Formative Assessment  Formative assessment is the monitoring that occurs throughout the process of learning, providing students with feedback on how they are doing and what their next learning steps are.  Its purpose is to provide students with the concrete and specific information they need to be able to evaluate and therefore improve their own learning.

ASSESSMENT IS LEARNING: LEARNER EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SHIFTING ASSESSMENT PRACTICES Jennifer Towers

What are our learning goals today?  To understand why formative assessment is beneficial in a science classroom  To leave with practical learning and assessment strategies that you can use in your classroom  To make marking more meaningful

Growing Pains  Background  1 st year – introduction  2 nd year – trial  3 rd year – fully implemented

Formative Assessment: The five big strategies that matter Learning Intentions Criteria for Success Thoughtful Feedback Thoughtful Questions Learners as Resources for Each Other Dylan Wiliam

What does assessment currently look like in your classroom? Please read and discuss “Quality Assessment” from Article Excerpts – Winger, T. (2009)

Workshop Outline  Then  Rationale for change  Now  Where I’ve arrived  How  Logistics and Practice Labs, Assignments, Projects, Quizzes and Tests  Reflection  Value and Next Steps

Then:  Ranking System  Marks out of 10 or 15 or 20 or 24…  6/10 recorded in mark book…  Is this meaningful? 25

Now:  Assessment as and for learning  Students ▫ Play an active role ▫ Own ▫ Own criteria ▫ Peer and self assess ▫ Peer and self assess work ▫ Plan improvement with feedback ▫ Track improvement ▫ Track improvement and reflect  Teacher only ▫ gives only comment-based feedback most recent & consistent performance ▫ reports most recent & consistent performance

Grading students by comparing their performance to one another distorts individual achievement. O’Connor, K. (2007) Please read and discuss “Standards Based Grading” from Article Excerpts

How:  What does feedback look like?  Feedback using Performance Standards  Who does the assessment?  Combination of Peer, Self, and Teacher  How is the feedback used effectively?  Students using Learning Log  How do you arrive at a percentage?  Turing Evidence into Percentages

How: Science Labs  Feedback with Performance Standards (Rubrics)

How : Science Labs  Feedback with Performance Standards  Peer, Self, Teacher Assessments

How: Science Labs  Feedback with Performance Standards  Peer, Self, Teacher Assessments  Learning Log

How: Science Labs  Feedback with Performance Standards  Peer, Self, Teacher Assessments  Learning Log  Arriving at a Percentage (for labs/unit/term) Beginning (Does not meet) Developing (minimally meets) Accomplished (meets) Exemplary (exceeds)

…learning becomes more efficient and students begin to internalize the process.... Earl, L. (n.d.) Please read and discuss “Peer and Self Assessment” from Article Excerpts

How: Projects  Science 10 Compound Formation Poster

HOW: Projects  Nutrient Cycle Cartoon

HOW: Projects  Biome Region Report

How: Concepts  Informal Questions (Try This!)  Formal Quizzes as “Checkpoints” and Unit Tests  Feedback with Performance Standards  Peer, Self, Teacher Assessments  Learning Log

HOW: Quiz or Checkpoint Mutualism/parasitism Energy flow/percents Detrivore/decomposer

HOW: Concept log

HOW: Unit Tests

To be effective, feedback needs to cause thinking. Grades don’t do that. Scores don’t do that. And comments like “good job” don’t do that either. Leahy, S., Lyon, C., Thompson, M., & William, D. (2005) Please read and discuss “Provide Feedback that moves Learning Forward” from Article Excerpts

How: Term Reflections

Reflection  Student  As quoted  Parents  Communication  Teacher  Effectiveness  Collaboration  Impact from Chemistry student feedback “I knew exactly what I had to improve on after the first lab, and was able to improve on it in my second (which is the whole point I think) … Anyway I think it is excellent and has definitely helped me and others improve.” from Science 10 student feedback “It is very helpful and it enables us to learn from our mistakes so we don’t do them again. It clearly states what you need to do... I learn what to do different on the next lab.”

My support network:  West Vancouver School District  Michelle Wood, Brooke Moore, Greg Elliott and Mike Branco and my Colleagues at Rockridge Secondary  Marne Owen, Principal Rockridge Secondary  Network of Performance Based Schools

What is your next step? Formative assessment... Classroom practicality.... Meaningful feedback...

Contact  Jennifer Towers, Science and Biology  My website