Shifting to a Standards- Based Mindset Through Quality Assessments and Backwards Design LMS Department Everett High School October 10, 2014

Backwards Design Model Identify/Select Course Standards Common Core, NGSS, WA State, Industry, National Scale Standards Design/Use Common “Leveled” Assessments Instructional Plan/Map Determine Reporting/Grading Variables Develop Interventions/Enrichment

Analysis of current course design What is Backwards Design? What makes an assessment “quality”? What are some basics for assessment design? Session’s Overview

Intro Activity Select a class you are currently teaching. How have you chunked/organized the course for your students? By units-If so what makes up a unit? By topic- If so what topics? How do you organize the topics? By performance types- Texts/products/mediums?

Course Organization Template Use the course organization template provided or create your own. Develop a big picture overview of how you currently organize your course.

What is Backwards Design? To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. —Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Key Tenants 1.Identify desired results- What are the core standards for your course? 2.Determine acceptable evidence- How will you assess student learning? 3.Develop instructional plan- What learning experiences and instruction will you plan for your students?

1. Starting with our Standards According to the state this is our curriculum – Our role is to find materials and organize our course in a way to best support students in meeting these standards

Task Determine the number of standards to be met within a semester timeframe. –What standards are the focus of your class –Which standards lend themselves to clear feedback for growth? –What standards will students be given multiple opportunities to meet proficiency during the semester?

Use the course standards template and create a draft of the essential standards for your course for a specific timeframe (semester).

2. How can these standards be assessed? Informal checks for understanding Observation /Dialogue Quiz/Test Academic Prompt Performance task/project Assessment Method Continuum

Determine Acceptable Evidence of Learning How will you know that they learned it it? How will you assess that they learned it? – What forms of assessment will demonstrate that the student acquired the knowledge, understanding, and skill to answer the questions. What counts as understanding in your class? What about in your content area?

Assessment Analysis Activity What assessment do you currently do where 1-2 of these standards could be emphasized and evaluated? What revisions would be required? –Does it need a rubric? –Does it need to be enhanced to be a quality assessment (both reliable and providing valid data)? –Does the assessment assess varying levels of proficiency?

Simple Quality Assessment Checklist Reliability and Validity –Aligned to standard/target –Sufficient number of items for each standard –Type of item matches performance expectation –Items match instruction provided

Increase Assessment Quality Sufficient number of items to have evidence of student’s understanding of a standard Sufficient number of items at levels approaching, meeting and exceeding proficiency –Best “type” of assessment item to measure level. Strength of item to distinguish both correctness and misconceptions for instruction

How can we be consistent in applying DOK for a given course? Depth of Knowledge = Cognitive Demand = Rigor How much and what kind of “thinking” is called for in each set of standards (cluster, PE, ELAR)? What tasks and contexts will students need to demonstrate proficiency? What kinds of “thinking” is called for approaching the standard and advancing beyond?

Cognitive demand and learning progression Clarifying Course Standards

Recall/ Reproduction DOK 1 Skills/ Concepts DOK 2 Strategic Thinking DOK 3 Extended Thinking DOK 4 Proficiency Proficiency Scale level does not equal DOK level

District teams drafted Grades 6-12 ELA Reading and Writing, U.S. History, World History, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II, Clarifying Course Standards Advanced Cognitive task extending from standard; requiring decision-making, expressing reasoning, or applying what has been explicitly taught in new contexts Proficient Standard as defined by the state including expectations for content, process, skills, and/or performance to be explicitly taught. Basic Cognitive step just before standard that is explicitly taught; includes concepts broken into distinct segments, foundational skills and key vocabulary. FoundationalVarious cognitive steps before Basic

Evidence of Understanding What tasks/projects/products capture proficiency level of each standard? What tasks/projects/products would provide evidence of approaching proficiency? What tasks/projects/products would provide evidence of advanced work beyond proficiency?

What is a Performance Task? An assessment activity that requires a student to demonstrate his or her achievement of a standard/learning target by producing a specific product.

Designing A Performance Task Determine a Focus Target a standard or learning target Determine the evidence of learning Create a Context Choose a significant question or an important problem Develop a background scenario Write Directions Describe what students are expected to know and do Describe the product or performance students are expected to develop Develop a Scoring Guide Develop a Rubric-Write descriptors of a quality performance Use anchor papers or exemplars of student work

Schimmer’s Progression

Assessment Design Each item aligned to a cluster/standard Items grouped by standard Start with lower cognitive demand (2) and build up (4) Balance of level 2 and 3 items with a few level 4 items Sufficient number of items to have evidence of student’s understanding of a standard. Research shows 5-9 items is optimal. Sufficient number of items at levels (Proficiency Scale) Best “type” of assessment item to measure level. Strength of item to distinguish both correctness and misconceptions for instruction

What is the cut score for the assessment? What should be considered the target score on an assessment in order to move forward with instruction? –What score is considered acceptable showing that your students get it? What actions should be taken as a result of the assessment score? (remediation, enrichment, etc.) How might these changes in assessment drive changes in instruction? Considerations for Analyzing Assessment Results

Is school about ACTIVITIES or LEARNING? Shifting to a Standards-Based Mindset Is school about POINTS or EVIDENCE? Is learning an EVENT or a PROCESS? Emphasize COMPLETION or STANDARDS?

Everett High School Current Language Purpose of Grading Statement End of Course Grades (Semester/End of Year): To communicate information about student proficiency on content standards to students, parents, educators and other stakeholders. Formative/Summative Grades: To provide information to students for self-evaluation To provide information to classroom/program to inform the next steps of the instruction Common summative/formative assessments will be used frequently to inform student progress towards standard

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