Formative Assessment

Institute

Barb Rowenhorst

Janet Hensley

Jo Hartmann

Marilyn Hofer

Pam Lange

Day Three:September 20th

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TransitionIt’s All About Numbers

5

Welcome Back. . .

On an index card, write down three

numbers between 0 and 10.

6

Take a minute and think to yourself how each number

represents something in your life.

For example: If I wrote down the number 3 – I would share that I

come from a family of six children, and I am number three in the pecking order.

7

Group Sharing• Using the round robin protocol, share

with your group what each number represents.

• Share only one number at a time, then move to the next group member.

• Continue around the table until each person has shared all three of their numbers.

8

Things to remember….

• Numbers represent many different things, and how you interpret them can make a major difference in the outcome.

• Not everything that can be measured counts and not everything that counts can be measured.

Learning Targets

Lander, WYSeptember, 2007

Marilyn Hofer & Jo HartmannTIE

It’s hard to hit a target if you can’t

See it

•What is the intended learning?

•That’s the target!

The learning targets may also be called:

• Content standards• Benchmarks• Grade level indicators• Grade level expectations

•Learning outcomes•Lesson objectives•Learning statements and•Essential learnings

All the synonyms represent

Learning statementsor

Statements of Intended learning

The point is that if we don’t begin with clear

statements of intended learning, we won’t end

with sound assessments

It’s hard to know where you’re

going if you don’t have a map.

Sample Learning Target

Students will comprehend fictional, informational, and task-oriented text.

In order to plan lessons, we would need to define

“comprehend” and pin down the kinds of fictional,

informational, and task-oriented texts we will work

with this year.

The key to improving student achievement is not looking at how to assess, but focusing instead on WHAT to assess.

We should examine whether or not our assessments

reflect clear and important learning targets.

If we further break down the learning target example into

a set of sub-targets

Such as “comprehend” being defined as

– “identifies main idea and supporting details,

– summarizes text,

– makes inferences and predictions, and

– uses context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words”

Then it becomes clear that a project such as “build a

diorama” is NOT an appropriate measure of

whether or not students have reached the learning target.

Intentional Teaching• Once we determine our learning targets

and define how we should assess them,

• then we can plan clear instruction and experiences

• and can best combine them to prepare students to know what they need to know and demonstrate their learning.

Intentional teaching then means that all instruction and classroom activities are aimed at specific learning targets.

Teaching by “mentioning it”

• With so much curriculum, we have to make difficult choices about what to teach and what to leave out.

• We must learn to balance “in depth” with” coverage.”

• When we begin with well-defined targets, we are able to develop assessments that

1. reflect exactly what we teach

and

2. what we expect students to learn.

• Is there any reason NOT to include in our curriculum and teaching, learning targets that are tested for accountability purposes?

• There are many benefits based on the existence of learnings that are

»CLEAR and»USABLE

• In order to build clear learning targets we need to understand that there are actually FIVE kinds of learning targets.

Knowledge Targets

Usually knowledge targets begin with words like:– Knows, lists, names, identifies,

recalls

Procedural knowledge targets call for knowing how to do something.

–Example: Uses scientific notation to represent very large and very small numbers.

If information were water we’d all be drowning.

• Beyond knowing things outright, we can know things via reference.

• There isn’t enough time to teach everything students need to know.

• Thus, we need to determine which knowledge students will be required to know outright

• and which they will be required to learn via reference.

Reasoning Targets

• Reasoning targets deal with the skillful use or application of knowledge.

Reasoning targets start out with mental processes like:

–Predicts, infers, classifies, hypothesizes, compares, concludes, summarizes, analyzes, evaluates, generalizes

Types of Reasoning

1. Inductive reasoning uses specific facts or evidence to infer general conclusions

2. Deductive reasoning begins with a general rule or principle to infer specific conclusions or solutions

3. Analytical reasoning requires that we examine components or structure of something.

It is used in almost every

discipline when we identify parts and describe relationships among them.

4. Comparative reasoning describes similarities and differences between two or more items.

Marzano’s research concludes that identifying similarities and differences is the most effective learning technique for students.

5. Classifying means sorting things into categories based on specific characteristics. The trick being to identify relevant categories.

6. Evaluative reasoning involves expressing and defending an opinion, a point of view, a judgment or a decision.

This necessitates providing credible evidence on which to base one’s conclusions.

7. Synthesis is the process of combining several discrete elements to create something new.

There are many different “takes” on reasoning, but Stiggins gives us the preceding six (or seven) if you differentiate between inductive and deductive reasoning as I did.

Stiggins’ list contains the most common reasoning targets found in standards documents.

Performance Skills Targets

Performance skills require the students to demonstrate their mastery of a learning target and to be

observed.

Product Targets

Product targets are not used as frequently as other types but are highly valued, calling for creation of a product.

• It may be difficult to differentiate between “task” and “target.”

• The key question is always “What is the intended learning?”

Dispositional Targets

Dispositional targets rarely show up on state standards but are important because they reflect students’ attitudes about school

and learning.

• Examples of learning targets are shown on Table 3.1 of Stiggins’ book, “Classroom Assessment for Student Learning.”

• We would like you to look at the chart and with a partner, formulate for your school, one knowledge and one skill target for one subject area at whichever grade level you prefer.

Personal Communication

Give it a tryCritique an

Assessment for Clear Purposes

We should examine whether or not our assessments reflect clear and important learning

targets.

Key 2: Clear Targets• Do the assessment authors have a

clear picture of what they are trying to measure?

• Are the student learning targets stated and easy to find?

• Are the student learning targets focused—there are not too many?

• Are they clear? Would teachers agree on what they mean?

Key 2: Clear Targets• Are they appropriate? Do they represent

the heart of the discipline and are they worth the instructional and assessment time devoted to them? Is there a clear connection to standards?

• Do the learning targets assessed represent what was taught?

• Do the stated learning targets fit into a bigger plan to cover all important learning targets over time? Do they fit into a bigger plan across grade levels—previous and next learning—in a continuous-progress curriculum?

Explore Rubric1. Individually, read the strong level of the

Clear Purposes rubric first—”fast tracked.” The read the beginning level—”side tracked”—and finally the middle level—”on track.” mark the words and phrases that jump out at you as those really describing each level of quality.

2. Discuss any questions you have about the rubric with your colleagues.

6 minutes

Focus on Trait Two, called Key Two on the Rubric

Rubrics for all five key traits or keys are found in the CD in the back of your book.

Critique Sample Assessment

• Choose the fifth grade or the high school sample to critique using the rubric, only focusing on key two.

• Individually score the sample using the rubric.

• There is no “right” score, only a “justifiable” score. Justify your score using the words and phrases from the rubric that describe the assessment.

Critique Sample Assessment

• Find two others who have scored the same sample that you did.

• Compare your scores. Discuss discrepancies and come to a consensus.

• If time remains, repeat the directions for the other sample.

• Several samples are available on the CD included with your book.

We are learning to…

We are looking for…

Questioning

Lander, WYSeptember, 2007

Barb Rowenhorst and Janet HensleyTIE

Questioning Video

Note the +/- observations of the instructor’s questioning techniques

How much instructional time is used for questioning?

Video Observations

• Share your observations with your table.

Questioning Practices

1. In general, avoid “Yes/No” or short answer questions.

2. Have students explain all responses.

3. Question each and every student every day.

4. If a student responds with “I don’t know,” follow-up with 1-2 additional questions.(Hannel, 2003)

Purpose of Questioning

Build knowledge rather than mere chronological facts.

Maintain student engagement.

Take students to the next level of learning.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Handout

Bloom’s Taxonomy Research

The verbs in each category indicate a kind of thinking skill needed to complete an assignment.

As you move up the scale, the level of thinking increases.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Research

• Higher order questions produce more learning, but most of the questions teachers ask are lower order in nature. (Davis, O.L., & Tinsley, 1967; Fillippone, 1998; Guszak, 1967; Mueller, 1973)

• Teachers tend to ask questions in the “knowledge” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy _________ of the time.

80-90%

Questioning

Why question?

What is it used for?

Does it make a difference?

When should we concentrate on questioning?

04/21/23

Benjamin Bloom1913-1999

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists.

At that time, Bloom found that over 95% of test questions only had students thinking at the very lowest level -- the recall of information.

Taxonomy Model Handout

Thinking Verbs Handout

Thinking Verbs Handout

Verbs to Create Questions

As a group of 4

Determine a topic to practice writing questions.

Roll the dice -- if you get a number one, you need to ask a question about the topic that fits the 1st level of Blooms, a 3 the 3rd level of Blooms (application), etc.

Verbs to Create Questions

What questions were the easiest to write?

What questions were more difficult to write?

Creating Questions

Why might it be important to compose questions prior to

teaching a lesson?

Questioning Goal

Create a personal classroom questioning goal for the next two

months on which you want to focus.

Questioning Goal Sheet

Goal Examples

Team Planning Time

Funny QuestionsIf corn oil comes from corn, where does

baby oil come from?

Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

When you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? 

Do Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC Song have the same tune?

Why did you start singing the two songs above?

Assessment Legacy

Lander, WYSeptember, 2007

Pam LangeTIE

Our Assessment Goal

To create and maintain a balanced assessment system that includes high quality assessments of and for student learning.

Our assessment reality is no

longer…

SummativeSummative

Summative

Our new reality is…

A Balanced Assessment System

This includes: a variety of assessments of and for

learning;

timely and understandable information;

helping individuals make informed instructional decisions; and

maximizing student success.

Legacy Activity

Video Clip

Discussion Question: How does this legacy align with the work currently happening within your district?

Ability and Effort  Ability Effort

High Achievement

   

Low Achievement

   

Create a “Future” Legacy

Complete activity

Whole group

What does Stiggins Say . . .

Looking into the future . . .

School Mission: Meet standards

Student’s Mission: Become competent

Student’s Nature: Naturally want to learn

Rate of Learning: Learn at different rates

To Get Learning: Keep goals within reach

Driving Forces: Collaboration and success

What Works: Build on record of prior success

Assessment’s Role: Clarify learning targets

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Technology

• FAI Wiki Site: http://fai.tie.wikispaces.net/

• Let’s take a tour . . .

FAI Planning GuideHow do we find available time to

begin sharing information from this training? Circle all that apply?

• In-service days• Staff meetings• Grade level meetings

Which activities/information does your team feel necessary to take back to your building staff?

Home “play”• Develop learning targets for a unit, theme,

or lesson you have to teach in the near future.

• You may not have learning targets at each achievement level, but try to select a unit at an level higher than knowledge target level.

• Bring a copy of the unit outline and learning target (s) with you to the next training.

Ticket Out

• Evaluation

Safe Travels

See you November 12-13