Assessment and Differentiation of Instruction

Assessment for Learning

Where to Begin? -Cornell University  Goal statement: Start with clear statements of your most important goals. (What key things will students be able to say, think, or do after completing the activity?)  Opportunities: Provide opportunities for students to learn.  Assessment: Plan your assessments carefully so that they assess the goals you have articulated.  Standards: Define clear, appropriate standards for student performance. (What constitutes exemplary, adequate, and poor work?)

Assessment Principles  Consider the strengths and needs of the student  Use multiple and varied assessments  Use ongoing assessment  Students should receive transparent and ongoing feedback

Types of Assessment  Summative: occurs after instruction and summarizes learning e.g., end of semester test, national exam e.g., end of semester test, national exam  Formative: begins before teaching and continues during the learning process; informs and helps inform the teaching and learning; embedded in ALL lessons; observe and modify e.g., keeping track of progress toward a short-term goal e.g., keeping track of progress toward a short-term goal  Self assessment

Just like soup… Which one is formative, summative?  Chef tastes soup… Customer tastes soup… Robert Stake

Assessments…  Formal, norm-referenced (e.g., published tests administered under standardized conditions; for diagnostics)  Criterion-referenced; measures the extent which students have mastered a skill; there is a pre- established criterion (e.g., informal reading inventories)  Curriculum-based (e.g., measures a student’s progress towards meeting instructional goals)

Other Tools…  Interviewing  Surveys, checklists, rubrics, retellings  Benchmarks  Student self-assessment  Peer feedback  Portfolios  Conferences  Observations

What Basic Aspects of Comprehension to Assess? Cain, 2010  To understand text, the reader or listener needs to (word level skills assumed)….  Comprehend word meanings  Comprehend sentences (grammatical understanding)  Process and comprehend discourse (may include listening comprehension assessment)  Connect ideas between sentences with general knowledge

What about pre-readers?  Oral language ability correlates with later reading comprehension skills…  Oral vocabulary skills  Grammatical/Syntax ability  Narrative skill development

Constructing a Rubric  Practice making a rubric 

Differentiation of Instruction

Teachers Differentiate for Students’ Needs When They….  React responsively to a learner’s needs  Are flexible (e.g., re: learning goals, materials, modes of teaching, student groupings, etc.  Differentiate based on ongoing assessment  Use flexible groupings (i.e., whole, small, and individual groupings)  Variable groupings; at times homogeneous, heterogeneous, interest driven, based on learning style, etc.  Finding a ‘good fit’ for task to learner

Differentiation  Curriculum can be differentiated…  Process can be differentiated…  Products can be differentiated… Response to Intervention (RTI)Response to Intervention (RTI)

Curriculum can be differentiated…  Content (what the teacher plans for students to learn; how the student gains access to the knowledge; essential facts may be constant)  Use manipulatives with some learners  Use different reading levels  Present material using part to whole and whole to part approaches  Use reading buddies  Reteach  Use computers, videos to convey key concepts

Process can be differentiated…  Process: how the learner comes to understand the key facts, concepts, generalizations, skills; varying the activity  Involve other modalities to support learning  Provide options for level of difficulty or for individual interests  Vary the amount of support  Provide different choices for response (e.g., verbal open vs. choice; nonverbal; manipulatives)

Products can be differentiated…  A student’s demonstration of learning, understanding  Expressing learning in varied ways  A good product makes a student rethink about what has been learned; stresses creativity, and application and critical thinking skills  Students design products around essential learning goals  Portfolios  Varied assessments including student generated rubrics

Differentiation by… Learning Style and Individual Needs

Differentiation by Learning Style Grade One

Differentiation by Interest… Academies

Ten Ways to Differentiate  PARTICULAR: group activity pg. 105  Select a book, a skill, and a student problem