1. Module 4: Analyzing Evidence and Descriptive Feedback
Formative Assessment
Module 4: Analyzing Evidence and Descriptive Feedback

2. Expectations I can anticipate and analyze evidence of learning.
I can plan instructional modifications to address learning gaps.
I can distinguish between motivational, evaluative, and descriptive feedback.
I can provide descriptive feedback to students, helping them close their learning gaps.

3. Review by Taking a Look at FA in Action
Anticipation Guide
FA Green, Yellow, Red Cards
ABCD Cards

4. Why Feedback?
Formative assessment can enhance learning when it provides students with feedback about specific qualities of their work, and about how to improve
(e.g., Black & Wiliam, 1998; Crooks, 1988; Kluger & DeNisi 1996; Natriello, 1987; Rea-Dickens, 2001; Stipek, 1996; Turnstall & Gipps, 1996)

5. Formative and Summative Assessment
Rick Wormeli

6. Provide Effective Feedback
The best feedback is:
Descriptive
Specific
Relevant
Timely
Empowering

7. Motivational Feedback
Motivational Feedback is used for encouragement and support; however, it does not give specific information concerning the task/assignment
Examples:
Words: Excellent!, Good!, Great!
Written Comments: Good Work!, Nice Job
Symbols: Smiley faces, stars, checks
Stickers: Great Job!, Awesome!, Super Work!

8. Motivational Feedback
“Research shows that feedback that emphasizes learning goals leads to greater learning gains than feedback that emphasizes self-esteem.”
- Ames, 1992, Butler, 1998, and
Dweck, 1986

9. Evaluative Feedback
Evaluative feedback sums up achievement and assigns a label. It expresses a judgment.
Examples:
Grades- A, B, C, D, F
Letters: P for proficient, D for developing, B for beginning
Levels I, II, III, IV
Symbols: Pluses, Minuses, Xs, Checks
We often assign evaluative feedback to all work, even that which is for practice, not only is this not necessary, sometimes it can be counterproductive.

10. Evaluative Feedback
When focus is placed on evaluative feedback, students start to believe that ability, rather than effort, is the only way to success.
When faced with a task, students become concerned about being judged as capable. This is why students who experience failure will not try even when the task is easy. They would rather not try than to be judged as incapable.

11. Effective descriptive feedback has the following characteristics:
Descriptive feedback offers information about the work, product, or performance relative to the intended learning.
Effective descriptive feedback has the following characteristics:
Is value neutral – avoids praise or blame
Focuses on the intended learning
Shows where the work is right or wrong and tells why
Pinpoints strengths and identifies areas of improvement in terms of the intended learning
Takes into account the amount of corrective information the learner can act on at one time
Models the kind of thinking that students will engage in when they self-assess
Can be used by students to take action to improve
Does not cause the learner to shut down

12. Descriptive Feedback
“Frequently, feedback is used to push students to “do more” or “do better, without being specific enough to help students know what to do. This type of feedback is generally ineffective.”
- Hattie and Timperly, 2005

13. Examples of Student Work
Each group will be given a student work sample that has some type of feedback on it.
Your task is decide what type of feedback has been given and then give some suggestions for improving the feedback that was originally given.
Each group will then share their example with the whole group.

14. Mark each example with one of the following: D (Descriptive), E (Evaluative), or M (Motivational). If you believe it is neither, mark it with an X.
Good job!
Sloppy work
How did you reach that conclusion? Where’s your data?
Proficient 
Your calculations are accurate. Take another look at appropriate units for density. C-
Excellent!
You need to try harder next time. You can do it!
The students at station two are ready for the lab, they have their books cleared and their safety glasses on.
____ You need to label the x-axis, include units with your label, choose an appropriate scale, show the points you plotted, and give the graph a title.
81%
_____ Did you study? 
_____ Where did you get your answers?

15. Why is feedback so important?
John Hattie--reviewed 7,827 studies on learning and instruction and reached this conclusion…
“The most powerful single innovation that enhances achievement is feedback.
The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops’ of feedback.”

16. Goals of Feedback To improve learning
To improve performance on assessments
To promote student ownership of learning
To encourage self-assessment

17. Let’s review the research:
Feedback should be corrective in nature.
Feedback should be timely.
Feedback should be specific to a criterion.
Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.
“corrective” – provides students with an explanation of what they are doing that is “correct” and what they’re doing that is “not correct.”
The timing is critical to the effectiveness of the feedback. After a test, the best feedback is feedback that is given immediately. The more delay that occurs in the giving of feedback, the less improvement there is in achievement.
For it to be most useful, it should reference a specific level of skill or knowledge. Tell students where they stand, in reference to a specific target or goal.
Students can monitor and keep track of their own progress.

18. Amount of Feedback Effective Examples Ineffective Examples
- Giving feedback on learning targets.
- Selecting 1 or 2 points to focus
feedback on rather than everything at once
Ineffective Examples
- Giving too much feedback on poor
quality work.
- Giving too little or no feedback on
high quality work.

19. Feedback is essential in skill shaping.
Homework should be a safe place to try out new skills without penalty, just as athletes and musicians try out skills on practice field or in rehearsals before performing.
A teacher, who is also a coach, once said, “We don’t keep score during practice.”
Great place to use sports analogies. If I’m learning to shoot a basketball, how often do I need to know if I’m shooting it correctly? Every time I shoot the ball. Otherwise, I run the risk of practicing incorrectly and developing ineffective habits that are hard to “undo” later.

20. Closing Thoughts…
"For as long as assessment is viewed as something we do ’after’ teaching and learning are over, we will fail to greatly improve student performance, regardless of how well or how poorly students are currently taught or motivated.” Grant Wiggins, 1998
10 Things Formative Assessment Won’t Tell You

21. EXIT Ticket
Explain how you will incorporate what you have learned about formative assessment and feedback into your daily instruction.