Transcript Slide 1

Assessment
Best Practices
Essential Questions
1.
What is the process for developing common
formative assessments?
2.
How do we develop high quality common
assessments items?
3.
How do we increase student involvement in
assessment?
Essential Question #1
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR
DEVELOPING COMMON
ASSESSMENTS?
Process for Common Assessment
Monitor for
learning of
individual and
collective results
Instruction
and ongoing
assessment
Tally and
review common
assessment
results
Assessment
Create a plan for
appropriate
intervention
Revise
instructional
strategies and
assessments as
needed
Instruction
and ongoing
assessment
Intervention
Repeat
intervention loop
as needed
Design
formative and
summative
assessments
Identify the targets
for the
assessments
Assess again –
monitoring for
results
Common Assessments
are typically addressed in PLCs
Working as a team, PLCs typically:
• Develop common assessments.
• Develop common rubrics.
• Examine student work.
• Analyze assessment data.
• Strategize common interventions.
• Provide objective feedback to one another.
• Use student results to revise assessment
instruments.
Examples of Common Assessments
 Short quizzes
 Unit tests
 Mid-terms
 Finals
 Focus area assessments
 Reading
 Writing
 Math Concepts
 Commercially designed assessments
How Often Should
Common Assessments be Given?
 Common assessments are designed to give
teachers feedback about how students are
doing.
 Giving common assessments two or three
times per year is helpful, but doesn’t
provide teachers enough feedback.
 Once per instructional unit?
 Begin small (1-2) and add new each year.
Developing an Assessment Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Determine the objectives for the unit you will be
teaching.
Deconstruct the objectives as needed.
Write the learning targets into the plan.
Determine which assessment method(s) will be
used to assess the targets.
Decide on the percent importance of each target (or
group of targets).
Develop assessment(s) based on plan.
Stiggins, 2006
Knowledge/Understanding
 The facts and concepts we want students to
know. Some to be learned outright; some to
be retrieved using reference materials.
 Key words: explain, understand, describe,
identify, tell, name, list, define, label, match,
choose, recall, recognize, select, know
 Example: L3.2.1 Know and use the terms of
basic logic.
Reasoning
 Students use what they know to reason and solve
problems, make decisions, plan, etc.
 Key Words – analyze, compare/contrast,
synthesize, classify, infer, evaluate, etc.
 Example: L3.1.1 Distinguish between inductive
and deductive reasoning, identifying and
providing examples of each.
Skills
 Students use their knowledge and reasoning to
act skillfully; where the doing is what is
important.
 Key words – observe, listen, perform, do,
question, conduct, work, read, speak, use,
demonstrate, explore, etc.
 Example: A3.1.2 Graph lines (including those of
the form x = h and y = k) given appropriate
information.
Products
 Students use their knowledge, reasoning, and
skills to create a concrete product.
 Key words – design, produce, create, develop,
make, write, draw, represent, display, model,
construct, etc.
 Example – S6.3 Carry out (large sample)
significance tests for one proportion and the
difference of two proportions, with emphasis on
proper interpretation of results.
Selected Written Response
 Students select the correct or best response.
 Multiple choice
 True/false
 Matching
 Fill-in-the-blank
 Evaluated with an answer key
Extended Written Response
(constructed response, essay)
 Students construct a written answer at least several
sentences in length in response to a question or task.
 Evaluated with a checklist or rubric.
Performance Assessment
 Assessment based on observation and judgment
 Consists of a task (what students do) and scoring
criteria (how you will judge quality).
Test Plan Sample
Learning Targets
Acquire vocabulary associated
with the physics of sound.
Learn that sound originates
from a source that is vibrating
and is detected, etc.
Use knowledge of physics of
sound to solve simple sound
changes.
Type of
Target
Knowledge
Knowledge
Assessment
Method
Selected
Response
25%
Selected
Response
Reasoning
Extended
Written
Response
Understand the relationship
between the pitch of a sound,
etc.
Reasoning
Extended
Written
Response
Use scientific processes to
conduct investigations and
build explanations: observing,
comparing, etc.
Performance
Skill
Percent
Importance
5%
20%
10%
Performance
Assessment
40%
Stiggins, 2006
You don’t need to reinvent the
wheel,
but you do need to kick the tires.
Use your professional filters
 Questions for common assessments may
be taken from textbooks, black-line
masters, sample test banks, or previously
administered classroom tests.
Developing Assessment Plan Practice
 As a team, pick a Unit for which you would
develop a common assessment.
 Take a look at the targets (I can….statements) that
you developed last time we met.
 Determine what types of targets you developed
and what types of assessments you need to develop
for these targets.
You have a plan - now what?
Essential Question #2
HOW DO WE DEVELOP
HIGH QUALITY COMMON
ASSESSMENTS ITEMS?
Best Test/Worst Test
 Find someone from another table.
 Talk about the best test you have ever taken.
 Then talk about the worst test you have ever taken.
 What was it about the assessment that made it best
or worst?
Developing Quality Items
Target-Type Writing
Match
Good
Questions
Selected
Response
Extended
Written
Response
Performance
Assessment
Sampling
Avoiding
Bias
Selected Response
Target Type Writing Good Questions
Match
Knowledge
and
Reasoning
•Keep wording simple and
focused.
•Ask a full question in the
stem.
•Eliminate clues to the
correct answer within the
question or across questions
in a test.
•Answers should not be
obvious.
•Highlight critical words.
Sampling
Avoiding Bias
4 to 7 items
per target
•Avoid items
designed to
mislead or
deceive students
•into answering
incorrectly.
•Keep
vocabulary
consistent with
students’ level of
understanding.
•Keep reading
level
appropriate.
Test Item Quality Checklist
 Take a couple of minutes to read through the
checklist.
 As you read through the checklist, mark all the items
that you do as you develop assessments.
 Now give yourselves a pat on the back if most or all
of the items were checked off.
Extended Written Response
Target
Type
Match
Knowledge, 1.
Reasoning
2.
and Product
3.
Writing Good
Questions
Set the context.
Specify the
reasoning.
Point the way.
Sampling
1 task per
target.
Don’t give
student
choices.
Avoiding Bias
•Design good
rubrics.
•Set clear
criteria.
•Reflect target
you are
assessing.
•Keep reading
level as low as
possible.
•Devise clear
instructions.
Sample Extended Written Response Question
During the term, we have discussed both the
evolution of Spanish literature and the changing
political climate in Spain during the 21st century.
(Context)
Analyze these two dimensions of life in Spain, citing
instances where literature and politics may have
influenced each other: Describe those influences in
specific terms. (Reasoning)
In planning your response, think about what we
learned about prominent novelists, political satirists,
and prominent political figures of Spain. (5 points
per instances, total = 15 points). (Point the Way)
Mathematics example
 Over the last few days, we have worked with proofs
by mathematical induction. We have completed
several proofs together, and you have tried three of
them for homework. Below is another induction
proof, but it’s already done for you! Your job is to
explain the steps to a classmate. Pretend they were
absent the day we first learned about proofs by
induction (poor them!) and you want to help them
understand. The steps are numbered, so you may
refer to them in your response. Be sure to include
why the proof is important. To help you see the value
of the proof, think about answering the question
“what does this proof tell you about each partial
sum?”
Literature Example
 During the study of the novel To Kill a
Mockingbird, we have discussed several
different themes and how they impact the culture
in the novel and how they transcend to culture
today. Explain and analyze three themes from
the novel and show (with detail) how they impact
both cultures. In planning your response, take
one theme at a time and state, define, and show
the impact using details. Think about specific
characters and plot developments that we have
discussed in relation to each of themes that you
could use in your response.
Performance Assessment
Target Type
Match
Knowledge,
Reasoning
and Skills
Writing Good
Questions
1. Novel and
engaging
tasks
2. Provide
information
that will
help
students
Sampling
Multiple
samples may
be needed to
get an
accurate
picture of
performance.
Avoiding Bias
Performance
criteria
provide a
clear and
accurate
picture of
quality.
Evaluating Your Performance Assessment
 Did your assessment tool take into account whether
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learners were engaged in a real-world task or
application?
Did your assessment allow students an equal opportunity
to perform?
Did your assessment allow students to use higher-level
thinking and problem-solving skills?
Did your assessment allow students to achieve one
criteria while advancing to another?
Did you create a rubric to evaluate the students' progress
throughout the task?
Did you allow the students to help develop goals and
criteria for the evaluation of the task?
Science Example
Your Two Cents

The Scene: What is there to know about pennies, besides that they’re worth one cent? (Can you name what’s on each side of a
penny, without looking?!) The U.S. Mint is the branch of the government responsible for producing paper and coin money. They
want to put together a collection of reports that can tell U.S. citizens everything they could possibly want to know about pennies. In
order to be accepted, the author of each report must be able to insure that the information provided in the collection of reports is
accurate.

Your Job: Your goal in this exercise is to choose one thing about pennies to study, conduct a well-designed experiment, and
produce a report of your experiment that convinces U.S. citizens that your results are accurate and trustworthy. You may choose
anything about pennies to study.

Your final product will be a well-written lab report. See Mr. Bridle’s example of a well-written report.

We will be working on this task for several days as outlined below.
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Section 1: Posing a Question and Doing Background Research (1 day)
Section 2: Hypothesis, Materials, Controlled Variables, Sample Size, Writing a Procedure and Data Table. (1 day)
Section 3: Performing the Experiment, Collecting Data, Building a Graph. (1day)
Section 4: Drawing Conclusions and Publishing Results. (1day)

As you work on this task over the next four days, you will have time to give and receive feedback from Mr. Bridle as well as your
classmates. Use these resources to your advantage, but remember you are producing a report that is unique. Copying =
Plagiarism.

Evaluation: You will be evaluated using the same rubrics that appear in this packet. This task is a demonstration of your
understanding of the scientific method and is a final unit assessment. I trust that you will create an excellent lab report and wish
you the best of luck in your experimentation.

This packet will be a record of your progress through this task, as well as a guide. Don’t lose it! If the spaces provided for each step
are not large enough, feel free to attach separate sheets of paper to complete your work.

Don’t let this packet scare you! You know this material and you can do this!
Developing Quality Rubrics
Metaguide to Developing Rubrics
Content
Clarity
Practicality
Technical
Quality/Fairness
• Does it cover everything of importance?
• Does it leave out unimportant things?
• Are terms defined?
• Are various levels of quality defined?
• Are there samples of work to illustrate levels of quality?
• Will students understand what is meant?
• Can students use it to self-assess and set specific goals?
• Is the information provided useful for planning instruction?
• Is the rubric manageable?
• Is it reliable? Will raters give it the same score?
• Is it valid? Do the ratings actually represent what the students
can do?
• Is it fair? Does it avoid bias?
Stiggins, 2006, p. 203
Common Problem with Rubrics
 Counting items when quality is what
really counts
 Leaving out things that are important
 Including things that are trivial
 Using unclear language or terms
Evaluating Rubrics Exercise
At your table, distribute the rubrics at your table
(either individually or in pairs).
2. Compare the rubric to the Metaguide to Developing
Rubrics.
3. Decide what you like about the rubric and what
would need to be improved based on the
Metaguide.
4. Be prepared to discuss your ideas in the larger
group.
1.
Rubric Resources
 http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/as
sess.html
 http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/resources/rubrics/index.htm
Common Assessment in a PLC
Developing common
assessments will become easier
the more you do.
“Creating common assessments that honor the content and
nature of our discipline while keenly and clearly assessing what
students know and can do is complex, important, and challenging
work.
By working collaboratively with your colleagues and starting
always with Steven Covey's "end in mind," we're likely to produce
assessments that are meaningful to both students and their
teachers.”
Ellen Moir, Director of the New Teacher Center,
UC Santa Cruz
Where do we go from here?
 Teachers in this school have worked together to clarify
and focus on the essential outcomes for each course,
each grade level, and each unit of instruction
 These common essential outcomes reflect the teacher’s
efforts to build shared knowledge regarding best practice
 Teachers in the school have worked together to clarify
the criteria they use in judging the quality of student
work and they apply the criteria consistently
 Teachers in the school have worked together to monitor
student learning through frequent formative
assessments that are aligned to state and local standards
Common Assessments Brainstorm
Brainstorm the necessary steps for
your school to implement common
assessments.
 Identify the challenges involved in
implementing the steps you
outlined.
 Brainstorm actions your school will
need to undertake to address the
challenges.

Choose a recorder to document your school’s responses
on chart paper and hang on wall for sharing with others.
Gallery Walk
 In your groups, take a marker and do a
gallery walk.
 Read the group responses and add
ideas/comments/suggestions regarding
the challenges they face.
Essential Question #3
HOW DO WE INCREASE
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN
ASSESSMENT?
Student Involvement
“When students are required to think
about their own learning, articulate
what they understand, and what they
still need to learn, achievement
improves.”
Black and Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996; Young 2000
Student Involvement: Guiding Questions
 Where am I going?
 Where am I now?
 How can I close the
gap?
Royce Sadler
Seven Strategies of
Assessment for Learning
Where Am I Going?
Strategy 1: Provide a clear and understandable vision of the
learning target.
Strategy 2: Use examples and models of strong and weak work.
Where Am I Now?
Strategy 3: Offer regular descriptive feedback
Strategy 4: Teach students to self-assess and set goals.
How Can I Close the Gap?
Strategy 5: Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a
time.
Strategy 6: Teach students focused revision.
Strategy 7: Engage students in self-reflection and let them keep
track of and share their learning
Where Am I Going?
 Provide a Clear and Understandable Vision of
the Learning Target


“I Can” statements
Scoring Guides and Rubrics
 Use Examples and Models of Strong and
Weak Work
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Common problems
Analyze samples
Justify judgments
Where Am I Now?
 Offer Descriptive Feedback
 What the student is doing correctly
 What needs work
 Be selective in feedback
 Teach Students to Self Assess and Set Goals
 Identify own strengths and weaknesses
 Write in a response log
 Select work samples for portfolios
 Offer descriptive feedback to classmates
How Can I Close the Gap?
 Design Lessons to Focus on One Aspect of Quality at
a Time
 Teach Students Focused Revision
 Engage Students in Self-Reflection and Let Them
Keep Track of and Share Their Learning
Our Goal: Students Who Are…
 Informed about their learning
 Analytical regarding their learning
 Actively involved in their learning
 Personally invested in their learning
What The Student Does
 Step One: Looks over the corrected test and marks
on the form “Identifying Strengths and Areas for
Improvement” whether each problem is right or
wrong.
 Step Two: Reviews the wrong problems and decides
if the error was due to a simple mistake or to not
knowing how to do the problem.
Clear Targets and Student Goal Setting
Problem
Learning
Target
Right?
1
Write
numerals in
expanded…
x
2
Write
numerals in
expanded…
x
3
Write
numerals in
expanded…
x
Wrong?
Simple
mistake?
Don’t get
it
Student Involvement Examples
 Students name their learning targets.
 Students manage their materials and their data, tracking their
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own progress on achievement.
Students set goals and learning plans or activities for
themselves as learners.
Students self-assess, self-evaluate, and peer-evaluate their
work.
Students reflect on what they have learned.
Students generate possible test items.
Students participate in rubric development.
Students engage in meaningful dialogue.
Students support each other in addressing gaps.
Final Thought
Students may not hit the target today…
the important thing is that they remain
willing to shoot at it again tomorrow.
Team Reading/Resources
Resources
 Chappuis, S. & Stiggins, R. Finding balance:
assessment in the middle school classroom, middle
ground, October 2008, 12 (2), 12-15. Retrieved
from:
 http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleGround/
Articles/October2008/Article1/tabid/1755/Default.
aspx
 Stiggins, R.J., Arter, J.A., Chappuis, J. & Chappuis,
S. (2006). Classroom Assessment for Student
Learning: Doing it Right-Using it Well. Portland,
OR: ETS.
 Jakicic, C. , Presentation Handouts, Solution Tree