Using

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Using Assessment FOR Instruction
Lavinia Kumar Richard Ten Eyck
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Introduction

• Dr. Lavinia Kumar (Science Ed.)
• Former Director, NJPEP New Jersey Department of
  Education virtual professional development portal
• Independent Consultant -- Assessment
• Rich Ten Eyck
• Former Superintendent
• Former Assistant Commissioner NJ Department of
  Education, Division of Programs and Assessment
• Consultant with ICLE

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Format

• 45 Minute presentation
• A bit of why -- Rich
• A lot of how -- Lavinia
• 15 Minutes Q/A
• 2 Minutes Shameless Commerce the ICLE
  Resource Kit Connecting Assessment to
  Instruction

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Background

• School history/culture relates assessment more to
  something done TO students and teachers, than
  something done FOR them
• Assessment has been one of the missing or ignored
  pieces in connecting what students are learning
  to instruction

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More Background for the Visual Learner with
Prior Knowledge (of a sort)

• The dental visit view of assessment
• We dont expect much good to occur and are happy
  if nothing bad happens

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Our approach

• Provide ways in which assessment can be used FOR
  both students and school staff
• Use examples from best practices
• A resource for role needs and responsibilities at
  all levels central office, building leaders,
  classroom teachers
• Connect assessment with instruction so that each
  and every student can be successful with rigorous
  and relevant learning experiences

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Using assessment is a parallel Two Part Process

• Developing a positive culture about assessment
• Mastering the skills required to make assessment
  useful

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Basic Beliefs

• If we want students to perform better, we need to
  talk about
• their performance and
• how instruction interconnects
• Difficulty of our own past experiences with
  assessment (even recent) as
• not necessarily providing good models for going
  forward.

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Our Assumptions

• If youre here, you want to move beyond what is
• If youre here, you want to use assessment FOR
  instruction
• We can begin with the how issues and will
  gladly answer why questions at the end

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Outline

• A schools journey a scenario
• Data and analysis steps
• Use of SMART goals to achieve staff consensus and
  set priorities
• Using informal and formal assessment to achieve
  solutions

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A Schools Journey
Chapter 4

• A school team finds there is
• A problem student performance on state tests,
  not demonstrated success on rigorous content.
• A need to gather information about this problem
• There is a desire to approach the solution with
  staff consensus and with multiple inputs rather
  than just via a pre-determined fix created by an
  administrator.

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Parsing the Desire

• There is a desire to approach the solution
• with staff consensus, and
• with multiple inputs
• rather than just via a pre-determined fix created
  by
• central office
• building administrator

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Data Analysis Steps
Chapter 7

• Step 1 Examine the initial data and develop
  questions and suggestions.
• Step 2 Analysis becomes deeper. Examine related
  or additional existing data and then compare
  and/or correlate all data.
• Step 3 Obtain new targeted data. Again, compare
  and/or correlate all data. Be specific and work
  to obtain a reliable analysis to inform a change
  in practice.

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Staff Consensus

• Step 1 Look at Data

Chapter 7
Component of Excellence 2. Inform Decisions
through Data Systems. Whole-school/district
reform is a continuous process guided by a
well-developed data structure based on multiple
measures of student learning. Highly successful
schools/districts use quality data to make
laser-like decisions about curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.
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Look at Data
Chapter 5

• BUTWhat does the data mean to each staff member
  (a mindset)?

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How to look at data? Communication

• The judge (said) its hard to believe were all
  working in the same place, because weve all
  got different numbers.
• Bob Runcie, THE journal April 2008, p.16

Glass half full
Glass half empty
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Look at Data
Chapter 7

• How is the data presented so it is meaningful and
  useful/usable for each staff member?
• In table form
• As graph
• In general overview terms
• In detail, by
• Content/subcontent
• Subgroup

Both?
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Talk about Data
Chapter 5

• SMART goals meetings (Conzemius ONeill)
• Dialogue (focus on a single idea or concept) vs.
  Discussion (wide open with goal to win argument)
• Most educators not well trained in focused dialog

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SMART Goals focus talk

• S pecific Each goal is spelled out clearly and
  deals with only one area.
• M easurable The parts of the goal are
  measurable.
• A ttainable Goals are reachable within a set
  period of time.
• R elevant The goals are relevant.
• T imely Goals are relevant at this time.

Ann Conzemius and Jan ONeill Building Shared
Responsibility for Student Learning
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(Possible) SMART Goal Meetings(for this scenario)

• Meeting 1 (Step 1) Understand meaning of data
  and identify the problem(s)
• Meeting 2 Derive specific questions SMART
  goals for priority areas.
• Meeting 3 (Step 2) Bring in, and make meaning of
  other available school/district data
• Meeting 4 Refine questions agree on priority
  areas.
• Meeting 5 Set refocused goals

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Meaning of Data
Chapter 7

• Problem(s) already identified for this scenario
• Derive question(s) Meeting 2
• Is there a low level of involvement in the
  collection and use of data of student learning
  performance?

Chapter 4
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Step 2Meeting 3
Chapter 7

• Bring in readily available additional data
  focused on the issue
• Check out Components of Excellence rubric data
• 4 (Clarify Student Learning Expectations) and
• 5 (Adopt Effective Instructional Practices)
• Or e.g.
• Curriculum or text book for alignment check
• List of PD obtained in an area of concern

Chapter 4
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Step 2, cont.

• Question Is there a low level of involvement in
  the collection and use of data of student
  learning performance?
• Answer Additional data found
• student success hindered by
• Lack of differentiation of instruction
• Lack of interest by teachers
• Lack of learning options
• and so forth

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Step 2, cont.

• Meaning student performance on state tests may
  be enhanced by more differentiated learning
  options for students, and more interest and/or
  involvement on behalf of teachers

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SMART Goal Meeting 4

• Refine questions decided on priorities
• Use dialogue not discussion to focus
  communication
• Use the communication style of your listener (not
  your own!)

Chapter 7
Chapter 5
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Meeting 4 Refining and Refocusing the Question

• Question why is there a problem with student
  scores on state tests
• Answer not enough
• Differentiated learning
• Learning options
• Interest and/or involvement on behalf of teachers

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Meeting 4 Setting Priorities
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SMART Goal Meeting 5

• Set (and carry out) refocused goals
• As a collegial group, set
• Timeline for each priority listed
• Persons and lead person responsible for each
• Timeline for re-assessment and restarting the
  Steps.

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Lets focus

• Differentiated learning
• High priority
• Need to focus on highest need sub-content areas,
  regular standards-based
• informal
• benchmarking assessment

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Informal Formative Assessment

• to ensure that students are
• kept to a standard
• do not fall behind
• under direct control of the individual teacher
  and given at any time.
• part of the continuum to formal benchmark
  formative assessment (at school- or
  district-prescribed times)
• based on the summative and benchmark targets for
  learning and applying subcontent knowledge and
  skills.

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Informal and FormalFormative Assessment

• Must be, a form of FOR learning support
• Based on standards (i.e. systematic, and building
  from knowledge to application)
• Act as feedback for student and teacher
• Planned (no pop quizzes, no gotcha)
• Rigorous (you want to know of the instruction is
  working if the students are learning)

Chapter 2
Chapter 8
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Benchmark AssessmentFormal Formative Assessment
Chapter 2

• Formal formative assessments are often called
  benchmarks. This is because they are
• FOR learning
• administered at specific times in the curriculum
  that
• educators have consensually agreed are necessary
  to
• check for understanding of the
• standards taught to those points in time

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Summary there are well-known

• Steps
• Strategies
• Methodologies
• To present analyze data
• and come to consensus
• about its meaning
• and decide on next steps

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Chapter Summary

• Understanding
• Assessment.
• Introduces learning
  as an
• ongoing process
• The Assessment Process
• in Districts and Schools
  Assessment OF learning and
  assessment vs. FOR learning
• Rubrics for Assessment
• And Evaluation
• Defining the Rubric Rubrics for
  Administrators
  Rubrics for Teachers

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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Chapter Summary

• How Rubrics Are Used in
• Schoolwide Programs
• Case studies to
  demonstrate the use of the
• Components of
  School Excellence
  
  
• The Meaning of Data and
• Assessment
• Overview what
  data means to different
• groups For
  Administrators For Teachers
• Collecting and Sharing Data
• An explicit, goal-oriented activity

Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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Chapter Summary

• Data Presentation and
• Communication.
• Data Presentation For
  Leaders for
• Teachers
• Applying Assessments for
• Instruction
• Summarizes the many
  assessments.
• Multistep
  feedback scenario exercise is
• culminating

Chapter 7
Chapter 8
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Question and Answer Session

• Wake Up!
• The Presentation portion is over (whew!)
• Please respond to the brief session evaluation
• We will stay until all questions are answered

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International Center for Leadership In Education

• 1587 Route 146
• Rexford, NY 12148
• 518. 399.2776
• www.leadered.com

Lavinia Kumar Rich Ten Eyck