1. CCRS Leadership Session February 2014
Welcome back! Do we have anyone with us today that was not with us last time? For those of you who were with us, you know we spent time really thinking about the various types of assessments we use and clarifying the purpose of summative, interim, benchmark, and formative assessments. Today, we are going to go deeper into formative assessments (purpose, use, and impact).
CCRS Leadership Session February 2014

2. What new knowledge do you have?
More clarity on formative assessment
Ideas for how to encourage formative assessment
How to use various types of assessment
The importance of using diagnostic, formative, and summative data correctly and timely
As you know, we always begin where we left off at our last QM. You provided feedback on 4 questions. The bulleted items represent recurring responses across the state.
1st question…

3. How will you apply this learning in your district or school?
Use the table talk activity with teachers
Evaluate our schools’ use and value from formative assessments that are in place.
Attempt to get teachers to use FA frequently
Turn the leadership session around to the principals who will then turn around to teachers.
Must work more with secondary teachers on what to do with data and how to use it to guide instruction.
These are some of the comments about how you plan to apply this learning in your district or school…

4. Remaining questions and additional support
When can we go deeper into formative assessment?
How do you get teachers to use a variety of formative assessments in their classrooms on a continual basis?
More information on how to use data to improve education
More group activities for leadership to share “what works” in our schools
Additional help for administrators in analyzing their data and having those conversations with their teachers
Read…
We will be spending time today on these first 2 bullets

5. Suggestions for QM3
Examples of classes at different grade levels in which formative assessment is being used
Role of the principal in the data collection and interpretation process
Round table discussions with a leader to control the topic
Further collaboration among instructional leaders
Overwhelming, feedback said you wanted to see examples of how formative assessments are being used in classrooms (what that looks like), particularly at the secondary level. Also, you wanted to collaborate with your peers on how to make formative assessment common practice in your schools.

6. Next Steps
Share how you as a school/district leader are ensuring that formative assessment data is being used to guide instructional practice and monitor student learning?
So, this was how we ended our last meeting. Take a sticky note from the middle of your table and write 1 thing you have done since our last meeting to increase your knowledge of formative assessments or something you have done at your school/district to promote the use of formative assessments.
(allow a few minutes for everyone to do this)
Stand up with your sticky note and go to someone from another table and share what you wrote on your sticky.
Allow a little time for this conversation.
After returning to tables, have 2-3 share something they heard that the others might be helpful for the rest of us to hear.

7. Our Vision Every Child a Graduate – Every Graduate Prepared for
College/Work/Adulthood in the 21st Century
As always, this is our reason for being here. We can get every child to graduate, but our real challenge is in getting every graduate prepared…

8. Prepared Graduate Defined
District and School Leadership Team Orientation
Possesses the knowledge and skills needed to enroll and succeed in credit- bearing, first-year courses at a two- or four-year college, trade school, technical school, without the need for remediation.
Possesses the ability to apply core academic skills to real-world situations through collaboration with peers in problem solving, precision, and punctuality in delivery of a product, and has a desire to be a life-long learner.
We are all familiar with this. The left side addresses the need for the knowledge and skills and the right side takes the knowledge and skills to action.
The big question for us is how do we know our students have the knowledge to actually move to applying?
Macon County Schools - September 6, 2013

9. Outcomes Enhance our knowledge of formative assessment.
Identify components of high-quality formative assessment practices.
Keeping the previous question in mind, these are our outcomes for today.
(Read aloud)
We will begin with our first outcome.

10. Remember this handout from last time
Remember this handout from last time? We talked about the different types of assessments, but today we are really focusing on formative assessments.

11. In order for schools to make that leap to effectively embedding formative assessments into instructional practice, leaders and teachers must understand the “why” and “how” of doing this. It is important to connect the research to practice in order to implement formative assessment practices.
Pass out the “set” of articles. Remind participants that we were only able to run off a “class set” of articles in order to abide by copyright laws. We will have to take these up after the session; however, a link will be available when the administrator materials are posted on the CCRS website.
There are sticky notes on your table to help you notate the text.
You will need a minimum of 5 people at a table.
Together we will read the introduction and section “What is FA?” (on pages 1 and 2) together then talk about this at our table.
After everyone has read these pages, go to next slide…

12. Think about… What might formative assessments look like?
What makes assessments, tasks, or activities formative and how do you know?
What are some examples of formative assessments you’ve seen in your school(s)?
Take a few minutes to talk about what you read in this first section. These are just a few questions to get your conversation started…
(allow several minutes for conversation)

13. Jigsaw 1 - Commonly Used Assessments in Schools pages 3-4
2 - FA Strategies; 4 Essential Elements of the FA Process; and Learning
Progressions pages 5, 6, and 7
3 - What Does the Research Base Say About FA? Pages 8, 9, and first of
page 10
4 - Implementing Research Based FAs Systemwide page 10 and
The Students’ Role page 11
5 - Implementing Research Based FA Systemwide page 10 and
The Teacher’s Role pages 12-13
Number off at the table 1-5 (if there are more than 5 people, start over – some will be reading the same text). Jigsaw the text
1- Commonly Used Assessments in Schools pages 3-4
2- FA Strategies; 4 Essential Element of the FA Process; Learning Progressions pages 5, 6, and 7
3- What Does the Research Base Say About FA? Pages 8, 9, and first of 10
4- Implementing Research Based FA System wide page 10 and The Students’ Rose page 11
5- Implementing Research Based FA System wide page 10 and The Teacher’s Role pages 12-13
After all have had a chance to read, have each share their section at their table.
(We will end with everyone reading The Role of Schools and Districts and Conclusion on pages together)

14. The Role of Schools and Districts
What are the implications for school leaders?
We will all read the section “The Role of Schools and Districts” and Conclusion. While you are reading, think about the implications for school leaders, specifically for you as a school or district leader?
Allow time to talk at tables about this.
Ask 2-3 to share something that they can take away from this brief.

15. Outcomes Enhance our knowledge of formative assessment.
Identify components of high-quality formative assessment practices.
Now that we’ve learned a little more about formative assessments and our role in implementing research based formative assessments school and systemwide, let’s take that research to practice.

16. How many of you are familiar with Ron Berger’s Leaders of Their Own Learning? This book and accompanying video clips provide great examples of students being engaged in their learning and strategies teachers use to constantly check for understanding and learning.
We’re gong to look at 2 different segments. One will be a look into a classroom, and in the last video, we’ll hear from a principal who has put some school wide structures in place for checking for understanding.

17. Strategies for Monitoring Progress – Checking for Understanding
This clip is from a 9th grade science class. While you are watching, you may want to think about…
How does what I’m seeing connect to the research we read about earlier?
What strategies are used to check for understanding?

18. How did the practice connect to the research we read about earlier?
What strategies were used to check for understanding?
Based on time, talk at tables about these questions, or if time is running short, have a few share out.

19. Schoolwide Structures for Checking for Understanding
This is the principal of Springfield Renaissance School, a 6-12 school in Springfield, Massachusetts.
While you are watching this clip, think about…
How does what I’m seeing connect to the research we read about The Role of Schools and Districts?
What actions does this school leader use to promote schoolwide use of formative assessments?

20. How does this connect to the research we read earlier about “The Role of Schools and Districts”? What actions does this school leader take to promote effective formative assessment practice schoolwide?
Again, based on time, talk at tables about these questions, or if time is running short, have a few share out.

21. Next Steps…
Share what you are doing as a school or district leader to promote effective formative assessment practice schoolwide.

22. Planning Ahead….. CCRS Implementation Meeting #4 (April 2015):
Opening Session
LEA Team Planning Sessions
Regionally Determined Discussion Topics for Breakouts
We shared in the Opening Session that QM#4 was going to look a little different. Instead of have 1 ½ hour content sessions in the morning and afternoon, there will be extended team planning and some discussion topics.
What does this mean for you? You need to put thought into what that time will look like for your district Implementation Teams. Time is a rare commodity, so you really want to use that time wisely. What you don’t wan to happen is trying to figure out what you want to accomplish at the last minute or off the cuff…
Why don’t we take a little time to talk at your table about what that time could look like. You may get some good ideas from your colleagues.

23. Wrapping up………….
You will join your leadership team for a final planning session this afternoon. Team members will share what they learned in content sessions that needs to be shared with other teachers in the district. As the district representative for school leaders, you may want to ask yourself “what did you learn that needs to be shared with other school leaders in your district”?

24. PLUACLD312
Attend and participate in a minimum of three CCRS IT meetings
Reflect on current practices using the Progress and Capacity Rubric
Participate in developing/revising the district CCRS Professional Development/Transition Plan – November 14
Submit plans to Lori Boyd -
Plan and provide CCRS PD to school leaders and teachers
Once again, this is the PLU information. Remember, you must be registered prior to April 17 in order to be considered for the PLU.