TA Assessment & Evaluation Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher asks students to write a journal entry reflecting on what they learned during the week. This is an example of which type of assessment?
- Summative assessment
- Diagnostic assessment
- Self-assessment (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced assessment
Correct answer: Self-assessment
Self-assessment involves students reflecting on and evaluating their own learning progress.
Question 2: When a teaching assistant records anecdotal notes about a student's reading behaviors during independent reading time, this is best described as:
- Portfolio assessment
- Observational assessment (Correct answer)
- Criterion-referenced testing
- Benchmark assessment
Correct answer: Observational assessment
Observational assessment involves systematically watching and recording student behavior or performance.
Question 3: A rubric that uses descriptive language to define performance levels (e.g., 'Exceeds Expectations,' 'Meets Expectations') rather than numbers is called a:
- Holistic rubric (Correct answer)
- Analytic rubric
- Single-point rubric
- Descriptive rubric
Correct answer: Holistic rubric
A holistic rubric provides an overall judgment of performance using descriptive levels rather than separate criteria scores.
Question 4: Which assessment approach is most appropriate for identifying a student's readiness BEFORE a new unit of instruction?
- Summative assessment
- Formative assessment
- Diagnostic pre-assessment (Correct answer)
- Standardized testing
Correct answer: Diagnostic pre-assessment
Diagnostic pre-assessment is used before instruction to identify students' prior knowledge and readiness.
Question 5: A student scores at the 75th percentile on a standardized reading test. This means:
- The student answered 75% of questions correctly
- The student scored higher than 75% of the norm group (Correct answer)
- The student is 75% proficient in reading
- The student needs 25% more growth to be on grade level
Correct answer: The student scored higher than 75% of the norm group
A percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in the norm group who scored at or below that score.
Question 6: When a TA uses exit tickets at the end of a lesson to gauge understanding, which assessment purpose does this BEST serve?
- Certifying student mastery
- Ranking students against peers
- Informing instructional next steps (Correct answer)
- Calculating semester grades
Correct answer: Informing instructional next steps
Exit tickets are formative tools that give teachers quick feedback to guide upcoming instruction.
Question 7: An IEP specifies that a student should be assessed using oral responses instead of written ones. A TA must:
- Use written tests only if the student requests them
- Implement the accommodation as written in the IEP (Correct answer)
- Ask the classroom teacher to decide each time
- Provide oral options only during summative tests
Correct answer: Implement the accommodation as written in the IEP
IEP accommodations are legally mandated and must be consistently implemented by all staff including TAs.
TA Assessment & Evaluation Methods 2
A teacher asks students to write a journal entry reflecting on what they learned during the week.
This is an example of which type of assessment?