Assessment Cycles:Formative Assessment and Instructional Decision Making

Nancy Comstock, Humanities Program Coordinator, Center for Instructional Services

Glenda Sederstrom, Coordinator for Special Education Services

Erik Wolfrum, Regional Math Coordinator, Center for Instructional Services

The Components to ImproveStudent Success

High-quality classroom instruction Tiered instruction/intervention Ongoing student assessment

the type and intensity of intervention needed for each student to succeed

Family InvolvementFrom RTI Action Network, www.rtinetwork.org/

Formative assessments are… …assessments FOR learning that measure a few things frequently.

…timely in-process measurements that can inform teachers individually and collectively regarding the effectiveness of their practice.

-Dufour, Dufour, Eaker & Many

“… When studentsare involved in the assessment process in this manner,their achievement skyrockets– incidentally, with thelargest achievement score gains coming from perenniallow achievers.”

-Dr. Rick Stiggins

Assessment CycleFormative Assessments

Benchmarking/Universal screening

Progress monitoring Diagnostic

Summative Assessments State tests (e.g. WASL) End-of-unit exams End of course exams

AND

Progress Monitorin

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Diagnostics

Summative

Universal Screenin

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Assessment Systems

Complete systems include:

Formative Assessment Informs instructional practice Drives instructional decisions along the way

Summative Assessment Summarizes student learning

Instruction Assessment System

http://www.k12.wa.us/RTI/CorePrinciples/Assessment.aspx

Benchmarking/Universal Screening Tools: Examples

DIBELS DIAL 3 AIMSweb MAP Curriculum-based measures (CBMs);

teacher-created from curricular materials vocabulary, reading, writing, math,

behaviors www.interventioncentral.org is a resource

Progress Monitoring Tools: Examples Formal types:

CBM’s Curriculum Based Measures - DIBELS, Aimsweb, Teacher made

Informal types: White Boards Exit slips Student work samples Listening Questioning Prior Knowledge Anecdotal Notes

How to Gather Data:

Formative Assessment Key Characteristics Quick: In terms of gathering and

evaluating Timely: Turn around is immediate

and informs instructional practice and student needs

Meaningful: data is collected to be used, not to warehouse

How to Gather Data:

Formative Assessment Example/Activity

One-minute timed reading test Delivered and scored Data recorded and displayed It is not the forms that are important, it is

the analysis and subsequent action! 

Let’s Gather Some Data!!

On your sticky notes

No name Just total words read And % of accuracy

▪ Total words read correctly divided by Total words read per minute.

Turn and Talk

Importance of fidelity

Why use the SAME assessment tool versus different tools?

Progress monitoring is always done at the instructional level of the student

Benchmarking is always against the GLE standard (grade level)

Analyzing the Data:Create a Data Display Activity Purpose is to create discussion

points around:

1. What do we expect students to learn?2. How will we know if they learn it?3. How do we respond when students

experience difficulty in learning? 4. How do we respond when students do

learn?

Analyzing the Data: Data Displays Intervention Central tools (graphs for

individuals) Charts Spread sheets Display walls

Arcadia Elementary School

Shaw Middle School

Shaw Middle School

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 130

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Elizabeth's probe results

probe number

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D D G K G S N K AJ J E B K B K M D E M DW

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y1.23.08 18 32 34 44 51 44 61  64 55 60 28 49 67 78 43 75 48 49 67 92 532.11.08 66 71 52 83 60 70 65 58 67 60 75 29 57 91 93 94 74  68 67 84 692.19.08 66 87 59 89 82 47 75 55 64 66 87 59 70  86 78 76 89 71 84 86 742.25.08 59 48 60 73    70 55 76 64 90 53 55 82 103 66 77 74 64 68 87 703.3.08 72 81 63 82 102 86 77 89  85 107 61 90 81 95 102 95 85 33 100 95 843.10.08 80 83 60 98 101 91 100 83 86 87 106 61 75 100 104 87 87 97 60 91 94 873.18.08 48 89 63 92 75 59 78 81 89 109 103  81 104 77 87 102 87 47  105 833.24.08 61 93  77 90 52 93 72 90 77 112 52 64 99 99 70 128 86  77 111 844.7.08 75 91 52 80 89 59 90 72 91 93 116 39 71 113 100 86 108 65 59 107 114 844.14.08 79 103 78 108 99 85 95 98 103 99 120 72 93 117 104 89 113 115 46 108 100 965.5.08 75 98 93 112 100 75 88 105 78 98 100 78 90 80 96 107 81 107 80 98 94 925.20.08 81  29 96 73 56 75 80 99 112 109  66 103 113 74 87 85 76 114 110 866.2.08 93  79 109    106 88 91 107 125 32 88 123 116 89 107 103 79 123 107 98                                            #DIV/0!                                            #DIV/0!                                            #DIV/0!                                            #DIV/0!                                            #DIV/0!5.20.08 50  27 58 35 34 42 48 66 57 59  38 63 70 41 72 43 47 67 66 526.2.08 58  49 68    66 65 63 66 75 22 57 75 75 58 67 66 50 70 63 62                                            #DIV/0!                                            #DIV/0!

Interpreting the Data: Aim Lines How to set aim lines…

See handout

Why set aim lines…?

Determine if the student is making adequate progress….▪ If 4 of the last 6 data points are above the aim line, the student is

doing better than expected and it may be necessary to raise the goal.

▪ If 4 of the last 6 data points are below the aim line, the student is not making adequate progress.

▪ If the data points are along the aim line, the student is progressing right on target

Efficient and Effective

Use tried and true assessments to give maximum information Measure + Anecdotal notes (running

records)▪ Slow and accurate▪ Fast but inaccurate

Keep your eye on the target▪ What do you need to know about your

teaching?▪ What do you need to know about this learner?

Know how you will use this information!

A Collaborative Problem Solving Team

is a vehicle for analyzing assessment data

because of the focus . . .

Collaborative Problem Solving Team

Is . . . Educators Learning from each otherIs . . . A collaborative processIs . . . Focused on student work and student

learningIs . . . Focused on Instructional PracticeIs . . . An empowering infrastructure of supportIs . . . Effective professional developmentIs . . . Connected to the context of teachers’

classroomsIs . . . Action and results orientedIs . . . Continuous school improvement

Resources http://www.nsrfharmony.org/resource

s.html http://www.interventioncentral.org/ http://www.plcwashington.org/ http://critical-friends.org/ http://www.rtinetwork.org/

NEWESD 101 Staff