1. Assessment at Willow Creek
September, 2016

2. Assessment Basics Formative Summative
Informal checks for understanding
Exit ticket
Teacher observation
Weekly tests and quizzes
Diagnostic assessment
Benchmark assessments
MAP
Fountas & Pinnell (running record for fluency and comprehension)
Summative
Final projects/portfolios
End-of-year MAP
CAASPP

3. Let’s look at some different types of assessment
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP): grades 1-8
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP): grades 3-8
Summative Project: Project Based Learning (PBL): all grades

4. MAP Basics
WCA uses MAP as a benchmark assessment. In grades 2-8, MAP is administered three times each year. Students receive RIT scores in Math, Reading, and Language. Teachers can pull data on specific concepts taught within each area assessed. MAP is great for helping us understand exactly which students have mastered exactly which discrete skills (e.g. calculating an exponent, identifying a simile). This is helpful for whole-group and small-group lesson planning and differentiation.

5. What does our MAP data tell us about Math at Willow Creek?
Grade
Winter RIT
Norm RIT
% WCA students above norm RIT
K (Perez)
160.1
159.1
50% 1
184.5
180.8
69% 2
202.3
192.1
75% 3
204.2
203.4
51% 4
214.3
213.5
56% 5
220.3
221.4
52% 6
222.4
225.3
38% 7
223.1
228.6
29% 8
233.6
230.9
67%

6. What does our MAP data tell us about Reading at Willow Creek?
Grade
Winter RIT
Norm RIT
% WCA students above norm RIT
K (Perez)
158.7
158.1
55% 1
183.4
177.5
69% 2
193.0
188.7
66% 3
198.9
198.6
56% 4
209.7
205.9
61% 5
215.6
211.8
62% 6
214.2
215.8
51% 7
213.0
218.2
42% 8
222.4
220.1
67%

7. The take away: MAP
Most grade levels met or exceeded growth targets for ; the majority of students are mastering the discrete skills taught at their grade levels. It’s critical to triangulate MAP data with more qualitative data, especially for younger students, according to staff observations. Subgroup data is unavailable for MAP (unless you consolidate and sort it yourself!)

8. CAASPP Basics
The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is administered annually to all 3rd-8th grade students in California public schools. It replaced the California Standards Test (CST) in 2015.
All students are assessed in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. 5th and 8th grade students take additional tests in Science.
The CAASPP is very different from the CST:
Oriented to Common Core Standards
Assesses students’ ability to apply knowledge, not just discrete skills
Utilizes performance tasks
Fully electronic

9. CAASPP Sample Task: 5th Grade
Step One: Read three “research sources” about service animals.
A slide presentation about service monkeys
An article about various types of service animals
An essay about service animal laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act

10. CAASPP Sample Task: 5th Grade
Step Two: Write three one-paragraph answers to critical thinking questions about the articles.

11. CAASPP Sample Task: 5th Grade
Step Three: Synthesize the three articles into a persuasive essay about the merits of recent legislation on accessibility and service animals.

12. CAASPP Sample Task: 5th Grade
“The box will get bigger as you type.”

13. What does our CAASPP data tell us about Math at Willow Creek?

14. What does our CAASPP data tell us about Math at Willow Creek?

15. What do our CAASPP data tell us about Language Arts at Willow Creek?

16. What do our CAASPP data tell us about Language Arts at Willow Creek?

17. CAASPP sub-group comparison: Math

18. CAASPP sub-group comparison: ELA

19. The take away: CAASPP
The CAASPP is a challenging assessment, as it requires students to apply and manipulate content knowledge in a range of contexts.
While our students met or exceeded state-wide norms overall, we have a significant achievement gap between students who are low-income and students who are not low-income.
What is an achievement gap?
What is an opportunity gap?
Our students underperform on the CAASPP relative to performance on MAP and PBL summative assessments.
While we will never “teach to the test,” we will give students additional opportunities to practice the types of performance tasks the CAASPP requires.

20. Project Based Learning Basics
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. Formative and summative assessment are embedded.

21. PBL in Action

22. PBL in Action

23. PBL in Action

24. The take away: PBL
Differentiation is embedded in project-based learning. Students feel motivated to answer authentic questions. PBL engages multiple disciplines as students work toward a goal. PBL engages collaborative group work, where students have specific roles—dovetails with Responsive Classroom.

25. The take away: Assessment at WCA
We use assessment to make sure our students know what they need to know to be successful. It helps us spot gaps and redundancies, so that we can use our instructional time efficiently. No one assessment is the most important—each is helpful in its own way. We don’t “teach to the test,” but we understand that—for many folks, especially ones who don’t know us well—our CAASPP scores tell at least part of the story of our school. We have made strides toward closing our opportunity gap. Closing our achievement gap is our next challenge!

26. Thank you!