Alignment of Learning, Teaching, and Assessment

Abstract

Synonyms Academic process; Curriculum; Individualized educa-tion plan (IEP); Instructional outcomes; Instructional planning; Lesson plan; Mental model; Teacher work sample method (TWSM); Unit plan; Ways of thinking and practicing Definition Alignment of learning, teaching, and assessment is a process where each of the critical elements (learning objectives, assessment of learning, and anticipated knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions) of instruction interact and support learning outcomes. It is also a process of taking instructional ideas from a personal mental model and transforming those ideas through an instructional design process into a functional unit for teaching and learning. Theoretical Background The idea of alignment of learning, teaching, and assess-ment is foundational to formal education and has gained importance with the growth of the instructional standards-based movement in modern educational set-tings. Alignment of the various processes of teaching with the outcomes of learning has a beginning as far back as the 1600s in Europe with the " normal schools " to train teachers. The purpose of normal schools was to support teaching of content through establishment of teaching standards (norms) that included how to pre-sent instruction to encourage learning. This process has become known as " pedagogy. " The word pedagogy comes from late sixteenth century from French pédagogie, from Greek paidago ¯gia " office of a pedagogue, " from paidago ¯gos. Pedagogy is the study of the methods and activities of teaching and has become a foundational process for learning how to teach. Pedagogies (instructional methods) although containing basic information on teaching, also contain specific methods for teaching a type of content. For example, the pedagogy for teaching mathematics will vary from the pedagogy for teaching economics. There are many different types of models used to align learning, teaching, and assessment. Commonly used models include unit plans, individualized educa-tion plans (IEP), and the teacher work sample meth-odology (TWSM). The unit plan is considered to be the foundational model for alignment of the various elements of instruc-tion. A unit plan is comprised of several chunks of instruction (individual lessons) that are organized in a logical sequence to teach a general concept. The unit planning process breaks the general concept into smaller chunks of instruction containing knowledge, skills, and/ or dispositions to be taught. These chunks of instruction are each critical pieces of the larger concept and are arranged in a logical sequence for learning (lessons). The assessment of the effectiveness of the teaching pro-cess occurs during the lessons and often culminates in a unit test for all concepts learned in the unit. There are many different instructional methods for teaching a unit or lesson such as discovery learning, inquiry, critical thinking, problem-based learning, direct instruction, drill and practice, and lecture. The chosen instructional method usually reflects the underlying philosophical approach toward learning held by the instructor. The individualized education plan (IEP) is most commonly associated with instructional planning for students with unique needs beyond the anticipated skills level of average achievement students. The IEP usually involves a group of stakeholders (teacher, par-ent, remediation specialist, medical specialist, etc.) who determine what will be taught to the student and to a specific level of achievement. The IEP is more detailed than a unit plan because it is specific to one individual learner. Assessment of the learner's progress with their IEPs is also defined by that plan. In the USA, the IEP process is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), originally enacted in 1975 and updated in 2004. The teacher work sample method (TWSM) is pri-marily used to prepare pre-licensure teachers. The TWSM is an instructional design model for teaching how to align instructional methods, assessment, and anticipated learning outcomes. This model is widely used in preservice teacher education programs. The methodology was developed by Western Oregon Uni-versity (Girod 2002). The TWSM approach for clearly