COMMON Formative ASSESSMENTS Hertford County Schools

Before We Begin… Visit:  Add the Region 1 wikispace to your favorites.  Click “Region 1 Events” in the left menu.  Click “Common Assessments” to access the interactive agenda for today. Click “Agenda”. 2

Housekeeping Sign In Parking Lot Penzu.com Breaks Reflection Your input is essential and valued! FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Norms To be actively involved Value differences Agree to disagree Listen Don’t take it personally Be honest Stay focused on established purpose and goals Refrain from conducting side bar conversations 4

Learning Outcomes  Understand the “big ideas” for developing quality formative common assessments within a culture of a professional learning community.  Obtain tools and strategies for teams as they focus on the development of common formative assessments. 5

BIG IDEAS ABOUT COMMON Formative ASSESSMENTS THE 6

The Traditional School… 7

#10 It’s no secret. It works. 8 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Black and William (1998) Inside the Black Box “When the principles of assessment for learning are used, there is a 4 to 5 time greater effect than reducing class size.” “The most intriguing result is that while all students show achievement gains, the largest gains are seen in low achievers.” 9

#9 Bigger is not better. 10 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

#8 More often is better. 11 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Monitoring along the way Where are we starting? Where did we end up? Are we moving in the right direction? Are we going at the necessary pace? Are we leaving anyone behind? 12

# 7 It’s not just the students who benefit. 13 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In addition to improving student achievement, teachers actually benefit from common formative assessments. – Clarifies curriculum and intervention strategies – Enhances communication between teachers about student learning – Creates opportunities for teachers to sharpen pedagogy and deepen understanding of content (Tom Many-Learning by Doing) 14

The heart of the matter… “… The questions of “Learn what” and “How will we know” are two of the most significant questions a PLC will consider, the very basis of the collective inquiry that drives the work of collaborative teams. ” DuFour et al, LBD 15

#6 If you don’t use them to make a difference in student learning, they’re summative. 16

Reviewing results of common assessments leads to conversations about: Have we actually taught this skill/concept? What type of instruction seems most effective? Who are we leaving behind? (who needs additional support/instruction?) Not averages What misconceptions are forming? Is the assessment appropriate? How are common assessments related to intervention? 17

#5 There’s a method to the madness. 18 FreeDigitalPhotos.net Video

Sequence of Work for Teams Identify Power/Prioritized Standards Unwrap the Standards to clarify targeted concepts and skills Develop Aligned Assessments that match the targets Determine level of proficiency needed for mastery What standards are we emphasizing in our instruction, assessment, and intervention? Are we clear on the specific skills and concepts contained within the standard? Are the questions on the common assessment accurately and efficiently measuring those skills and concepts? How good is good enough? How do we ensure consistency across our classes? 19

#4 Let the Assessment be your guide 20 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When common assessments are given to all students at about the same time during the school year, teachers know whether individuals and groups of students are mastering the material more quickly or more slowly than typically expected. – Common assessments are a guide, a gauge, a means to monitor the pace of instruction as our students move through the curriculum. 21

#3 Design assessments so that everyone will have a smooth ride. 22

Multiple Intelligences 23 Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences

#2 Common formative assessments aren’t necessarily about grading, but they are about feedback. 24 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Feedback Cycle 25

26 Quality Feedback Criteria 1.It must be timely. 2.It must be specific. 3.It must be understandable to the receiver. 4.It must allow the student to act on the feedback (refine, revise, practice and retry). (Wiggins, 1997)

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#1 The more you do, the easier it gets... 28

How Do we Create Common Formative Assessments? 29

Backward Design 30

Two Resources policy-accountability- assessment/Assessments/Quick_Review_G uides/Common_Assessments_Quick_Guid e_09-10.pdf ity/educators/falconguide.pdf

Steps to Create Common Formative Assessments ? 32

Common Assessment Steps Identify: Curriculum Guides Learning Targets Criteria for Success Essential Questions 33

Common Assessment Steps Collaboratively, design Formative Assessment plans for each goal. 34

Common Assessment Steps Include a blend of both selected-response and constructed-response items. 35

Common Assessment Steps Create the scoring instruments. (Answer key, rubrics, etc.) 36

Common Assessment Steps Analyze the results in PLC or data team meetings. 37

Research Supports 38 “Research suggests that, if done well, genuine assessments FOR learning can produce among the largest achievement gains ever reported for educational interventions.” (Olson, 2007)

Common Assessments RECAP Common assessments have the same: Measured Outcomes - WHAT? Purpose(s) - WHY? Audience - WHO? Format/Procedures - WHEN? /HOW? Article - The Case for Common Formative Assessments (DuFour) 39

In Your PLCs Working as a team, PLCs typically: Develop common assessments. Develop common rubrics. Examine student work. Analyze assessment data. Strategize common interventions. Provide objective feedback to one another. Use student results to revise assessment instruments.

Formative Assessment Plan  Divide into grade/content area groups  On the ________ provided: Identify a big idea or objective you will teach next week Identify the learning targets Identify the criteria for success Identify how you will collect evidence Discuss how you could document evidence

Artist: N.L.T. Album: Jump In!

Session Evaluation Visit: (Section N on your agenda.) Your feedback is important to us!

Contact Information Abbey Futrell, PD Consultant, Region 1 (252) Beth Edwards, PD Consultant, Region 1 (252) Dianne Meiggs, PD Consultant, Region 1 (252)