District Assessment System Audit

Inform instructional and programmatic decisions

Encourage students to try to learn

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Read and highlight the text Under “I think,” respond to one of the following:◦What squares with your thinking?◦What was a diamond in the rough?◦What is still circling around in your mind?

Share with a partner, and record their thinking under “My partner thinks”

Summarize your discussion in complete sentences

Developing Balanced Assessment Systems

New Mission, New Beliefs

A balanced assessment system is a configuration of different assessment types and processes to fulfill multiple purposes.

Brazemore, Cippoletti, Howard (2009)

A balanced assessment system takes advantage of assessment of learning and assessment for learning; each can make essential contributions. When both are present in the system, assessment becomes more than just an index of school success. It also serves as the cause of that success.

Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, & Chappuis (2006)

To maximize student success, assessment must be seen as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring, and as an accountability tool to determine if learning has occurred. Because both purposes are important, they must be in balance.

--NEA (2003)

Assessment OFAssessment OFSummativePeriodicMay be state-mandated, publisher-made, or teacher-designed; often standardizedHappens after material has been taughtA snapshot in time

Essential Question:What have students already learned?

Assessment FORAssessment FORFormativeFrequentCurriculum & instructionally-embedded; teacher-made, student-involvedHappens while material is being taughtA moving picture (journey)

Essential Question:How can we help students learn more?

Assessments have different uses and their results inform different users.

Conversations about assessment need to include:◦What decisions need to be made?◦Who’s making them?◦What information will be helpful to them?

Classroom Level Users Program Level Users Institutional/Policy Users

Who is the user?

What decisions is to be made?

What information will be helpful?

Student, teacher & parents

What comes next in the learning?

Continuous info on each student’s progress toward each standard

Who is the user?

What decisions is to be made?

What information will be helpful?

Teacher teams, principal, curriculum leaders

What standards have been mastered? Are programs working?

Periodic but frequent evidence summarized across students and classrooms

Who is the user?

What decisions is to be made?

What information will be helpful?

School, district, community leaders

Are enough students meeting standards??

Annual assessments, within and across schools, showing students/ groups meeting standards

Classroom Instruction

Program Improvement

Institutional Accountability

How goes each student’s journey to each standard?

What standards are our students meeting?

Are enough of our students meeting standards?

Annual accountability testing serves some purposes

Interim, benchmark, short-cycle, common tests meet other info needs

Continuous classroom assessment informs still others

Summative(evaluative)

Interim(instructional, evaluative, predictive)

Formative(instructional, minute-by-minute, during the lesson)

Frequency of Administration

Scope

Interim Assessment Interim Assessment Summative Assessment

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

Classroom Formative Task(s)

FORMATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS AND PROCESSESAssessment FOR Learning

Instructionally embedded Frequent Connected to learning targets

Happens while material is being taught Penalty Free – Isn’t used for grades

SUMMATIVE AND INTERIM ASSESSMENTSAssessment OF Learning

Aligned to curriculum pacing Periodic Connected to standards

Occurs after material has been taught Scored or graded

Classroom Formative Task(s)

Classroom Formative Task(s)

Classroom Formative Task(s)

Classroom Formative Task(s)

Balance continuous classroom assessment in support of learning with periodic assessments verifying learning.

You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your disposal.

Rick Stiggins

With a partner:◦Think of a negative experience you’ve had

being assessed. ◦What made it negative?

EffectsStopped tryingNever talked in class againEmbarrassmentAngerNever took another class in this subjectRedoubled efforts

CausesNot clear what was to be testedTrick questionsTime limitsResults didn’t reflect knowledgeNo feedback, feedback incomprehensible, feedback too late to do any goodNo chance to improve; one shot do or die

With a different partner:◦Now think of a positive experience you’ve

had being assessed. ◦What made it positive ?

EffectsFelt successfulFelt encouraged to keep tryingKnew what it took to succeedMotivated to learnWanted to take more classes on this subjectRedoubled efforts

CausesClear what was to be testedCriteria for success were clearFeedback was personalized; could be used to improve performancePractice opportunities that were not gradedStep by step learning aligned with assessmentQuestions were understandableChance to improve

Unproductive ResponsesI don’t know what to do I don’t get it I’m probably too stupid I give up

Productive Responses I know what to do I can handle this I choose to keep trying

How can we create and How can we create and use assessments to use assessments to monitor monitor andand promote promote

student learning? student learning?