Classroom Assessment for

the 21st CenturySession 2

Stan Masters

Coordinator - Instructional Data Services

Lenawee ISD

Summer 2010

Goals of the series

• Describe the keys to quality classroom assessment

• Explain how clear targets and good methods are essential for supporting a balanced assessment of and for learning

• Describe the relationship between accurate classroom assessment and communicating student achievement

• Identify ways to involve your students in classroom assessment

• Create a set of assessments for a unit of instruction

Time• Start on time (8:30 a.m.), end on time (3:30 p.m.)• Lunch on your own (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

Participation• Each person has speaking time• Each person shares what they are doing in their “classrooms”• We will honor confidential information.• Keep the conversations/topics positive

Focus• We are focusing on the creation and use of assessments• We will focus on student achievement

Our Norms

• assessment for learning– placement

(given before instruction to gather information on where to start)

– diagnostic(helps find the underlying causes for learning problems)

– formative(monitors student progress during instruction)

– interim (monitor student proficiency on learning targets

• assessment of learning– summative

(the final task at the end of a unit, a course, or a semester)

Purposes of Assessments

Why?

Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning (p.42)

• Where am I going?– Clear targets– Models of work

• Where am I now?– Descriptive Feedback– Student self-assessment/goal setting

• How can I close the gap?– Lessons that focus on one target at a time– Teaching self-reflection– Student record-keeping

Kinds of Learning Targets

• Knowledge – The facts and concepts we want students to know and understand.

• Reasoning – Students use what they know to reason and solve problems

• Skills – Students use their knowledge and reasoning to act skillfully

• Products – Students use their knowledge, reasoning, and skills to create something new.

• Dispositions – Students’ display attitudes about school and learning.

Source: Stiggins, Richard J, Arter, Judith A., Chappuis, Jan, Chappius, Stephen. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Assessment Training Institute, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 2004, p.75 .

Checking our “construction” resources

• Planning for your unit

• Unpacking your outcomes into learning targets

• Unpacking student targets into “I can...”s

• “Interim Assessments: Keys to Successful Implementation” reading

Paraphrase Passport

• Think of one insight, “ah ha” or idea that seemed significant from the article “Interim Assessments: Keys to Successful Implementation”.

• One person shares his/her idea and explains why it is important.

• The person to the right earns a “passport” by first pausing and paraphrasing what was just said.

• That person now shares to share his/her idea.

• Rotate around the table until everyone has shared.

“You Be George” A Formative Assessment Activity

• Imagine that you have just received some feedback on a recent math assessment.

• Using the information from your teacher,– Identify which learning targets you got

right– Identify which learning targets you need

to review– Identify which learning targets you need

to keep practicing

How is assessment used to measure student achievement?

Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment

1. Clear Purposes2. Clear Targets3. Good Design & Methods4. Sound Communication

Student Involvement in all keys!

Confidence Questionnaire

• Privately, complete the questions related to “ASSESS HOW?”

• This questionnaire will be revisited by you throughout the sessions.

Measuring Student Achievement – Activity 1

• Individually,– Read the following narrative about a school

district studying their student achievement.• What about this school looks/sounds/feels

like your school?• What would be your plan of action?

Donegal’s Plan of Action

• Professional development on assessment

• Unpacked expectations for assessment

• Developed a standards template for designing assessment tasks

• Met in teams to analyze assessments

Break

Methods of Assessment

• Selected response– one answer is correct; sometimes taken from a list

• Extended written response– constructed into sentences; criteria given for quality

• Performance assessment– observed product of learning; criteria given for quality

• Personal communication– interaction with student; uses checklist or criteria

Stiggins, Richard J, Arter, Judith A., Chappuis, Jan, Chappius, Stephen. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Assessment Training Institute, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 2004, p. 91-93.

KNOWLEDGE/UNDERSTANDING

REASONING

SKILLS

PRODUCTS

Organize using concrete objects, pictures, tallies, tables, charts, diagrams, and graphs

data

SelectedExtended Written

Selected Extended WrittenPerformance Personal

Performance Personal Communication

Extended WrittenPerformance

Stiggins, Richard J, Arter, Judith A., Chappuis, Jan, Chappius, Stephen. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Assessment Training Institute, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 2004, p.100

Target-Method Match Activity

• Individually:– Review your targets from your unit.– Refer to the chart on page 100 showing the

target-method match.– On your right hand side of the chart of your

target/method planning sheet, list the methods that would be the best matches for the targets you have identified.

Formative Assessment – Checking for Understanding

• What did you notice about your target-method matches?

• What methods may be best for the purposes for assessment you need to utilize during your unit?

• assessment for learning– placement

(given before instruction to gather information on where to start)

– diagnostic(helps find the underlying causes for learning problems)

– formative(monitors student progress during instruction)

– interim (monitor student proficiency on learning targets

• assessment of learning– summative

(the final task at the end of a unit, a course, or a semester)

Purposes of Assessments

Methods of Assessment

• Selected response

• Extended written response

• Performance assessment

• Personal communication

AUTHENTIC

Components of an Summative Assessment Task

• What “new” prompt will you use to trigger “old” learning from prior instruction?

• What directions will you give to the students completing the task?

• What procedures will you use as the teacher administering the task?

• What scoring rubric will use to evaluate the quality of the students’ task?

A rubric is…• a protocol using a set of

scoring guidelines/criteria • they describe a range of

possible student responses for a particular assessment task.

Fantastic Fact!

The word “rubric” comes from c.1375 meant "directions in religious services" (often in red writing), from Old French “rubrique”, from Latin “rubrica” meaning "red ochre, red coloring matter"

A rubric contains…• a scale that indicates different performance

levels of proficiency• a set of meaningful descriptors for each

performance level on that scale. – Descriptors establish the continuum of competence

along which a learner moves towards proficiency.

Fantastic Fact!Rubrics are frequently accompanied by examples of products or performances illustrating the different performance levels

Why use a rubric?

• Communicate appropriate standards and expectations for students (“what will count”)

• Provide feedback to students and parents• Guide and focus instruction• Promote student self-assessment and

goal setting• Improve grading consistency

Stiggins, Richard J, Arter, Judith A., Chappuis, Jan, Chappius, Stephen. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Assessment Training Institute, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 2004, p. 200.

Fantastic Fact!

Rubrics should be shared with students during instruction so that they “hit the target”

Features of High-Quality Rubrics

• Content: What counts? • Clarity: Does everyone understand what is meant?

• Practicality: Is it easy to use by teachers and students?

• Technical quality/fairness:

Is it reliable and valid?

Stiggins, Richard J, Arter, Judith A., Chappuis, Jan, Chappius, Stephen. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Assessment Training Institute, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 2004, p. 201 and 203

Fantastic Fact!

Rubrics for performance levels that go beyond the expectation can be developed to include another mode of reasoning.

Designing rubrics for tasksTask-General Rubric

Rubrics can be used with a variety of tasksExamples: Writing assignmentsLab reportsProblem-solvingOral presentations

Task-Specific RubricRubrics can be used with a specific taskExamples:Solar system mobileColonial narrativeSymmetry posterGeometry proof

Fantastic Fact!

Rubrics can be created from scratch or borrowed from other models.

Holistic or Analytical Rubrics?

Holistic Rubric:• Gives a single score or

rating for the entire product or performance based on an overall impression of a student’s performance.

Analytical Rubric:• Divides a product or

performance into essential traits (“Look Fors”) so they can be judged separately.

• Provides a profile of strengths and weaknesses.

Fantastic Fact!Holistic rubrics are used most often with summative assessments. Analytic rubrics are used most often with formative assessments.

Reflection on “How” Assess

• Review your Confidence Questionnaire on “Assess How” related to summative assessments

• Write some notes to yourself about your:

New Learning Questions

Wonderments Next Steps

Lunch

See you at 12:30 p.m.

• assessment for learning– placement

(given before instruction to gather information on where to start)

– diagnostic(helps find the underlying causes for learning problems)

– formative(monitors student progress during instruction)

– interim (monitor student proficiency on learning targets

• assessment of learning– summative

(the final task at the end of a unit, a course, or a semester)

Purposes of Assessments

Talking PointsPresentation by Jay McTighe,

November 30, 2007, Macomb ISD

• “Students should be presumed innocent of understanding until convicted by evidence.”

• Prior knowledge is like the largest part of the iceberg.

• “Think photo album versus snapshot” when it comes to assessment.

Defining a Lesson• An instructional activity to give students the

opportunity to learn• Aligned with, but not identical to, the assessment

tasks within the unit plan• Lessons can vary in length, but have distinct

starting and ending points which follow a sequence of steps

How do you align instruction with assessment?

• Organize instruction to meet the learner’s needs

• Develop strategies for students to process knowledge and skills

• Utilize teacher techniques to allow students to reflect and respond

Formative Assessment TechniquesSource: Fisher, D. and Frey, N. (2007). Checking for Understanding.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp. 5-12

• Oral Language– Accountable talk, nonverbal cues, value lineups, retellings, think-

pair-share, whip around

• Questions– Response cards, hand signals, personal response systems,

Socratic seminars

• Writing– Interactive writing, read-write-pair-share, summary writing, RAFT

• Tests– Multiple choice with misconceptions as distracters, short answer

with word banks, true-false items with correction for the false items

Formative Assessment ProcessSource: Brookhart, S. M. (2006). Formative Assessment Strategies for

Every Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp. 3-9

Students1. Understand the target2. Produce work3. Compare the work to the

target4. Evaluate the strengths and

weaknesses and prescribe action for improvement

5. Take action for improvement

Teachers1. Select and communicate

clearly the learning target2. Make a least one assignment3. Compare student performance

with learning target and determine the student’s learning progression

4. Evaluate the student’s strengths and weaknesses and give clear oral or written feedback

5. Support action to close the gap

Formative Assessment ToolsSource: Brookhart, S. M. (2006). Formative Assessment Strategies for

Every Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp. 10-55

• Creating Quality Classroom Assignments– Does the assignment require students to use

the content specified by the learning target?– Does the assignment require the student to

use the cognitive processes specified by the learning target?

– Would the student know what to do for all of the aspects of the assignment?

– Are the criteria for evaluating the assignment given, and are they clear?

Formative Assessment ToolsSource: Brookhart, S. M. (2006). Formative Assessment Strategies for

Every Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp. 10-55

• Blueprint for Pre-Assessment– Teachers should plan to address these

domains:• Prior school experiences• Vocabulary• Concept knowledge• Attitudes• Personal connections

Formative Assessment ToolsSource: Brookhart, S. M. (2006). Formative Assessment Strategies for

Every Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pp. 10-55

• Intervention Framework – Identify learning target(s) that are a weakness

for a substantial portion of your students, according to state assessment results

– Identify instructional resources that can be used to support explicit instruction on the learning target(s)

– Plan instructional lessons that allow for differentiation to meet the needs of all students

Keys to Open Instructional Potential

• Visit the classrooms of other teachers

• Videotape yourself instructing a lesson

• Keep asking the question, – “What can I do to help

students learn this better?”

Reflection on “How” Assess

• Review your Confidence Questionnaire on “Assess How” related to formative assessments

• Write some notes to yourself about your:

New Learning Questions

Wonderments Next Steps

Break

Let’s check our understanding for the afternoon…

• Begin planning the assessments for the outcomes that you have unpacked for your unit – summative, authentic assessment tasks– formative assessment strategies

• Place them in your unit template

For Tomorrow

• Keep working on your plan for the summative and formative assessments for your unit

• Skim and scan “Inside the Black Box” – Choose one description from the article– Be ready to share how this information will

help you promote the use of formative assessment.

Exit Slip with Your Name

• I need more…

• I need less…

• I am “good” with…

• I need help with…