FOCUS… Formative, Ongoing, Classroom Understanding of Students and Standards An assessment system giving new directions to schools desiring to positively impact student achievement

How to Leave LOTS of Students Behind… Arise from mistaken fundamental beliefs Disregard the 4 important ingredients in a sound assessment system Fail to have in place key necessary conditions Fail to track and clearly report progress or improvement in learning, whether short or long term Lack community understanding of and support for sound assessment practices

Setting the Stage Curriculum Assessment Instruction

“…the essence of good instruction lies not in presentation of content- teaching—but in assessing student learning and coaching students toward better performance.” (Wiggins, as quoted during ASCD’s 2005 Conference on Teaching & Learning)

FOCUS Goals… To provide quarterly assessments for grades 3- 8 in math & literacy, EOC algebra, EOC geometry, & EOC literacy formatted after the Benchmark while learning is still underway To provide diagnostic feedback to students, parents, and teachers regarding student performance in relation to standards so that next steps in planning for instruction and intervention can occur in real time To provide feedback to students so that they can improve the quality of their work

What is meant by Assessment of and for Learning? Of Learning –Happen after learning is supposed to have occurred to determine if it did –Make statements of student learning status at a point in time to those outside of the classroom –Examples: state assessments, local standardized tests, college admissions tests, classroom assessments used to gather evidence to determine report card grades How did I do? For Learning –Assessments that happen while learning is still underway –Conducted throughout teaching & learning to diagnose student needs, plan next steps in instruction, & provide students with feedback they can use to improve quality of their work –Grading function is laid aside; not about accountability-those are assessments of learning- these are about getting better How can I get better?

An Effective Assessment System… “…if the only feedback system you have about how you are doing against state standards is one test at the end of the year that you don’t know the results of until the summer, that’s a dumb system. You’ve got to know how you’re doing in November and February and March against May standards so you can make adjustments before it’s too late.” (Wiggins as cited in “Education Update”, Feb. 2006)

Edusoft as a Tool… Assessment Delivery System –Storage for test item answer keys –Delivery system for disaggregated reports Performance Band Report Class List Report Subgroup/Intervention Report Item Response Report

AFSC’s FOCUS Approach… General Pacing Guide Committee –Identify SLEs to be tested by quarter –Develop general pacing guide as option for districts without one in use Test Development Committee –Trains on use of Edusoft as a storage area for test bank –Creates m/c & o/r questions and rubrics aligned with quarterly testable SLEs & formatted after the Benchmark

AFSC’s FOCUS Approach… Test Review Committee –Reviews test items for clarity, validity, & alignment to standards –Reviews rubrics for alignment to standards & open-ended response/prompt Professional Development Committee (TOTs) –Trains on intent and use of formative assessments –Trains on Edusoft for scanning of reports & downloading of reports –Trains on report interpretation & open- ended scoring –Trains district staff in the above after initial training

Pacing Guide Committee… Goal: collaborate to create a calendar based curriculum map for 3-8 math & literacy, algebra I, geometry, & EOC literacy that is –Aligned with state standards –Focused on power standards Endurance: Does the standard provide knowledge and skills that are useful among several disciplines? Leverage: Will the standard provide knowledge and skills that are useful among several disciplines? Readiness for the next level of learning: Will attaining the standard provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful at the next level of learning? –Clustered into testable objectives –Non-program specific –Flexible in nature

Test Development Committee… Goal: to develop quality quarterly assessments for grades 3-8 math and literacy, algebra I, geometry, and EOC literacy that –Measure student performance against testable, power standards as outlined in pacing guide –Are formatted to the Benchmark –Consist of multiple choice & open response items that are valid and clear

Test Review Committee… –Goal: to review created test and scoring items for clarity, validity, and alignment to state standards Review multiple choice items to meet above criteria Review open response items to meet above criteria Review rubrics to meet above criteria Make recommendations for improvement Review item response report for validity

Professional Development Committee… Goal: train to become a trainer for the building in communicating the purpose and use of FOCUS assessments, scanning of reports, report downloads and interpretation, and scoring of open response items

Calendar of Events… Sept. –14: Prof. Dev. Committee Edusoft Training –15: Prof. Dev. Committee Edusoft Training Oct. –9-11: FOCUS Assessment window –Oct. 12: Test Dev. Committee –13: Test Rev. Committee Dec. –4-6: FOCUS Assessment window Jan. –23-24: Prof. Dev. Committee Edusoft Next Steps training Jan. –25: Test Dev. Committee –26: Test Rev. Committee

Calendar of Events… Feb. –12-14: FOCUS Assessment window –15: Test Dev. Committee –16: Test Rev. Committee April –30-May2: FOCUS Assessment window May –3: Test Dev. Committee –4: Test Rev. Committee Summer 2007 –Dates to be scheduled with committees

What is the role of the administrator? To review reports in order to –Identify needed system changes –Identify needed professional development –Provide collaborative data review and intervention planning time for teachers

“…teachers cannot rely solely on state or district test results to guide their daily decision making. The data on which they base their day-to-day instructional decisions must be more immediately derived from formative tests…” (Harper as cited in Blankstein, 2004, p. 149)

What is the role of the teacher? To formatively assess students in order to –Analyze data to diagnose individual needs –Use as a monitoring tool for AIP students –Create a plan of intervention by Addressing curricular & instructional issues Establishing a method for revisiting, reviewing, re-teaching, & revising instruction in order to meet individual needs –Communicate results & intervention plan to students & parents

FOCUS Testing Caution –Disaster to use quarterly assessment for grade S. Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, & J. Chappuis state, “Use assessments for learning as the basis for providing students with descriptive feedback they can use to see how to improve; do not factor them into report card grades” (2004, p. 268). Purpose becomes punitive rather than a tool for descriptive feedback to empower students to monitor their own progress toward clearly understood curricular goals

Candie Watts, AFSC Professional Development Specialist & FOCUS Project Coordinator ext (mobile)