Common Formative Assessment WSFCS PLC School Facilitators

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Common Formative Assessment WSFCS PLC School
Facilitators
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PLCs

• Focus on Learning
• Focus on Collaborating
• Focus on Results

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Focus On Learning

• What do we want our students to know, understand
  and be able to do?
• - Unpacking Standards
• How will we know when they have learned it?
• Data Protocols and Common Assessments
• How will we respond when some students have not
  learned and how will we respond when some
  students have learned?

Learning by Doing. Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, Many.
Solution Tree.2006
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All Teams Engage In An Ongoing Cycle of
Continuous Improvement
Data Gather Evidence of Student Learning
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All Teams Engage In An Ongoing Cycle of

• Gathering evidence of current levels of student
  learning
• Developing strategies to build on strengths and
  address weaknesses in that learning

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All Teams Engage In An Ongoing Cycle of

• Implementing the strategies and ideas
• Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover
  what was effective and what was not
• Applying the new knowledge in the next cycle of
  continuous improvement

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The Basic Picture-PLC

• Analyzing evidence of student learning
• Examining Data Protocols
• Clarifying essential student learning
• Unpacking Standards
• Developing common formative assessments
• Instructional practices that impact student
  learning
• Examining student work
• Standards in Practice

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What are Common Formative Assessments?

• Assessments for learning that are typically
  created collaboratively by a team of teachers
  responsible for the same grade level or course on
  identified essential learning.

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Why Common Formative Assessments?

• Gather accurate information about student
  achievement across a subject area and grade level
  while learning is in process. (Assessment for
  learning)
• Use assessment process and results effectively to
  promote maximum student learning success
• Identify and evaluate instructional strategies
  that are effective in helping students acquire
  the intended knowledge.

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The Case for Common Formative
Assessments(CFAs)

• Article Breakout
• (by 6 groups)
• Read (2-3 minutes)
• Discuss(3 minutes)
• Share with group (1-2 minutes per group)

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1. Team developed common assessments are more
efficient.

• Teachers teaching the same course or grade level
  are responsible for ensuring all students acquire
  the same knowledge and skills.
• Teachers working in isolation work hard. Creating
  assessments together is working smart.

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2. Team developed common assessments are more
equitable.

• Increases the likelihood that students will have
  access to the same essential knowledge and
  skills, will take assessments of the same rigor,
  and have their work judged according to the same
  criteria.

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3. Team developed CFAs are more effective in
monitoring and improving student learning

• Proven to be one of the most powerful strategies
  available to educators for improving student
  achievement.

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4.Team-developed CFAs can inform and improve the
practice of both individual teachers and teams of
teachers.

• Teachers can benefit from the practice of others.
  Teachers have to feel that there is some
  compelling reason for them to practice
  differently, with the best direct evidence being
  that students learn better.

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5. Team-developed CFAs can build the capacity of
the team to achieve at higher levels.

• The conversations surrounding the creation of
  common formative assessments are a powerful tool
  for professional development.

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6. Team-developed common formative assessments
are essential to systematic interventions when
students do not learn.

• The conversations surrounding the results of
  common formative assessments are a powerful tool
  for targeting students who are not succeeding and
  for planning focused, common remediation
  strategies.

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Common Formative Assessments

• Assess all students with the same rigor, on the
  same targets
• Usually are Not graded. (formative) If teachers
  feel they must be used for grades then students
  should be given additional opportunities to
  demonstrate learning.
• Should identify students who need additional time
  and support for learning.

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Common Formative Assessments

• Identify program area concerns where many
  students are struggling.
• Can be used with pre/post assessment model.
• Common Formative Assessments can be structured in
  ways other than multiple choice tests.

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Common Formative Assessments are NOT

• Every assessment a teacher gives in the
  classroom. Could be a few items identified as
  essential by the group.
• Mini benchmark or EOCs/EOQs.
• Designed to make teachers teach the same way,
  only the same content.

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Learning Team Common Assessment Process
Clear Purpose
Clear Targets
Sound Design
Effective Communication
Student Involvement
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Clear Targets
To separate the essential from the peripheral,
carefully apply 2 criteria to each target

• Endurance are students expected to retain the
  skills/knowledge long after the test is
  completed?
• Readiness for the Next Level of Learning is
  this skill/knowledge preparing the student for
  success in the next grade/course?

Doug Reeves
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Target Method Match

• Source Adapted from Stiggins, Richard J, Judith
  Arter, Jan Chappuis, and Stephen Chappuis.
  Classroom Assessment for Student Learning Doing
  it Right-Uing It Well. Upper Saddle River, NJ
  ETS. 2007. pg. 64.

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Assessment Methods

• Selected Response-Multiple choice, true/false,
  matching, short answer, fill-in
• Extended Written Response (constructed
  response)-Requires student response that is at
  least several sentences in length. Scoring guide.
• Performance assessment-Observation and judgment
  as to quality of performance or product. Requires
  scoring guide.
• Personal communication-Requires interaction with
  students..can be time consuming.

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Target-Method Match Chart
Selected Response Short Answer Extended Written Response Performance Assessment Personal Communication
Knowledge Mastry Good match for assessing mastery of elements of knowledge Good match for tapping understanding of relationships among elements of knowledge X Not a good match Can ask questions and infer mastery-time consuming
Reasoning Proficiency Good match only for assessing understands of some patterns of reasoning Good match. Can provide window to reasoning proficiency Can infer some reasoning proficiency by observation Can ask student to think aloud and probe with follow-up questions
Skills X Not a good match. X Not a good match. Good match. Can observe and evaluate skills as they are being performed. Strong match when skill is oral communication proficiency. Not good otherwise.
Ability to Create Products X Not a good match. Strong Match for written products. Not a good match if not a written product Good match. Can Assess the attributes of the product. X Not a good match
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4.01 Collect, organize, analyze, and display
data (including line graphs and bar graphs) to
solve problems.
Practice Target Method Match
Learning Target K/R/S/P Methods SR/EWR/P/PC
I can collect data.
I can sort and organize data.
I can create a graph to display data.
I can use charts and graphs to make predictions.
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Practice
Learning Target/Goal/Obj. K/R/S/P Methods SR/EWR/P/PC
C E Obj. 1.01 Describe how geographic diversity influenced economic, social and political life in colonial North America.
C E Obj. 3.05 Analyze court cases that illustrate that the N. C. Constitution is the law of the state.
FL GOAL 3 PRESENTATIONAL COMMUNICATION - The learner will present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics in the target language.
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Learning Team Common Assessment Process
Clear Purpose
Clear Targets
Sound Design
Effective Communication
Student Involvement
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Sound Design

• How do we design assessments that cover our
  targets and serve our purposes?
• Selected response and short answer
• Extended written response
• Performance assessment
• Personal communication

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Exceptional Children Considerations

• Use clear and concise language.
• Use short, common names from various cultures.
• Consider how words, charts, and other visuals are
  arranged.
• Simplify sentence structures and avoid complex
  sentences.

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English as a Second Language (ESL) Considerations

• Avoid words or phrases that do not have a clear
  translation "get along"
• Avoid confusing student names "April," "May,"
  "June," "Paris," "Drew," etc.
• Avoid multiple-meaning words "fair" (okay, just,
  light, good weather, State Fair?), "make"
  (create, earn, brand of car, cause to happen,
  prepare)

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Avoid Stereotypes

• Items should avoid portraying anyone in a
  stereotypical manner.
• Stereotyping includes activities, occupations, or
  emotions.
• Positive stereotypes are still stereotypes.
• Items should not assume that all students come
  from the same socioeconomic or family background.

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Select the item that does not support a stereotype
OR

1. Megan brought 50 to the mall. She spent 41. How
   much money did Megan have left?
2. Megans book has 50 pages. She has read 41 pages.
   How many more pages does Megan have left to read?

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Content Guidelines

• Each Item should measure a single concept,
  principle, procedure, or competency.
• The testing vocabulary must be consistent with
  the expected grade level of the students tested.
• On-grade or 1 or 2 grades below
• Maintain content specific words
• Incorrect answer choices must be plausible
  choices. Use common student misconceptions for
  distractors.

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Multiple Choice Item Writing
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Item Writing Basic Terminology

• Stem - the question sentence and any other
  information
• Foils - the answer choices
• Distractors - incorrect answer choices
• Key - the correct answer

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• Which is the state bird of
• North Carolina?
• A Bluebird
• B Robin
• C Cardinal
• D Sparrow

Stem
Distractor
Distractor
Distractor
Foils
Key
Distractor
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Procedural Guidelines

• Items must be written in question format (not
  fill-in-the-blank or completion).
• What is being asked must be clear to the student.
  

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Complete the following using your

• George Washington was __________.

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See the difference

• Who was the first President of the United States?
• A Abraham Lincoln
• B George Washington
• C John Adams
• D Andrew Jackson

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Best Answer Format

• one keyed response
• distracters must be incorrect but plausible

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• In which situation would a person burn the most
  calories?
• A cleaning the bathroom
• B push-mowing the lawn
• C playing a game of chess
• D reading an adventure novel

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Stem

• Write the items so that the central idea and any
  common elements are included in the stem instead
  of the foils.
• Place the question as close to the foils as
  possible.

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Best Answer

• Use qualifying words in a stem when needed to
  emphasize the best answer.
• best, most likely, and most appropriate
• (bold and italicized)

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• How is a delta most likely formed?
• A irrigation
• B glacier movement
• C precipitation and condensation
• D deposition of sediment

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General Foil Development Guidelines

• Standard multiple choice items must contain four
  foils (A,B,C,D) NCEXTEND2 items only have three
  foils A, B, C.
• Answer choices should be ordered logically, such
  as ascending or descending value for numbers, the
  order in which the words appear in a chart,
  chronological order, etc.

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Answer choices should be ordered logically, such
as ascending or descending value for numbers.

• In what year did North Carolina name the emerald
  its state gemstone?
• A 1776
• B 1973
• C 1893
• D 1941
• True False
• This item follows the general foil guidelines.

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• Distractors (the incorrect answers) should be
  plausible and reasonable but not correct
• Foils should be independent and not overlapping.
  To the extent possible, foils for an item should
  be homogeneous in content and length.

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Foils should be independent and not overlapping.

• How much does a Channel Bass, the state fish of
  North Carolina, usually weigh?
• A up to 75 lbs
• B less than 100 lbs
• C between 30 and 40 lbs
• D about the same as a Plott
• Hound

• How much does a Channel Bass usually weigh?
• A over 100 lbs
• B between 60 and 80 lbs
• C between 30 and 40 lbs
• D less than 20 lbs

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All of the above, none of the above, I dont know
are not used as foils. Word the foils
positively, avoid any negative phrasing. Avoid
providing clues to the correct response. Avoid
writing items in which phrases in the stem are
repeated in the foils.
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• Avoid specific determiners since they are so
  extreme that they are seldom the correct
  response. To the extent possible, specific
  determiners such as ALWAYS, NEVER, TOTALLY, and
  ABSOLUTELY should not be used when writing items.

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Avoid specific determiners.

• What colors can the flowers of a dogwood be?
• A pink or yellow
• B red or yellow
• C red or white
• D white or pink

• What colors can the flowers of a dogwood be?
• A always pink
• B always red
• C always white
• D white or pink

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Avoid using a complex multiple-choice item format.

• Which affects test score reliability?
• Test length
• Homogenity of the sample examinees being tested
• Item length
• A 1 and 2
• B 2 and 3
• C 1 and 3
• D 1, 2, and 3

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Clarity and Length (Weak Item)

• North Carolina produces 179 million gallons of
  our state beverage per year. The annual income
  from this production amounts to around 228
  million. North Carolinians consume over 143
  million gallons of our state beverage every year.
  What is the state beverage of North Carolina?
• A soda
• B teaC milk D coffee
• Remove all words, phrases, or sentences that have
  nothing to do with the actual question

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Improved Item

• What is the state beverage of North Carolina?
• A soda
• B tea
• C milk
• D coffee

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Correct Voice

• First or second person (I or You) can easily
  become opinions, preferences, value judgments, or
  ethics.
• Items should be written in the third person
  (he/she/it).

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Correct Voice

• Why do you think the author described the setting
  as mysterious?

• Why did the author most likely describe the
  setting as mysterious?

OR
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Positive Wording

• Items should be worded positively.
• Avoid using negative words such as not and/or
  except.
• The teacher should chose all of the students
  except for each one?
• Which of the students did the teacher choose?

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No Contractions or Abbreviations

• Contractions and abbreviations limit ESL and EC
  accessibility.
• Contractions and abbreviations are not used in
  formal writing.

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Lets Assess our Learning
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• What kind of format is having only one clear
  correct answer from a list of options?
• A Question Format
• B Best Answer Format
• C General Format
• D Thinking Skill Format

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• Why should contractions not be used?
• A Contractions are difficult for English
  language learners.
• B Contractions use informal language.
• C Contractions often carry negative phrasing.
• D Contractions increase the difficulty of
  reading.

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• Why should test questions be constructed in
  question format?
• A Fill-in-the-blank questions are difficult to
  score.
• B Students are confused by other question
  formats.
• C Question format tends to improve the clarity
  of
• the question.
• D Other question formats tend to exhibit higher
  
• order thinking skills.

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• What is the optimum number of concepts,
  principles, procedures, or competencies a test
  question should measure?
• A 1
• B 2
• C 3
• D 4

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• Why is the use of third person preferred?
• A First or second person can easily become
• opinions, preferences, or judgments.
• B Use of first person or second person can make
• questions more wordy.
• C Use of first or second person makes questions
  more complex.
• D First or second person phrases tend to have
  informal language.

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• Where is the best place to put the central idea
  and any common elements?
• A foils
• B as close to the interrogative as possible
• C in the stem
• D along with qualifying words

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True / False

• The use of qualifying words in a stem
  indiscriminately increases the thinking skill.

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True / False

• It is good practice for stems to contain content
  that expresses opinions.

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True / False

• It is acceptable to overlap ranges in foils.

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Pair Think Share

• Find the butter to your toast (your partner)
• Once you find your partner, discuss one reason
  you personally find value in common assessments.

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Thinking Skills Framework

• The thinking skill level describes the cognitive
  skills that a student must use to solve problems.

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Thinking Skills Framework

• Each test item is classified by the thinking
  skill that best corresponds to the level of
  thinking the item requires.
• The goal is to have the majority of items require
  higher thinking skills levels.

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Revised Blooms Taxonomy Revised Blooms Taxonomy
Create Higher Order
Evaluate Higher Order
Analyze
Apply Lower Order
Understand Lower Order
Remember Lower Order
GOAL
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Remember

• Observation and recall of information
• Recognizing (identifying)
• Knowledge of dates, events, places
• Knowledge of major idea
• Mastery of subject matter
• Question Cues list, define, tell, describe,
  identify, show, label, collect, examine,
  tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where

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Remember Examples

• What is the sum of the angles of a triangle?
• In the beginning of the selection, whom did the
  father visit?
• How many planets are in the solar system?

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Lets Practice

• Create a remembering question with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample remembering question.

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Understand

• Understanding information
• Grasp meaning
• Translate knowledge into new context
• Order, group, infer causes
• Predict consequences
• Question Cues summarize, describe, interpret,
  contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,
  estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend,
  exemplify, classify, infer, explain

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Understand Examples

• What part of the water cycle causes clouds to
  form?
• What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
• Put these fractions in order from least to
  greatest 1/4, 1/3, 2/5, 5/6

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Lets Practice

• Create an understanding question with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample understanding
  question.

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Apply

• Use information
• Use methods, concepts, theories in new situations
• Solve problems using required skills or knowledge
• Question Cues apply, demonstrate, calculate,
  complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine,
  modify, relate, change, classify, experiment,
  discover

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Apply Examples

• What is the area of this rectangle?
• Why does the selection include examples of
  farming?
• What causes an object to increase in speed as it
  rolls down a hill?

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Lets Practice

• Create an applying question with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample appliying question.

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Analyze

• Seeing patterns
• Organization of parts
• Recognition of hidden meanings
• Identification of components
• Question Cues analyze, separate, order,
  explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide,
  compare, select, explain, infer

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Analyze Examples

• Between which two years was there the greatest
  difference in the numbers of TVs sold? (reading
  from graph)
• Which factor was a major cause of the stagnant
  economy in the United States during the early
  1970s?
• Which human activity most likely damages the
  environment?

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Lets Practice

• Create an analysis question with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample analysis question.

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Evaluate

• Compare and discriminate between ideas
• Assess value of theories, presentations
• Make choices based on reasoned argument
• Verify value of evidence
• Recognize subjectivity
• Question Cues assess, decide, rank, grade,
  test, measure, recommend, convince, select,
  judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude,
  compare, summarize

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Evaluation Examples

• Who is right?
• Why does the speaker argue for a new way to teach
  grammar?
• What will happen if housing developments continue
  to displace the wildlife population in national
  parks?

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Lets Practice

• Create an evaluation question with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample evaluation question.

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Create

• Put elements together to form a coherent or
  functional whole
• Reorganize elements into a new pattern or
  structure
• Cues assemble, construct, create, design,
  develop, formulate, write.

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Create Examples

• Design a concept and create a proposal for your
  own television cooking show.
• Write a jingle to advertise a new product.
• Plan a research paper on a given historical
  topic.
• Build habitats for certain species for certain
  purposes.

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Lets Practice

• Create a creating assignment with your group.
• Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the group
  should text in your sample creating assignment.

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Sound Assessment Design

• Design assessments so students can self assess
  and set goals based on the results.
• Assessment items should measure a single concept,
  principle, idea, or procedure.
• Use a test plan that identifies
• Learning Target and NCSCOS Objective
• Type of Target - Knowledge/Reasoning
• Type of Thinking
• Percentage of Importance on Assessment

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Test Plan (ES)
Learning Target Target Type Thinking Skill of Importance
I can collect data. Knowledge Understand 15
I can sort and organize data. Reasoning Analyze 15
I can create a graph to display data. Product Create 40
I can use charts and graphs to make predictions. Reasoning Understand 30
Target Type Knowledge, Reasoning, Skills,
Products
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Test Plan (MS/HS)
Learning Target Target Type Thinking Skill of Importance
Describe how geographic diversity influenced economic, social and political life in colonial North America. Knowledge Understand 35
Analyze court cases that illustrate that the N. C. Constitution is the law of the state. Reasoning Analyze 45
I can create a graph to display data. Product Create
Target Type Knowledge, Reasoning, Skills,
Products
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The Basic Process-Table Groups

• Read Creating a Common Formative Assessment
  (possible steps in the process) handout. (3
  min.)
• Use table go-round and share your thoughts on
  how/where the teachers in your school might get
  hung up in this process. (5-7 min.)
• Questions about this process?

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Common Formative Assessment Concerns

• Read/review Dufours responses to 3 common
  concerns
• Did you have any of these concerns at your table?
  

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After the Assessment Reflections

• Was the assessment high quality? Do the questions
  measure a single concept, principle, idea, or
  procedure?
• Does the assessment measure student learning that
  aligned with NCSCOS Goals and Objectives?
• Was this type of assessment the most appropriate
  for what it was measuring?
• Does it assess both lower and higher order
  thinking skills?
• Will this assessment indicate mastery of the
  learning targets?

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Common AssessmentsReflections

• Common assessments are live documents to be
  reflected upon and changed to better meet the
  assessment needs of the students.
• The only way to create effective common
  assessments is to DO IT!
• Your skills will increase together over time.

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Resources/References

• DuFour, Richard, et al. Learning by Doing A
  Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at
  Work. Bloomington, Ind Solution Tree, 2006.
• Stiggins, Richard, et al. Classroom Assessment
  for Student Learning Doing it right Using it
  Well. Upper Saddle River, NJ Pearson, 2007.

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PLC FacilitatorsNext Steps

• EOY Reflection
• Standards in Practice Training