1. Looking at Student Work
Beverly Falk
August 23, 2007

2. Purposes of Assessment
To learn about the unique strengths, interests, needs of students
To monitor progress
To evaluate performance
To use that information to inform teaching

3. Types of assessment Formative Summative
Using student work for inquiry about the how of student learning to inform teaching
Observations
Checklists
Journal entries
Drafts
Portfolios
Summative
Using student work for evidence of what students know and can do
Performance tasks
Exhibitions
Tests

4. An Assessment System for Learning includes
Both formative and summative assessment
Multiple forms of evidence
Ways of assessing student work to to make visible each student’s growth from where s/he began

5. Principles for Looking at Student Work Observing
Be descriptive
Leave out judgment
Document only what you see, not what you assume (double entry note-taking - Notes/Notes on Notes)
Date everything
Provide a context for the observation
Document an incident from beginning to end
Look for what the student can do, not just what s/he cannot do
Think about how what you have seen can be used to inform your teaching

6. Some Guiding Questions for Looking at Student Work
What was the context in which the work was created?
What questions does this work raise about the student - student's intent, interests?
What does this work tell us about what the student understands; what the student can do; how the student meets the standards/expectations for the work?
What does this work demonstrate about the student's growth over time?
What does this work tell us about the instruction and learning environment that prompted the work? How effective were the assignment and teaching strategies?
What does this work suggest about the kind of teaching and opportunities for learning that should come next for this student?

7. Principles for Looking at Student Work Scoring Tasks
Assess what the work tells you about what the student knows, not what you think you know about what the student knows
Evaluate in relation to the criteria of the standards as articulated in rich, descriptive rubrics
Aim for consistency across scorers – inter-rater reliability
Design the scoring so that results can be easily communicated to the public, i.e., rich descriptors have a number that can be aggregated for reporting purposes

8. Looking at Student Work
Deepens teachers’ understandings of
Content standards
Their discipline
Their students
Their teaching
Strengthens teachers’ sense of professionalism
Fosters collegial dialogue centered on teaching and learning
Validates professional knowledge
Sets up a structure to keep inquiry alive