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.

Standards, Assessment, & Accountability  Margaret Spellings “Why Accountability Matters – and How Can It Can Be Improved” 

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

Accountability  The pressures on educators have never been higher. Everyone wants to see higher levels of student learning.  Two main tools being used to hold educators accountable: standards & testing  Stakes of testing can be high for the education field (school accreditation, student higher education opportunities, government funding & awards, etc.)  Every effort must be taken to ensure that tests are of high quality & high stakes decisions are based on multiple sources of evidence.

How Accountability Helps Educators  Newest approach is with a “GROWTH MODEL” where one analyzes or creates a statistical model that compares the change in test scores of the same student(s) over time.   Chris Garcia, Teaching Trust & Former Principal, Uplift Peak Preparatory

Importance of Standards  Class Discussion – what are your thoughts about the New Common Core Standards?

History of Standards  Original George Bush created a plan to have the USA be 1 st on international academic competitions  Bill Clinton saw it wasn’t happening so we enacted “Goals 2000” to move standards to be world class standards by the year 2000  George W. Bush initiated NCLB requiring a set standard for competency & expected growth (AYP) – if not met, school was identified as “needing improvement”

Educational Standards  Educational standards are descriptions of desired student learning.  As a teacher, it is what we should know and be able to do.  CCSS (Common Core State Standards)  Focus on Learning Centered (instead of teacher centered)

Role of Standards  Using Standards to Guide Instruction  Standards and Accountability: Using Standards to Guide Instruction b/singleplay.php?projectID=foundations&clipID=Epis ode10_standards.and.accountability1.flv Standards and Accountability: Using Standards to Guide Instruction b/singleplay.php?projectID=foundations&clipID=Epis ode10_standards.and.accountability1.flv  A principals view on Standards: A Principal’s View on StandardsA Principal’s View on Standards

Educational Standards  Educational standards are descriptions of desired student learning.  As a teacher, it is what we should know and be able to do.  CCSS (Common Core State Standards)  Focus on Learning Centered (instead of teacher centered)

Other Standards?  World Class Standards  World is realizing it is important to be competitive in education (see page 321 for comparison)  Real World Standards – Focuses on knowledge & skills to make students employable & enable them to live independently

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)

ASSESSMENTS  Definition: Use of a variety of methods, including tests, to evaluate the current level of student learning; used in planning future steps in instruction.  Formative: Used during lessons/units to gauge what’s been learned so far & to plan the next steps  Summative: Conclusion or end-of-unit test to evaluate final/complete knowledge of the unit, grade-level, etc.

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.

The Problem

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 _mJr8Rc&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

Types of Assessment Measures  Diagnostic: Determines what level a student is functioning at (I.Q., special needs, gifted, etc.)  Criterion Referenced: Compare a student’s performance with a specific type of accomplishment or criterion (student being able to answer 10 two- digit subtraction problems)

Types of Assessment Measures  Norm-Referenced: Compared to an “average” population (standardized tests)  Capstone/Summative: Milestone accomplishment or proof of mastery (Work samples, learned throughout)

The Plan

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

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.

ASSESSMENTS  Take 1 minute to write down as many different ways one can assess student work. Discuss as a class.

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

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

Scoring Assessments

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

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

Accountability