| Course Number: | EDX 5710 S67 (graduate) & EDX 4710 S67 (undergraduate) |
| Instructor: | Cheryl McDonough, J.D. |
| Location: | Online |
| Dates and Times: | Jun 23 - Oct 16, 2026. Synchronous meetings on June 23, 2026 - 2:30 to 4:00, July 15 and 29 - 4:30 to 6:00, August 12 - 4:30 to 6:00 September 9 and 23 - 4:30 to 6:00, October 1 - 4:30 to 6:00 *plus, monthly office hours *one hour portfolio conference for each student later in May and early June |
| Credits: | 3 graduate or undergraduate credits |
| Tuition: | Set by and payable to educational partner Collins Education Associates |
Participants will explore methods for building varied assessment tools that demand the demonstration of mastery of knowledge, skills and understanding in their Career and Technical Education (CTE) area. Members of the class will develop a routine and tools for both student and teacher reflection; identify career aligned competencies for their course in order to practice deliberate and focused assessment; and develop strategies to implement assessment for learning, as learning and of learning. Emphasis is placed on the CTE students to provide evidence of their critical thinking, problem-solving and application of technical skills.
Audience: CTE Teachers - 9-12
Course Goals: How to:
Course Objectives:
Weeks 1 and 2: Students will develop their philosophy of assessment - What is the purpose? How does it look? How does it support student understanding and ability to apply course competencies?
Weeks 3 and 4: Audit of current assessment practices and using the results to rebuild one or more of your current assessments.
Week 5: What is authentic assessment? How does it differ from traditional assessment practices? Complete a T-chart comparing the two.
Week 6: Literacy in CTE assessments. How can vocabulary, reading, writing, and speaking improve student performance and how to assess it.
Week 7: Building a variety of reflection tools for CTE students to use. Members of this class will use the best of these as their own self-assessment tools in the portfolio
Week 8: How to build a portfolio that collects evidence of success for each topic/assignment
Required Readings/Resources: (required resources not included in cost of course - but most are free online)
Farley, S. (2023, June 9). Creative ways to demonstrate learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/creative-ways-demonstrate-learning
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2025, September 1). Collecting evidence of learning. Instructional Insights, 83(1).
Franklin, S. (2021, May 12). The four pillars of assessment: What does a focus on validity, reliability, purpose and value in assessment practice look like on the ground? Impact.
Hernandez, M. (2024, November 1). The “uncheatable” projects students want. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-uncheatable-projects-students-want
McDowell, M. (2022, August 17). Choosing effective assessments for PBL. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/choosing-effective-assessments-pbl
Moss, P., & Vaandering, H. (2021). Principles for the future of assessment. National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/resource-library/principles-future-assessment
Nguyen, N. (2023, July 18). What is authentic assessment? A full guide for educators. All blogs: Assessment, Student Success.
Sackstein, S. (2024, April 4). Assessment: Using portfolios to assess student learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/assessment-using-portfolios-assess-student-learning
Thompson, C. J. (2024, March 4). Teaching vocabulary in the STEM classroom. Accelerate learning: The leader in Stem Education.
Additionally, each participant will be required to purchase the CTE Desktop Guide from the instructor.
(802) 276-8783
This course requires registration with Collins Education Associates first. Please click on the Register Now! link below.