Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right – Using It Well This powerpoint was adapted from materials created by Rick Stiggins and his colleagues at the Assessment Training Institute. Classroom Assessment for Learning teaches teacherrs how to develop or select accurate assessments and shows them how to use assessment results with student to maximize learning.

Purpose of Assessment SUMMATIVE Assessments OF Learning FORMATIVE How much have students learned as of a particular point in time? FORMATIVE Assessments FOR Learning How can we use assessment information to help students learn more? We can divide the purposes of assessment into two categories: assessment OF learning and assessment FOR learning. Summative assessment, or assessment OF learning measures the level of achievement at a point in time. Standardized tests and common assessments fall into this category. Any work that is evaluated that counts toward the report card grade we can consider an assessment OF learning. So, if you think about all the assessments given over a trimester or quarter and how many of them are figured into the grade, you’ll discover that a lot of them, if not most of them, are assessments of learning. Formative assessment, or assessment FOR learning, on the other hand, is not an accountability tool, but a teaching tool. We can conduct assessments to make decisions about instruction before the learning process or during the learning process.

Research on Effects of Formative Assessment: .7 Standard Deviation Score Gain = 25 Percentile Points on ITBS (middle of score range) 70 SAT Score Points 4 ACT Score Points Largest Gain for Low Achievers Black & Wiliam There is significant research showing that assessment FOR learning practices increase student motivation and achievement. Two British researchers, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, reviewed 250 studies on the effects of formative assessment on achievement. They found effect sizes of between .4 and .7 standard deviation. To under stand the significance of these numbers, we can translate them as follows; A .7 standard deviation gain on the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) equals a gain of 25 percentile points, a gain of 70 points on each portion of the SAT, and a gain of 4 points on the ACT composite score.

Needed Improvements Increased commitment to high-quality formative assessments Increased descriptive feedback, reduced evaluative feedback Increased student involvement in the assessment process Black and Wiliam noted three fundamental changes that are necessary for schools to attain those gains: a commitment to developing high-quality formative assessments, increasing descriptive feedback and reducing evaluative feedback, and increased student involvement in the assessment process.

Key 1: Clear Assessment Purpose Always begin by asking What decisions? Who’s making them? What information will be helpful to them? Rick Stiggins talks about the 5 keys to quality assessment. The first key to quality is Clear Purpose. Who is going to use the results and how will they be used? These decisions determine what information is needed, and in what form.

Purpose: Assess to meet whose needs? Classroom Instructional Support Policy Students Teachers Parents Teacher Teams Curriculum Coordinators Principals Superintendent School Board Taxpayers Legislators A wide variety of decision-makers rely on assessment information. Their information needs are different. For example, what decision do students make on the basis of classroom assessment information? What decisions do teams of teachers make? All make decision that impact the quality of education students receive.

Assessment for learning Assessment for learning Balanced Assessment Formative Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence to directly improve the learning of students assessed Summative Provides evidence achievement to certify student competence or program effectiveness Assessment for learning Use assessments to help students assess and adjust their own learning Formative uses of summative data Use of summative evidence to inform what comes next for individuals or groups of students (Paraphrase slide) You can see all three categories of decision-makers represented here. Remember, “formative” refers to the manner in which an assessment is used, not to any particular assessment itself. Formative assessments serve to support learning, not merely to verify it. Assessment for learning Use classroom assessments to inform teacher’s decisions

Balanced Assessment: Stakeholders’ Needs Annual accountability testing Interim, short-cycle or benchmark testing Ongoing, accurate classroom assessments for and of learning Students are the most influential user of assessment information We know that it takes more than just the results of a once-a-year accountability test to improve learning. It takes more than short-cycle or interim assessment, and in fact, takes more than just high-quality classroom assessment. Therefore, we advocate for a balanced approach to assessment, one that meets the needs of policy-makers, instructional decision-makers, and students. We need to build systems of assessment, so there is synergy among all levels of assessment –they work together to improve achievement.

Key 2: Clear Learning Targets Know what kinds of targets are represented in curriculum Know which targets each assessment measures Advances communication of learning targets in student-friendly language Key 2, Clear Targets, asks us to be clear about the targets we intend to teach and assess before we plan our assessments. We need to know what kind of target the content standard represents, so we teach to the intended level of cognitive challenge, and so we can select the appropriate assessment method. We need to know what targets each assessment measures so we can ensure that our tests match our teaching and so that we can keep track of learning standard by standard. And we need to make our targets clear to students in advance of, or during, the learning.

Kinds of Targets Master content knowledge Use knowledge to reason and solve problems Demonstrate performance skills Create quality products We can think of achievement targets as falling into one of four categories: Knowledge targets involve things like math facts, important dates in history, and grammar rules—anything we want student to know outright. Reasoning targets are learning expectations that call for students to use the knowledge in some way—to create an hypothesis, or to analyze a political argument, for example. Performance skill targets call for students to do things like give an oral presentation, read aloud with fluency, or use equipment correctly. A performance skill target is something we have to watch or listen to in order to evaluate. Product targets specify that students will create a product—a fitness plan in health, a physical model in science, or a research report in English. We evaluate the characteristics of the product to give evidence of achievement of these kinds of learning targets.

Clear Targets: Benefits to Students Students who could identify their learning scored 27 percentile points higher than those who could not (Marzano, 2005) A student’s success on a standardized math test: 40% is dependent upon mathematics literacy (Jacobs, 2004) Making targets clear to students increase their achievement. Students can hit any target they can see that holds still for them. This is common sense and many teachers do it already. The goals here is to fit this practice into their teaching and to understand why it increases student learning.

Key 3: Sound Assessment Design Select a proper assessment method Select or create quality items, tasks, and rubrics Sample—gather enough evidence Control for bias Design assessments so students can self-assess and set goals So, good assessment begins with a clear purpose and clear targets. Key 3 is Sound Assessment Design. High-quality assessments are not built first and then retro-fitted into a context. AFTER we have established the purpose and identified the learning targets to be assessed, then we are ready to (read slide).

Key 4: Effective Communication Provide students with descriptive feedback Involve students in tracking and communicating about their learning Use grading practices that accurately communicate about student learning Interpret and use standardized test results correctly The most accurate assessment is wasted if its results are miscommunicated, or if they are communicated to students in ways that shut learning down. In Key 4, we focus on what needs to be in place so that everyone who receives assessment information can use it effectively. This includes descriptive feedback, grades, portfolios, student-involved conferences, and standardized test scores.

Key 5: Student Involvement The Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning Where am I going? 1. Provide a clear statement of the learning target Use examples and models Where am I now? 3. Offer regular descriptive feedback Teach students to self-assess and set goals How can I close the gap? 5. Design focused lessons 6. Teach students focused revision 7. Engage students in self-reflection; let them keep track of and share their learning Key 5 calls for student involvement in the assessment process. The Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning describe what assessment for learning looks like in the classroom. The strategies are organized around three questions formative assessment must answer for students: “Where am I going?”, “Where am I now?”, and “How can I close the gap?”. (Read slide.) These are the steps we take to keep students in touch with their own learning and to reap the achievement gains found in study after study. (instead of reading this slide you may wish to use the video clip of Rick Stiggins explaining the seven strategies. You would still follow these talking points as an introduction to the clip. The video clip is on the next slide.)

Why Assessment for Learning Works When students are required to think about their own learning, articulate what they understand, and what they still need to learn, achievement improves. Black and Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996; Young, 2000 What is it about student involvement that works? Why does research support assessment for learning in the classroom? (Before showing this slide, you can pose these as rhetorical questions or you can ask audience members to respond.) There are hundreds of ways to involve students in assessment that increase achievement. The critical factor here is that students identify what they understand and what they still need to work on.

Expected Benefits and Proven Results Assessment connected to learning Better instruction focused on standards Profound achievement gains for all students, with the largest gains for lowest achievers More self-managed learning by students These four points act as a summary of why schools would engage in this learning. You may either read the slide or show the optional video clip of Rick Stiggins explaining the benefits on the next slide. Handout page 14