Finding the Right Grain-Size for Measurement in the Classroom

• In Event: AERA E.F. Lindquist Award (2019) Lecture: Finding the Right Grain-size for Measurement in the Classroom

Abstract

In this presentation, I will consider the appropriate content grain-size for measurement in classrooms. Apart from the usual focus of measurement at the summative (“macro”) level, two levels seem clear:
(a) the meso level, which is the target of assessment in the service of teacher planning and monitoring for the classroom and/or groups in the classroom, and
(b) the micro level, which is concerned with student learning at the finest level.
The rest of this presentation then focusses on an example in lower grade mathematics, looking across meso and micro levels. The two levels are linked through the construct map, a boundary object which enables interpretation within each level, but also co-ordination across levels. The potentials of adopting this dual-level frame-of-reference for classroom assessment are then discussed.

Author

• Mark R. Wilson, University of California - Berkeley