Leadership Workshop September 4, 2009 Formative Assessment Overview Leadership Workshop September 4, 2009

Are You… ASSESSMENT SAVVY? Skilled in gathering accurate information about students learning? Using it effectively to promote further learning?

Two Uses of Assessment SUMMATIVE FORMATIVE Assessments OF Learning 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?

ASSESSMENT SAVVY? What’s your opinion? Read the 3 Vignettes silently to yourself Individually decide whether these teachers are using formative assessment 7 minutes to read, answer, and discuss Large Group Review and Discuss

WHEN DO YOU ASSESS? Traditionally, teachers have assessed students at the end of an instructional unit or sequence. However, when assessment and instruction are interwoven, both the students and the teacher benefit. 5

Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT increases student achievement.

Formative assessment can and should be done BY STUDENTS, as well as by teachers. The key to improvement is how students and teachers use assessment information.

Seven Strategies of Assessment FOR Learning Clear & Understandable Vision of Target Examples/models of strong & weak work Regular Descriptive feedback Teach Students to Self-Assess & Set Goals. Focus on One Aspect Teach Focused Revision Engage students in Self-Reflection Rick Stiggins

Strategies and Student Questions Know where they are going 1. Provide clear and understandable vision of the learning target. 2. Use examples and models of strong and weak work. Know where they are now 3. Offer regular descriptive feedback. 4. Teach students to self-assess and goal set Know how to close the gap 5. Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time. 6. Teach students focused revision. 7. Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning. Jan Chappius, 2005

The good news is---you are doing much of this already! Formative Classroom Assessment simply helps you make your current practice more intentional and effective.

Why SMART Goals? Clear & Understandable Vision of the Target Targets as SMART goals. SMART goals direct our “focus” SMART goals help define exactly what the “future state” looks like and how it will be measured. Mountain is an Education Consultant

What Are SMART GOALS? M easurable A ttainable R esults-oriented S pecific, strategic M easurable A ttainable R esults-oriented T ime-bound

27 percentile points higher When students know what they are learning, their performance, on average, has been shown to be 27 percentile points higher than students who do not know what they are learning. What are the learning targets?

Scaffolding

Scaffolding Breaking learning targets into attainable, measurable steps Provides learners an opportunity to build upon prior knowledge through multiple, increasingly complex opportunities

Why Scaffold? Simplify the task to make it more manageable and achievable for a child Provide some direction in order to help the child focus on achieving the goal Clearly indicate differences between the child’s work and the standard or desired solution Reduce frustration and risk Model and clearly define the expectations of the activity to be performed (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 2000).

Copy template

Lisa/Tracy Make a copy for each person to use.

Ideas Regarding Acceptable Forms of Evidence Intended Use for Teachers: Identify student learning Inform instruction Identify proficiency What evidence do we have of the learning? Steph/Kathy

ASSESSMENT PROCESS Learning Target (Followed by direct instruction) Formative Assessment (Assessment FOR Learning) Instructional Decisions Extend Learning Reteach Formative Assessment (Assessment FOR Learning) Student Achievement 20

http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/bells/baldrige/concens.asp

Using questioning and group discussion as a formative assessment tool can help promote learning with individual students.

Expectation/Skill: Sequence Evidence of Skill Acquisition Evidence Over Time

Formative or Summative? Unit Assessments

Formative or Summative? Students take sentence strips and put them in order by the sequence of events in the story.

Formative or Summative? Completing a T Chart to draw connections between Corretta Scott King and Rosa Parks independently.

Formative or Summative? Weekly Assessments

I can put story events in order. T: What do we want each student to know or be able to do? St: What do I need to know? I can put story events in order. Sequence Expectation Grades: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5

T: What evidence do we have of the learning? St: Where am I now? What resources/strategies will help you know if a child understands main idea and sequencing? What resources/strategies will help students know if they are successful in understanding main idea and sequencing?

Formative Assessment Strategies Conference Cooperative Learning Activities Demonstrations Exit Card Graphic Organizers “I Learned” Statements Interviews Journal Entry KWLs Learning Logs Oral Attitude Surveys Oral Presentations Peer Evaluations Problem Solving Activities Products Questioning Quiz Response Groups Self-Evaluations

Balancing Assessment for and of Learning

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS Formative Assessment: Refers to what happens on a daily basis in the classroom Provides teachers with information about specific next instructional steps for students: Assessment Drives Instruction. Students know where they are at instructionally and where they need to go On-going assessment provides continual feedback that helps students progress over time 35