Target Ladders Assessing and Planning for Student Learning January 2011

Student Success Community Instruction Assessment The Strength of the Triangle

Target I am able to task analyze in order to build learning progressions.

The Transformative Classroom Level 1 Teachers will understand how to use formative assessment to collect evidence by which they can adjust their current and future instructional activities.

Level 2 Teachers will understand how to help students adjust their own learning tactics based on formative assessment evidence.

Level 3 Teachers will understand how to create a new culture in their classroom where instead of using classroom assessment to compare students with one another for grades, assessment will be used to generate evidence from which teachers and students can adjust what they’re doing.

Two Powerful Questions 1.What do you want students to learn (target)? 2.How do you know what their level of understanding is (formative assessment)?

Without learning targets: “Students become accustomed to receiving classroom teaching as an arbitrary sequence of exercises with no overarching rationale.” Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment (Black, Wiliams)

Explicit lesson targets are written in student language I know (vocabulary, basic facts) I understand (content knowledge) I am able to (application) The words you begin with indicate the level of thinking you want from students.

Few instructional designs are perfect the first time around. We provide input & stimuli to students’ brains. We ‘see’ what the output tells us about what went on inside their brains. The Black Box From the brain’s perspective……

Formative Assessment Providing students with immediate, frequent, and relevant feedback about their performance allows the teacher to make better instructional decisions. offers continual information relative to individual student performance. fosters authentic performance assessment. Connecting Brain Research with Effective Teaching, (Hardiman)

Formative Assessment Formative assessments are FOR learning, not OF learning. (That’s summative assessment.)

Formative Assessment Frequent checks on student learning allows you to monitor student understanding.

Formative Assessment It makes sense to find out what students are ‘getting’ in order to make future instructional decisions.

The Research The effect of assessment for learning on student achievement is some four to five times greater than the effect of reduced class size. Few interventions in education come close to having the same level of impact as assessment for learning. But the most intriguing result is that, while all students show achievement gains, the largest gains accrue to the lowest achievers. – Classroom Assessment for Student Learning, (Stiggins, Arter, and Chappuis)

Meta-analysis Student gains in learning triggered by formative assessment are “amongst the largest ever reported for educational interventions.” “Helps low achievers more than other students.” Black and Wiliam 1998

Feedback from classroom assessments should provide students with a clear picture of their progress on learning goals and how they might improve. Bangert-DrownsKulik, Kulik & Morgan, 1991 # of studies Characteristics of Feedback from Classroom Assessment Percentile Gain/Loss 6 Right/Wrong Provide Correct Answers Criteria understood by student vs. not understood 16 9 Explain 20 4 Student reassessed until correct 20

Feedback Feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other pupils.

Feedback Feedback on tests, seatwork, and homework should give each pupil guidance on how to improve, and each pupil must be given help and an opportunity to work on the improvement.

Student’s Role If formative assessment is to be productive, pupils should be trained in self-assessment so that they can understand the main purposes of their learning and thereby grasp what they need to do to achieve.

Task Analysis Breaking a task into its essential components to have guidelines for planning instruction. This process increases the possibility of addressing all necessary elements to complete a task successfully. The Elements of Instruction (Hunter)

Learning Progression A sequenced set of sub-skills and bodies of enabling knowledge that students must master en route to mastering a more remote curricular target (the ‘big’ target). Transformative Assessment (Popham)

The Target Ladder A target ladder is a visual representation of the requisite skills students need to achieve the target or standard.

Standard: Recognize and demonstrate that sizes of fractional parts are relative to the size of the whole. I understand that the size of a fractional part depends on the size of the whole. I am able to draw ‘halves’ of different sizes. (thirds, fourths, tenths) I am able to make a model that shows ‘halves’ of different sizes. (third, fourths, tenths) I understand how to represent with drawings and models parts of a set or a whole object with fractions.

Types of Ladders

Content Planning In order for students to grasp the significance of the American Revolution, they are able to: give two reasons why the Americans won the Revolutionary War. (Analyze) decide why the decision to pursue independence was a risk. (Evaluate) explain how acts of the British Parliament lead to unification of the colonies. (Analyze) understand what a protest is and the different forms protests can take. list three events that antagonized colonists. understand why the French and Indian War was a factor leading to the Revolutionary War. (Analyze) understand what a revolution in government is. understand the purpose of government.

Learning Progression ODE Content Standard 2.2.5: I can figure out the value of a collection of coins to $ I can add pennies, nickels, and dimes. 7. I can add pennies and nickels. 6. I can add coins of the same value (e.g., collection of pennies or nickels. 5. I can count by 25’s. 4. I can tell the value of each coin in pennies. 3. I can tell the value of each coin. 2. I can identify the names of the coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) 1. I can count by 5’s and 10’s.

Differentiated: Vocabulary 4. I can use the word correctly in conversation. 3. I can use the word correctly in my own writing. 2. I can define the word with my own words. 1. I can understand the word when I read it in a book.

Behavior: Partner Learning I am able to use my partner’s thinking to deepen my understanding. I am able to ask my partner questions when I do not understand. I try to understand what my partner is saying. I am able to give specific compliments to my partner. I can follow the expectations for partner learning.

Student-Centered Students monitor their progress on a ladder Linwood Fifth Graders: "I think I need to practice more if I am going to change my color from yellow to green." (Students color code levels of understanding.) "I really want to get the highest color possible. What exactly do I have to do so I can color my ladder PURPLE?" "Hey look, your colors improved. You must have worked hard."

A Transformative Classroom Ladder

Step One Use Standards when planning lessons.

Standards Compare & Order Whole Numbers What is a Fraction? Compare & Order Fractions and Decimals

Standards Compare & Order Whole Numbers What is a Fraction? Compare & Order Fractions and Decimals

Step Two Post a target(s) for each lesson.

Step Three Post targets in student language and make sure students understand target vocabulary.

Step Four Use formative assessment to collect evidence by which current and future instructional activities are adjusted.

Step Five Use task analysis to create learning progression or content planning ladders that show the requisite skills and concepts that lead to mastering the essential outcome. (big target)

Pre-Assessment 1.Determines starting points for students. 2.Determines need for additional rungs. 3.Increases efficiency.

A word about creating assessment items

Color Coding Red = Help from teacher. Yellow = More Practice Green = Good to Go (Purple = Could Teach)

StudentRung 1234 George John Tom James Jim John Jr Andrew Martin Will Pre-Assessment Results

Class Recording Sheets

3 Small Groups Green: challenge activities: extend, box math, same games with larger or different numbers. Yellow: practice activities--check with partner--check answer sheet (Green student is ‘helper’. Red: with teacher: move back to concrete or sketch.

Start Involving Students: Key questions for students: What are you learning? How are you doing? How do you know? Who are you doing this for?

Evidence of Success Comparing: Pre-assessments to post-assessments. Formative assessments. Portfolio work: a September story with a November story. Early ladder placement to later ladder placement.

Step Six Help students adjust their own learning tactics based on formative assessment evidence.

Step Seven Involve students: students know their level of understanding of a skill or concept on a ladder.

Step Eight Students with different levels of understanding are able to help each other.

Step Nine Students are able to select independent activities or homework that matches their level of understanding.

Step Ten Create a new culture in your classroom where assessment is used to generate evidence from which students and you understand levels of understanding and adjust what you are doing.

Target I am able to task analyze in order to build learning progressions.

Task Analysis 1. Acquire a thorough understanding of the target curricular aim. – Transformative Assessment, (W. James Popham, ASCD, 2008).

Task Analysis 2. Identify all requisite precursory sub-skills and bodies of enabling knowledge.

Task Analysis 3. Determine whether it’s possible to measure students’ status with respect to each preliminarily identified building block.

Task Analysis 4. Arrange all building blocks in an instructionally defensible sequence. Building blocks you will be identifying are the sub- skills and knowledge you will be addressing instructionally. It is better to end up with a small set of truly requisite precursory building blocks. Is a building block so very important that you’d want to make an adjustment decision based on students’ mastery or non-mastery of that particular building block.

Why Use Task Analysis and Pre-Assessment? In order for a student to be successful, you need to find his “rung of success.” If the holes in a student’s thinking are not filled, he takes those holes with him in each succeeding year.