2014 CCSS Tools Conference

Beginning with the End in Mind: Performance Assessment as a Catalyst for

Common Core Implementation

Setting the Context: What is CORE?

CORE is a unique ten-district collaborative whose mission is to reform education by:

1. Closing the achievement gap2. Eliminating disproportionality3. Increasing student achievement for all students4. Ensuring high quality instruction5. Guaranteeing student access to college and career

standards/curriculum

Who is CORE?

District Student Pop• Sanger 10,916• Clovis 39,894• Oakland 46,486• Garden Grove 47,599• Sacramento 47,616• San Francisco 56,970• Santa Ana 57,410• Fresno 73,689• Long Beach 82,256• Los Angeles 655,455

Total 1,118,291

What was CORE’s Original Focus?

• CORE’s first initiative out of the gate (three years ago in April) was the establishment of the Standards, Assessment and Instruction initiative • The 50 member SAI Leadership Team was/is comprised of senior

instructional leaders from each of the CORE partner districts • SAI’s initial goal/purpose was to collaborate around the

implementation of the CCSS• And it was decided that assessment would be the place to begin this

effort

Why Begin with Assessment?

A. We knew that the new SMARTER Balanced assessments would call for students to demonstrate their learning ways that were very different from the existing STAR/CST approach

B. We hypothesized that focusing on assessment would enable us to “begin with the end in mind” and establish student learning expectations

C. We knew that formative assessment, in particular, (i.e., adjusting instruction based on student performance data) was an important—though challenging—component of both initial standards implementation, and ongoing instructional improvement

D. The CORE Board directed the SAI team to develop and pilot a set of formative assessment tools

Performance Task Development Process

• During June 2012, approximately 200 participating teachers and other educators joined together to develop 84 performance task modules.• Participants:

1. Were trained in formative assessment, ELA and Math CCSS, and Smarter Balanced (SBAC) design specifications

2. Worked in cross-district design teams

Module Content/Grade Levels

ELA Grades: 1, 4, 7 and 9

MathGrades: 3, 5 and 7

Performance Task Assessment Design

The CORE Performance Task Assessment Modules are:•Modeled after the SBAC design specifications.• Aligned to the CCSS in ELA and math content.

Information Processing/Constructed Response Items• Short Answer• Increasing Rigor

Cognitive Ramp

PerformanceTask/Product• Analytic Essay Prompt• Quantitative Problem

• Scoring Rubric

Cognitive Demand

Student Performance Level

Item

Item

Item

“Stimulus”• Text• Data Set• Analytic Tools

Low

Mid

High

Annotated Student Work

Exemplars

Teacher Directions

Performance Task Assessment Design

SBAC Specs for Performance Task-Language Arts

SBAC Specs for Performance Task-Math

Summer Design Institute: Results

• Process Outcomes: Professional Learning about the CCSS, SBAC and Formative Assessment• Product Outcomes: 84 Performance Task Modules

developed • Teachers awarded $500 stipends

Video

Evaluation Statements Percent of Agreement

1. At the SDI I gained a better understanding of the Instructional Shifts.

83.7%

2. The information I learned about CCSS is directly applicable to my work.

91.3%

3. I enjoyed the process and experience of working collaboratively with teachers to create the performance tasks.

93.4%

4. I increased my understanding of the role of formative assessment in implementing the CCSS.

86.6%

Summer Design InstituteParticipant Evaluation Summary

Basic Knowledge

Highly Knowledgeabl

e2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Before5.34

After7.64

Perception of Knowledge of CCSS: Before SDI vs. After

Summer Design InstituteParticipant Feedback

What was the Assessment Pilot?

• The CORE Assessment Pilot was a research initiative to engage classroom teachers in the use and calibration of the CORE-developed Performance Assessment Modules.

• All participating teachers provided feedback regarding the content, design and implementation experiences.

CORE Assessment Pilot Results

• 64 of the original 84 modules selected and revised for content and context alignment• Just over 400 individual teachers across the 8 CORE districts

participated in Fall Pilot• Modules were piloted in many more classrooms (i.e., secondary

teachers with multiple class sections)--over 15,000 students total• Teachers evaluated student work with Rubrics, selected 8 exemplar

samples (2 at each rubric level)• Teachers filled out “experience Log” surveys• Participants awarded $150 stipends

Fall Pilot Research Investigation

Working in collaboration, California Education Partners, The Center for Future Teaching and Learning at West Ed, and the Regional Educational Laboratory West at West Ed, studied the implementation of the performance tasks across all of the piloting districts.

Fall Pilot Research Goals

The specific goals of this joint research investigation were to:1. Garner feedback from teachers on the performance tasks modules to inform the

implementation of future CORE initiatives.

2. Understand teacher’s perceptions and experiences implementing the performance tasks.

3. Receive feedback through teachers regarding student learning and their reactions to the use of the performance tasks.

4. Understand how the formative assessments help elementary teachers in CORE districts better understand the instructional shifts called for by the Common Core State Standards.

5. Understand what participating teachers see as their greatest challenges in teaching to the Common Core, in terms of their own knowledge and skill and any other systemic barriers to change.

6. Determine what additional/next-step support teachers need.

Fall Pilot Research Results

Fall Pilot Research Results

Three Key Findings:1. Performance tasks helped teachers understand the

Common Core expectations for students 2. Performance tasks helped teachers realize both gaps and

alignment between students’ current knowledge and skills and the Common Core expectations

3. Performance tasks helped teachers understand the changes in instructional practice demanded by the Common Core

Calibrating Student Work

Accessing the CORE Assessment Modules

http://coredistricts.org/our-work/standards-and-data-assessments/