Proficiency-Based Assessment: Implications for our Practice Nicole Rigelman Portland State University Teachers of Teachers Mathematics Conference September 7, 2013

Session Overview  Our Grading Practices  Policy Influencing Oregon Schools  Implementation Examples  Affordances  Challenges  Implications for Our Practice as We Prepare Future Mathematics Educators

Critical Questions  On what basis do you determine grades in your courses?  For what purpose?

Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220 Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220  Determine the student’s progress toward achieving the academic content standards (align instruction to standards).

Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220 Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220  Show, at least annually, the student and parents whether the student’s progress to standards meets or exceeds grade- level standards expectations.

Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220 Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting - HB 2220  Assure that a student’s academic grades reflect his/her academic proficiency.

Grading Elements  Major exams  Performance assessments  Reports or projects  Student portfolios  Exit tickets or tasks  Students’ notebooks or journals  Classroom observations  Oral presentations  Homework completion  Homework quality  Class participation  Work habits and neatness  Class attendance  Punctuality of assignments  Class behavior or attitude  Progress made  Class participation  Work habits and neatness  Effort put forth

Response from Districts  Align instruction to standards  Assure grades reflect academic proficiency

What the assessment research tells us… Grading IS NOT essential in the teaching and learning process. Feedback IS!!!

Assessment for Learning   Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions.   Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning.   Providing feedback that moves learners forward.   Activating students as learning resources for one another.   Activating students as owners of their own learning. - Black and Wiliam, 1998, 2009

Assessment for Learning   Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions.   Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning.   Providing feedback that moves learners forward.   Activating students as learning resources for one another.   Activating students as owners of their own learning. - Black and Wiliam, 1998, 2009

Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions.

Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning.

Examining Student Thinking: Geometric patterning tasks  Two 3 rd grade tasks and associated student work samples  Questions to consider:  What mathematical ideas do these tasks draw out?  What do you notice? What do you wonder?  What surprises you?  What are the implications for your practice?

A Typical Algebra Task How many squares will be in the 25th arrangement? Figure Number 123 Total Number of Squares 579

A Revised Version of The Algebra Task Investigate and report all you can about this pattern. Figure Number 123 Total Number of Squares 579

You may want to consider including things like:  observations about the pattern  a rough sketch or picture of some larger figures in this pattern  some different ways of 'finding' the total number of tile in any figure in pattern (like methods of counting, a table, a graph, a formula or rule)  Which figure has 120 tiles? How did you decide? What is another way to determine this?  How would you convince somebody else that you are right? Figure Number 123 Total Number of Tile 3815 Investigate and report all you can about the following growing pattern.

Figure Number Total Number of Tile 3815

You may want to consider including things like:  observations about the pattern  a rough sketch or picture of some larger figures in this pattern  some different ways of 'finding' the total number of tile in any figure in pattern (like methods of counting, a table, a graph, a formula or rule)  Which figure has 120 tiles? How did you decide? What is another way to determine this?  How would you convince somebody else that you are right? Figure Number 123 Total Number of Tile 3815 Investigate and report all you can about the following growing pattern.

Providing feedback that moves learners forward.

3 Major Questions   Where am I going (the goals)? = feedup   How am I going? = feedback   Where to next? Feedforward  Hattie and Timperley, 2007

Activating students as owners of their own learning.

Think Thank Thunk Think Thank Thunk Click above to access his page, video of his TEDx Presentation on the right sidebar. Click above to access his page, video of his TEDx Presentation on the right sidebar. BlueHarvest Feedback is his grading program BlueHarvest Feedback is his grading program

Big ideas   Differentiate by posing a good task and interacting with groups/individuals based on observed needs.   Specify learning targets met as revealed in the student work and press for additional possibilities… with feedback (feedforward) that presses students to consider next steps/questions.

Implications What are the implications for our practice as we prepare future mathematics educators?