“How Do We Know They Are Learning?” ACT Meeting October 9, 2007 Ladera Ranch Middle School ACT Meeting October 9, 2007 Ladera Ranch Middle School Enhancing our Professional Learning Communities…

Major District Objective Enhancing Professional Learning Communities –Continue implementation and expansion of the CUSD Professional Learning Community through increased collaboration among school site and district personnel. Increase articulation and support in order to continue to improve learning for all students.

Specific Focus on: Expanding the use of data to guide instructional decisions Extending the use of formative common assessments and best practices in classroom assessment Piloting standards-based report cards Narrowing the achievement gap through systematic pyramids of interventions which employ research-based practices

What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? That all departments, schools, and teams use student learning information to make decisions regarding their instruction, interventions, and program design –Having on-demand, user-friendly access to meaningful data regarding their students

What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? That all teams design and use frequent common assessments to formatively monitor student learning –Designing them collaboratively with collective agreement about essential standards –Allowing all students to have access to the same essential curriculum –Going beyond typical paper/pencil tests to examine student work and performance tasks

What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? That teachers meet regularly to analyze the results of their common assessments, and based on these results… …figure out ways to provide additional opportunities for learning essential skills and differentiate for individual student needs That students receive meaningful feedback and specific strategies to help them “close the gap.”

Corollary Question #2: How Do We Know they are learning? High Stakes Testing Benchmark Testing High Stakes Testing Benchmark Testing Summative Common Assessments External Assessments Did they reach the bar? Learning Assessments Are the students “getting it?” Local Assessments Did they attain a certain level of learning? Formative Common Assessments

Learning Assessments Are the students “getting it?” Formative Common Assessments

Crucial Distinction Assessment OF Learning –How much have students learned at a particular point in time? Assessment FOR Learning –How can we use assessment information to help students learn more?

Formative Assessment Those activities undertaken by teachers and students that provide information to be used as FEEDBACK to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. –Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality formative assessment increases student achievement Black & Williams, 1998

Research on Effects of using Formative Assessments:.5 to 1.0 Standard Deviation Score Gain –Largest Gain for Low Achievers 1.0 Standard Deviation Equals –30+ percentile points on state testing –4 Grade equivalents –100 SAT Score Points –6 ACT Score Points –U.S. TIMSS Rank from 23 rd to Top 5

Our moral, professional, and ethical imperatives: “ While those (NCLB, etc.) are clearly sources of pressure for many schools, I would argue that the purpose of formative assessment is far more important. In fact, if No Child Left Behind were repealed tomorrow, if every state standard and testing requirement were terminated, and if teachers and school leaders were told simply, “Do the right thing,” then I would nevertheless be an advocate of common formative assessment.” –Doug Reeves Found in Common Formative Assessments by Larry Ainsworth and Donald Viegut Corwin Press 2006

Guiding Questions for Schools to Consider Are teachers/teams using data to identify specific areas of need for groups and individual students along clearly defined and agreed upon concepts and skills? – How often? Are meaningful benchmark measures developed and used to monitor progress?

Guiding Questions for Schools to Consider Do students receive meaningful, descriptive, and timely feedback about their progress? Are students provided additional opportunities to learn the information based on these results? – Are they aware of how they can close the gap? Are the results of these measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies, interventions, and curriculum?

A Shift in the Use of Assessments (from Learning by Doing – DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many) From focusing on average scores From an over-reliance on one kind of assessment From each teacher determining the criteria to be used in assessing student work From individual teacher assessments From assessing many things frequently From assessments used to reward and punish students From assessments to determine which students failed to learn by the deadline From infrequent, summative assessments… To monitoring each students’ proficiency in every essential skill To balanced assessments To collaborative teams clarifying the criteria and ensuring consistency among team members when assessing student work To assessments developed jointly by collaborative teams To assessing a few things frequently To assessments used to inform and motivate students To assessments to identify students who need additional time and support To frequent common assessments

School Reflection Time Self Study in Assessment Practice

What can leaders do this year to support this MDO? Using the Self Study in Assessment Practice rubric, examine your school’s practices relative to Question 2. Thread a focus on assessments throughout your efforts this year. – For example, if you’re focusing on writing, be sure to examine the formative assessment of writing. Embed conversations at your school during ACE time, team meetings, etc. Guide teachers toward the development, implementation and analysis of common assessments

Resources, Information and Support Resources/Bibliographies –Books –Articles –Videos/DVDs Training in online reports Continued exploration of tools to assist the process Professional Development –Understanding by Design –Various RIC classes –Embedded (site-based) professional development

Education Division Website

What can leaders do this year to support this MDO? Using the Self Study in Assessment Practice rubric, examine your school’s practices relative to Question 2. Thread a focus on assessments throughout your efforts this year. – For example, if you’re focusing on writing, be sure to examine the formative assessment of writing. Embed conversations at your school during ACE time, team meetings, etc. Guide teachers toward the development, implementation and analysis of common assessments Participate in an assessment study group/cadre

How will we enhance our own practice in the area of effective assessment this year? October 9 ACT Mtg. April 2 ACT Mtg. Interest-based Study Groups/Cadres What might happen in the cadres? Book shares Conference attendance School visits Discussion Groups Practice protocols/facilitation Sharing of resources/ideas

Cadre Conversations Join a table group that addresses your interest Participate in a conversation that helps identify the following: –The focus of the group (e.g. guiding questions, actions, outcomes) based on input from each table member (use a “once around” approach) –Possible first activities in support of that focus –A plan to meet on November 6 th ; facilitator will notify you of the location and specific time