Transcript IMSS

Formative Assessments
Assessment Probes
Adapted from Vermont DOE document
Pair Share or Triads
1. What is a formative assessment.
Provide characteristics and
examples
2. How do you use assessment in
the classroom. Please provide
examples.
Role of Assessment
“The roles for assessment must be expanded
beyond the traditional concept of testing. The
use of frequent formative assessment helps
make students’ thinking visible to themselves,
their peers, and their teacher. This provides
feedback that can guide modification and
refinement in thinking”
(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking 1999).
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment occurs while
knowledge is being learned. Summative
assessment occurs at the end of a learning
episode – for example, at the end of a course.
(McMillan, 2000)
Formative assessments are 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 and
Wilam, 1998)
(image)
Vision for Assessment
At the heart of the instructional process is a
clear understanding of what students should
know and be able to do when the instruction is
complete.
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Assessment Probes
Purpose
•To identify and address students’
common science misconceptions as
identified in the science education
research.
•Each probe is designed to target one or
more related concepts that cut across
grade spans.
•Use probes to examine students’
conceptions to inform teaching and
student learning
Assessment Probes
Format
Each probe consists of two parts—an
engaging prompt (usually an ‘enhanced’
selected-response question) about
familiar phenomena or objects AND an
opportunity for students to describe their
thinking or
provide an explanation for the thinking
that led to their answer.
Assessment Probes
Format
Part 1: Selected response distracters that
include research-identified ideas held by
students
Part II: An open-ended response that
asks students to explain their thinking.
Assessment Probes
Suggested Approaches
1. Select a probe that is related to a
specific learning objective aligned with
your lesson/unit.
2. Ways to elicit student responses
a. Have students write their ideas in
response to initial prompt, followed
by sharing and discussion of ideas.
b. Use the probe during small-group
or whole-class discussions and
listen carefully to responses.
Assessment Probes
Suggested Approaches
3.Utilize good Questioning techniques to
encourage discussion.
Avoid the ‘right answer’ approach.
Allow students to discuss what they
think…and respond to other students’
ideas. The explanations are designed
to help identify what the most
scientifically acceptable
answers are, as well as to clarify any
misunderstandings that might exist.
Assessment Probes
Suggested Approaches
4.Accommodate for differences in
students’ background knowledge.
a. Allow students to cross out any item
in the list that they are unfamiliar
with.
b. You may choose to show an
example of one or more of the
objects in the list.
c. Some probes may be used as a
card-sort. In small groups students
sort cards into categories, meeting
Assessment Probes
Suggested Approaches
5.Application of Probe-determined
insights.
Analyze class data to determine the
general level of understanding about the
concept.
a. Analyze class data to determine the
extremes and the variety of
(mis)understanding about the
concept .
b. Then it is up to you to decide upon
the interventions that you might use
EXAMPLE OF AN ASSESSMENT PROBE
The wet jeans
Sam washed his favorite pair of jeans.
He hung the wet jeans on a clothesline
outside. An hour later the jeans were
dry.
.
Circle the answer that best describes what happened
to the water that was in the wet jeans.
A. It soaked into the ground.
B. It disappeared and no longer exists.
C. It is in the air in an invisible form.
D. It moved upward and formed clouds.
E. It chemically changed into a new substance.
F. It went up to the Sun.
Explain your thinking. What ideas do you have to
support
your answer?
EXAMPLE OF AN ASSESSMENT PROBE
Ice Cubes in a Bag
You are having an argument with your friend
about what happens to the mass when
matter changes from one form to another. To
prove your idea, you put three ice cubes in a
sealed bag and recorded the mass of the ice
in the bag. You let the ice cubes melt
completely. Ten minutes later you recorded
the mass of the water in the bag. Which of
the following best describes the result?
Circle your prediction.
A. The mass of the water in the bag will be
less than the mass of the ice in the bag.
B. The mass of the water in the bag will be
more than the mass of the ice in the bag.
C. The mass of the water in the bag would
.
be the same as the mass of the ice cubes
in the bag.
Explain to your friend why you chose A, B, or
C. Describe at least one good reason to
support your argument about what happened
to the mass.
Triads Discussion
1. With your group look at results in table 3
on page 20 of science scope handout.
2. What could you learn about your student
.
thinking from these results?
What she learned
1. Students had trouble differentiating the
idea of density and mass or weight and
mass.
.2. Even students who chose the correct
answer (C) used faulty reasoning.
3. Other thoughts:
a. Where did these ideas come from?
b. What was taught during previous
years?
c. Perhaps teachers from multiple grades
would be interested in using similar
probes and sharing the data as a way
Definition of Performance Assessment
A performance assessment is an
assessment based upon an observation
or judgment. Students engage in an
activity that requires them to apply a
standard, skill, or produce a product or
performance. We judge its quality.
Adapted from Stiggins et al in Classroom
Assessments
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for Student Learning
Performance Assessment
Assess What?
Most appropriate to measure student
reasoning ability, performance skills, and
the ability to create products and
performances.
It is not as effective in measuring
knowledge acquisition.
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Adapted from Stiggins et al in Classroom
Assessments
for Student Learning
References
Ariasian, P.W. 1994. Classroom Assessment (2nd Ed.) McGraw Hill. New York, New York.
Bangert-Drowns, R.L., Kulik, C.C., Kulik, J. A. & Morgan, M.T. (1991). The instructional effect of feedback
on test-like events. Review of Educational Research. Volume 6. Number 2. Pages 213-238
Black and Wiliam, D. 1998. Assessment and Classroom Learning. Assessment in Education. Volume 5.
Number 1. Pages 7-75.
Fuchs, L.S. & Fuchs, D. 1986. Effects of systematic formative evaluation. A meta-analysis. Exceptional
Children. Volume 53. Number 3. Pages 199-208.
Keeley, Page. 2008. Science Formative Assessments. Corwin Press.
Lantz, H. Jr. 2004.Rubrics for Assessing Student Achievement in Science Grades K-12, Corwin Press, 2
(NSTA press)
Marzano, Robert. 2006. Classroom Assessments & Grading that Work. ASCD. Alexandria. VA.
McMillan, J. H. 2000. Basic Concepts for teachers and administrators. Corwin Press Thousand Oaks, Ca.
Marzano, Robert. J., Pickering, Debra, J., Pollock, Jane, E. 2001. Classroom Instruction that Works.
ASCD. Alexandria, Va.
Stiggins, Rick, Arter, Judith, Chappuis, Jan, Chappuis, Steve. 2006. Classroom Assessments for Student
Learning. Doing it Right – Using it Well. Educational Testing Service. Princeton, NJ.
Citation Information:
Keeley, Page, et al. 2005. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science—25 Formative Assessment
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Probes. Arlington, Va.: NSTA Press. ISBN 0-87355-255-5
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