1. Formative Assessments John Vail Kalamazoo RESA

2. Formative Assessments Please write down the top three questions you have about formative assessments?

3. What questions should be answered? What are formative assessments and what do they look like K -12? Why are so many administrators pushing to teachers to do “formative assessments?” What are the key components of formative assessments? Why should a MiBLSi coach care about formative assessments? What tools and resources would be helpful to my team in increasing the appropriate use of formative assessments in their school?

4. “I can…” Statements In the following hour, you should be able to make the following statements: ◦I can describe the difference between formative assessments and summative assessments as they relate to the five keys of quality assessments. ◦I can give at least two examples of formative assessments at both the elementary and secondary levels. ◦I can state a compelling reason why formative assessments are a critical component of good instruction. ◦I can integrate the concepts of formative assessments into my role as a coach.

5. Five Keys of Quality Assessments Key 1 – Purpose Key 2 – Clear Learning Targets Key 3 – Effective Design Key 4 – Effective Communication Key 5 – Student Involvement Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2007

6. Key 1 Purpose

7. Two Purposes for Assessment SUMMATIVE Assessments OF Learning How much have students learned as of a particular point in time? FORMATIVE Assessments FOR Learning How can we use assessment information to help students learn more? Stiggins, et.al., 2007

8. Assessments FOR and OF Learning Watch the video clip of Rick Stiggins discussing the differences between assessments FOR and OF learning. Track the differences on the chart. What differences did you find to be most significant?

9. Balanced Assessment Summative Provides evidence achievement to certify student competence or program effectiveness Assessment for learning Use assessments to help students assess and adjust their own learning Formative uses of summative data Use of summative evidence to inform what comes next for individuals or groups of students Formative Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence to directly improve the learning of students assessed Assessment for learning Use classroom assessments to inform teacher’s decisions

10. Assessments for Learning PURPOSE Students are crucial decision-makers; therefore, information must be provided in forms that help them understand … Where I am going. Where I am now? How I can close the gap?

11. Formative Assessments “Working Definition” Students and teachers using evidence of learning to adapt teaching and learning to meet immediate learning needs minute-to-minute and day-by- day ! Marnie Thompson & Dylan Wiliam, 2007

12. Examples of Formative Assessments Teacher questioning and feedback Surveying White board responding Quizzes Quick writes Exit cards or exit answers Performance Partial products

13. Tapping into your prior experience Write down an example of a formative assessment you have either seen done or you have done yourself in the classroom. What aspects of the previous definition did it fulfill and what might have been lacking?

14. Five Keys of Quality Assessments Key 1 – Purpose Key 2 – Clear Learning Targets Key 3 – Effective Design Key 4 – Effective Communication Key 5 – Student Involvement Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2007

15. Key 2 Clear and Appropriate Learning Targets Did your example have a clear learning target that was obvious to both the students and the teacher?

16. Strategy 1: Converting Learning Targets to Student- Friendly Language 1. Identify important or difficult learning goal. 2. Identify word(s) needing clarification. 3. Define the word(s). 4. Rewrite the definition as an “I can” statement, in terms that your students will understand. 5. Try it out and refine as needed. 6. Have students try this process.

17. Student-Friendly Language Word to be defined: SUMMARIZE to give a brief statement of the main points, main events, or important ideas Student-friendly language: I can summarize text. This means I can make a short statement of the main points or the big ideas of what I read.

18. Student-Friendly Language Word to be defined: PREDICTION A statement saying something will happen in the future Student-friendly language : I can make predictions. This means I can use information from what I read to guess at what will happen next.

19. Coaches Examples Reading ◦Administrators or the leadership team work with staff to create a coherent plan for reading instruction and implement practices to attain school reading goals (PET-R 6.2) Behavior ◦Clearly defined & consistent consequences and procedures for undesirable behaviors are developed. (TIC #14)

20. Assessment Map Examples and Activity

21. Clear and Appropriate Learning Targets Summary Thing to remember Convert complex or unfamiliar targets to student-friendly language Convert complex or unfamiliar targets to student-friendly language Post them or have students keep them Post them or have students keep them Connect learning targets to activities Connect learning targets to activities

22. Key 3 Effective Design Was the formative assessment used in your example a good match for the learning intended?

23. Target - Method Match +PRODUCT ++SKILLS++++REASON +?++KNOW PCPAEWRSR

24. Key 4 Effective Communication Did your example provide specific and descriptive information back to the student that informed them of their learning?

25. Research Quotes on Effects of Feedback Read the quotes provided on the handout. Choose 1 quote that is most meaningful to you at this time.

26. Effective Communication “The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback’.” John Hattie (1992)

27. Number of Assessments Effect Size Percentile-Point Gain 0 0 0 1.34 13.5 5.53 20.0 10.60 22.5 15.66 24.5 20.71 26.0 25.78 28.5 30.80 29.0 Note: Effect sizes from data reported by Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, and Kulik (1991). Frequency

28. Source Characteristics of Feedback from Classroom Assessment Number of Studies * Effect Size Percentile Gain or Loss in Student Achievement Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan (1991) Right/wrong 6 -.08 -3 Provide correct answer 39.22 8.5 Criteria understood by students vs. not understood 30.41 16 Explain 9.53 20 Repeat until correct 4.53 20 Fuchs & Fuchs (1986) Displaying results graphically 89.70 26 Evaluation (interpretation) by rule 49.91 32 * Indicates the number of studies that were examined by the researchers to compute an effect size. See Technical Note 1.2 for discussion of an effect size.

29. What Makes Feedback Effective? Describes features of work or performance Relates directly to the learning targets and/or standards of quality Points out strengths and gives specific information about how to improve

30. Key 5: Student Involvement Key 5: Student Involvement Were the students in your example merely receivers of information or did they know how to respond to increase learning?

31. Student Motivation and Involvement Where am I going? 1.Provide a clear statement of the learning target 2.Use examples and models Where am I now? 3.Offer regular descriptive feedback 4.Teach students to self-assess and set goals How can I close the gap? 5.Design focused lessons 6.Teach students focused revision 7.Engage students in self-reflection; let them keep track of and share their learning

32. Self-Assessment Helps students make decisions about what to focus on next. Only possible when students know the goal of the work and have a vision of quality.

33. Why Assessment for Learning Works When students are required to think about their own learning, articulate what they understand, and what they still need to learn, achievement improves. When students are required to think about their own learning, articulate what they understand, and what they still need to learn, achievement improves. --Black and Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996; Young, 2000

34. Partner Paraphrase

35. The “I Can” Review

36. Reflection

37. Resources Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2007) Ahead of the Curve (Reeves, 2007) Common Formative Assessments (Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006) Building Common Assessments Workshop – Solution Tree (Vagle) Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning (Chappuis, 2009)