1. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE Dr. Karen Blankenship, Ph.D. Mary Ann Siller, M.Ed. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

2. O UTLINE FOR T ODAY 1. Discuss impact of the essential assessments for children and families. 2. Resources found in the Essential Assessments Rubric. 3. Highlight quality and content rubrics for improving instructional practice 4. Hands-on session with FVA/LMA/ECC reports. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

3. W HAT DO WE KNOW ? We have no standards of practice for completing or writing up an Essential Assessment (EA) QPVI is working on standards at current sites Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

4. C OLLABORATIVE S TUDY WITH AER (N=163) Representation from the NE, SE, SW, NW, MW, and 1 Canadian 54% have taught more than 11 years Most worked in a school district (38%) Most had 20 or less students on their caseload (17.2% 5 or less) When asked if state required Essential Assessment (EA) 94% FVA 95% LMA 68% ECC Participants were asked about each component of the EA rubric and the majority of participants included all component areas (79.8%-98.2%) with near/distance acuity having the highest ratings. The lowest rated components were ECC screening tool and formal reading/listening skills (79.8% & 81.7% respectively) 4 teacher efficacy questions were asked Most participants had the skills necessary to complete a quality EA and interpret the results Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

5. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE Effective Instructional Continuum Assessments Assessments Educational Programming Educational Programming Research-based Instruction Research-based Instruction Ongoing Evaluation Ongoing Evaluation A research-based effective instructional continuum always begins with quality assessment data that drives both educational programming and instruction for all students with varying acuity and ability levels. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

6. E FFECTIVE I NSTRUCTIONAL C ONTINUUM Data- Driven Services Assessment Program Planning Instruction Ongoing Evaluation Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

7. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE Essential Assessments (EA) for eligibility, programming, instruction, and ongoing evaluation for children/youth who are blind or visually impaired Functional vision assessment (FVA) Functional vision assessment (FVA) Learning media assessment (LMA) Learning media assessment (LMA) Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) assessments in the priority areas: The ECC Screening Tool allows for a strengths-based conversation around each of the 9 areas with the team choosing 2-3 priority areas to assess and address each year. In addition, the ECC screening tool found in the FVLMA (APH) allows for discussion in all 9 areas. Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) assessments in the priority areas: The ECC Screening Tool allows for a strengths-based conversation around each of the 9 areas with the team choosing 2-3 priority areas to assess and address each year. In addition, the ECC screening tool found in the FVLMA (APH) allows for discussion in all 9 areas. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

8. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE A rubric is an authentic assessment tool used to measure professional’s work. It is a scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a professional’s performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score. Two Types of Rubrics Holistic Analytic Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

9. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE What is a Rubric Authentic assessment tool Scoring guide based on a full range of criteria Working guide for teachers, administrators, & families Why use a Rubric Experts believe that rubrics improve professional's practice and end product Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

10. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE What are the advantages to using a Rubric? Rubrics improve professionals’ performance by clearly showing how their work will be evaluated and what is expected of them. Rubrics help professionals become better judges of the quality of their own work. Rubrics allow assessments to be more objective and consistent. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

11. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE What are the advantages of using a Rubric continued? Rubrics force the teacher to clarify his/her criteria in specific terms. Rubrics promote professional awareness about the criteria used in assessing peer performance. Rubrics provide useful feedback to the teacher regarding the effectiveness of the assessment. Rubrics provide professionals with more informative feedback about their strengths and areas in need of improvement. Rubrics are easy to use and easy to explain. Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

12. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE Essential Assessment Rubrics (holistic/analytic) Adheres to the RIOT model R eview of records I nterviews with families, students, and professionals O bservations in multiple environments over multiple opportunities T esting both formal and informal Developed using two extensive literature reviews, input from Dr. Randy Jose, and continued professional dialogue and learning Includes tips and resources for staff development Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

13. A UTHENTIC A SSESSMENT R UBRICS TO I MPROVE P RACTICE Navigating the Rubric http://earubric.com/ Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

14. EA R UBRIC Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

15. N EXT S TEPS With a partner apply the rubric to your sample essential assessment report and complete the scoring sheet Blankenship & Siller AER 2012

17. R ESOURCES Essential Assessments for Children with Visual Impairments: Rubric Project found at earubric.com Karen Blankenship, Nashville, TN Karen.Blankenship@vanderbilt.edu Mary Ann Siller, Dallas, TX dmasiller@sbcglobal.net Jennifer Coy, Jackson, MO jenniferkcoy@hotmail.com Julie Prause, Columbus, TX julprause@hotmail.com EVALS, www.tsbvi.eduwww.tsbvi.edu Resources for the ECC (RECC) at www.tsbvi.edu www.tsbvi.edu www. familyconnect.org (student and parent ECC audio messages @ teen section) Blankenship & Siller AER 2012