1. Before Instruction Zickeyous Byrd
Formative Assessment
Good morning! It’s a pleasure to be with you all on today to talk about Formative and Summative Assessments. I know this common for most of our elementary schools and principals, but some how we are missing it in our elementary schools. And data shows a dip in student achievement as soon as students leave our elementary schools. So what we hope to accomplish today is to review this information with the principals that are familiar with formative assessments and show you how easy it is to replicate these same strategies in our secondary schools.
Before Instruction
Zickeyous Byrd

2. Formative vs Summative Assessments
Formative assessment is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures employed by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.
Summative assessment refers to the assessment of participants, and summarizes their development at a particular time. In contrast to formative assessment, the focus is on the outcome of a program.
First, let’s talk about the differences. I think at this point, we are all masters of summative assessments.
Simply put- as you know- Formative Assessments are simply assessment procedures put in place by teachers to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment / learning. For example, we focus on Strategic Teaching- A big part of strategic teaching is identifying your Before, During, and After Strategies.
As I am preparing my students for today’s lesson, what am I doing to activate prior knowledge? How do I know that I’ve done that? How do I know they are ready to move on?
The only way to know is to formatively assess the students.
Summative Assessments are assessments put in place that focuses on the outcome of your teaching after formative assessments have been put in place.

3. Assessment for Learning Check for Understanding
Formative
Assessment
Summative Assessment
Assessment for Learning
Check for Understanding
Guide for teacher in future instruction
Helps differentiate instruction
Assessment of Learning
Measure how much students know up to a certain point.
Provide grades and accountability
Formative assessment is assessment FOR learning and summative assessment is assessment OF learning. Using formative measures, teachers can monitor learning during the process of instruction and make adjustments before summative grading takes place.
It’s no use of waiting until the end of the class period- having waisted 60 minutes of instruction only to find out that half of my students didn’t understand what I was teaching. Had I formatively assessed, I would have been able to change/modify my instruction.

4. Anticipation Guides- activate prior knowledge, build curiosity--
As we look at this chart of different types of assessment, we are going to focus on the first column (mouse click) which centers on assessments to use BEFORE instruction.
We are going to zero in on Formative Assessment (mouse click), using feedback to determine prior knowledge and build background for students.
You have this chart in front of you. We will refer back to this as we move along. This chart helps us to look at things to do Before the lesson (To Plan Learning), During (To Support and Monitor), and After the lesson (To Verify Learning).
As we look at this chart of different types of assessments, we are going to focus on the first column (mouse click) which centers on assessments to use BEFORE instruction.
What type of feedback do I gather from students to assist in setting learning goals or self assessment? What tools can I use?
These are tools that some teachers use as examples. Our goal is to build your toolbox, and we hope to take it one step at a time. We hope you will be able to help your teachers with additional tools.
Anticipation Guides- activate prior knowledge, build curiosity--

5. Step 1- Determining your Before Strategy
Determine the Outcomes
Decide what the students will be able to do today as a result of this lesson.
Ensure that the outcome(s) of the lesson moves the students closer to mastery of content standards.
Now the guide showed us an End-in-Mind. Let’s look at things we do to prepare
Some quick steps to help us along the way. As we are sitting at the table to plan our lesson, we want to determine what strategies we can put in place.
Step 1- what is it that we want our students to know and be able to do as a result of our lesson today?
Ensure that what we want them to know and be able to do ties back to a mastery of the standards.

6. Step 2- Planning a Before Strategy
Consider the purposes of before strategies:
activate prior knowledge
build background knowledge
generate questions
make predictions
discuss vocabulary
establish a purpose for reading/lesson
Now that you have determined your before strategy, plan for that strategy. Consider the purpose--

7. Step 2 cont’d Consider the content of the lesson:
Is it a new concept to most of the students? If so, choose a strategy that will allow students to build some background knowledge about the concept.
Is it a review or continuation of content that students are familiar with? If so, choose a strategy that will allow students to activate prior knowledge.
Is there vocabulary in the lesson that may interfere with comprehension for some students? If so, choose a strategy that will involve discussion of unfamiliar words.
Are there particular parts of the content that need to be emphasized? If so, choose a strategy that draws attention to important concepts.
As you are considering the content, ask yourself these questions:

8. Examples of Formative Assessments Before Instruction
Anticipation Guide
Brainstorm Summary
Preview & Predict
Preview Chart
Quick Write
Five Word Prediction
Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)
Think Aloud
Turn & Talk
Table Talk
Pre-reading Plan
Semantic Map
List, Group, Label
Think-Pair-Share
We have talked about formative and summative assessments, now let’s take a look at some examples.

9. Turn & Talk
The purpose of these illustrations are to show you from each grade level how we are using these strategies and how they connect at each level- even college.
Turn and Talk is an oral language support strategy that provides students scaffolded interactions to formulate ideas and share their
thinking with another student.
When Turn and Talk is used, all students have a chance to share their thinking in a low-risk setting. Verbalizing their thinking scaffolds
students understanding and provides talk at a peer level, a model close to the language the student controls.
At the secondary level, students don’t need the teacher to sit at a table with them. They turn in their chairs and talk about a prompt or question from the teacher.
This teacher is introducing the blended “bl” sound to her students using white boards while giving them the opportunity to Turn and Talk to one another about words that begin with the bl sound.

10. Preview & Predict
The Previewing and Predicting Strategy leads students through a series of questions that will help them make an accurate prediction. The predictions help students think about what they already know about the topic. The ability to access prior knowledge helps students develop a critical schema that they can use to increase their comprehension.
Of course, you can see how this can be used at the secondary level. Core Teachers have plenty of fun with this strategy. If you elect not to take your students on the outside for this strategy, think about history, math, how students can predict what will happen.
This teacher is using this strategy as a before strategy to force students to think about what they already know about clouds and their functions

11. Table Talk
Table Talk is an easy strategy that allows groups to talk about any topic, text, or question you may have for your students. We do a lot of this in our workshops now.
Just like Turn-and Talk, Table Talk is an interactive strategy that allows students to converse about a given topic.
Again, my reason for showing you these illustrations is to show you what goes in Elem, Middle, and High.
This teacher allowed her students to use manipulatives and charts, as well as turn and talk to discuss and review addition and subtraction.

12. Links for Before, During & After Strategies
Here are some links that will provide more information on Before, During, and After Strategies

13. During Instruction / Between Instruction
Formative Assessment
During Instruction / Between Instruction

14. Going back to our chart of different types of assessment, we are now going to focus on the support and monitoring of learning (mouse click) which centers on assessments during and between learning.
We are going to zero in on Formative Assessment (mouse click), using feedback to identify student progress and gaps in learning in order to modify instruction.

15. Examples of Formative Assessment During Instruction
Observations Visual Representations
Questioning Individual Whiteboards
Summaries & Reflections Laundry Day
Discussion Four Corners
Response Logs Constructive Quizzes
Graphic Organizers Think Pair Share
Self Assessments Appointment Clock
Practice Presentations As I See It
Running Records Small Groups
Some examples of strategies that can be used to formatively assess students during instruction. The next several slides explore some of these examples in more depth.

16. Observations Anecdotal Notes Label / Sticky Notes
Observation of student performance is a powerful tool for determining the level of student understanding. To be purposeful in observation, teachers should record in some fashion what they are observing so the information can be used to adjust instruction.
Anecdotal Notes: These are short notes written during a lesson as students work in groups or individually, or after the lesson is complete. The teacher should reflect on a specific aspect of the learning (sorts geometric shapes correctly) and make notes on the student's progress toward mastery of that learning target. The teacher can create a form to organize these notes so that they can easily be used for adjusting instruction based on student needs.
Labels or Sticky Notes: Teachers can carry a clipboard with a sheet of labels or a pad of sticky notes and make observations as they circulate throughout the classroom. After the class, the labels or sticky notes can be placed in the observation notebook in the appropriate student's section.

17. Questioning
Better questions allow students to think more deeply and give teachers insight into the depth of student understanding.
When teachers ask better questions, students have the opportunity for deeper thinking. As teachers listen to student responses, they will be able to see the degree and depth of student understanding.
Questions should go beyond the recall level and require students to think. Good questions take time to develop and should be a part of the lesson planning process. Teachers must also train themselves and their students to allow time for answers. Questions that require our students to think also require time for the student to process and answer.

18. Summaries and Reflections
Students stop and reflect
Derive personal meaning
Use content-specific language
Different techniques can be used to ask students to reflect on their learning. As students reflect and self assess, they should be asked to use content-specific language and think about the processes that work for them individually.
Teachers can use these summaries and reflections to adjust instruction.

19. Discussions
The teacher can assess student understanding by listening to student responses and taking anecdotal notes.
Teachers can initiate student discussion by introducing an open-ended question that will cause students to share what they know and to discard misconceptions they may have. Students become learning resources for each other. The teacher can take notes on the information coming from student discussion to see where additional support is needed.
In order for good discussion to take place, teachers have to train students on how to participate in a discussion.

20. Learning / Response Logs
Students record the process they go through in learning something new.
Students include any questions they need to have clarified.
Think about …
What really made you think while you were learning?
What helped you when things got difficult?
What did you find difficult?
The act of writing about thinking helps students become deeper thinkers and better writers. Students will journal the process they go through as they learn something new. Teachers can monitor student progress by reading these entries and adjusting instruction to meet student needs.
What did you need more help with?
What did you learn?
What did you enjoy most?

21. Visual models that assist students in organizing information and communicating clearly and effectively.
Graphic Organizers
Students can use graphic organizers to structure their writing, brainstorm ideas, assist in decision making, clarify story structure, help with problem solving, and plan research.
The next 3 slides provide examples of common graphic organizers.

22. Venn Diagram
The Venn Diagram is very useful in comparing and contrasting information.

23. Brainstorming Web Concept or Topic Concept or Topic
A brainstorming web can allow students to pull together details around a central concept.

24. Vocabulary development is very important as students learn new content
Vocabulary development is very important as students learn new content. But, copying vocabulary words and their definitions from the glossary in a textbook is not a good way for students to learn new and complex terms.
The Frayer Model is one method of developing vocabulary that brings personal meaning to the new words for students. Students can be asked to use this model on a few words at a time as they are introduced.

25. I feel like a tidal wave is crashing around me.
Laundry Day
Students “clean up” what they don’t know about a topic.
Students refer to previous activities and formative assessments to determine which group they need to be in.
I feel like a tidal wave is crashing around me.
I understand the basics, but need more assistance.
Using Laundry Day, students "clean up" what they don't know about a topic. Students select a laundry detergent (Tide, Gain, Bold, and Cheer) to group themselves to improve, reinforce, or enrich their understanding of the lesson.
Students select the Tide detergent if they feel the information is a tidal wave coming down on them.
Gain is the detergent selected by students who understand the basics, but need more assistance.
Students select the Bold detergent if they are confident with the material, but they have a few questions.
Cheer represents the students needing enrichment activities for the unit of instruction.
Students use their homework and previous assessments/activities to determine which detergent has the appropriate activities.
The teacher provides activities for each group that will meet the needs of the students based on the “detergent” selected.
Cassandra Erkens, "Scenarios on the Use of Formative Classroom Assessment" (2007)
I feel confident, but have a few questions.
I need enrichment activities.

26. Constructive Quizzes Students gain immediate feedback from a quiz.
Quizzes are commonly used for formative assessments, but they are much more beneficial if students do not have to wait to receive feedback on their performance. To provide immediate feedback without the worry of students grading their own papers and changing answers or having students exchange their papers, use the following process.
Have students fold their notebook paper in half vertically and number along the left margin and again in the middle. They take the quiz and write their answers on the left half of the paper. They copy their answers to the right half and tear the halves apart before handing their quiz in to be graded.
After all papers have been collected, the teacher can go over the answers to the quiz and students can readily score their own papers. In this way, students can see what they scored on the quiz, as well as contribute to a class discussion about why answers were right or wrong.

27. Small Groups
In a small group setting, the teacher can determine the level of understanding and mastery of content through questioning and student demonstration of their learning. By determining the gaps in understanding, the teacher can adjust instruction for individual students.

28. Links
Eight Tips for Asking Effective Questions
Tips for Teachers - Asking Good Questions
Edutopia: The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom
Inviting Student Engagement with Questioning
Using "Think Time" and "Wait Time" Skillfully in the Classroom
How to Encourage Classroom Discussion
Classroom Instruction: The Discussion Technique

29. Links
Real World Model of Classroom Discussion
Learning (B)logs: Time to Give Students a Voice
Learning Logs Online: Examples and Photos of Learning Logs
Venn Diagram on a computer
Printable Graphic Organizers
Graphic.Org

30. Formative Assessment To Verify Learning (After Strategies)
Even good formative assessment strategies can become simply another activity if the teacher fails to use the results to change the instruction as needed by the students,.
If the teacher doesn’t change the instruction when needed, it’s not formative assessment. It’s just an activity.

31. As we return to our chart of different types of assessment, we are going to focus on this last column (mouse click) which centers on assessments to use AFTER instruction.
We are going to zero in on Formative Assessment (mouse click), using feedback to confirm what the student knows and can do.

32. Formative Assessment After learning
It is essential to assess students after the teaching/learning has taken place to ensure growth has taken place, and provide students with immediate feedback.
Using formative assessment after teaching allows students to determine where they are now in the learning process, and how they might close any gaps they find.

33. Examples of After Strategies
Rubrics
Exit Slips
Journals
Student Accountability Book
Self-assessment
Peer-assessment
Hand Signals
Traffic Light
Hit the Target
Portfolio Check
ABC Brainstorm
Four Corners
Muddiest Point
There are many after strategies of formative assessment. Some of the most frequently used are Exit Slips, Hand Signals, and ABC Brainstorms. The key is how the teacher uses the information gathered when employing these strategies. Just collecting the information in order to say, “I have an ‘after strategy’.” is not a formative assessment at all. Looking over the information and altering future instruction in order to meet the needs expressed by the learners turns this into formative assessment.
Think of after strategies as a dipstick to check the level of learning, rather than the level of oil in a car. The teacher uses the after strategy to “dip” into the students’ learning. If the teacher never looks at the dipstick to determine whether any oil (teaching) needs to added, the car could freeze up. Even worse, if the dipstick indicates low oil (low learning) and the teacher does not ADD oil (re-teaching) the car could be forever ruined! What is the point of pulling out the dipstick if you aren’t going to check it and follow the indications?

34. Samples of After Strategies
Most of these samples of after strategies are self explanatory. But oftentimes, the “hand signal” strategy is misused: the teacher will show their thumb parallel to the floor, prompting students to do the same, then as the teacher asks, “Show me with your thumb how well you understand this concept” the teacher moves their thumb into the upright, “everything’s a-ok” position and the students follow, indicating everyone feels very positive about the concept. The correct way to use hand signals is for the teacher to keep their thumb parallel to the floor and tell students, “To show how well you understood the concept, on the count of three, move your thumb into one of three positions: up means you understood well, down means you really don’t quite understand, and parallel means you still need a little support. Ready, 1, 2, 3” As teacher counts to three, she puts both hands behind her back. This enables student to self-reflect and respond, rather than simply following the actions the teacher demonstrated.
Can you see how using these strategies will help teachers keep an eye on the oil (learning) in their classroom and help them make needed adjustments to instruction and reteaching?

35. Examples found in the classroom
Here are some example of after strategies used in the classroom, from elementary school up to high school.

36. One way for students to self-assess their learning.
Self-Evaluation
Essential Question
I’m hitting the bull’s eye. I really understand!
Big Concept
I’m hitting the target consistently, but not the bull’s eye yet.
I’m hitting the target sometimes, but I’m still having difficulty.
As students self-assess their learning, they begin to take responsibility for their own learning and formulate plans of action on how they will close the learning gaps.
I’m unclear on the target. I’m lost.

37. ABC Brainstorming Complete an ABC Brainstorming Formative Assessment.
Use the ABC Brainstorming page attached
Think of a type of formative assessment that begins with one of the letters in each box.
Stop the video now and complete the activity.
You are going to complete an ABC Brainstorming Formative Assessment. Use the ABC Brainstorming sheet that was attached to the . Your task is to think of a type of formative assessment that begins with one of the letters in each box. Stop the slide show at this point and begin again once you have completed the activity.

38. Links for Exit/Admit Slips:
Readingrockets: Exit Slips
AdLit.org: Exit Slips
Writing Across the Curriculum: Entry/Exit Slips
Exit Slips: Effective Bell-Ringer Activities
Admit Slips and Exit Slips
These websites have some great examples of exit slips and admit slips to use after learning has taken place.

39. Links for Formative assessment strategies:
The links found on this page will connect you to various types of formative assessment strategies.