Assessments in Backwards Planning DO NOW: Take the Assessments Pre- Test

Goal: Students will be able to explain and demonstrate what makes a civilization using two Ancient civilizations as an example. HS class of low-performing high- ability students, 3 LD students, 6 ELLs. Hour-long periods daily. Brainstorm: What are all of the ways that we might assess this goal? Reflection: How do our ideas relate to the ideas on the Assessment handout? What stands out to you?

“Backwards Planning” (UbD) Select learning goals What do you want students to learn by the end of the lesson or unit? (Last Time) Design assessment tasks How will students demonstrate their developing mastery of those goals? (This Time) Develop lesson activities How will you prepare students to master the goals and succeed on the assessment task? (Next Time) Constraints Intermediate Goals

Designing Intermediate Goals Our learning goal is that TSWBAT craft and defend a multi-causal argument for the origins of the Civil War We’ve decided to assess student understanding of the “True Causes” of the Civil War by holding a debate (of the same format we’ve used in class.) What is everything that our students need to be able to do to meet this goal?

Linking Goals and Assessments Goals The relevant goals the unit will address Assessments Given the goals, how will you know that students have the requisite understanding to meet those goals? Lessons How will you prepare students for success on the assessments? What do students need to know and be able to do to succeed on the assessments?

Given my goals… What assessments make the most sense? How will I know if students have achieved the learning goal? What intermediary checks for understanding can I do?

Our goals inform our assessments Goal: Students will be understand and be able to explain multiple perspectives on the cause of the Civil War.

Our goals inform our assessments Goal: Students will understand and be able to explain multiple perspectives on the cause of the Civil War. Possible Assessments: An essay explaining the multiple perspectives (Summative) A simulation of a meeting of historians arguing about the cause of the Civil War (Summative) A group presentation on different perspectives on the cause, plus a debate between different perspectives on the “true cause” (Summative)

Goal: Students will understand and be able to explain multiple perspectives on the cause of the Civil War. We also want to check for understanding along the way (Formative Assessment): A quick-write on what it means to have “multiple perspectives” about a particular event A first-person writing piece explaining one historical figure’s perspective on the cause of the Civil War A quiz on various facts about the cause of the Civil War, from a particular perspective

A chance to try it out 1. With a partner, create at least two meaningful goals for a social studies or history course. 2. Quickly describe a few possible summative assessments that would help you know whether students have met your goals. 3. Quickly describe a few possible formative assessments to check students’ understanding on the way to meeting the learning goal.