Post on 15-Oct-2020
transcript
Assessment: The Linchpin in the Collaborative Planning Process
(Slides)
Virginia Mahlke
Solution Tree
Assessment The Linchpin in the Collaborative
Planning Process
Virginia Mahlke vmahlke@cox.net
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What Does the Research Say?
“The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community.”
—Milbrey McLaughlin
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The standards or behaviors by which we agree to operate while we are in this group
Norms
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Our Learning Norms
Gather back together by raising our hands and stopping our conversations when we see Ginny do the same.
Stay engaged with the group—no cell phones, pagers, or extraneous work.
Be open to new learning.
Seek clarification and ask questions.
Look at yourself and your school or school system with an honest and caring eye.
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Reflection
On a piece of paper make two columns with these headings:
What Resonates With Me
How I Can Apply This at My School?
At different times during the session I will ask you to stop and write on this piece of paper about work we have just completed.
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Definition of a Professional Learning Community
“An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve”
—DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing (2010), p. 11
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“We cannot imagine any school succeeding in its effort to create a professional learning community without a commitment to formative assessments—assessments used for learning.”
—DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour (Eds.), On Common Ground (2005)
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How Do We Use Assessments?
Work with a partner and make a list of all the ways you can use assessments and assessment data.
Categorize what you wrote by whether it gives you:
o Information about students
o Information about teachers
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“Professional learning communities create an intensive focus on learning by clarifying exactly what students are to learn and by monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis.”
—DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing (2010)
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Assessment as Linchpin
1. Linchpin: a locking pin inserted crosswise (as through the end of an axle or shaft)
2. One that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit (the linchpin in the defense’s case)
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How will we know they have learned it?
Essential standards
Develop common
assessments. Design lessons.
Set SMART goal.
Give common assessments.
Plan based on common assessment results.
How will we respond when learning has not occurred?
Analyze data.
How will we respond when learning has already occurred?
What do we want all students to learn?
Deliver lessons.
Reteach—individualize, small group, deploy, etc. Enrich and deepen.
Reassess learning.
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A Shift in the Use of Assessments (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing, 2010)
From infrequent summative assessments To frequent common formative assessments
From assessments to determine which students failed to learn by the deadline
To assessments to identify students who need additional time and support
From assessments used to reward and punish students
To assessments used to inform and motivate students
From assessing many things infrequently To assessing a few things frequently
From individual teacher assessments To assessments developed jointly by collaborative teams
From each teacher determining criteria for judging student work
To collaborative teams determining consistent criteria to be used by the entire team
From an over-reliance on one kind of assessment
To balanced assessments
From focusing on average scores To monitoring each student’s proficiency in every essential skill
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A Balanced Assessment System
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Formative Assessment
“… All those activities undertaken by teachers and/or by students which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they engage”
—Black & Wiliam, “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment,” Phi Delta Kappan (1998), pp. 7–8
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Research on Formative Assessment
The largest gain was for the lowest achievers.
Formative assessment needs to improve.
Improvements need to be made in:
o The accuracy of classroom assessments
o Feedback given to students (more descriptive feedback and less evaluative feedback and grades)
o More student involvement
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Summative Assessment
“[It] occurs when teachers evaluate a final product … usually at the end of a chapter, a unit of study, a benchmark period, a quarter, a course, a semester, or an academic year.”
—Burke, Balanced Assessment: From Formative to Summative (2010), p. 22
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Formative Assessment Is … ? Summative Assessment Is … ?
Summative Formative
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Assessments of Learning
Take place after learning has occurred.
Determine if learning did occur.
Make a statement about student status at a particular point in time.
Help those outside the classroom to make comparisons and placement decisions.
(Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right—Using It Well, 2006)
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Assessments for Learning
Happen while learning is still underway.
Help diagnose students’ needs.
Help plan the next steps in instruction.
Give students feedback they can use to improve performance.
Show students increments of achievement.
(Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right—Using It Well, 2006)
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Common Formative Assessments
Require teachers to meet and agree on what to teach.
Demand discussion on the best ways to help students learn the outcomes.
Require consensus regarding the best way for students to demonstrate their learning.
Show teachers where they have to make adjustments in their teaching.
Ensure consistency at a grade level or across a department.
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What Happens When Teachers Don’t Use Common Formative Assessments
“The more you teach without finding out who understands the information and who doesn’t, the greater the likelihood that only already proficient students will succeed.”
—Wiggins, “Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment,” Edutopia (2006, April)
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Monitoring Along the Way Where are we starting?
Key Questions
Are we moving in the right direction?
Are we going at the necessary pace?
Are we leaving anyone behind?
Where did we end up?
Summative Data
Summative Data
Formative Data
A Balanced and Coherent System of Assessment
Most Formative
Daily/Weekly
Ongoing teacher assessment and checks for understanding
Student involved
In-class adjustments
More Formative Weekly/Unit
Collaboratively developed and curriculum embedded
Pyramid of interventions
More Summative
Interim/Quarterly
Identify groups of at-risk students
Entrance and exit criteria
Programmatic support
Most Summative
Annually
Ranks and benchmarks of proficiency
STAR testing program
Standardized achievement tests
Five Keys for Improving Assessment
Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment
The provision of effective feedback to students
A recognition of the profound influence assessment has on motivation and self-esteem
The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve
The active involvement of students in their own learning
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Determine the level of proficiency needed for mastery.
Identify essential or prioritized standards.
Unwrap standards to clarify targeted concepts and skills.
Develop aligned assessments that match the target.
Sequence of Work for PLC Teams
What standards are we emphasizing in our instruction, assessments, and interventions?
Are we clear on the specific skills and concepts contained within the standard?
Do common assessment questions accurately and efficiently measure skills and concepts?
What is mastery? How do we ensure consistency of mastery?
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Let’s See How This Actually Works
This is the time to look at your school with an honest and caring eye.
As we go through the planning cycle in your handout, ask yourself the questions, decide if you are having substantive conversations, and look for products.
You will see where in the cycle you may be stuck or how you want to tweak an already effective system.
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Bring Something to the Table
Before leaving your group, share something your school is doing in the area of assessment that you think will be helpful for the others in the room.
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Dale Carnegie Says …
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
Thank You!
To schedule professional development at your site, contact
Solution Tree at 800.733.6786.
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