21 st Century Assessment Peg Henson and Laura Snow SD Department of Education

The Digital Child Arrives at School Anyone over 45 years old can probably remember the time before cable TV and computers. Anyone over 35 years old can probably remember the time before digital video games and the internet. Anyone younger than 25 years old has lived in the world of digital electronic images their whole life.

Then………and………..Now

Brain Stimulation in Today’s Students Frontal lobe of the digital native student is constantly stimulated. Video games Cellular devices Instantaneous web- based communication

How do we assess these digital natives? year/119/

Assessment “The Latin root of ASSESS (assidere) means “to sit beside”. Assessment is the process of collecting, describing, and analyzing information about a given performance. Although some assessments may result from a series of tests, most people do not produce their best work under test-like conditions. The central defining element in all performance-based assessment methods is that the test taker creates an answer product to demonstrate knowledge or skills in a particular field. It is not a single letter grade applied at the end of each marking period.”

Summative vs. Formative State Tests End of Unit or Chapter Tests End of Term or Semester Tests Scores that are used for accountability (report cards) Formative Assessment is part of the instructional process. When incorporated into classroom practice, it provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening. Formative Assessment helps teachers determine next steps during the learning process as the instruction approaches the summative assessment of student learning.

Assessment FOR Learning Student-friendly targets from the beginning Models of strong and weak work Continuous descriptive feedback Teach self assessment and goal setting Teach one facet at a time Teach focused revisions Teach self reflection to track growth

Is the examination the flag ship of assessment?

What are some reasons we assess? Tell a student how well he has learned a given subject. Help a student to understand where she needs to develop further understanding. Reinforce the learning process and measure success. Determine the performance of the teacher and the school. To provide stakeholders with an understanding of the students’ abilities.

What does 21 st Century assessment look like?

What do you want these students to…? Be able to do Accomplish Demonstrate Show proficiency in Master Perform Create Reflect

21 st Century Assessment will enable students to perform real tasks that involve higher order thinking skills. 21 st Century Assessments are focused on both the learning process and the assessment outcome.

Our students have the world at their fingertips.

Relevance… Rich Refers to the purpose and objectives of the task and to the media in which the task may be carried out. Images, audio and video recording tools, interactive software, web-based collaborative tools Teachers in today’s classrooms face the challenge of making standardized curriculum rich and relevant to students who have instant access to anything that they want to learn on their own. How do we assess that?

“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” --Thomas Edison

The process of learning is as important as the end product.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Collaboration is not a 21 st Century skill, it is a 21 st Century essential.

Portfolios Active Participation Authentic Demonstration of Skills and Knowledge Direct Reflection of Growth Provides all students with the opportunity to be successful Goals and objectives can be altered to meet an individual student’s needs

Grades that Matter “In the traditional classroom, a student turns in a major research paper. If it’s late, maybe the student is marked down 10 points for each day it’s overdue. But, the problem is, if is was a B+ paper and now you put a C- in the grade book, you have lost all meaningful data about the skills and abilities of that student.”

Rubrics Students know the end points that they are supposed to reach. Students clearly understand the objectives of the task. Students understand how they will be judged on the completion of the task. Rubrics provide opportunities for student goal- setting, greater student ownership of the task, and increased student engagement.

Achievement Rubric 4 I exceeded the objectives of the task or lesson. 3 I met the objectives of the task or lesson. 2 I met a few of the objectives of the task or lesson, but did not meet others. 1 I did not meet the objectives of the task or lesson.

Self and Peer/Group Assessment Supports students and teachers Reduces workload Increases engagement and understanding Student insights and observations are valued Students usually have a better grasp on group dynamics/relationships than the teacher Stresses and reinforces the importance of collaboration

Reflection Consider actions Reflect on decisions Solidify concepts Plan future processes and actions

Answer the following questions as you plan and produce your work. What is my task? What is its purpose? What do I need to do next? What resources are available? What role do others play? What knowledge is required? How will my work be judged? How should I allot my time? What parts of the project demand most attention? Where is my work strongest and weakest? What can I do to improve?

Students CAN! Design their own projects and assess them Write about their goals each week Discuss their progress with the teacher and/or peers Assess themselves We all know that the best way to learn something is to go through the process of teaching it!

Feedback Timely often and in detail Appropriate and Reflective Reflect student ability, be understandable Honest and Supportive Provide encouragement Focused on Learning Linked to the purpose of the task Enabling Time for students to act upon it, learn from, and apply it

If we… Use rich, real-world tasks, Use higher order thinking skills, Incorporate collaboration, Provide timely and appropriate feedback, Use an appropriate rubric, and Include student (self) and peer/group assessments

We will be able to assess 21 st Century Skills!