ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING =EQUALS= FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Who’s Doing the Thinking?

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING=EQUALS=

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Who’s Doing the Thinking?

Effective teaching requires knowing what students are learning

Substantive body of research shows:

Formative assessment can significantly improve student learning

Features of formative assessment that affect student achievement are missing from many classrooms

There is a need in our classrooms for purposeful & varied assessment techniques (connected with instruction & learning)

Knowledge is constructed and connected to other knowledge

There is a need to find a balance between:

Assessment OF learningwith

Assessment FOR learning

Effective assessment practice requires immediate feedback to students

Teachers need guidance:

To understand the opportunities that exist to formatively assess their students

To remember that students bring a variety of different ideas to their learning

To connect student thinking with specific ideas from the standards

To provide learning experiences that bridge students’ thinking & the scientific concepts

Get students thinking about their thinking

Teachers need to spend more time understanding what students think prior to instruction and using that information to

design learning opportunities….

Why don’t they?

Ultimately, this helps students develop deeper conceptual understanding.

Teachers are the most important link in the chain that connects

Assessment – Instruction - Learning

Teachers need to provide ongoing feedback and stimulus for deep thinking

viaRich formative assessment techniques

toInform instruction & affect learning

Need a focus shift from effective teaching to effective student learning

Formative Assessment Classroom TechniquesFACTs

Purposefully designed and used to examine student thinking

Used to get kids thinking about their thinkingMakes student thinking ‘visible’ – to

themselves, peers, & teacherAllows the teacher to continuously gather

information on student thinking & learning

More Facts about FACTs

Easily embedded into classroom instructionUsed to assess before & throughout learning

processImproves student learningProvides opportunities to learnAccommodates a range of learning stylesCan be used to differentiate instructionEncourages classroom discourse

What does a Formative Assessment Centered Classroom look like?

4 Classroom Examples:

1. What do all of the classroom snapshots have in common?

1. Do the strategies in each example serve an instructional, assessment or learning purpose?

1. What is the evidence that students are learning?

Uncovering Student Ideas

Examples of FACTs and Probes

1.Whiteboarding – Batteries, Bulbs, & Wires probe

2.Four Corners – Ice Cold Lemonade probe3.Card Sort – Is it Melting? probe4.Commit & Toss – Solids & Holes probe5.Human Scatterplot – Mirror on the Wall probe6.Sticky Bars – Giant Sequoia Tree probe7.P-E-O-E – Ice Cubes in a Bag probe


Batteries, Bulbs, & WiresKirsten has a battery and a small bulb. She wonders how many strips of wire she will need to connect the battery & the bulb so that the bulb will light. What is the smallest number of wire strips Kirsten needs to make the bulb light up?

A. One strip of wireB. Two strips of wireC. Three strips of wireD. Four strips of wire

Draw a picture to support your thinking.


Ice Cold LemonadeIt was a hot summer day. Mattie poured herself a glass of lemonade. The lemonade was warm, so Mattie put some ice in the glass. After 10 minutes, Mattie noticed that the ice was melting and the lemonade was cold. Mattie wondered what made the lemonade get cold. She had three different ideas. Which idea do you think best explains why the lemonade got cold?

A.The coldness from the ice moved into the lemonadeB.The heat from the lemonade moved into the iceC.The coldness & the heat moved back & forth until the

lemonade cooled off.


Is It Melting?

The strips of paper you have in front of you each list a situation that causes changes in

materials.

Organize the strips into 2 categories: Melting and Not Melting


Solids & HolesLance had a thin, solid piece of materials. He placed the material in water and it floated. He took the material out and punched holes all the way through it. What do you think Lance will observe when he puts the material with holes back in the water?

A. It will sink.B. It will barely float.C. It will float the same as it did before the holes were punched

into it.D. It will neither sink nor float. It will bob up & down in the

water.

Explain your thinking. Describe the ‘rule’ or reasoning you used to make your prediction.


Mirror on the WallAdrienne placed a small, flat mirror against a wall. Standing close to the mirror, Adrienne could see her face from her eyebrows to her chin. Adrienne backed up five steps away from the mirror. Adrienne is now farther away from the mirror. How much of her face will Adrienne see in the mirror this time?

A. She will see more of her face.B. She will see less of her face.C. She will see the same amount of her face.

Explain your thinking. How confident are you in your response?


Giant Sequoia TreeThe giant sequoia tree is one of the largest trees on earth. It starts as a small seedling and grows into an enormous tree. Five children can stretch their arms across the width of the trunk of one of the large sequoia trees!Where did most of the matter that makes up the wood and leaves of this huge tree originally come from?

A. sunlight E. oxygenB. water F. mineralsC. soil G. chlorophyllD. carbon dioxide


Ice Cubes in a BagYou are having an argument with your friend about what happens to the mass when matter changes from one form to another. To prove your idea, you put three ice cubes in a sealed bag and record the mass of the ice in the bag. You let the ice cubes melt completely. Ten minutes later you record the mass of the water in the bag. Which of the following best describes the result?

A. The mass of the water in the bag will be less than the mass of the ice in the bag.

B. The mass of the water in the bag will be more than the mass of the ice in the bag.

C. The mass of the water in the bag will be the same as the mass of the ice cubes in the bag.

Types & Purposes of Assessment

What’s the difference?

Diagnostic

Formative

Summative

Take Home Messages

Probes are assessments for learningBe clear about your purpose before choosing

a probe and assessment strategyTo be formative, you must not only gather

data, you must use it!Work toward creating a classroom where all

ideas, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, are valued

Start small – keep it simple

Reflection of Formative Assessment

I Used to Think

But Now I Know

References

Keeley, Page. Science Formative Assessment : 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning. New York: Corwin P, 2008.

Keeley, Page, Francis Eberle, and Lynn Farrin. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science : 25 Formative Assessment Probes. New York: National Science Teachers Association, 2005.

Keeley, Page, Francis Eberle, and Lynn Farrin. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science : 25 More Formative Assessment Probes. Danbury: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, Incorporated, 2007.

Keeley, Page, Francis Eberle, and Chad Dorsey. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science : Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes. Vol. 3. New York: National Science Teachers Association, 2008.

Documents

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING =EQUALS= FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Who’s Doing the Thinking?