More Meaningful Assessment

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More Meaningful Assessment

• Anne Keith
• akeith_at_bozeman.k12.mt.us
• LeAnne Yenny
• lyenny_at_bozeman.k12.mt.us

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How we started this journey

• CMP adoption
• District Performance Assessments
• meeting - scoring rich conversations
• Differentiation training
• Read (and are reading) many books and
  professional journals.

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Resources

• Favorites
• Transforming Classroom Grading
• by Robert Marzano
• How to Grade for Learning
• by Ken OConnor
• Grading
• by Susan Brookhart
• Fair Isnt Always Equal
• by Rick Wormelli
• Integrating Differentiated Instruction and
  Understanding by Design
• by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe
• Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work
• by Robert Marzano

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Setting Learning Goals

• Begin with the end in mind
• Consult NCTM MT standards as well as district
  curriculum
• Set big ideas for each unit
• Decide what is proficient before grading
• Decide which assessment questions prove which
  learning goal

To begin with the end in mind means to start
with a clear understanding of your destination.
It means to know where youre going so that you
better understand where you are now so that the
steps you take are always in the right
direction. Steven Covey
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Design Unit Guides
The learning goals of a unit are the things we
are expected to be able to do. It is like our
target for the unit. 7th grade student
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Scoring
4 Advanced Wow Over and Above 3
Proficient Got it I am There 2 Nearing
Proficient On the Way Getting There 1
Novice Just Starting Starting Out 0 No
Evidence
At first I was really confused because
everything was scored with a 4,3,2 or a 1, but
now I get it and I now like it better than the
other way 7th grade student.
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Sample Rubric
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Scoring Assessments
What Do You Expect Unit Test Name______________ Co
re_____Learning goal 1 - Determine the probabil
ity of an independent event._____ (1a, 3a, 3b, 3c
, 3d)Learning goal 2 - Determine the probabilit
y of a dependent event.  _____ (2a, 2b, 2c)Learn
ing goal 3 - Interpret fractions, decimals, and p
ercents as probabilities. _____ (all)Learning go
al 4 - Find and reason with expected value. _____
 (1b, 2d)Learning goal 5 - Determine fairness o
f a game adjust rules to makefair. _____ (1c)L
earning goal 8 - Organization and communication. 
_____ (all)
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Kids record scores on unit guide
they keep track of their own learning.
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Differentiation using learning goals

• Math Rewrite Option raise score to proficiency
• Sticky Note/Practice

Assessment is a tool to drive instruction, not
one to be used to punish.
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Math Rewrite

• MATH REWRITE Name_________Core__Date_____
• To raise your score on a learning goal, you need
  to do the following on a separate sheet of paper,
  staple this to your paper, and turn it in before
  the next assessment.
• 1. What is the question and what learning goal
  does it correspond to?
• 2. What did you do wrong?
• 3. Redo the problem correctly.
• 4. See Ms Yenny for another problem to prove you
  have mastered that particular learning goal.

This initial idea came from Mathematics in the
Middle, the NCTM monthly publication
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Homework
Homework Rubric (4) Homework is
complete Presentation is exceptionally neat,
detailed, and organized Few to no errors
corrected in red pen (3) Homework is
complete Presentation is legible Errors
corrected in red pen (2) Homework is mostly
complete but may be missing ACE
problems Presentation may be careless and
disorganized Errors may not be corrected in red
pen Errors and problems not completed done in
red pen (1) Homework is not completed Missing
work is done in red pen (0) No work turned in
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Assessment for learning

• Use of exemplars to teach students what
  proficient looks like
• Students practice what they need to practice
• More focused instruction for teachers

Show us what good work looks like and what we
have to do to get there 8 yr. old student
(OConnor)
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Reflecting on learning

• Unit Reflection  WHAT DO YOU EXPECT
• Name_______________ Core_____PART ONE  Collecti
  ng WorkAttach to this unit reflection (in this or
  der) the followingq Learning Goals Score Sheet
  q Checkup 1q Checkup 2q Quizq Test Reviewq 5
  .1, 5.2PART TWO  Academic Learning goals reflec
  tionAnswer the following questions in complete se
  ntences. Be specific inyour answers.Learning go
  al 1  Determine the probability of a dependent e
  vent.Do you feel that you succeeded on this learn
  ing goal? Why or why not?Learning goal 2 - Det
  ermine the probability of an independent event.Do
   you feel that you succeeded on this learning goal
  ? Why or why not?Learning goal 3  Determine f
  airness of a game  adjust rules to make fair.Do 
  you feel that you succeeded on this learning goal?
   Why or why not?PART THREE  Non Academic Learn
  ing goals Self reflectionAnswer the following que
  stions thoroughly and thoughtfully!!! THANK YOUFO
  R YOUR HONESTY! Did you do all, most, or not mu
  ch of your work (in class work andhomework)? Why?
   How was your class behavior? Are you present
   in class? Explain. Do you participate in cla
  ss discussions? Why or why not? Give examples.
   Do you work well with partners or groups? Why or 
  why not? Give examples. Have you chosen to hav
  e a good attitude in math class this first unit?E
  xplain. What are you most proud of in math so 
  far this year? Why? What are two goals you hav
  e for yourself for the next unit?

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Extending to other areas

• CA - 6 1 Traits
• Science
• Social Studies

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Science

• Student Learning GoalsUnit 1 - Classification
  Through Insects
• Student can define the following
• kingdom
• phylum
• class
• order
• family
• genus
• species
• arthropod
• abdomen
• thorax
• taxonomy
• taxonomic key
• qualitative observation
• quantitative observation
• insect
• pupae

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Social Studies
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WHY are we doing this?

• Kids know WHAT they need to learn!
• We plan units differently let go of some
  lessons that dont address learning goals and
  added when we didnt have enough.
• This supports our philosophy that the grade
  should reflect ability (not whether they are nice
  kids).
• Great communication tool (teacher to parent
  student to parent student to teacher).
• Less dependent on letter grades and more emphasis
  on the learning student vocabulary changes to
  I got it or Im on the way.
• MASCD Pickering example
• Kids are aware of own strengths weaknesses
  (dont have a low grade just because teacher
  hates you).

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Questions we still have

• Converting to letter grade using PowerSchool
  ongoing conversations
• How much should homework count, if any?
  Participation?
• Academic Grade vs. NonAcademic Grade
• How much to weigh assessments? weigh learning
  goals?

In a perfect world, there would be no grades
at least, not as we know them now (Brookhart,
2001).
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Final thoughts
Assessment takes time and energy to carry out.
The more of that work you can share with your
students, the more time you have to teach but
more importantly, the more they learn. Rick
Stiggins
the time has come to de-emphasize traditional
grades and to demystify the entire grading
process. We need to focus instead on the process
of learning and the progress of the individual
student. Burke (1993)
This is the best professional development weve
ever had
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Thank you for listening

• Questions?