Building Common Assessments Rebecca Bush Ionia County ISD Kimberly Young Ionia County ISD/MDE And Using!

Session Targets Session will address: Session will address: The key factors to consider when developing common assessments The key factors to consider when developing common assessments Strategies and tools for building common assessments Strategies and tools for building common assessments Understanding of the rationale for and process of using common assessments Understanding of the rationale for and process of using common assessments

Common Assessments in the Context of PLCs (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many, 2006) What is it we expect students to learn? What is it we expect students to learn? How will we know when students have learned it? How will we know when students have learned it? How will we respond when students don’t? How will we respond when students don’t? How will we respond when students do? How will we respond when students do?

What Do We Mean by “Common Assessments”? Any assessment given by two or more instructors with the intention of collaboratively examining the results for: Shared learning Shared learning Instructional planning for individual students, and/or Instructional planning for individual students, and/or Curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment modifications Curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment modifications

What Constitutes Effective Classroom Assessment? Key Points: Assessment is information, not scores Assessment is information, not scores (Scores are accountability) Assessment is best done early and often Assessment is best done early and often (Assessment at the end is accountability)

What Constitutes Effective Classroom Assessment? Assessment that: Provides evidence of student performance relative to content and performance standards Provides evidence of student performance relative to content and performance standards Provides teachers and students with insight into student errors and misunderstanding Provides teachers and students with insight into student errors and misunderstanding Helps lead the teacher and/or team directly to action Helps lead the teacher and/or team directly to action

Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment 1. Clear Purpose Why assess? What’s the purpose? Who will use the results? 2. Clear Targets Assess what? What are the learning targets? Are they clear? Are they good? 3. Good Design Assess how? What method? Sampled how? Avoid bias--how? 4. Sound Communication Communicate how? How do we manage information? How do we report? Accurate Assessment Effectively Used 5. Student Involvement Students are users, too. Students need to understand learning targets, too. Students can participate in the assessment process, too. Students can track progress and communicate, too.

Practical Standards of Assessment Serve clearly articulated purposes Serve clearly articulated purposes Arise from and reflect clear achievement targets Arise from and reflect clear achievement targets Rely on the appropriate assessment method given in the context Rely on the appropriate assessment method given in the context Sample student achievement appropriately Sample student achievement appropriately Avoid unwanted sources of interference or error Avoid unwanted sources of interference or error

Mapping A Common Assessment Plan Template

Designing Classroom Assessments Fundamental Questions What standard(s) are you assessing? What standard(s) are you assessing? What kinds of evidence are you gathering? What kinds of evidence are you gathering? What levels of performance do you expect? What levels of performance do you expect?

Kinds of Achievement Targets Master Factual and Procedural Knowledge Master Factual and Procedural Knowledge To be learned outright or retrieved through reference materials To be learned outright or retrieved through reference materials Use Knowledge to Reason and Solve Problems Use Knowledge to Reason and Solve Problems Analytical, comparative, inferential, or evaluative reasoning Analytical, comparative, inferential, or evaluative reasoning Demonstrate mastery of Specific Skills Demonstrate mastery of Specific Skills

Kinds of Achievement Targets Demonstrate mastery of Specific Skills Demonstrate mastery of Specific Skills Speaking a second language, public presentations, working on a team, carrying out the steps in a process Speaking a second language, public presentations, working on a team, carrying out the steps in a process Create Quality Products Create Quality Products Term papers, artistic/craft products, or science exhibits Term papers, artistic/craft products, or science exhibits

Target-Method Match How well does your method of assessment match your target? Target to be Assessed Assessment Method Selected Response ResponseEssay Performance Assessment Personal Communication Knowledge Reasoning Performance Skills Products

Target-Method Match How well does your method of assessment match your target? Target to be Assessed Assessment Method Selected Response ResponseEssay Performance Assessment Personal Communication Knowledge Good match Not a good match Partial match Reasoning Good match Performance Skills Not a good match Good match Partial match Products Not a good match Partial match Good match Not a good match

Assessment Methods Selected Response Selected Response Multiple choice Multiple choice True/false True/false Matching Matching Fill in Fill in Writing Assessments Writing Assessments Constructed response Constructed response Extended response Extended response Essay Essay

Assessment Methods Performance Assessments Performance Assessments Skills Skills Products Products Demonstrations Demonstrations Personal Communication Personal Communication Questions/answers Questions/answers Conferences Conferences Interviews Interviews Oral examinations Oral examinations

Let’s look at an example of one question in two formats designed to gather different information

Multiple-Choice Format A school bus holds 36 high school students. If 1,128 high school students are being bused to a special event, how many buses are needed? a. 12 b. 31 c d. 32

Constructed Response Format A school bus holds 36 high school students. If 1,128 high school students are being bused to a special event, how many buses are needed? Explain your answer.

Student Responses to the Constructed-Response Task 1. If you have 31 buses there are 12 students left over. These students can squeeze into 31 buses. So they need 31 buses. 2. You need 31 buses, but there are 12 students left. They need to go too. So you just need another mini-van. There fore, answer should be 31 buses and one mini-van.

Student Responses to the Constructed-Response Task 3. Twelve students are left, another bus is need for 12 students, so the answer is Out of the 31 buses you can choose 12 busses to hole the 12 students, each bus holds 1 extra student. Therefore, you just need 31 buses. How could this question be improved to elicit the desired student response?

Why Create a Protocol? Creates a safe place to take risks that positively impact student learning Creates a safe place to take risks that positively impact student learning Keeps the focus on student learning Keeps the focus on student learning Fosters collaboration that supports clear learning targets and high expectations for all students Fosters collaboration that supports clear learning targets and high expectations for all students

Student Work Speaks! Seeking Evidence Protocol Seeking Evidence Protocol Post and Pass Scoring Post and Pass Scoring Consensus in scoring Consensus in scoring Reflecting on Data Sets Reflecting on Data Sets Let’s try it! Let’s try it!

8th Grade Inquiry Standard Common Assessment Data Team Results I can define and identify Quantitative Data I can define and identify Qualitative Data I can create examples of and geographically display Quantitative Data I can create examples of and logically organize Qualitative Data I can manipulate quantitative data to be qualitative and qualitative data to be quantitative Far Below Basic BelowBasicBasicProficientAdvanced 0.00%0.00%6.67%13.33%80.00% Classroom Proficiency

8th Grade Inquiry Standard Common Assessment Data Individual Classroom Results Teacher A Teacher B Teacher C Teacher D Teacher E Totals by Target Defn. Quantitative 82%89%90%90%79%86% Defn. Qualitative 100%75%80%82%71%82% Display Quantitative 100%100%100%100%73%95% OrganizeQualitative97%93%96%100%82%94% Transpose each kind 100%83%86%91%80%88% Class Averages: 96%91%90%88%77%89%

8 th grade Inquiry Test Common Assessment Data Classroom D’s Results by Student Student Name Number Correct Percent Correct Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student %

8 th Grade Inquiry Test Common Assessment Classroom D’s Results by Student and Target Student Name Num Correct Perc Correct Defn Quantit Defn Qualitat Display Quantit Org Qualitat Trans each Student %100%100%100%100%100% Student %100%67%100%100%100% Student %100%100%100%33%0% Student %100%100%100%100%100% Student %33%33%100%100%100% Student %100%100%100%100%100%

Looking at Common Assessments Imagine this is your data. Address the results for your classroom/building as if you are trying to improve student learning Imagine this is your data. Address the results for your classroom/building as if you are trying to improve student learning Use the following Reflection Questions: Use the following Reflection Questions: As a team, which targets from the assessment require more attention? As a team, which targets from the assessment require more attention? As a team, which students did not master the targets? As a team, which students did not master the targets? As a team, which classrooms require additional support: As a team, which classrooms require additional support: As an individual teacher, which area was my lowest, and how can I improve in that area? As an individual teacher, which area was my lowest, and how can I improve in that area?

Looking at Common Assessments Create and explain a team plan of action to address the needs of students who have not mastered the required targets. Create and explain a team plan of action to address the needs of students who have not mastered the required targets. Planning a PLC/Team Response template Planning a PLC/Team Response template

Contact Information Rebecca Bush Rebecca Bush Ionia County ISD Kimberly Young Kimberly Young Ionia County ISD