Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) Adapted from The Leadership and Learning Center Presented by Jane Cook for Plainfield Public Schools Available online at:

Objectives As a result of participating in this session, teachers will be able to: Explain what a Common Formative Assessment (CFA) is Describe how a CFA can be used to inform planning and instruction Begin the process of developing a CFA

Common Findings in Successful Schools Formed a professional learning community Focused on student work (through assessment) Changed their instructional practice accordingly to get better results Did all of this on a continuing basis Fullan, April 2000

Professional Learning Communities Ask… Four essential questions: 1.What do all students need to know and be able to do? 2.How do we teach so that all students will learn? 3.How will we know if they have learned it? 4.What will we do if they don’t know or if they come to us already knowing? DuFour & Eaker, 1998

Putting the Pieces Of the Puzzle Together Standards and Assessment Effective Teaching Strategies Data-Driven Decision Making Accountability for Learning

Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative

How Powerful Practices Work Together

Nine + 1 Effective Teaching Strategies 1.Similarities and differences 2.Summarizing and note taking 3.Effort and recognition 4.Homework and practice 5.Nonlinguistic representation 6.Cooperative learning 7.Setting objectives, providing feedback 8.Generating and testing hypotheses 9.Cues, questions, advance organizers 10.Non-fiction writing (Reeves, et al) Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001

Powerful Practices Produce Results! Improvement in student achievement on all assessment measures!

Data Teams: The Mechanism for Measuring Progress Step 1: Collect and chart data and results. Step 2: Analyze strengths and obstacles Step 3: Set S.M.A.R.T. goal for student improvement. Step 4: Select effective teaching strategies. Step 5: Determine results indicators. Data Teams  Process, The Leadership and Learning Center

Two Interdependent Practices Data Teams Common Formative Assessments Learning Centered

The Power Of COMMON Assessments “Schools with the greatest improvements in student achievement consistently used common assessments.” Reeves, 2004

The Two Tools of Assessment “No single assessment can meet everyone’s information needs…To maximize student success, assessment must be seen as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring, and as an accountability tool to determine if learning has occurred. Because both purposes are important, they must be in balance.” NEA, 2003

Two Purposes of Assessment: Important Distinctions FOR Diagnosis – Assessment FOR Learning OF Evaluation – Assessment OF Learning

Assessment FOR Learning before during Formative: Given before and during the teaching process to inform planning and instruction, e.g., CFAs, quizzes, etc. Diagnostic: Intended to be used as a tool or guide to improve teaching and learning Provides teachers with information they need to create appropriate work for groups of learners or individual students Not typically used to assign grades Do students possess critical pre-requisite skills and knowledge? Do students already know some of the material that is to be taught? Answers key questions: Do students possess critical pre-requisite skills and knowledge? Do students already know some of the material that is to be taught? Bravmann, 2004

Assessment OF Learning Summative assessment for unit, quarter, semester, grade level, or course of study Provides “status report” on degree of student proficiency or mastery relative to targeted standard(s), e.g., CMT, CAPT, etc. Helps teachers judge effectiveness of their teaching practices Supports the assignment of grades Have students achieved the goals defined by a given standard or group of standards? Answers question: Have students achieved the goals defined by a given standard or group of standards? Bravmann, 2004

Achievement Gains Associated With Number of Assessments over 15 weeks Number of Assessments Effect SizePercentile Gain Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 2007 (The higher the effect size and percentile gain, the more statistically significant.)

CFA Big Picture Activity In your group, organize yourselves in a line in the order that you believe that your topics belong In your group, organize yourselves in a line in the order that you believe that your topics belong

What Are Common Assessments? “Not standardized tests, but rather teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that are collaboratively scored and that provide immediate feedback to students and teachers.” Douglas B. Reeves, CEO, The Leadership and Learning Center

The Power Of COMMON Assessments “Schools with the greatest improvements in student achievement consistently used common assessments.” Reeves, 2004

What Are Common Formative Assessments? “Common formative assessments are designed to give students specific feedback on the clear target to be achieved, along with suggestions on how to reach that target on subsequent assessments. Students need to understand that this feedback will not be graded but that it will be used by their teachers to design specific instruction to help them improve. After a review of almost 8,000 classroom studies focused on determining the impact of feedback on student improvement, John Hattie (1992) declared: “The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback’.” Hattie, 1992, p. 9

What Are Common Formative Assessments? (continued) for Assessments for learning administered to all students in grade level or course several times during semester, trimester, or year Items collaboratively designed by participating teachers only Items represent essential (Priority) standards only Items aligned to district and state tests Results analyzed in Data Teams in order to differentiate instruction Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006

Simply Put – A Common Formative Assessment is… Common = Given by all teachers at a grade level or in a content area Formative = Provides data to inform planning and instruction Assessment = Provides diagnostic rather than evaluative information

How Long Should a CFA Take? A CFA should take no more than one 45- minute class period. For early grades, it should take much less time, no more than minutes. Limit the total number of items so that student papers can be quickly scored and the results can be used right away to inform instruction.

Grade Levels# of CFA Items  Grades K-1  Approximately 5-8  Grades 2-3  Approximately 8-10  Grade 4-5  Approximately  Grades 6-8  Approximately  Grades 9-12  Approximately Recommended # of CFA Items

The Process of Developing CFAs: Laying The Standards Foundation - Steps 1-6 Step 1: Choose Important Topic Step 2: Identify Matching Priority Standards Step 3: “Unwrap” Matching Priority Standards Step 4: Create Graphic Organizer Step 5: Determine the Big Ideas Step 6: Write the Essential Questions

The Process of Developing CFAs: Creating The Assessment Steps 7-10 Step 7: Write Selected-Response Items Step 8: Write Constructed-Response Items (extended or short) Step 9: Write Essential Question-Big Idea Directions Step 10: Create Answer Key & Scoring Guides for Constructed-Response Items

CFAs – A Summary Periodic assessments collaboratively designed Matching pre- and post-assessments Similar in design to high stakes tests Items should represent priority standards Blend of item types including selected and constructed response Administered several times a year Results analyzed in Data Teams Results used to inform planning and instruction

CFA Summary – The Benefits Regular and timely feedback Multiple-measure assessments Ongoing collaboration opportunities Consistent expectations within a grade level regarding standards, instruction and assessment Agreed-upon criteria for proficiency Deliberate alignment between classroom and district assessments Predictive value regarding how students are doing in time to make instructional modifications

Now it’s your turn to start the process of developing CFAs – Step 1: Choose Important Topic You’re ready to begin Step 1 in the CFA process – this is similar to Step 1 in the Data Team process. In your Grade Alike Teams work on identifying “important topics” for students in your grade level. Focus specifically on literacy

Step 1 (continued) Identify topics in literacy that are essential for students to understand at your grade level Appoint a scribe on your team to write the list the topics Topic examples: Sound-letter relationships, making text connections, narrative writing, informational text, reading comprehension, e.g., main idea, supporting details, inferences, generalizations, etc.

On to Step 2 – Identify Matching Priority Standards Using the Common Core State Standards handout, identify the standards that match the important topics that your Grade Level Team found in Step 1

Next is Step 3 – “Unwrapping” the Standards Analyze the wording of your Priority Standards to determine exactly what students must know and be able to do. Underline the key concepts – the important nouns and noun phrases that students must know. Circle the skills - those verbs that represent what students must be able to do.

Step 3 Example – “Unwrapping” the Standards Revise texts for organization, elaboration, fluency, and clarity CT English/LA Framework 3.2c Revise texts for organization, elaboration, fluency, and clarity

Next Steps… Bring materials to the next session that will help you develop questions for your CFAs.

Exit Card Reflection Questions What did I learn? What are the key points I want to remember? What helped/hindered my learning? What questions do I still have? What suggestions do I have for the next PD session?