1. MEMSPA Summer Conference 8.1. 2017
Committed to the development of comprehensive, quality, balanced assessment systems and practices
MEMSPA Summer Conference

2. The Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC) is a non-profit organization of Michigan educators designed to promote greater understanding about and use of assessment in Michigan.
The goal of the MAC is to help educators use assessment to improve their teaching and students’ learning.
A variety of MAC resources can be accessed at

3. Two Broad Purposes to Assessment
Past to Present
(Assessment OF Learning)
Present to Future
(Assessment FOR Learning & AS Learning
Information about students current levels of achievement to the present time
e.g. accountability, placement, certification
Analogy: look upstream at what has been learned
Inform the future steps that teachers and students need to take to ensure that students make progress toward desired outcomes
e.g. future steps in learning determined from place in time and anticipate future needs and possibilities
Analogy: look downstream at what can be learned

4. While annual accountability standardized testing has raised awareness of some of the problems schools face, it has done little to help us solve those problems. It has let us down as a school improvement strategy. This means this particular application of assessment isn’t going to promote greater student learning. This is a function of misuse of the assessment process and the instructional inadequacy of assessments themselves and the environment in which they are used.

5. We need a system of public assurance that measures the impact of schooling AND strengthens both classroom learning and the schools that provide it.
~ MAC

6. Appropriate Balance to Promote Learning
Formative Assessment
Classroom Assessment
District Assessment
State
Nat’l
Continuous: Formative & Classroom Assessment to support student learning
NO SINGLE QUALITY ASSESSMENT can meet all of the needs of all of the users of assessment.
Must balance the following assessment sources:
Periodic: Progress Monitoring and Interim Benchmark Assessments
Annual: Assessment to verify what has been learned.

7. Assessment Relationships
More
Large
Scale
INTERIM/BENCHMARK
Assessments
ACCOUNTABILITY
Assessments
(School, District, State,
National, International)
More
Summative
Purpose
More
Formative
Purposes
Classroom
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
Process
GRADING
Classroom Summative Assessments,
Report Card Grades ;
More
Classroom
Focused
Source: Adapted from Susan M. Brookhart, How to Make Decisions with Different Kinds of Student
Assessment Data © 2016 ASCD

8. Assessing 21st Century Skills
21st Century Assessment System
Constructing/Responding
Creating/Problem-Solving
Demonstrating/Performing
Analyzing/Applying

9. EVOLVING…Assessment Paradigm
FROM TO
Summative
Summative & Formative
Solely Accountability
Teaching & Learning Tool
After Learning
During & After Learning
Condensed Results to Produce a “Score”
Detailed Description
Adults “do” the Assessment to Students
Adults & Students are Activity Engaged in Collecting and Providing Feedback
Neglected Facet of Teacher Preparation
Foundation of Effective Teacher Preparation
Neglected Facet of School Leadership
Foundation of Effective Leadership

10. International Models Preparing MI Students for a Global Society
Europe and Asia shifting Assessment systems
Greater use of Formative Assessment
Data use to Improve Instruction and Student Performance
Authentic Measurement of Higher Order Skills
2012 PISA Results
China, Korea, Japan
Finland, Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Ireland, Canada
MEAN Performance above the OECD avg.

11. MAC’s Strategy for Michigan

12. An assessment literate individual is one who understands how student assessment can enable them to better carry out their role in education, believes that assessment can improve teaching and learning, and puts into place activities and behaviors to act on these beliefs
Assessment Literacy Defined

13. Why is Assessment Literacy Needed?
Assessment, used well, is an essential tool for learning; not a weapon to sort, select, or punish students or their teachers.
Research has shown that students who are more involved in their own learning – and assessment – achieve more
Effective use of formative assessment practices requires teachers to understand how on-going instructionally-embedded assessment can help all students achieve at higher levels
Administrator involvement in school improvement activity is also related to higher student achievement
Why is Assessment Literacy Needed?

14. Who Needs to be Assessment Literate?
All stakeholders in the education ecosystem:
Students & their parents
Teachers
Building and District Administrators
Faculty at Higher Ed Institutions
Policymakers
Who Needs to be Assessment Literate?

15. Assessment Literate LEADERS
Principals: attain teacher-level competence in classroom assessment
All promote balanced assessment
Assure target clarity & appropriateness
Promote quality assessment
Promote effective communication
Advocate for student involved assessment during learning

16. How Should Assessment Literacy Standards Be Used?
They should be the foundation for in-service training for educators (teachers and administrators).
They should be the foundation for pre-service preparation and administrative certification.
They should be the foundation upon which we develop and check assessment-related education policy.
In MI, the SBOE endorsed the MAC developed ALS May 2016
How Should
Assessment
Literacy
Standards
Be Used?

18. MAKING SENSE OF ASSESSMENT
MEMSPA and MAC Present an Opportunity to Learn 2017—18
MAKING SENSE OF ASSESSMENT
A cohort Series
This series is scheduled for registration “Launch” in September @ or
Key Learnings:
Increase your data literacy
Understand student growth
Integrate assessment practices and results to effective action
Understand how to create &/or select high quality assessments
Plan for student learning success
Support teachers to plan for learning success
This is a monthly series, anchored in research & examples designed to build the building leader’s professional capital through development of a rich network of resources and professionals.
Series presenters: Jim Gullen/MAC, Doni St. Amour/MEMSPA, Keith Smith/superintendent, Martin Chaffee/Oakland Schools, Brian Lloyd/MDE and Kimberly Young/MDE

19. Many Resources & Opportunities to Learn are available through the MAC
Website
Presentations/PPTs
Papers
Videos
Assessment Literacy Standards
Common Assessment Development Modules
OTL’s
Foundation Assessment Learning Modules (“Launch” September 2017 Michigan Virtual and MAC website
Join us at MI School Testing Conference February 13-15, 2018 – watch the MIEM Registration site
Highlights from the statewide Assessment Learning Network – shared on the MAC website. aln.michiganassessmentconsortium.org