Assessment for teaching

Presented at the Black Sea Conference, Batumi, September 12,13 2014

Patrick GriffinAssessment Research Centre

Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Outline

1. PLCs collaborative teams

2. Developmental learning and assessment

3. Online tests

4. Linking assessment data to intervention - decision making

Definitions of formative assessment

“….assessment becomes formative assessment when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching to meet student needs” (Black & Wiliam, 1998 p. 140)

Assessment for learning

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting students’ learning. …assessment becomes “formative assessment” when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet learning needs. (Black et al., 2004 p. 10)

Formative assessment: a new definition

“An assessment functions formatively to the extent that evidence about student achievement elicited by the assessment is interpreted and used to make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are likely to be better, or better founded, than the decisions that would have been taken in the absence of that evidence.” (Wiliam, 2009)

Progressive achievement

School AYear 1 vs Year 2

Reading Comprehension Levels

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Level

% o

f S

tud

en

ts

Progressive achievement

School BT1 (2005) vs T2 (Feb 2006) vs T3 (Oct 2006)

Language Literacy Levels

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

A B C D E F G H I

Literacy Level

% o

f Stu

den

ts

T1 T2 T3

School B: Three testing periods October - ,March - and October

Teacher Collaboration

The Professional Learning Team

– Critical Issues–Team composition–Team size–Team leader–Assessment instrument selection–Peer accountability–Frequency and length of meetings–An agenda for PLC discussions

Student Code: ………………………Level: ……………………….Review date: ………………..

Is the student’s level what was expected? What makes you say that?

What goals are set for this student’s learning? What teaching strategies could be used to achieve the goals?

What resources are needed?

What evidence would show the goals are met?

Team log records and accountability

Where is s/he?

Where does he/she need to

go next?(progress/

consolidate?

How will s/he get there?

How will we know?

What are the implications across the curriculum?

Using data

Tailored and targeting testing and instruction

13

Latent Trait Assessment

Defining the Latent trait

Using

Manifest evidence

Class report - organisation

Interpreting student performance

Monitoring Comprehension Development

Progress tests

Close up

-6 | | | |======================================================================================Each 'X' represents 1.3 casesThe labels for thresholds show the levels of item, and category, respectively

XX| | | | -5 X| | | | | | | |

XX|10.1 22.1 | X|2.1 3.1 9.1 | XXXX|1.1 | -4 XX| | X| | X| |

XXXXXXXX| | XXXXXXX|4.1 18.1 | XXXXXX|6.1 7.1 13.1 19.1 | XXXXXX|5.1 11.1 | -3 XXX|8.1 12.1 | XXX|14.1 16.1 |

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|22.2 23.1 | -1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|13.2 14.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXX|11.2 | XXXXXXXXX|21.1 24.1 | XXXXXXXXXXXX| | -2 XXXXXXXXX|15.1 17.1 20.1 |

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|19.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|3.2 16.2 18.2 23.2 | 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|2.2 5.2 10.3 17.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|6.2 7.2 9.2 12.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|1.2 21.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|4.2 10.2 15.2 |

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|9.3 23.3 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX| | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|14.3 21.3 22.3 | 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|1.3 4.3 8.2 15.3 16.3 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|6.3 11.3 17.3 20.2 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|13.3 24.2 |

3 XXX|17.4 20.3 22.4 23.4 | XXXX|1.4 11.4 16.4 | XXXXXX|14.4 15.4 19.3 | XXXXXXX|4.4 | 2 XXXXXXXXXXX|2.3 3.3 7.3 10.4 12.3 13.4 18.3 24.3 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|5.3 |

X| | 4 XX|24.4 | XX| | XXXX| | XXXX| | XXX|6.4 21.4 |

| |

Literacy

22

Decisions…

• Wider range of abilities will be tested• Better information can be provided about students.• Remove need for data extraction at school level.• Proceed entirely online via internet• Reports available quickly and easily.• The program can provide opportunities for

– Training teachers in online test administration– Use of interactive test data– Linking literacy implications across curriculum

• Relies on the cooperation of supervision and schools

– Assessment of students with additional needs• Will depend on the collaboration of the classroom teacher

Online resource links to assessment

Differentiated grouping

Strategies to use?

Activities to assign?

Evidence obtained?

Interpretation and decisions

Monitoring

Team Leadership

The team leader’s role

• Promote a focus on teaching and learning • Communication within team and across the

curriculum• Focus discussion on evidence not inference.• Link data to developmental learning. • Accountability to school leadership• Accountability to other team leaders.• Professional development of team members• Replace sharing with challenge• Changing the culture

PLC focus

– Tiered Peer Accountability– “My class” to “our students”– Collaboration and joint ownership– Evidence not inference– Set expectations for all students– Development not deficit models– Teach to the construct not the test– Challenge - not share

Mantras

• Do say make write

• Assessment is for teaching

– Not - ‘for’, ‘of’ or ‘as’ learning

• Evidence not inference

• Formal and informal assessments

• Talk about students – not teachers

• Challenge don’t share

• Guidance based on evidence

Changing the culture

Teacher effectsObservations, explanations

and implications

30

Level B literacy

31

Find information in the short text .Link paraphrased information within a

single paragraph

Level C Literacy

32

Identify main ideas and characters in the story. Interpret paraphrased

sentence and paragraph level text.

Level D Literacy

33

Level E literacy

34

Make predictions based on understanding of ideas, sequence of

events and characters. Identify purpose of the text.

Level F Literacy

35

Combine separate pieces of data to infer the text meaning. Identify and summarise evidence

from the text to support hypothesis.

Level G literacy

36

Infer character's motive from descriptions of behaviour and actions. Interpret how word

meaning changes when used in different context.

Level H Literacy

37

Infer author's perspective from what is written and what is implied. Identify

how different texts are structured.

School effects

Observations, explanations and implications

38

Level B Literacy

39

Level C Literacy

40

Level D Literacy

41

Level E Literacy

42

Level F Literacy

43

Level G Literacy

44

Level H Literacy

45

Literacy

46

Reports used by teachers

discussion materials

What have we learned?

• Student outcomes are a function of teacher attitudes, skills and knowledge!!!!

• Teachers using data make better decisions• Teachers collaborating are more effective than working solo!!!• Structured approaches to collaboration are more effective

than ad hoc approaches!!!• Schools providing support and infrastructure are more

effective!!!• Leadership needs to be strong and focused on learning

outcomes.• Differentiated and targeted instruction is more effective than

whole class teaching!!• Teachers need help with high performing students • Teachers need help to stretch students to higher order

learning outcomes

Principal involvement

• Disinterested• Aware• Interested• Supportive• Involved• Engaged• Committed• Ownership