ASSESSMENT: Do they (the students) Get It? Practices for the Classroom

Education changes with time and there are even more rigorous standards being set, but one item that seems to stay the same is assessment practices that used.

Importance of Standards  Website Review – Great Schools – Why are standards important teStandards.page?state=MO teStandards.page?state=MO  Class Discussion – what are your thoughts about the New Common Core Standards?

Define accountability  Let’s create our own definition - Brainstorm

How is NCLB holding Schools, districts, and states accountable?  Discuss  If time permits – watch NCLB youtube TzLILQx3c

How do you the U.S. students compare internationally?  Refer to p. 321 and discuss Do you think it’s okay that we rank in the average when compared internationally ?

Now lets look at how we evaluate students learning

What is Assessment? The word ‘assess’ comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do ‘with’ and ‘for’ students and not ‘to’ students (Green, 1999). Assessment in education is the process of gathering, interpreting, recording, and using information about pupils’ responses to an educational task. (Harlen, Gipps, Broadfoot, Nuttal,1992)

The State of Assessment  “A wealth of research – a poverty of practice.” (Black and Wiliam, 1998)  Shift from “teaching” to “learning”  Confusion of terms and conditions  Evaluation  Assessment  Summative  Formative

Assessment OF (summative) & FOR (formative) Learning  Both assessment FOR and OF learning are important  Assessments FOR learning serve to help students learn more (Classroom Assessment)  Assessments OF learning provide evidence of achievement for public reporting (Standardized Testing)

Formative and summative assessment are interconnected. They seldom stand alone in construction or effect.  The vast majority of genuine formative assessment is informal, with interactive and timely feedback and response.  It is widely and empirically argued that formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement.

Values and Attitudes about Assessment 1. Teachers value and believe in students. 2. Sharing learning goals with the students. 3. Involving students in self-assessment. 4. Providing feedback that helps students recognize their next steps and how to take them. 5. Being confident that every student can improve. 6. Providing students with examples of what we expect from them.

The Problem… Old Standards…..Summative Assessment Only  Standardized test  Validity and Reliability  Are old standards still valid and/or reliable?  Record Keeping  Report Cards  Do they show students potential or failure?  Teachers ability to assess  Effective teaching  Are teachers sufficiently equipped to effectively assess?

Summative Assessment Assessment of learning  Generally taken by students at the end of a unit or semester to demonstrate the "sum" of what they have or have not learned.  Summative assessment methods are the most traditional way of evaluating student work.  "Good summative assessments--tests and other graded evaluations--must be demonstrably reliable, valid, and free of bias" (Angelo and Cross, 1993).

Forms of Summative Assessment  Performance Assessment &feature=relatedhttp:// &feature=related Teaching with performance assessments  Portfolios  Traditional Tests  State-mandated assessments  District benchmark or interim assessments  End-of-unit or -chapter tests  End-of-term or -semester exams

The Plan New Standards… Formative Assessment  The new standard suggest that teachers must use the evidence gathered through assessment for 2 purposes:  Make informed instructional decisions AND  Encourage students to try to learn

Formative Assessment  Assessment for learning  Taken at varying intervals throughout a course to provide information and feedback that will help improve  the quality of student learning  the quality of the course itself  “…learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice" (Angelo and Cross, 1993).  Provides information on what an individual student needs  To practice  To have re-taught  To learn next

Key Elements of Formative Assessment 1. The identification by teachers & learners of learning goals, intentions or outcomes and criteria for achieving these. 2. Rich conversations between teachers & students that continually build and go deeper. 3. The provision of effective, timely feedback to enable students to advance their learning. 4. The active involvement of students in their own learning. 5. Teachers responding to identified learning needs and strengths by modifying their teaching approach(es). Black & Wiliam, 1998

Implications for classroom practice  Share learning goals with students.  Involve students in self-assessment.  Provide feedback that helps students recognize their next steps and how to take them.  Be confident that every student can improve.

Types of Formative Assessment  Exit /Admit Slips  Observations  Discussions/Questioning  Peer/Self Assessment  Graphic Organizers  Individual Whiteboard responses

Formative Assessment Easy as 1,2,4… (LOL)  Step 1  Parents, students and teachers must evaluate themselves  Step 2  Instructional Support Personal must evaluate themselves (principals, curriculum specialists, teacher teams, etc)  Step 3  Policy makers must evaluate themselves Formative Assessment is all about reflection and continuous self evaluation at all levels

Role of Formative Classroom Assessments Strives to increase achievement Informs students about themselves Reflects targets that underpin standards Can produce unique results for individuals Teacher’s role is to promote success Student’s role is to strive for improvement Motivates with promise of success

Cycle of Best Practices with Assessment

The Garden Analogy If we think of our children as plants … Summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply measuring them. It might be interesting to compare and analyze measurements but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of the plants. Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the equivalent of feeding and watering the plants appropriate to their needs - directly affecting their growth.

Factors & Issues with Assessment

Factors Inhibiting Assessment  A tendency for teachers to assess quantity and presentation of work rather than quality of learning.  Greater attention given to marking and grading, much of it tending to lower self esteem of students, rather than providing advice for improvement.  A strong emphasis on comparing students with each other, which demoralizes the less successful learners.

Best Assessment Practices  To improve their teaching, teachers must define learning outcomes and measure their attainment.  To improve their learning, students must learn how to use feedback to assess their own progress (= “self- assessment”).  The best assessment derives from teachers’ questions about their own teaching.  Assessment provides an impetus for active student involvement, a proven “best practice”.

Aligning Achievement Targets and Assessment Methods

Rule  SIMPLE TARGET, SIMPLE TASK  COMPLEX TARGET, COMPLEX TASK

Low Level vs High Level Benchmarks FABLES 1. Describe the characteristics of a fable 2. Explain the use of personification 3. Identify the source of conflict Analyze a set of fables to show their similarities and their use of conflict, character development, and a moral. GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHER 1. Describe landforms in the U. S. 2. Explain the water cycle 3. Name the stages of the water cycle in each season. Compare how seasons and landforms affect changes in weather patterns within regions of the US. MATH PROBLEM – SOLVING 1. Multiply multi-digit numbers 2. Divide numbers using decimals 3. Multiply and divide numbers to change decimal values and pounds Use computational results to analyze and compare costs of energy.

Incorporating Student Involvement What is student involvement?  It is anything that helps students  Understand learning targets  Engage in self-assessment  Watch themselves grow  Talk about their growth  Plan next steps for learning  Why should we involve students?  Motivation  Greater understanding of criteria  Students monitoring improvements through record keeping

Examples of Student Involvement  Selected Response  Student generated question bank  QAR questions from IBL units  Essay, Performance Assessment, Personal Communication

What is a Rubric?  A set of scoring guidelines for evaluating student work  Rubrics answer the questions  By what criteria should a performance or product be judged?  What does the range in the quality of the performance look like?  Often accompanied by examples of products or performances to illustrate the various scoring points

Its Essentially a Graphic Organizer Rubric Scoring Instrument Sea Creature (Kindergarten) Colonial Celebration (7) Performance Criteria Range of Quality Student Involvement Scoring Points What are the parts? Checklist What is it? Compare or Contrast What are some examples? Persuasive ¶

Creating Quality Rubrics  Content  Does it cover everything of importance?  Clarity  Does everyone understand what is meant?  Are terms defined?  Are the levels of quality clearly differentiated?  Are there samples of work to illustrate levels of quality?

Creating Quality Rubrics  Practicality  Is it easy to use by teachers and students?  Will students understand it?  Can students use it to self assess?  Is the rubric manageable?  Technical quality/Fairness  Is it valid (measures what it should) and reliable (different raters will give the same score)?  Is it fair?  Rethinking Rubrics eature=related

Five Reasons to Use Rubrics 1. Rubrics set standards – information on the expected quality of the task performed is given 2. Rubrics tell students they must do a careful job – students know in advance what they have to do to achieve a certain level. 3. Rubrics Clarify Expectations – When levels are described in clear language, everyone knows what is required. The quality of student work will improve. 4. Rubrics help students take responsibility of their own learning – Students use rubrics to help study information the teacher values 5. Rubrics have value to other stakeholders – Anyone (including colleagues, parents and community memebrs) seeing a rubric and a student score based on that rubric knows what content was mastered by that student

Some Examples… 96&bih=1024&q=rubric&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g3g-s1g1g- s1g4&aql=&oqhttp:// 96&bih=1024&q=rubric&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g3g-s1g1g- s1g4&aql=&oq=  Working in teams, examine the rubric examples  Use post it notes to rate each one: Good, Bad or Ugly  Be prepared to share your ratings and reasons behind them

Now let’s get some practice with Rubrics