Assessment Literacy and the Common Core Shifts

Why Be Assessment Literate? ED Test and Measurement 101 was a long time ago Assure students are being accurately assessed Making sure we are assessing standards as they are intended, not as they are interpreted Helping teachers develop better assessments Specifically related to SLOs Helping staff identify appropriate Performance Measures Having conversations with your staff during the SLO approval phase

Were these standards a grounding foundation for my students to know, understand and apply? Am I confident these assessments measure these standards?

Does this rating really reflect how well the standards were taught? Did students learn the standard to the level of rigor intended?

How did you choose the Performance Measures within your SLO?

What Impacts Assessment? Reliability The extent to which assessments are consistent Imagine a kitchen scale 5lbs of potatoes should weigh 5lbs every time they are placed on the scale; regardless of the time of day Validity The accuracy of an assessment; does it measure what it is supposed to measure? Think of that kitchen scale If the scale says you weigh 130lbs but you actually weigh 145lbs, the measurement is not valid

Great News About Validity We know… A reliable assessment isn’t necessarily valid BUT Valid assessments are almost always Reliable!

Assessment and Instruction If the standard being assessed expects students to apply their knowledge, and the test measures only content, not application, then the assessment would not be a valid measure of the standard. If students have only been instructed to demonstrate understanding at a low level of application (WDoK 1-2) but are assessed at a much higher level (WDoK 2-4) and aren’t successful, does that mean the assessment isn’t valid? Or have students not been provided a fair chance to succeed?

Assessment Life Cycle Establish Assessment Purpose(s) and Design Build Test Specifications & Blueprint Develop Items Develop Scoring Keys and Rubrics Create Operational Forms & Administrative Guidelines Review Forms Administer Test and Report Results Examine Validity Evidence 9

Looking ahead to answer the question... Does Methacton High School have valid, reliable, rigorous ____?_____ assessments ?

Are My Assessments Valid? Do my assessments test what I think they do? Do I have enough assessment items for each standard? Are my assessment items rigorous enough to assess the intent of the standard? If the assessment is teacher created, were strong test development protocols used?

Principles of Well-Designed Assessments Be built to achieve the designed purpose Produce results that are used for the intended purpose Align to targeted content standards Contain a balance between depth and breadth of targeted content Be rigorous, and fair Be sensitive to testing time and objectivity Be valid and reliable

Decision-Making Approaches Build Consensus Approach All opinions expressed Ideas of all participants gathered and synthesized Group agreement reached Team Leader Approach Guiding questions Group discussion about the pros and cons Create a “best fit” course of action 13

Think-Pair-Share 5 minutes to think about the statement below and write down your thoughts 5 minutes to share your ideas with a partner 10 minutes to share with your group/table and conclude with one common theme or idea to share on the Wiki. Post that common theme or idea to the Wiki. “The Assessment Literacy process will help our content area/department by _______________.” 14

In your own words define these... Discuss the purpose of each as well as the differences. Formative Benchmark Diagnostic Summative

Assess your own understanding against these definitions... Summative: ……overall judgment of progress made at the end of a defined period of instruction …….end of a school level, grade, or course, or are administered at certain grades …….state or local accountability. …….high-stakes assessments... ……. Intended to produce clear data on the student’s accomplishments at key points in time ……. scores become part of permanent record …….statement to whether or not the student has fallen short of, met, or exceeded the expected standards. Formative: ….classroom based assessment that allows teachers to monitor and adjust their instructional practice in order to meet the individual needs of their students. …..formal instruments or informal observations……key is how the results are used…… goal is to shape teaching and learning. Benchmark: …provides feedback to both the teacher and the student about how the student is progressing towards demonstrating proficiency on grade level standards. …..measure the degree to which a student has mastered a given concept; measure concepts, skills, and/or applications…. reported by referencing the standards, not other students’ performance…..serve as a test to which teachers want to teach….measure performance regularly, not only at a single moment in time. Diagnostic: Ascertains each student’s strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills either prior to instruction or to identify specific areas of deficit or strength….. permits the instructor to adjust the curriculum to meet pupils’ unique needs. Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) are designed for this purpose.

When identifying the standards to be taught AND designing instructional delivery consider….. Assessment FOR Learning Assessment OF Learning

“5 Things Every Teacher Should Be Doing to Meet the Common Core Standards” Scan the article: What stood out to you? What do you challenge in terms of what the authors state? What do you support in terms of what the authors state?

Resources for Assessment and Instructional Design SAS portal: Assessment Builder Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) website: Exemplars on SAS National School Reform Faculty: Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies (PDF From Illinois): Wiki

Time to explore... In departments, by course, etc., explore the resources presented. At the conclusion be prepared to present the following: 1 (concepts, strategies, assessments, etc.) item you encountered that you need time and/or training and/or explanation and/or support to carry out 2 “WOWs, I really like this!” 3 items (concepts, strategies, assessment items, etc.) that are new and you are likely to incorporate into your practice immediately