Construct Progressions

NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process A process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to help students improve their achievement of intended instructional outcomes. AERA/APA/NCME, 2014 CCSSO, 2006 Previously introduced, this is the definition of formative assessment- and the bold words are key. The formative assessment process is not a “stop-teaching-to-test” process. Instead, it is a process that teachers and students use together to inform instruction immediately. This process occurs during teachable moments and the instructional process.

The 5 Critical Components The NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process is comprised of 5 Critical Components: Selecting Learning Targets: The teacher uses information about where the child is now (learning status) and engages students in the development of learning targets. Developing Criteria for Success: The teacher uses the learning targets and specific performance descriptors (within the construct progressions) to identify the criteria for success for students. Eliciting Evidence of Learning: The teacher consistently uses planned, multiple, and ongoing assessment means aligned with learning targets and criteria for success. This occurs during instruction and while learning is underway. Interpreting the Evidence: The teacher accurately interprets evidence generated from the use of multiple, ongoing assessment means and locates students’ current learning status along the construct progressions for all five domains of learning and development. Adapting/Responding to Learning Needs: The teacher consistently makes quick adjustments to instruction and/or adapts future instruction based on the interpretation of in-the-moment evidence and/or within a series of lessons In addition, the teacher provides descriptive feedback to students that is not graded or evaluative and aligns with the criteria for success.

NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process . Construct Progressions Describes how students’ learning of important concepts and skills develops over a period of time. Construct Progressions support the NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process. They are a powerful tool for assisting in identifying learning targets, defining criteria for success, interpreting evidences of learning, and guiding instructional practices. A construct progression is a carefully sequenced set of understandings and skills for a particular concept or subject matter that traces the development of learning over time from a rudimentary form through more sophisticated states. Construct progressions are not standards, pacing guides, or curriculum scope and sequences. Rather, construct progressions lay out increasingly more complex understandings of core concepts, principles or skill development, providing a picture of what it means to develop in an area of learning (Heritage, 2008). Construct progressions help teachers identify learning goals to answer where is the learner going, provide an interpretive framework to make inferences from evidence gathered to identify where the learner is now, and point the way to what the student needs next. Progressions are aligned to the NC Standards for Early Learning and Development and the NC Standard Course of Study.

Construct Progressions UNDERSTANDINGS: Identify the major concepts within a particular construct SKILLS: Identify the competencies within each “understanding”, ranging from simple to more complex PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS: Paint a picture of performance, providing examples of how students could demonstrate their understanding or skill at each stage of the progression NOTE: To make the boxes appear, click the arrow or press enter when in presentation mode. A construct progression is a carefully sequenced set of understandings and skills for a particular concept (or subject matter), which moves from a less sophisticated state to a more refined state. By describing a developmental pathway of learning, construct progressions can provide clarity for teachers by clearly articulating the skills that progress for a particular concept. A construct progression is comprised of three parts: Understandings, Skills, Performance descriptors. Understandings identify the major concepts within a particular topic. They progress is sophistication and directly correlate to the skills. Skills identify the competencies within each “understanding”, ranging from simple to more complex levels. Performance Descriptors paint a picture of what a child may say, do, make or write to demonstrate his/her understanding or skill at each stage of the progression. The descriptors help teachers make inferences from evidence gathered to identify where the learners’ learning status is along the progression and identify where the students likely need to move next along the continuum of learning and development.

K-3 Formative Assessment Process Domain Constructs Approaches to Learning Engagement in Self-Selected Activities Perseverance in Assigned Activities Cognitive Development Object Counting Problem Solving Emotional-Social Development Emotional Literacy Emotion Regulation Health & Physical Development Fine Motor Development Gross Motor Development Midline Motor Development Language Development & Communication Book Orientation & Print Awareness Following Directions Letter Naming Reading Comprehension: Monitoring Meaning School-Related Vocabulary Writing Construct Progressions have been developed in each of the 5 Domains of Development and Learning.

Construct Progression & the 5 Critical Components Construct progressions support the 5 critical components of formative assessment. The next slides take a closer look at these components and how the construct progressions are a supportive tool.

The first critical component is Selecting Learning Targets. NOTE: One can enter anywhere along the formative assessment process.

Selecting Learning Targets A learning status for a student is highlighted in yellow (step f) and the learning target is developed with the student based upon the next step along the construct progression (step g) and is represented in the blue box. Learning Targets: Learning targets reflect the learning that teachers expect students to achieve in an instructional sequence (series of lessons) and are developed with students, when appropriate. Learning targets are stated in language that students can understand (e.g., “I can…” statements). Construct progressions help to identify a student’s current learning status and the next understanding/skill the student needs to learn. Learning Target developed with student: I can use my check sheet to keep track of my tasks and work on my project step by step until I am done.

Another Critical Component of the NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process is Developing Criteria for Success.

Developing Criteria for Success Criteria for Success describe what students might say, do, make or write during the learning opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning targets. Criteria for success allow students to compare their current learning status with their learning targets. Criteria for success allow teachers to identify gaps in student learning enabling them to adapt and respond to learning needs. When appropriate, the teacher engages the students in the development of criteria for success and uses student friendly language (e.g., “I will…” statements). The teacher routinely provides exemplars (examples) and/or models criteria. Students are encouraged to independently refer to the criteria while learning in order to monitor and support their own understanding. Teachers use the learning targets and specific performance descriptors found in the construct progressions (found within the green box) to identify the criteria for success for students.

A third critical component is Eliciting Evidence of Learning.

Eliciting Evidence of Learning Tools you can use! Situations support teachers’ efforts in gathering important information about students. Eliciting Evidence: In order to elicit evidence of learning, the teacher uses multiple, ongoing assessment means to gain insights into student learning in an effort to infer where the students are in their learning in relation to learning targets and criteria for success. Eliciting evidence is a planned component of instruction that occurs as instruction is taking place in the moment. The teacher provides a balance of teacher-initiated and child-initiated opportunities for students to express their thinking and ideas through what they say, do, make or write. The NC K-3 Situations, aligned to the construct progressions, offer strategies for leveraging and supplementing existing practices in order to uncover what students know and are able to do. They are designed to help teachers leverage existing practices and to supplement current practices as needed.

A fourth critical component is Interpreting the Evidence.

Interpreting the Evidence At-A-Glance document Interpreting the Evidence: The teacher accurately interprets evidence generated from the use of multiple, ongoing assessment means and determines a students’ current “learning status” along the construct progressions for all five domains of learning and development. A “learning status” is represented by a point along a construct progression. Teachers decide what skill on a construct progression best describes the student's overall performance based on the evidence(s) they have gathered. The NC K-3 Construct Progressions are used to help identify a student's current learning status based on the evidence(s) collected. The photo on the left (Ms. Russolese – Wake County) shows how a pilot teacher used file folders to organize the construct progressions so that they were readily available when interpreting evidence(s) occurred. The photo on the right shows the At a Glance documents that are available. These one-page documents allow teachers to quickly see the various constructs and skills on one page.

The last critical component is Adapting/Responding to Learning Needs.

Adapting/Responding to Learning Needs The teacher makes quick adjustments to instruction based on the interpretation of evidence in-the-moment and/or within a series of lessons.  In addition, the teacher provides descriptive feedback to students that is not graded or evaluative and aligns with the criteria for success. Descriptive feedback is specific and timely information discussed with the student in an effort to move learning forward. It is not graded or evaluative but, instead, highlights which criteria for success have been met and which criteria have not been met and why. The feedback is based on the learning target and criteria for success and helps the student answer three basic questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap? (CCSSO FAST SCASS, 2008) The construct progressions help to identify a student’s current learning status and where the student likely needs to move next along the continuum of learning and development. In addition, the performance descriptors found in the construct progressions (and the Situations) offer examples of how a teacher may adapt/respond to learning needs for each of the skills along the progression.

Learning targets are selected with students using the next step along the construct progression. Adapting and responding to learning needs based upon construct progression. Performance descriptors are used to develop criteria for success for learning targets.   The child’s learning status is located on the construct progression by interpreting the evidence of learning. The NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process is comprised of 5 Critical Components. The construct progressions (and Situations) support the use of this process. Use of multiple assessment means provides insight into skills along the construct progression. Adapted from: Heritage, M. (2010). Formative assessment: Making it happen in the classroom. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

In Summary Construct progressions support the 5 Critical Components of the formative assessment process. A construct progression is a carefully sequenced set of understandings and skills for a particular concept. They are comprised of: Understandings Skills Performance Descriptors Teachers use a variety of data to better understand what their students know and are able to do.  When evidence is generated, the teacher interprets the evidence and locates the student’s current learning status along a construct progression.  This allows the teacher to adapt and respond to the learning needs of the student, adjusting the learning targets as appropriate.