Designing & Assessing Educational Objectives: Applying the New Taxonomy

"Marzano concisely and effectively shows how his three domains of learning and the New Taxonomy can be operationalized for teachers and administrators. This book integrates objectives, instructional approaches, and assessment options so that these critical aspects of teaching are aligned to promote student learning."
―James McMillan, Professor and Chair, Foundations of Education
Virginia Commonwealth University

A hands-on guide for applying the New Taxonomy to develop meaningful and targeted educational objectives and assessments.

Translating mandated standards into concrete objectives and then creating appropriate tasks to assess student learning of those objectives can be a challenge for educators. This practical resource provides a step-by-step process that shows readers how to make designing educational objectives and creating appropriate assessment tasks a part of their day-to-day practice.

Written as a stand-alone volume, Designing and Assessing Educational Objectives reviews the framework and basic principles of Marzano′s New Taxonomy and illustrates how educators can utilize Marzano′s model to assess student performance on a broad scale or for a specific unit of instruction or grading period. The book explores objectives and tasks for each of the six levels of mental processing―retrieval, comprehension, analysis, knowledge utilization, metacognition, and self-system thinking―and features:

• Benchmark statements that provide a starting point for the process
• Step-by-step models, helpful diagrams, and useful charts
• Numerous detailed examples from multiple subject areas and grade levels
• Application of the taxonomy′s three domains of knowledge: information, mental procedures, and psychomotor procedures

Comprehensive and profound, this resource is essential for teachers, school and district administrators, curriculum directors, and assessment specialists seeking to apply standards to curriculum and instruction for measurable results.

Robert J. Marzano is senior scholar at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) in Aurora, Colorado, associate professor at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and president of Marzano & Associates in Centennial, Colorado. He is the author of 25 books, 150 articles and chapters in books, and 100 sets of curriculum materials for teachers and students in Grades K–12. His works include What Works in Schools: Translating Research Into Action, School Leadership That Works, Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, Classroom Management That Works, Classroom Instruction That Works, Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work, and A Different Kind of Classroom: Teaching With Dimensions of Learning.

During his 35 years in public education, Marzano has worked in every state multiple times as well as in a host of countries in Europe and Asia. The central theme in his work has been translating research and theory into practical programs and tools for K–12 teachers and administrators.

John S. Kendall is a senior director in research at McREL, where he directs a technical assistance unit that develops and provides standards-related services for schools, districts, states, and other organizations.

An internationally recognized expert in the development and improvement of standards for education, Kendall has consulted for more than 50 school districts and 14 state departments of education as well as education agencies in the U.S. territories and abroad. He has authored or coauthored six books and more than 30 monographs, technical studies, and articles published by American School Board Journal, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and National Association of School Boards, among others. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Kendall’s current research and technical assistance efforts include working with clients to establish performance standards for the classroom, developing standards for principals, and identifying the knowledge and skills that help students learn.