decisions that need to be made?
Explain. Respond to at least two of your peers, providing feedback on their
support for or against including other factors in marks/grades.
Analyzing and Improving a Test Using Statistics. In the online course, view
the results for a hypothetical psychology test. Then, create a report with the
following:
a. The mean score for each question.
b. The mean score for the entire test.
c. A graph that represents the scores for each question.
Finally, evaluate the test by using the information in your report and conducting
qualitative item analysis and quantitative item analysis, and provide suggestions
or examples on how this test can be improved. Your report should be 4-6 pages
(excluding title and reference pages) and formatted to APA standards
EDU 645 Week 5
Correlation and Causality.According to the authors of the textbook, “one of the
most frequent misinterpretations in statistics (and in education) is to infer that
because two variables are correlated with one another, one variable causes the
other” (Kubiszyn&Borich, 2010). What does this mean? What are the potential

4. dangers to assessment and learning when one mistakenly implies causality
where only a correlation between two variables exists? Respond to at least two of
your peers, providing feedback on their listed dangers of implying causality, and
how these dangers can ultimately affect assessment, instruction, and learning.
Your initial post should be between 250-300 words.
Validity and Reliability. Using Mindmeister or Microsoft Word, create a mind
map that represents the various types of validity and reliability, and explains why
they are important in learning and assessment. Then, post your mind map to the
discussion forum, either as an attachment (for Word documents) or pasted link
(for Mindmeister). View your classmates’ mind maps, and respond to at least two
of them with constructive feedback. Select at least two pieces of information from
their mind maps, and explain how they can be used to create better assessments.
Each peer response should be between 100-150 words.
Validity, Reliability, and Accuracy. Select one of the learning outcomes below
and draft a hypothetical assessment that supports the outcome (e.g., multiple
choice items, essay items, authentic assessment, etc.). Explain how you plan to
promote validity and reliability in your assessment, and how your assessment
addresses the four categories of sources of error identified in the text, thereby
promoting accuracy. Learning Outcomes
a. Apply analytical skills and knowledge of literary analysis to reading and writing
about poetry. (Literary Research)
b. Identify appropriate formulas for solving problems. (Introduction to Algebra)
c. Explain the five functions of management and their importance in
organizations. (Management for Organizations)
d. Examine the perception of abnormal behaviors through the media. (Abnormal
Psychology)
Your paper should be between 4-6 pages in length (excluding title and reference
pages), and formatted to APA style.
EDU 645 Week 6
Standardized Testing. Watch the video “Comprehensive Assessment: An
Overview.” Then, using the Ashford library, locate one journal article related to
standardized testing. In the discussion forum, summarize the article, and identify
at least two advantages and two disadvantages to standardized testing, utilizing
both the article and video in your post. Make sure to cite the article and explain
where it can be located in the Ashford library. Respond to at least two of your
classmates, brainstorming possible strategies or solutions to the disadvantages
they listed in their posts.

5. EDU645 Summary. Review the content in the past five weeks of this course and
list at least five “take-away” items that you have learned. Identify at least one
concept that you had a hard time understanding at first, or still do not fully
understand. Review your classmates’ posts, and respond to at least two of them.
In each response, try to explain the concept that your classmate did not or does
not understand.
Final Paper Assessment Plans
Demonstrate your understanding of the concepts covered in this course by
developing a plan to assess learner performance. This plan should be
constructed in your portfolio blog, and should include the following elements:
o Purpose and Learning Outcome: Describe the purpose of your assessment
plan. Then, write a learning outcome that supports the purpose you have
described.
§ Tip: This purpose must involve the learning of some knowledge or skill.
§ Tip: Refer back to Chapter 6 of your textbook for information on learning
outcomes.
o Assessment Context: Identify a task or a situation in which the learners will be
able to demonstrate the knowledge or skills they have gained.
o Holistic Rubric: Create a fully developed holistic rubric for one of the two
assessments you designed.
§ Tip: You can use Bloom’s Taxonomy (available in the online course) to adjust
the level of cognitive rigor in the assignment. For example, asking learners to
“describe” a concept is easier than asking them to “apply” it.
o Testing Constraints: Identify the constraints you will impose on the
assessment.
Then, write a 3- to 5-page paper (excluding title and reference pages) that
explains and supports your assessment plan. Justify your selection of
assessment context, evaluate your holistic rubric, and explain why you selected
the testing constraints you did. Remember that the ultimate goal of assessment
and assessment plans is to promote learning. Your paper should include a link to
your portfolio blog, and should be formatted to APA standards.