Transforming Student MindsetStandards-Referenced Grading
in Middle School
ACTFL 2015
• Vielka Reina • Ted Sadtler • The Westminster Schools
Introduction
• Standards, not content, drive curriculum • Creating, sharing, and calibrating rubrics is a critical component in a successful language program
• Effective assessments share three criteria: • Alignment with standards • An informed student body • Probative, reflective, and strategic value
Three takeaways from today’s conversation
• Curriculum framework (including standards and targets)
• Course content, grades 6-8 • Sample assessments • ALL rubrics
Four resources from today’s conversation
• Dropbox link: http://ow.ly/Ux1TU • https://todaysmeet.com/GradingForMindset • Ted Sadtler @senor206 • Vielka Reina @vnreina
Resources and Contact Info
Meet Marisa
Grades don’t motivate kids effectively. Understanding does.
strengths and weaknesses
The Problem
Ownership, Access, Communication
• Textbook encourages teacher ownership
• Many rubrics are not visible to students-they reside in the teacher’s expertise
• Teachers struggle to communicate expectations beyond “Do this, do that”
Our Solution
Standards Rubrics Assessments
Turning-point professional development [involves] translating standards into learning targets for students.
-Susan Brookhart
• We publish standards at the beginning of the unit
• We examine rubrics with students using authentic student work
• Assessments derive literally from standards
Standards, not content, drive curriculum
A student with a standard is like a hiker with a compass
Standards-Referenced vs. Standards-Based
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Grant Wiggins and Robert Marzano describe standards-referenced grading:
• Teachers give students feedback about their proficiency based on a set of defined standards
• Report student levels of performance on the standards • Students are not moved forward (or backward) to a different set of
standards based on their level of competence
Language Standards, Grades 6-8\
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• I can present information about myself and others.
• I can ask, understand, and respond to questions.
• I can understand simple texts.
• I can understand questions, as well as audio & video samples.
• I can present information and produce texts such as an email, letter, essay, or story.
Curriculum Framework
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
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Final Thought
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
A student with a standard is like a hiker with a compass
• The student must be able to make meaning with the standard
• He must be able to find relevance in the standard • He must see the standard play out in multiple activities and
assessments
Creating, sharing, and calibrating rubrics is a
critical component to the process
Rubrics, like maps, need to be legible, available, and consistent.
Create Rubrics Together
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Call out box for text only.
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• Focus on the user
• Benchmark to standards (ACTFL)
• Take the time needed
• Argue over the big words (and little words)
• Use consistent language across rubrics
• Revisit after you “put them in the field”
Share Your Rubrics
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
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• Students appreciate a level playing field
• There is power in speaking common language around language performance
• Observe each other’s use of rubrics
We all laid our rubrics on a big table—dozens of rubrics. We didn’t know where to start.
-English teacher
Calibrate…Often
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
After a while my idea of what a “3” sounds like differs greatly from what my colleagues think.
-Zeke, Spanish teacher
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• Listen to past student work from multiple levels
• Grade and compare
• Discuss, argue, dig in your heals and give up ground
• Don’t stop until you reach consensus
Presentational Speaking Rubric
Interpretive Reading Rubric
Final Thought
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Rubrics, like maps, need to be legible, available, and consistent.• Use words kids understand, even if they’re not precise • Discuss the rubric BEFORE assessment (beginning of year,
at interims) • Create parallel structure where possible (Speaking/Writing,
Listening/Reading) • Use the same rubrics in all language classes
Effective assessments are effective for a reason.
reasonsthree
Effective assessments derive from valid standards
• Tasks are aligned with meaningful standards
• Students are informed about the process and expectations
• Students have an opportunity to reflect on past work in order to prepare for future work
In effective assessments…
Tasks align with standards\
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• Standard provides the skill for the assessment
• Learning Target provides the context for the assessment
Example: Interpretive Reading
Example: Interpretive Reading
Students are informed participants
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Studies of change convincingly show that success in any change effort always hinges on what happens at the smallest unit of the organization.
-Peter Senge
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• Students have access to rubrics throughout the year
• Students have the opportunity to hear previous student work while listening to the rubric
• Student have a chance to ask questions about wording and expectations
Assessment has a growth orientation
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
formative assessments = assessments that carry the intent of informing future practice & performance
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• Students should have the opportunity to listen/read their work while examining teacher feedback
• Students should be able to reassess in certain circumstances
Final Thought
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Assessments are both the destination and the waypoints on the path to learning.*
• Assessments provide • evidence of actual proficiency • advice for future performance
• Assessment OF learning vs. assessment FOR learning**
*to paraphrase Grant Lichtmann **to directly quote Rick Stiggins
Conclusion
Change starts with you
The Westminster Fund engages nearly 300 volunteers annually.
Studies of change convincingly show that success in any change effort always hinges on what happens at the smallest unit of the organization.
-Peter Senge
How can we help?
• Q&A • TodaysMeet
• More “show n’ tell” • Dig into specific standards, assessments, or rubrics
• Look at our gradebook