1. CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNING
Rick Stiggins

2. Assessment quality requires ACCURACY as well as EFFECTIVE USE

3. Purpose: Assess to meet whose needs?

4. PURPOSE Two Uses of 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?

5. Assessment for Learning
Rick Stiggins

6. Rick Stiggins Video Clip
Two Sheets of Paper
Of Learning on one sheet of paper
Definition
Main points
For Learning
Main Points

7. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
All those activities undertaken by teachers and by their students [that] provide information to be used as FEEDBACK to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged Black & Wiliam, 1998

8. Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT increases student achievement.

9. Largest Gain for Low Achievers
Research On Effects
.4 to .7 Standard Deviation Score Gain
Largest Gain for Low Achievers

10. Formative Assessment Formative/In-Process
Students & teachers participate
Focus on learning goals
Where is current work in relation to goal
Take action to move closer to the goal

11. NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS Increased accuracy of formative assessments
Increased descriptive feedback, reduced evaluative feedback
Increased student involvement

12. 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.
--Black and Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996; Young, 2000

13. Balanced Assessment: Meeting the Needs of All Stakeholders
Annual accountability testing
Interim, short-cycle or benchmark
Ongoing, accurate classroom assessment for learning

14. Balanced Assessment Formative Summative Assessment for learning
Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence to directly improve the learning of students assessed
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
Assessment for learning
Use classroom assessments to inform teacher’s decisions
Formative uses of summative data
Use of summative evidence to inform what comes next for individuals or groups of students

15. Keys to Classroom Assessment
Key 1: Clear Purpose
Key 2: Clear targets
Key 3: Sound Assessment Design
Key 4: Effective Communication
Key 5: Student Involvement

16. Key 1: Clear Assessment Purpose
Always begin by asking:
What decisions?
Who’s making them?
What information will be helpful to them?

17. Key 2: Clear Learning Targets
Know what kinds of targets are represented in curriculum
Know which targets each assessment measures

18. Kinds of Targets Master content knowledge Use knowledge to reason
Know it outright
Know where to find it or how to do it
Use knowledge to reason
Demonstrate performance skills
Create quality products

19. Key 3: Sound Assessment Design
Target-method match
Select a proper method
Item quality
Build the assessment with quality ingredients
Sample
Gather enough evidence
Minimize bias
Avoid sources of bias and distortion

20. Key 4: Effective Communication
To the student: descriptive feedback
About the student, to others: grades
Involving the student, tracking learning: portfolios
Involving the student, to others: conferences
About the student: standardized tests

21. Key 5: Student Involvement
Clear Purpose: Consider the student as the most important user of assessment information
Clear Targets: Communicate the learning targets in advance in language students can understand
Sound Design: Set assessments up so that students can use the information to self-assess and set goals
Effective Communication: Provide students with descriptive feedback; involve students in tracking and communicating about their learning

22. Keys to Classroom Assessment

23. The Long-Standing Problem
Educators have rarely been given the opportunity to learn how to gather dependable evidence

24. Three Essential Questions for Students
What do I need to know?
Where am I?
How will I get there?

25. Seven Strategies of Assessment FOR Learning
Clear & Understandable Vision of Target
Examples/models of strong & weak work
Regular Descriptive feedback
Teach Students to Self-Assess & Set Goals.
Focus on One Aspect
Teach Focused Revision
Engage students in Self-Reflection

26. A, B Partners “7 Strategies” Read-Share-Inquire
Individually read section
A: shares key point or connection
B: “And what makes that important to you?
Alternate, repeat until finished
15 minutes

27. First Turn/Last Turn 25 Minutes Group Sharing
In turn – share one of your items, ----but do not comment on it - The First Turn.
Group members comment in round-robin order about the item. (No cross talk)
The initial person who named the item then shares his or her thinking about the item and gets – The Last Turn.
Repeat the pattern around the table.
25 Minutes

28. Three Essential Questions for Students
What do I need to know?
Where am I?
How will I get there?

29. Expected Benefits and Proven Results
Better instruction focused on standards
Profound achievement gains for all students, with the largest gains for lowest achievers
More self-managed learning by students

30. What decisions do students make on the basis of classroom assessment information?

31. From High Stakes Assessment to In-Process Measures
Mistaken Belief: “It’s the adults who use assessment results to make the most important instructional decisions…”
Mistaken Belief: “The most important decisions are made annually based on annual high-stakes tests”
18:05-24:27

32. Students and Assessment
Rick Stiggins

33. “Assessment Through the Student’s Eyes”
The Assessment Experience
Scenario 1 & Scenario 2

34. Formative assessment can and should be done
NEW IDEA:
Formative assessment can and should be done
BY STUDENTS,
as well as by teachers. The key to improvement is how students and teachers use assessment information.

35. Data What data should be collected? How should data be used?
Who should be involved?
What makes it relevant?

36. Using Data How good is good enough? Does this meet the standard?
What are students doing well?
What are the weak areas?
What do we do about it?

37. Data Should Be: Multi-sourced Relevant Timely Consistent over time
Collected by users
Disaggregated
Driving effective decision-making
Supportive of mission: success for all
Foundation of team efforts to find solutions

38. Using data to guide decision-making and continuous improvement
How has the Cedar Rapids district implemented this principle?
How has your school?
You in your role?
What could you do?

39. 3-2-1 Exit Card
3 things you Learned today
2 things you liked OR want to do tomorrow
1 Word to describe the way you feel

40. Why are kids not connected to school?

41. Why aren’t kids connected to school?