CATS

Classroom Assessment Techniques

What are CATS?

• Simple tools for collecting data on student learning in order to improve it.

• CATS are feedback devices – they tell us what and how much and how well students are learning and even how they are learning what we are trying to teach.

CATS …Starting small..

• The Minute Paper (CAT 6)

• The Muddiest Point (CAT 7)

• The One Sentence Summary (CAT 13)

• Directed Paraphrasing (CAT 23)

• Application Cards (CAT 24)

Five Suggestions:

• If a CAT does not appeal to you, don’t use it!

• Don’t make a CAT into a self-inflicted chore or burden!

Five Suggestions:

• Don’t ask your students to use any CAT you haven’t tried on yourself!

• Allow for more time than you think it will take to carry out the assessment.

• Make sure you “close the loop.” Let students know what you learn from their feedback and how you and they can use the information to improve learning.

Characteristics of Classroom Assessment

• Learning Centered– Students must learn to take full responsibility

for their learning

• Teacher-Directed– What to assess, how to assess, and how to

respond to information gained in assessment

• Mutually Beneficial – Requires active participation of students

Characteristics of Classroom Assessment

• Formative – Almost never graded, always anonymous

• Content Specific

• Ongoing

• Rooted in Good Teaching Practice

Seven Basic Assumptions

• The quality of student learning is related to the quality of teaching.

• To improve effectiveness, teachers need to make their goals and objectives clear and specific, providing feedback on the extent too which they are achieving those goals and objectives.

• To improve learning, students nee appropriate feedback early and often; they also need to learn how to assess their own learning.

• The type of assessment most likely to improve teaching and learning is that conducted by faculty to answer questions they have formulated.

Seven Basic Assumptions

• Systematic inquiry and intellectual challenge are powerful sources of motivation, growth, and renewal for college teachers.

• Classroom assessment does not require specialized training to administer.

• By collaborating with colleagues and actively involving students in Classroom Assessment, learning and personal satisfaction are enhanced.