Assessing Student Thinking

OBCC 121

This is an interactive workshop on assessing student thinking, focusing on two basic questions: How can we reliably assess the level of skill displayed by students in their thinking, and (2) how can we assess the impact of teaching skillful thinking on student content learning. In (1) we will contrast selected response assessment, as it is displayed in some of the available tests of critical thinking, with richer extended-response assessment, especially focused on the level of skill that students display when they engage in thinking tasks and based on clear standards and corresponding rubrics. Student samples will be displayed and discussed. We will also draw out implications for classroom teachers and show how some of these techniques can be used for student self-monitoring and assessing their own progress in thinking classrooms and schools. And with regard to (2) we will show how actual classroom research was structured to be able to draw reliable conclusions about the impact of teaching skillful thinking on student learning.