Rick Stiggins www'allthingsASSESSMENT'info

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Rick Stigginswww.allthingsASSESSMENT.info

• Its Time to Demand Productive Assessment for Our
  Students

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Commonalities

• Quality instruction
• Formative assessments often that are aligned
  with the standards
• Timely feedback to students and staff
• Use of data for all

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Assessment Dilemma

• Beliefs and assumptions about sound practice have
  been flawed.
• Our vision of excellence has done as much harm to
  learning as good.
• It is a travesty to bring new teachers/administrat
  ors into our profession without the literacy
  needed to succeed.

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Assessment FOR Learning
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Your experiences
Think about a poor assessment experience.

• What did the assessor do to make it
  counterproductive?

• What impact did the experience have on you?

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Think about a positive experience with assessment.

• Specifically, what did the assessor do to make it
  positive?

• What impact did this have on you?

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The students emotional reaction will determine
what that student does in response.
I understand, Im OK, and I choose to keep
trying.
The target needs to be in reach
I see, I cant do this and I will give up.
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Creating hope Assessment FOR Learning (Stiggins
2005)

• Expected Benefits

• PROFOUND ACHIEVEMENT GAINS FOR ALL

• LARGEST GAINS FOR LOW ACHIEVERS

• SOLID FOUNDATION FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING

• EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED

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Big Ideas

• Balanced Assessment How do we build an
  assessment system that meet the needs of all
  assessment users?
• Quality Assessment is Essential Assessment is
  about gathering information to inform
  instructional decisions. Are we getting accurate
  information?
• Productive Assessment Dynamics from the students
  point of view.
• Leadership is essential What kind of leadership
  is needed to build a productive vision of
  assessment?

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We assess to

• Inform instructional decisions
• To encourage students to try to learn

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Classroom User Needs

• Decision? The driving question is what comes next
  in the learning? To answer that we need to know
  where they are at currently with their learning.
• Who? Student, teacher and parents
• Helpful info? Continuous info on EACH students
  progress on their journey to meeting a particular
  standard.

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Question?Turn and Talk

• Might it be a good idea to engage our students
  in partners with us so they understand what
  targets we are going to hit?
• Might it be a good idea to engage our students
  in the creation of common assessments?
• Might it be a good idea for students to
  understand the implications of the results in the
  common assessments for their learning?

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Key to Success

• All assessments arise from high quality standards
• All assessments produce accurate evidence
• All users use assessment to benefit student
  learning

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A Revolution in Assessment Dynamics

• If assessment isnt working effectively day to
  day in the classroom, If poor decisions arise
  from unsound assessments during the learningthe
  other assessment levels are wasted, they become
  irrelevant. Bad decisions day to day stops the
  learning. You dont fix that every couple
  weeks.teachers it is you that needs to make
  these decisions.

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In order to create a quality assessment you need
four specific design features (If not somebody
is going to get hurt)

• Select a proper method (short essay, multiple
  choice, personal communication, performance
  assessment, observation) These methods are not
  interchangeable. You cannot use your favorite.
  Dont begin to think that you can get an accurate
  picture relying on multiple choice problems. This
  is assessment literacy that makes assessment
  sound.
• Built of quality ingredients High quality
  rubrics, not POOR ones. They didnt teach us that
  at teachers schools.
• We need to sample student achievement
  appropriately.
• We need to prevent bias. Things can go wrong in
  the scoring process, students have bad days, etc

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• A bad common assessment is worse that not having
  one at all. We need the assessment literacy to do
  it well.

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Actions/Demands
STOP Abandon report card grades a communication
about achievement. They dont motivate. We know
better how to communicate about student learning.
We know better than 50 years ago. START
Communicate about learners place on the
scaffolding at any point and time. The time has
come to communicate effectively that promotes the
learning. Let the argument begin. Lets role out
the criteria for effective communication.
STOP assessing and treating assessment like its
the adults are in charge of the learning. Stop
excluding students START Understanding that
students are data-based decision makers too. They
need to be set up to make productive decisions.
We need to open up our PLCs and have students
make decisions about this!
STOP Believing that state standards by
themselves are sufficient. Are they precise? This
is important for certain purposes. START
Scaffolding your instruction
STOP Relying on the intimidation of
accountability to drive desire to succeed. True
hopelessness always trumps intimidation. START
Assessing to build success and confidence as the
primary motivator. This is the future of
assessment. It is ahead of the curve.
STOP Believing that assessment quality doesnt
matter. If we have cared about this we would have
made sure that every teacher and principal were
assessment experts. START Promoting accuracy and
assessment literacy. They must permeate the
system. We must do it WELL at all levels.
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It is time for us to

• Build assessment partnerships.
• Define academic success in clear and complete
  terms
• Demand accurate assessment
• Demand effective communication

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Turn and Talk

• What are some ways you can begin this journey to
  improve assessment practices in your current
  district?
• As a school leader or teacher, how do you handle
  resisters of change?

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The power of Assessment To Transform Teaching
Learning Dr. Larry Ainsworth
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Learning Objectives

• Consider the big picture- looking at common
  formative assessments as the centerpiece of an
  integrated standards and assessment system.
• Add to our assessment literacy.

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Common findings in successful schools

• Formed a Professional Learning Community
• Focused on student work (through assessment)
• Changed their instructional practice accordingly
  to get better results
• Did all this on a continuing basis

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Putting the Pieces of the puzzle together

• Standards Assessment
• Effective teaching strategies
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Accountability for learning

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• Power Standards Priority Standards
• Course specific learning outcomes

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How powerful practices work together
Power Standards
Data-Driven Decision Making
Unwrap Standards, Big Ideas, Essential Questions
Effective Teaching Strategies
Common Formative Assessments
Performance Standards
Rubrics
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Turn and Talk

• We are over testing, but under assessing.
• Data Rich Information Poor DRIP

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How Powerful Practices Work Together!

• 1.Identify essential standards. These become to
  Power or Priority Standards.
• 2. Analyze state test data revise selections as
  needed.
• 3. Unwrap those standards to identify concepts
  and skills students need to know and be able to
  do Big Ideas Essential Questions.

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How Powerful Practices Work Together!

• 4. Select effective teaching strategies to meet
  diverse student learning needs.
• 5. Teach those unwrapped concepts and skills
  through performance assessments guided by
  Essential Questions.
• 6. Evaluate student work with rubrics or scoring
  guides to assess proficiency.

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How Powerful Practices Work Together!

• 7. Give common assessments to see improvements
  within grade, department, school and district.
• 8. Analyze data and repeat instructional cycle.

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What Are Common Assessments?

• Not standardized tests, but rather
  teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that
  are collaboratively scored and that provide
  immediate feedback to students and teachers.
• Doug Reeves

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If you cant use data tomorrow from your
assessment today, then it is not formative. We
need to give feedback immediately. Otherwise it
is NOT formative assessment.
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Data Teams The mechanism for measuring progress

• Collect and chart data and results.
• Analyze strengths and obstacles.
• Set goal for student improvement.
• Select effective teaching strategies. (Marzanos
  new book)
• Determine results indicators.

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Turn and Talk

• After reviewing the research that supports data
  teams, what are we currently doing to implement
  this practice?
• What additional support is needed to ensure that
  this happens?

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The Two Tools of Assessment

• No single assessment can meet everyones
  information needs To maximize student success,
  assessment must be seen as in instructional tool
  for use while learning is occurring, and as an
  accountability tool to determine if learning has
  occurred. Because both purposes are important,
  they must be in balance. NEA Balanced
  Assessment 2003

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Assess More Often

• A number of short assessments given over time
  will provide a better indication of a students
  learning than one or two large assessments given
  in the middle and at the end of the grading
  period.
• Marzano, Stiggins, Black, Wiliam, Popham, Reeves

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Research Support

• Research suggests that, if done well, genuine
  assessments for learning can produce among the
  largest achievement gains ever reported for
  educational interventions.
• Lynn Olson, Just-in-Time Tests Change What
  Classrooms Do Next,
• Education Week, may 2, 2007, p. 22

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Research Support

• In reviewing 250 studies from around the world,
  published between 1987 and 1998, we found that a
  focus by teachers on assessment for learning, as
  opposed to assessment of learning, produced a
  substantial increase in students achievement.
• Paul Black Dylan Wiliam, (1998)
• Assessment and Classroom Learning,
• Assessment in Education
• Principle, Policy, and Practice, 5 (1),pp. 7-73.

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5 Key Benefit of Formative Assessments

• Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and
  criteria for success (rubrics exemplars)
• Engineering effective classroom discussions,
  questions, learning tasks that elicit evidence of
  learning
• Providing feedback that moves learners forward
• Activating students as instructional resources
  for one another
• Activating students as the owners of their own
  learning

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The Standards-Assessment Alignment Diagram
Annual State Assessments
District Benchmark Formative or Summative
Assessments
End or course Summative Assessment
School-Based Common Formative (Post) Assessments
Conceptual Units of Instruction with Classroom
Performance Assessment Tasks and Scoring Guides
Data Teams Effective Teaching Strategies
Data Teams Effective Teaching Strategies
School Based Common Formative (Pre) Assessments
Unwrapping Standards, Big Ideas, Essential
Questions
Power Standards
State Standards
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Laying The FoundationSteps 1-6

• Step 1 Select Important Topic
• Step 2 Identify Matching Power Standards
• Step 3 Unwrap Selected Power Standards
• Step 4 Create Graphic Organizer
• Step 5 Determine the Big Ideas
• Step 6 Write the Essential Questions

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Writing First-DraftAssessment Items

• Step 7 Select Assessment Types
• Step 8 Write First-Draft Assessment Items
• Step 9 Create Answer Keys and
• Scoring Guides
• Step 10 Review and Revise
• Common Assessment items

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Grading The New FrontierKen OConner
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Why Standards-Based Grading and Reporting?

• Mandate
• Supports learning
• Improves communication
• Consistency/fairness

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Share Grading Scale

• Adding a single grade detracts from the
  communication to parents and students.
• One symbol cannot do justice to the different
  degrees of learning a student acquires across all
  learning outcomes.

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Dealing with Late Work

• Penalties dont change the behavior. A better
  approach would be to provide support. It is a
  behavioral issue. It should not be included in
  the grade but should be reported out on.
• Behavior Rubric

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Homework

• This is a formative assessment. It is practice
  and should not be part of grades. Some students
  do not need to do the homework. Some students
  cannot do that homework. Lastly, some students
  can do it and it will help them. We should not
  say, You need to do this because it is part of
  your grade.

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• Bonus points on tests or dressing up for a
  presentation both have no place in grades.
• Group grades are so blatantly unfair that alone
  they should never be used. (Kagan, 2004) This
  may also be challenged in court.
• No students grade should depend on the
  achievement (or behavior) of other students.

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Formative Assessments

• This is used to improve learning and
  instruction. It should not be used for assigning
  grades. When formative assessment is done well,
  students achieve at high levels. Feedback needs
  to be timely, descriptive and low stakes.
• Turn and Talk How does your school/district use
  formative assessments to support student learning?

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Grades

• Final grades should never be determined by simply
  averaging the grades from several grading
  periods. The most accurate information is the
  most current information.
• Second Chance Students need to demonstrate their
  understanding so you can provide them a second
  chance.
• An example of a standards based report card

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Grades

• Should come from.
• A body of evidence performance standards
  guidelines

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Guidelines for Grading

• Base grades on, and provide grades for the
  intended learning goals.
• Use criterion-referenced standards performance
  standards as reference points to determine
  grades.
• Limit the student attributes included in grades
  to individual achievement.
• Sample student performancedo not include all
  scores in grades
• Keep records that can be updated easilyGrade in
  pencil
• Crunch numbers carefully, if at all.
• Use quality assessment and properly record
  evidence of achievement.
• Discuss and involve students in assessment
  throughout the teaching/learning process.

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• Growth and progress are reporting variables not
  grading variables.
• Students achievement would be their grades. If
  you have a grade on a report card it is an
  achievement report, not a progress report.

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Traditional Grading Scales

• What do you think would happen if you did an
  outstanding job, all the students in your class
  did an outstanding job, and all the students
  received a grade of A (90 or higher)?
• Turn and Talk

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Dealing with Late Work

• Penalties dont change the behavior. A better
  approach would be to provide support. It is a
  behavioral issue. It should not be included in
  the grade but should be reported out on.

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Median Most frequent grade

• Grading by the median provides more
  opportunities for success by diminishing the
  impact of a few stumbles and by rewarding hard
  work. (Wright, R.)

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0s

• Traditionally, 10 points for an A, B, C, and D,
  and 60 points for an F. You need to make it a
  consistent 10 point scale. Use 50 in lieu of a 0.
  This is just making the math make sense.
• Use I or incomplete as an alternative to
  assigning zeros that is both educationally sound
  and potentially quite effective. (Guskey, T.)

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• Is time a condition of quality on assessments?
  Then all students should have sufficient time.
  (OConnor)

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Ahead of the CurveTransforming Research into
Action for Assessment Excellence

• Dr. Doug Reeves

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Common themes of Assessment Excellence

• The bell Curve has no place in classroom
  assessment
• Professional Learning Communities are necessary
  but not sufficient for improved assessment
  practice
• Eloquence without practical application is a
  waste of time and energy
• Assessment is a leadership issue
• Assessment is inherently a collaborative activity

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Lessons from

• Indianapolis (Magna Award, 2005)
• Norfolk (Broad Award, 2005)
• Jenks (Baldridge Award, 2006)
• Demographics remain the same
• Challenges remain the same
• Budgets/contracts the same
• STRATEGIES continue to change

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Leadership LeverageKey Leverage points of Leaders

• TIME-your calendar tells the world what you
  really value the same is true of time in
  classrooms, professional development, and
  meetings
• TEACHER AND LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENTSyour
  allocation of people resources directly
  influences student achievement
• FEEDBACK AND RECOGNTIONyou need short term wins
  for students and adults to reinforce and sustain
  change
• INFORMATION leaders must tell the story every
  day to every available audience

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Think for a moment

• Where do you see yourself or your building in
  terms of key leverage points of leaders?
• Share with those around you

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Is it Working?

• One districts story
• 80 FR
• 68 minority student enrollment
• 40 Languages

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Elementary

• 1998
• Schools with more than 50 proficient in Grade 3
  English
• In 1998 11

• 2005
• Schools with more than 50 proficient in Grade 3
  English in
• 2004 100

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Middle SchoolsThenand Now

• 1997-1998
• More than 50
• passing English
• 0

• 2003-2005
• More than 50
• passing English
• 100

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High Schools

• 1998
• Schools with more than 80 of students passing
  English
• Language Arts
• 17

• 2005
• Schools with more than 80 of students passing
  English
• Language Arts
• 100

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What are the Trends in Schools with Greatest
Gains?

• Comprehensive holistic accountability
• Consistent in-school writing assessment in every
  subject
• Frequent common assessments- short, immediate
  feedback, collaboratively scored
• Intervention immediate and decisive
• Constructive use of data-students, classes,
  schools

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In the real world of the classroom, its CRITICAL
MASS that matters. The central message today

• DEEP implementation of a FEW things beats
  superficial implementation of many things

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Most Effective Strategies

• WRITING and note taking
• RECOGNITION of achievement
• ALIGNMENT of Standards, Curriculum, Instruction,
  and Assessment
• ASSIGNMENT of Teachers Based on Need

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Most Effective Strategies

• DEEP CONTENT ANALYSIS, including big ideas and
  essential questions
• MONITORING that is frequent and visible
• INTERDISCIPLINARY assessment
• TEACHING STRATEGIES including comparisons and
  questions
• STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

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Strategy Data
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Turn and talk about strategies you already have
in place

• And
• What would it take to incorporate others

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Need

• Confidential, constructive, and meaningful
  assessment
• Focus on execution vision and leadership
  essentials
• Strong research base
• Leadership maps
• Leadership assessment

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Tools for Effective Change

• 1. Planning implementation monitoring (PIM)
• Monitoring adults as carefully as we monitor
  students
• Inquiry- causes of student achievement
• Evaluation- is it working?

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Tools for Effective Change

• 2. Leadership Maps
• Focus on degree of implementation
• Map every school
• Track progress during year
• Horizontal precedes vertical

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Tools for Effective Change

• 3. Differentiated professional development
• Conduct analysis
• How much time do you spend nurturing and
  appreciating your teachers
• Lets encourage

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Tools for Effective Change

• 4. Holistic accountability
• Direct observation of other teachers
• What did students do, what scores did they get,
  what will we do differently
• Remove the excuses
• Local evidence trumps outside experts

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• If you believe that you are impotent then you
  are, if you believe you can influence student
  achievement you are right
• There is a direct link between Professional
  efficacy and student GAINS

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Thomas R. Guskey Using Standards Assessments to
Improve Student LearningGuskey_at_uky.edu
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Which best captures your disposition today.

• I feel much better now that Ive given up hope.
• Ive given up my search for truth, and now I am
  looking for a good fantasy.
• Im not perfect, but parts of me are excellent.

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Systemic Change

• Change is a highly complex process
• Professional development is essential
• Education is complex change is a prerequisite
  for improvement
• Students are changing, so teaching needs to change

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Four Crucial Understandings

• The ideas are not new-
• Two fundamental decisions
• What do I want students to learn?
• What evidence would I accept to verify their
  learning?
• Teaching is not the kind of thing you do out
  alone, so teaching and learning need to connect
• 2. The ideas are more important than the
  vocabulary we use.
• The words change
• 3. Good ideas can be implemented poorly!
• How do the ideas translate into practice?
• How will we know if they work?
• 4. Success in education hinges on what happens
  at the classroom level.

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Guidelines For Success

• Think big, but start small
• Dont require to much too soon from teachers and
  administrators
• 2. Ensure that assessments become integral
  part of the instructional process.
• Quizzes and tests should be learning tools
• Not simply evaluation devices that mark the end
  of learning
• Link new assessments with existing classroom
  assessment practices
• Blend traditional approaches with alternative
  Link new assessments with existing classroom
  assessment practices
• 5. Integrate all programs and innovations
• 6. Begin with clearly defined achievement
  targets
• 7. Provide opportunities for teachers to
  communicate within and across grades.
• 8. Build a school climate that supports
  experimentation.
• 9. There must be commitment and unity from all
  levels to quality classroom assessment.

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ELL LearnersEffective Assessments
Lisa Almeida
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The Reality

• One in six students is an ELL
• A majority of growth-primary and intermediate
  grades
• In 2005-06 Hispanics accounted for 19.8 of all
  public school students, in 1993-94 it was 12.7
• Hispanics make up nearly 79 of all ELL

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The Reality

• Many teachers and leaders do not have training on
  how to instruct English Language Learners.

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Current Assessment System

• List all of the important assessments you
  administer to ELL students during the year
• Rank each assessment as a 1-2-3 in terms of
  having a real impact on instruction and student
  learning, with a 1 having the greatest impact and
  3 having the least impact
• Star the assessments that are completely in your
  control.
• Circle the ones you believe are effective
  measures of ELLs learning
• Discuss your findings with your neighbor

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Preproduction-Beginning Stage( Silent Period)

• Students should be able to do
• Label drawings
• Sing and draw
• Respond physically
• Repeat and recite
• Learn Big ideas
• Write simple sentences

• What we should be doing
• Use art and music
• Have students label, manipulate, evaluate
  pictures and objects
• Encourage active participation
• Ask yes/no, who, what, where questions
• Supply word bank

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• Their knowledge is increasing slowly. Time is a
  critical component for our ELL learners.
• We throw these kids on the expressway, they need
  to absorb the culture and language. This is
  difficult for teachers, but critical.

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Early Intermediate Stage( 6 months to 1 year)

• Students should be able to
• Speak in simple phrases
• Describe simple concepts
• Recognize and read basic vocabulary
• Learn Big Ideas and details

• We should be able to
• Use art, music and props
• Encourage expanded responses
• Ask questions requiring simple comparisons,
  descriptions, and sequencing of events
• Ask open ended questions

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Here is where we move into more rigorous
instruction. Here is where the instruction should
match the academic standards
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Intermediate Stage( 1 to 3 years)

• Students need to be able to
• Uses context to make more meaning and increased
  connections to understanding
• Identify and describe main ideas and details
• Draw comparisons
• Define new vocabulary
• Make descriptions with increased details

• We should be able to
• Ask how and why open ended and higher level
  thinking questions
• Have students make predictions and inferences
• Develop vocabulary skills by providing
  comprehensive input
• Introduce explicit grammar instruction

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Intermediate Fluency Stage(3 to 5 years)

• Students should be able to
• Identify and describe complex main ideas with
  details
• Summarize informational text
• Compare and contrast
• Justify views
• Debate with preparation

• We should be able to
• Provide writing opportunities
• Publish student writing
• Focus on academic language and vocabulary
• Ask questions to provide students with
  opportunity to synthesize, analyze and evaluate
  in oral and written communication
• Read variety of genres

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Advanced Fluency(Final Stage 5-7 years)

• Students will be able to
• Use expanded vocabulary
• Have developed fluency with a wide range of
  topics
• Prepare and deliver presentations across content
  areas
• Use a variety of sources
• Include purpose, point of view, transitions and
  conclusions in work
• Organize and generate written compositions
• Read from a variety of genres with little or no
  scaffolding

• We should be able to
• Provide opportunities for student generated
  presentations
• Provide a variety of writing opportunties in a
  variety of genres
• Plan multiple lessons for students to develop
  higher order thinking skills
• Continue to publish student works
• Encourage studrents to lead group discussions and
  teach
• Ongoing grammar instruction

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• If you have assessments for your ELL students
  and they cant read it, what is the point?
• If they are at a stage where they need it, read
  it to them. This is assessment for student
  learning.
• How can we measure learning if a student cannot
  read the text?

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Performance Assessments

• Create an authentic opportunity
• Require complex thinking
• Incorporate non-fiction writing
• Appeal to a variety of learning styles
• More partner work
• Active learning is critical for the ELL students,
  they cannot be passive learners, no traditional
  teaching.

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Effective Assessment Strategies

• Provide frequent formative assessments
• Create risk free opportunities for expression
• Involve students in rubric development
• Explain directions as many times as necessary
• Provide timely and specific feedback
• Work with students to set SMART goals
• Meet with colleagues once per month (data teams)

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It is critical to find the right toll for the
right job

• What assessment strategies and tools does your
  school and/or your district use to effectively
  measure ELL students learning?
• How can the instruction improve?
• Turn and Talk

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System for Success

• Evaluate students prior educational experiences
• Create intervention services
• Establish an orientation program
• Provide health screenings
• Offer counseling and/or support services

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All students deserve access to academic
achievement ALL means ALL
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Questions/Informationwilliamsag_at_mukilteo.wednet.
educooganne_at_mukilteo.wednet.edu