Assessment and Student Motivation How can I use assessment to improve student motivation and success?

Assessment Sort Formative? Summative?

“When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative.” -Robert Stakes

Assessment Sort Formative? Summative? Both?

NC Summative Assessments NC End-of-Course Tests (High School Courses) NC End-of-Grade Tests (Grades 3-8) NC Final Exams CTE Post Assessments Analysis of Student Work (Arts, WL, Healthful Living) ACT/PLAN

Formative Assessment Formative assessment is 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. (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008)

Motivating Students Through Assessment

Where am I going?

Strategies Provide a clear and understandable vision of the Learning Target. Use examples of strong and weak work.

Misconception! Informing students of the learning target by telling them what it is or by writing it on the board is sufficient.

Misconception! Sharing a rubric with students will ensure they understand the criteria for success. evidence-rubric-student-assessment

Motivation Connection Self-efficacy: Students’ belief that they can be successful at a particular task “Students who have self-efficacy are more likely to persist in their work and especially…in the face of challenge” – Susan Brookhart

Where am I now?

As teachers we must ask: How will I know if my students “get it”? How will my students know if they “get it”? mal-assessment-strategies

Strategies Offer regular descriptive feedback. Teach students to self-assess and set goals.

Misconception! An abundance of evaluative feedback encourages students to be successful.

Misconception! Student self-assessment means students grade their own work.

Is it Effective Feedback? Improved student work Better student motivation Feedback is valued and viewed as productive.

Questioning Misconceptions The primary purpose for questioning students is to evaluate what they have learned. Asking good questions is something teachers can do naturally, “on the fly.” Quality, formative discussions are the rule of thumb rather than the exception to the rule in the classroom.

Wait Time is Important!

Motivation Connection Knowing the distance between where you are and where you want to be and can be is a fundamental motivational principle. - Locke & Latham, 2002

How do I close the gap?

“Just as regularly checking your blood pressure does little to improve your health if you do nothing with the information gained, what matters most with formative assessments is how students and teachers use the results.” - Thomas R. Guskey

Strategies Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time. Teach students focused revision. Engage students in self-reflection and let them document and share their learning.

What do we do if they don’t “get it”? Present the concepts differently. Engage students differently in learning. Provide students with a successful learning experience!

The Stoplight Method lesson-assessment

Contact Information Amy Laughter Regional Education Facilitator, NCDPI

Sources Chappius, J. (2005). Helping students understand assessment. Educational Leadership, 63(3), Chappius, S. (2008). The best value in formative assessment. Educational Leadership, 65(4), Guskey, T.R. (2008). The rest of the story. Educational Leadership, 65(4), Moss, C., & Brookhart, S. (2009). Advancing formative assessment in every classroom. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.