Introduction

The Classroom Assessment Certificate is designed for educators such as teachers, administrators, coaches, program leaders, and curriculum leaders, who desire to learn how to develop, select, use, administer, and interpret educational assessments. The goal of this certificate is for participants to become well-informed assessment designers and developers, critical assessment consumers, assessment evaluators, and advocators of reliable, valid and fair assessments for culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Students will:

• Develop quality assessments, which provide reliable and valid information for making instructional decisions at the classroom and at the school level.
• Become aware of the role of classroom assessment in the context of high-stakes testing and how it can help to maximize student learning and achievement.
• Become critical users of assessment instruments and assessment information.
• Become users, developers, and advocates of assessments, which are fair, reliable, and valid for diverse populations.

Delivery Method

• This is a fully online program with some classes having synchronous Zoom class meetings.
• The certificate typically takes 2 years to complete.

Program Requirements

Certificate Structure

The certificate is designed as a three‐course sequence and one elective course. Each course in the three‐course sequence is designed to provide knowledge and skills that are considered building blocks for the next courses. The three courses are designed around four ideas, which are spiraled in the courses and allow participants to achieve the learning goals: assessment development, evaluation of assessments (validity, reliability, and fairness), consumers of assessments (selection of assessments and interpretation of large‐scale assessment data), and issues of validity, reliability, bias, and fairness of assessments for diverse populations. The elective course is chosen to complement students’ academic and professional goals and interests.

The certificate consists of four courses, totaling 12 credit hours, and may be earned in one year. Courses may be taken as part of the certificate as well as used toward the Master of Arts in Research and Evaluation Methods.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Select four of the following:		12
RSEM 5080	Research In Schools
RSEM 5100	Basic Statistics
RSEM 5110	Introduction to Measurement
RSEM 5600	Issues in Assessment Development
RSEM 5610	Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom
RSEM 5620	Analyzing, Using, and Reporting Assessment Results
SPED 5140	Assessment: Inquiry, Instruction, & Intervention
LCRT 5055	Literacy Assessment & Informed Instruction
ECED 5200	Screening and Assessment of Young Children
CLDE 5050	Assessment & Advocacy for Multilingual Learners
Total Hours		12