Designing Meaningful Assessments: Shifts in Classroom Practice

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Designing Meaningful AssessmentsShifts in
Classroom Practice

• Elementary Powerful Conversations Network
• November 8, 2012

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  Networking Connection Challenge

• Take the Warm-Up Activity featuring the map of
  Alabama and pen.
• Move around the room introducing yourself to
  colleagues from other schools. Jot down their
  names in the margin with line drawn to the county
  where their school is located.
• Connect with individuals from as many different
  counties in our state as possible. Celebrate the
  opportunity to be a part of a truly statewide
  learning community!

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Alphabet Soup!

• ABPC Alabama Best Practices Center
• KLN Key Leaders Network
• PCN Powerful Conversations Network
• SLN Superintendent Leaders Network
• IP Instructional Partners Pilot
• CCRS College-and Career-Ready
  Standards
• FA Formative Assessment

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Partners with the Alabama State Department of
Education Initiatives
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Toward Standards-Based Learning

• If we are teaching to the standards and were
  making sure that teaching and instruction are
  equipping students to know, understand, and do
  something with that knowledge, whatever the
  assessment is is secondary. We have focused for
  years on the test being the primary target rather
  than the standards.Dr. Tommy Bice, State
  Superintendent of Education

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Learning Targets

• 1. To deepen our understanding of the
  implications of CCRS for teaching and learning
• To revisit summative and formative assessments
  and the relationships between the two
• To explore issues related to different aspects of
  assessment and broaden our understanding of
  comprehensive school- and classroom-based
  assessment

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Learning Targets, contd

• 4. To reflect on the state of the art of
  assessment in our own school and to plan together
  to improve assessment practices
• 5. To continue work on a curriculum unit design
  team with colleagues from other schools
• 6. To co-create a community of practice with
  colleagues across the state

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Guidelines for Group Interactions

• Be open to and respect all points of view.
• Listen with an open mind and expect to learn from
  one another.
• Accept responsibility for active and equitable
  participation.
• Allow think time before and after someone
  speaks.
• Check for understanding. Before you counter an
  idea, be sure you fully understand what has been
  said.
• Welcome questions.

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Activity 1 Critical Friend Analysis

• WHAT? Reading and critical friend analysis of a
  think piece on formative assessment
• WHY? To share our thinking about formative
  assessment and secure your feedback
• HOW? Individually read and think about the
  description of formative assessment. With your
  school team, provide feedback on the reading
  using criteria that are provided. (p.3 - Yellow
  Packet)

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Formative AssessmentA Process, Not an Instrument

• Essential Question What makes an assessment
  formative?

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Which of the following has the potential to serve
as a formative assessment?

1. Embedded Daily AssessmentsExamples Questions,
   Exit Passes, Student Work Samples
2. Teacher-Developed (collaboratively, when
   possible) Quizzes, Tests, ExamsExamples Daily
   Quiz, End-of-Unit Test, Semester Exam
3. Common Diagnostic and Benchmark Assessments
   (oftentimes commercially developed)Examples
   Global Scholar, ACT Explore and Plan

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School Team Conversation and Planning

• WHAT? School team conversation and planning
• WHY? To afford time for school team dialogue
  about and planning related to school and
  classroom assessment
• HOW? Use prompts and questions on School Team
  Conversation and Planning Guide to help structure
  team work. Use template to record team insights
  and commitments. (Green Packet)

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Six Fundamental Steps to Using Assessment Results

• WHAT? Self-assessment, conversation and planning
• WHY? To use Ainsworths 6 Steps to take a
  critical look at current status and future
  possibilities in classroom assessment
• HOW? Use questions beneath Part I of Team
  Conversation and Planning Guide template for
  recording (p.1- Green Packet)

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Activity 2 Formative, Summative, or BothIQ
Triads

• WHAT? IQ Triads to generate insights and
  questions related to the use of summative
  assessments formatively
• WHY? To structure a collaborative conversation
  that results in richer understanding of the
  potential of all assessments to be used
  formatively
• HOW? Three individuals from different schools and
  districts group to process 2 paragraphs from
  Ainsworths book and to identify insights and
  questions for sharing with home team. (p.5
  Yellow Packet)

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Formative, Summative, or BothTeam Conversation
Planning

• WHAT? Self-assessment, conversation and planning
  by school teams
• WHY? To consider the potential of increasing the
  formative use of summative assessments
• HOW? Use questions beneath Part II of Team
  Conversation and Planning Guide template for
  recording (p.1 Green Packet)

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Supporting Implementation of Common Core
Workshop Choices

• Purpose To afford individual and team choice in
  deepening learning about one of four tools
  provided by the SDE OR additional team planning
  time
• Options
• 1. Alabamas evolving assessment systemGloria
  Turner
• 2. Global ScholarTerrence Ingram
• 3. Insight ToolCindy Freeman
• 4. Using Assessments with Math CCRSPam Williams
• OR
• School Team Planning

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Common Formative AssessmentsTeam Conversation
Planning

• WHAT? Self-assessment, conversation and planning
  by schools teams
• WHY? To consider the current use of common
  formative assessment and possibilities for future
  
• HOW? Use questions beneath Part III of Team
  Conversation and Planning Guide template for
  recording (p.2 Green Packet)

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Activity 3 Investigating One Important Type of
AssessmentTable Talk

• WHAT? To engage in dialogue with colleagues from
  other schools about one of three types of
  assessment
• WHY? To learn from others experiences and
  perspectives and prepare to share with home team
• HOW? Move to a table made up of members from
  different schools. With your group, investigate
  your assigned type of assessment using questions
  beneath 3 on p.6 in Yellow Packet.

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Pre- and Post-Assessments and Progress
MonitoringTeam Conversation Planning

• WHAT? Self-assessment, conversation and planning
  by schools teams
• WHY? To consider the current use of three types
  of assessments and plan for future possibilities
• HOW? Use questions beneath Parts IV, V, and VI of
  Team Conversation and Planning Guide template
  for recording (p.5 Green Packet)

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Activity 4 Rating School-Wide Assessment
PracticesData on Display

• WHAT? Self-assessment and team conversation
• WHY? To compare and contrast current perspectives
  and to use a strategy that you might transfer to
  work in your school
• HOW? Individually rate 8 items use self-adhesive
  dots to display your ratings on team templates
  use data to draw inferences about current
  practice in your school. (p.7 Yellow Packet)

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Design Work in Collaborative Teams

1. Move to your content-alike team (subject and
   grade-level) with which you met during 1st PCN
   Session.
2. Select appropriate items from Readers
   Assignment on pages 156-157 to pursue during
   your work together.
3. The unwrapped standard(s) that you identified for
   focus during the 1st PCN session should be the
   basis for this work in assessment.

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Principal Dialogue Groups

• Move to designated break-out rooms.
• When you arrive, take a seat in one of the chairs
  in one of the lines.
• Pick up information packet in chairs. This will
  be your study assignment.
• Please do not move the chairs or exchange
  information packages.

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Reflection and Feedback

• Please complete the reflection and feedback
  formincluding the comments for each item.
• This is your exit ticket!
• We will use your feedback to plan our next QM.
• Thank you!
• Safe travels. See you next time!