The Formative Assessment Process in a Comprehensive Assessment System Melissa Finkel & Denise Stringer

Defining Assessment Turn to a neighbor and discuss What is assessment? What is its purpose? Share your definition with the group

Assessment “Assessment is the bridge between teaching and learning—it is only through assessment that we can find out whether what has happened in the classroom has produced the learning we intended.” Dylan Wiliam 2011

Assessment Assessment helps teachers, administrators and students understand how well students are learning specific material and at the end, how well they have learned The purpose of the assessment and how the information gathered is to be used determines the type

Assessment Supporting Learning …To support learning, assessments must evolve from being isolated occasional events attached to the end of teaching to becoming an ongoing series of interrelated events that reveal changes in student learning over time. (Stiggins 2008)

A System of Assessments “A range of assessments, from minute-by-minute to the annual state assessments, providing different levels of detail about student learning over time to be used for various decision-making purposes” Each level of assessment assesses “different sized chunks of learning, providing information on the degree to which students have progressed toward meeting specific instructional learning targets and, ultimately, to mastery of the content standard.” (Heritage 2010)

Types of Assessments Formative Summative Assessment for learning Assessment of learning Purpose Guide next steps in instruction Measure student growth after instruction, Accountability Frequency Ongoing, during instruction End of year, quarterly, weekly Data Audience Students, teachers, school School, district, or state level Types Pre-assessment, Diagnostics, Questioning, Discussions, Conferences, Ungraded HW, Student Reflections Interim/benchmark/Unit Selected Response Items Short Answer Extended Written Response Performance Assessment

Key differences Formative Summative Includes instructionally embedded activities Usually teacher/locally developed Yields rich diagnostic information Happens while material is being taught Informs and focuses instructional decisions Isn’t used for grades Occurs after material is taught Includes unit tests and other graded performances Can be developed locally or purchased Counts toward grades Isn’t diagnostic

What is Formative Assessment? Formative Assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes. FAST SCASS/CCSSO (2007)

What is Summative Assessment? Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year.  (Great Schools Partnership 2014)

Balanced Assessment System

Balanced Assessment System

Balanced Assessment System

Assessment Grid Activity

Dylan Wiliam on Formative Assessment Why Formative Assessment? Dylan Wiliam on Formative Assessment

Attributes of Formative Assessment Share Learning Goals and Criteria for Success Elicit and Use Evidence of Learning Use Descriptive Feedback Promote Student Self-Assessment Promote Peer Assessment Establish a Collaborative Climate

Effects on Student Achievement

Benefits of Formative Assessment Classroom assessment for student learning…turns the classroom assessment process and its results into an instructional intervention designed to increase, not merely monitor, student confidence, motivation, and learning (Stiggins 2008)

Benefits of Formative Assessment “Consistent use of these formative strategies can double the speed of student learning.” Wiliam, Dylan. "Content then Process: Teacher Learning Communities in the Service of Formative Assessment." Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. Ed. Douglas B. Reeves. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2007. 183-204.

Learning Progressions Develop a “pathway” for learning Targets assessments and feedback Helps answer the question “what do I do with this data?” Identify missing building blocks

Learning Goals & Success Criteria Are clearly identified and communicated to students Are tightly aligned Are shared in student-friendly language Criteria made explicit through exemplars

Descriptive Feedback Evidence-based Aligned with learning goal and success criteria Specific Can be readily used by students Does not include grades, scores, or comparisons to others

Self & Peer Assessment Needs to be taught Deepens understanding of learning goals Involves students in thinking meta-cognitively about their learning Support students’ ability to internalize learning goals and self-regulate their learning Success Criteria: I can: Identify the factors that affect electrical energy consumption at home, school, and in the workplace. Identify sources of energy and categorize them as renewable or non-renewable Find information in a variety of resources (books, video, Internet, etc.) Record, share, organize, and synthesize understandings from a variety of sources to propose methods of decreasing electrical energy consumption. My strengths/knowledge: An area I need to learn in this unit: Next step:

Collaboration Teachers and students are partners in learning Students feel comfortable taking intellectual risks Students are active agents in their own learning

Key idea Where is the learner going? Where is the learner right now? How will the learner get there? Thompson & Wiliam, 2007

How will the learner get there? Key Idea & the Attributes Where is the learner going? Learning Goals Success Criteria Learning Progression Where is the learner now? Self assessment Peer assessment Formative assessment Descriptive feedback How will the learner get there? Descriptive feedback Collaboration Self-regulation

The foundation of a formative assessment culture Feedback The foundation of a formative assessment culture

Characteristics of effective feedback Aligns to content Just right amount Leads to next steps Supports self-regulation

The Attributes in Action Learning progressions clearly articulate the pathway typical students travel to meet the learning goal Learning goals and success criteria are clearly defined and shared with students Descriptive feedback is evidence based and aligned to learning goals and success criteria Self and peer-assessment are used frequently to encourage students to understand and internalize success criteria Collaboration in the classroom creates a culture in which teachers and students are partners in learning

Pictures of Practice 1. As a whole group, we will watch three short videos 2. Using the “Video Reflections” handout, note examples of the 5 attributes in action 3. Discuss what you observed

Self/Peer Assessment

What did you Notice? Gr. 6 Math

Feedback/ Collaborative Classroom

What did you Notice? Grade 9 Art

Learning Goals & Success Criteria

What did you Notice? Grade 12 English

Debrief Turn and Talk: What was different about these classrooms? What practices would you like to see in your classroom/school? What would have to change in your classroom/school to support this shift?

Assessment Grid Revisit Your Assessment Grid What changes could you make in your classroom or school to support formative assessment practices? What work are you already doing to support this shift?

FAME FAME is a yearlong collaborative professional development process that consists of 5 self study modules, application activities, communities of practice, leadership support, and during the 2014-15 cohort, support from MSDE formative assessment specialists. The goals of FAME are to encourage and support teacher reflection and dialogue around formative assessment, help teachers revise and refine their current practices within their own classroom and school, and create lasting change in schools and districts.

Why invest in this work? Focused on instructional improvement Alignment with other key initiatives College and Career-Ready Standards Progress Monitoring for SLOs Teacher & Principal Evaluation Closing the Achievement Gap

“The balance of mandates and resources should be shifted from an emphasis on external forms of assessment to an increased emphasis on classroom formative assessment designed to assist learning.” Pellegrino, J.W., Chudowsky, N., & Glaser, R. (Eds.). (2001).

Final Thought “To maximize student success, assessment must be seen as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring, and as an accountability tool to determine if learning has occurred. Because both purposes are important, they must be in balance.” From Balanced Assessment: The Key to Accountability and Improved Student Learning, NEA (2003)

Additional Formative Assessment Resources Assessment FOR Learning, the Achievement Gap, and Truly Effective Schools (Stiggins) Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction (NCTE) Blog post about the NCTE paper with classroom application Our blog- msde-fame.blogspot.com Find even more resources from our Twitter account! and facebook page @MDFormative