Formative Assessment/ Assessment for Learning A4L

A4L Knowing where you are Knowing where you need to get to Knowing how to close the gap Students are given the knowledge and tools to become self regulatory learners Increases school from middle to top – so no conflict with good teaching and good test scores What are you doing?

Self-assessment: “I have understood the difference between mean and median and know when each should be used” Peer-assessment: Two stars and a wish

White & Frederiksen 12 classes of 30 students 7th grade learning physics Control group discussed the work, the experimental group engaged in peer and self assessment The exptal group out-performed the control gp on 3 measures The low achievers scored the same as the high achievers – scoring higher than AP physics students

Diagnostic Feedback 18 6th grade classes, half gave scores on maths homework, half gave diagnostic comments (Elawar & Corno) The students receiving comments learned twice as fast as the control group, the achievement gap between male and female students disappeared, and student attitudes improved. 3 groups – grades, feedback, grades and feedback. (Butler)

A4L Strategies Self and peer assessment – bring students “into the guild”, what meets the criteria? Diagnostic comments instead of grades Students design assessment questions Traffic lighting as ongoing feedback – on work, as lesson progresses, for grouping… Questioning - needs to focus on student ideas, needs long wait time.

To read: Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall, and Dylan Wiliam, Assessment for Learning: Putting It into Practice (Buckingham, U.K.: Open University Press, 2003).

Growth Mindset Task Framework Open: Multiple solution strategies, Multiple entry points, Multiple ways to “see” the problem, Multiple ways to show learning Involves a mathematical concept(s) and a practice(s) Every team member can contribute Task focuses on learning: opportunities to learn something rather than demonstrate what you know Clear learning goals and opportunities for feedback.

Task Framework Task as written Task as planned Task as enacted

1 ÷ 2/3 Cathy Humphreys, 7th graders Mathematics as sense-making Task, teacher affect, calling on students, dealing with wrong answers

The “Didactic contract” (Guy Brousseau)

Reflecting on Claude Steele’s talk How is having the brown eyed kids sit in the back of the room different to being placed in the low track group? What cognitive diminishment is likely? How can we counter this when teaching low track groups? Eg Changing the conditions of life – “a huge political effort” / Critical mass/ drawing from diversity/ “the simple relationship”, the power of teachers The videotape – 40 minutes has a huge impact One message – I believe in you – has a huge impact

Tasks Pile Pattern Where’s the 10 Beans in bowls Matching Representations Number Talks 1 ÷ 2/3