Assessment For Learning… A Hopeful Vision for Student Success! Gay Welker Teresa Purses Principal Superintendent Walker Elementary Canton Local School District welkerg@cantonlocal.org purses@cantonlocal.org 330 484-8020 330 484-8010 www.cantonlocal.org

OVERVIEW

Assessment FOR Learning in a Standards-Based Environment Commitment to Continuous Improvement: Shared Mission, Vision, Values, Goals  Values: Assessment FOR Learning Grading FOR Learning No Child Left Behind Moral Purpose: Making a Difference in the life chances of ALL students  Leadership that supports a culture FOCUSING ON LEARNING Curriculum/Instruction  Content Standards on-line (AlignOhio/IMS)  Standards “Unpacked”; “I Can” statements; power standards (in future)  Common pacing charts  AlignOhio/IMS with standards aligned lessons and assessments  Development of engaging lessons  Differentiated instruction Parents/Community Involvement  Make Standards/Goals Public; website availability  Celebrate Successes  Home/School Communications  Student-led Conferences GOAL: Increased Student Achievement Essential Questions: 1.What do you want all students to know and be able to do? 2.How will you know when they know it? 3.What effective and engaging work will you provide to help them learn it? 4.What will you do if they don’t learn it? Assessment  Common assessments/short cycle (3,6,9 weeks)  Formative assessments  Student Involved Assessment/student data notebooks  Mastery learning  Value-added student assessment  Standards-based grade card (electronic) Staff Development  Assessment Literacy Training: Assessment FOR Learning  Developing Common Assessments  DaSL, Pinnacle  AlignOHIO, IMS  Schlechty Design Qualities Tools (electronic)  Data for Student Learning (DaSL)  AlignOhio and IMS  Pinnacle Grade Book  Common Assessments/Formative Data  Items banks  Tutoring tools  Electronic assessment programs Pyramid of Interventions  Mastery Learning  Differentiated Instruction  Tutoring  Adult advocate for each student  Social services assistance  Alternative schools/on-line coursework Collaborative Teams  Professional learning communities/Baldrige tools/protocols  Collective inquiry/goal setting, action plans, PDSA  Analyze test format/items; analyze test results  Analyze student work/develop common assessment  Using DaSL for data-based decision making *Based on the works of Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker, Mike Schmoker, Michael Fullan, Rick Stiggins and Philip Schlechty Developed by Stark County Educational Service Center in collaboration with its districts. jhd

If we believe ALL students can learn….. What is it we expect them to learn? How will we know when they have learned it? How will we respond when they don’t learn?

Reflect: Our Own Experience with Assessment and Implications for Practice

Standards Based Assessment Practices • common/shared values • common learning targets • common assessment tools • common instructional strategies

Best Practices Begin when Teams, Training, and Tools are in Place!

Best Practices Begin When Teams, Training, and Tools are in Place! • Establish Professional Learning Communities • Provide assessment literacy training • Provide data and tools for data analysis for teachers

Analyze the standards and make them student friendly Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #1 Analyze the standards and make them student friendly

Map when grade level indicators will be taught Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #2 Map when grade level indicators will be taught

Develop common assessments aligned with indicators Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #3 Develop common assessments aligned with indicators

Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #4 Align instruction and instructional resources. Develop differentiated lessons.

Develop standards-based grading system. Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #5 Develop standards-based grading system.

Step #1 Analyze the standards and make them student friendly 1. Unpacking process to develop a common understanding of the standards and indicators 2. “I CAN” statements written by grade level teams for all state standards that were student/parent friendly

Step #1 Analyze the standards and make them student friendly Unpacking Template Standard, Benchmark, and indicator: What students must know: CONCEPTS PROCESSES What essential understandings (generalizations) How can students demonstrate knowledge of must a student development from the concepts the generalizations? and processes?

Step #1 Analyze the standards and make them student friendly Sample I CAN STATEMENT written by grade level teams 4th GRADE MATH STANDARD 3-1 I can identify, describe and model intersecting, parallel, and perpendicular lines and line segments.

Map when grade level indicators will be taught Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #2 Map when grade level indicators will be taught

Develop common assessments aligned with indicators Standards Based Assessment Practices Step #3 Develop common assessments aligned with indicators

Step #3 Develop common assessments aligned with indicators Before you start developing the assessment: 1. The group must have consensus on targets. Common assessments should measure the core standards. What are the most essential things you want students to know and be able to do?

Step #3 Develop common assessments aligned with indicators 2. The group must have consensus on the type of assessment to best measure whether students have hit the target. What is appropriate evidence of understanding of a core concept? What is appropriate evidence of proficiency in a key skill?

Step #3 Develop common assessments aligned with indicators 3. The group must have consensus on an acceptable level of quality. What does “proficiency” look like? How good is good enough?

Step #3 common assessments While developing the assessment you should consider: 1. Does the assessment meet standards of quality assessment? 2. Does the assessment cover a balance of content knowledge and process skills? 3. Is the assessment aligned with proficiency? Consider the following: • format (contain complex multiple choice and a minimum of one extended response and one short answer question) • thinking level of questions (fewer knowledge level, more higher level) • what the student needs to do to answer each question? (amount of reading required, graphics, multi-step directions, determining needed information, use of calculators and formula sheets, etc.) 4. Will the assessment provide appropriate feedback to students to help them improve their performance? 5. Will the assessment provide a way to measure continuous improvement in student performance?

Does the assessment effectively assess the target?

How will we involve students in the process?

Get Commitment Best Practices begin when Teams, Training, and Tools are in Place!

What’s the next step!

References Erickson, L., (1998). Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching Beyond the Facts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. •Guskey, T.R. (ed.). (1996a). Communicating Student Learning (1996 ASCD Yearbook). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. •O’connor, K. (1999). How to Grade for Learning. Arlington Heights, IL: SKYLIGHT. •Marzano, R., (2000). Transforming Classroom Grading. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. •Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & McTighe, J. (1993). Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment using the Dimensions of Learning Model. Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and curriculum Development. •Schlechty, P. (2002). Working On the Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. •Stiggins, R., (2001). Student-Involved Classroom Assessment. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. •Stiggins, R., & Knight, T., (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.