McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FOR TEACHERS The New Professional Expectation

Chapter 1: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Classroom Assessment in the Lives of Students

1-3  Why should a current or pre- service teacher need to be proficient in the assessment of student learning? WHY ASSESSMENT?

1-4  Assessment is now considered a necessary tool for the professional educator’s toolbox.  Over half of the states have some assessment requirements/standards that teachers must demonstrate.  More importantly, it can answer the question every teacher asks: “Am I truly effective with my teaching, and are my students learning what they need to know?” ANSWERS TO WHY

1-5 THE NEW REALITY  In the past, assessment was not seen as a “high priority.”  All of that has changed.  Since accountability of student performance plays a key role in how educators and schools are now reviewed and evaluated (due to the impact of NCLB), assessment has become a critical discussion point in schools and districts across the nation.  Documentation of actual academic progress of students is now the rule and not the exception.

1-6  Consistent with assessment experts in the field (Black & Wiliam 1998):  Classroom assessment is an active process of systematically collecting evidence of student learning and then analyzing that evidence in order to make effective educational decisions designed to promote student learning. SO WHAT IS CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT?

Active data collection process involving direct evidence of student learning progress 2. Critical analysis and review of the data 3. Effective and sound educational decisions based on the data 4. Decisions made specifically to promote the learning of students FOUR ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

1-8  Assessment is about collecting needed information to make good instructional and learning decisions  This process can and should involve: classroom information & results standardized test results observational data checklist information as well as many other sources  “There is no single activity called classroom assessment” (Earl 2003) ASSESSMENT IN PROCESS

1-9  Formative assessment or “assessment for learning”  Self-assessment or “assessment as learning”  Summative assessment or “assessment of learning”  All need to exist and work collectively for your assessment system to be effective PURPOSES OF CLASSROOM ASSESSMENTS

1-10  Answer: Yes  Based on the work of Black and Wiliam (1998), students, particularly low-achieving students, can achieve at high levels in the classroom if five instructional practices are followed. DOES CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS?

1-11  1) Effective and meaningful feedback is provided to students during the instructional process  2) Efforts to ensure students are part of their learning and are actively connected to it  3) Assessment information is used to examine student progress and adjust instruction as necessary  4) Assessment information is used to support and motivate students throughout the instructional process  5) Students self-assess their learning progress and make necessary adjustments to improve their learning THE “BIG FIVE” INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES

1-12  Stiggins and associates encourage teachers to ask three critical questions:  1) Where am I going?  2) Where am I now?  3) How do I close the gap?  Regarding learners in your classroom, make sure you can answer these assessment-focused questions:  1) Where are they? (current learning & performance status)  2) Where do they need to be? (identified learning objectives and outcomes)  3) How do they get there? (instructional delivery decisions) TEACHING VIEWPOINT

1-13  Instruction in the classroom and the learning that takes places during that instruction and experience must be aligned with specific standards and performance expectations.  Classroom assessment must be designed so students’ progress in accomplishing the learning outcomes connected to those standards is accurately measured.  Assessment is most effective and useful when it matches with the instructional content that is taught.  Teaching and assessment are “flip sides” of the same instructional coin INSTRUCTION-LEARNING- ASSESSMENT ALIGNMENT

1-14 TEACHING-LEARNING-ASSESSMENT MODEL

1-15  Federal legislation (No Child Left Behind – NCLB) has mandated that all school-age children evidence progress and academic achievement (at a proficient or higher level) relative to their respective learning standards and outcomes identified within each grade level. ALL CHILDREN MUST SHOW LEARNING PROGRESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

1-16  NCLB is focused on making sure every child demonstrates clear evidence of academic progress with  Special emphasis on low achieving and economically disadvantaged children who have not shown significant academic progress, relative to other groups.  Broad in scope and involves several interconnected areas (e.g., highly qualified teachers, evidence-based practice, expanded parental options, etc.).  The most important area, relative to assessment, is the accountability of student progress and achievement.  Includes several key components, including annual testing of students, the documentation of adequate yearly progress (AYP) of students, and state academic content standards. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB)

1-17  NCLB requires yearly testing be completed by all students, including those with identified disabilities or Limited English Proficiency  Testing must be connected to academic standards required in the state.  At a minimum, all states are required to provide standardized testing in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and at least once in high school.  Testing in the area of science is also to be conducted at least once in grades 3-5, 6-9, and  Each state must also provide a sample of 4th and 8th graders that have completed the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program in reading and math every other year. NCLB

1-18  Ultimate accountability is attached to the mandated testing  Every state is required to set its own yearly proficiency goals  Ultimate milestone of having all students meeting the proficiency standard set by their respective state by the school year. NCLB CONTINUED

1-19  Student progress is demonstrated as adequate yearly progress (AYP)  Defined by scoring at the proficient or better levels on state required tests.  Schools must report this progress as a unit, as well as for specific key groups of students  Ethnic minority students, students with identified disabilities, English-limited students, as well as others. ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS

1-20  If any group of students does not make the expected progress over a two or more year span, then sanctions can be administered to the school and the school district.  Intense pressure is now on schools to demonstrate real and sustained test score improvement for all students, but especially for those that historically have had limited academic success as measured by group achievement tests. AYP CONTINUED

1-21  Confirming Instructional Effectiveness  Clarifying Instructional Delivery  Confirming Students’ Learning Skills and Knowledge  Monitoring Students’ Progress  Evaluating the Quality of Student Work  Influencing Public Perceptions of Educational Effectiveness WHY TEACHERS NEED TO CONDUCT CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

1-22  Embrace this professional skill area  Continue to seek knowledge and understanding in this area  Assessment is an integral part of teaching  If you develop an effective classroom assessment system, ALL your students benefit ASSESSMENT IS HERE TO STAY

1-23 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS  The role of ethics in your classroom  A working definition: ethics direct one’s professional conduct and actions, which are based on a set of unwavering standards of practice that are established and followed by a member of a certain profession.  The National Education Association (NEA) has a code of ethics including its Preamble along with Principle I (Commitment to the Student) and II (Commitment to the Profession) all of which is provided in Table 1.3.

1-24 NEEDED ETHICS IN THE CLASSROOM  Fairness/Equal Learning Opportunities  Confidentiality  Competency: In regard to a teacher’s expected competency in educational assessment, the education field already possesses a foundational set of standards in educational assessment.  The Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students were constructed in 1990.

1-25 TEACHER COMPETENCE IN THE EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS (7 Standards)  Standard 1 – Teachers should be skilled in choosing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions.  Standard 2 – Teachers should be skilled in developing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions.  Standard 3 – The teacher should be skilled in administering, scoring and interpreting the results of both externally-produced and teacher-produced assessment methods.  Standard 4 – Teachers should be skilled in using assessment results when making decisions about individual students, planning teaching, developing curriculum, and school improvement.

1-26 TEACHER COMPETENCE IN THE EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS (7 STANDARDS)  Standard 5 – Teachers should be skilled in developing valid pupil grading procedures which use pupil assessments.  Standard 6 – Teachers should be skilled in communicating assessment results to students, parents, other lay audiences, and other educators.  Standard 7 – Teachers should be skilled in recognizing unethical, illegal, and otherwise inappropriate assessment methods and uses of assessment information.

1-27 ETHICS PLEDGE  I, (sign your name here), hereby agree to accept and abide by the code of ethics established within my profession as a teacher throughout my entire professional career. I understand that the primary purpose of these ethical principles and guidelines is to protect the students I teach and not to safeguard myself or my practice as an educator. I also understand that the advocacy for the rights and educational needs of children may create potential conflicts with the school system that employs me. Consequently, I must adhere to my code of ethics even if doing so adversely impacts my personal status in that system. I also accept the responsibility of remaining current of new developments and professional responsibilities so that I can work proactively on enhancing school policies and procedures and ultimately on serving the interests and needs of all children in the classroom.  If you were asked to sign this ethics pledge, or one like it, would you? Why or why not?