A District’s JourneyImplementing Assessment For Learning Practices With Fidelity Missouri School Boards’ Association

Annual ConferenceSeptember 26, 2014

The District• 32 schools• 3 high schools• 6 middle schools• 20 elementary schools• 3 early childhood centers

• Approximately 2400 employees• 18,183 students• 1441 teachers• 65.1% with advanced degrees

The District• 23.9% Caucasian population• 75.1% Minority population• 71.9 % African American• 2.1% Hispanic• 1.1% Asian

• 57.8% Students eligible for free/reduced lunch• 2.8% Dropout rate• 92.8% Graduate and attend

higher education

The District• Fully accredited• Active, supportive, united and

engaged Board of Education

Why is assessment literacy important?

“Innovations that include strengthening the practice of formative assessment produce significant and

often substantial learning gains.”

--Black & Wiliam, 1998, p. 140

Research

• .4 to .7 gain• .7 standard deviation score gain =

25 percentile points on Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)70 SAT score points4 ACT score points

Largest Gains – Low Achieving Students!

How much were the learning gains?

Assessment Literacy …

describes the set of knowledge and skills

educators need to gather information about student

learning.

What’s the purpose of assessment?

How do we use the results?

Two Important Questions

Two Purposes for Assessment

SUMMATIVE•Assessment OF Learning•How much have students learned as of a particular point in time?

FORMATIVE•Assessment FOR Learning•How can we use assessment information to help students learn more?

Another way to look at it...

Teach a unit---give a test.Teach another unit—give a test.

At the end, give a really big test!

Teach...assess the learning....teach some more...assess the learning... adjust my teaching...assess the learning...is this working?...adjust the teaching..................

TEST!

These are SUMMATIVE assessments

These are FORMATIVE assessments

The Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning

Where am I going?1. Provide a clear statement of the learning

target2. Use examples and models

Where am I now?3. Offer regular descriptive feedback4. Teach students to self-assess and set goals

How can I close the gap?5. Design focused lessons6. Teach students focused revision7. Engage students in self-reflection; let them

keep track of and share their learning

AND TEACHERS!

Goal

To increase student achievement in the Hazelwood School District, we will implement, with fidelity,

a balanced assessment plan incorporating the principles of Student-Involved Assessment

For Learning in all classrooms by 2013-14.

Informational Meeting

YEAR ZEROWhere have we been?

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have."

Margaret Mead

Year Zero

The Conversation

•Rick Stiggins• One chance for success• Get it right the first time!• Be deliberate • Build capacity of District Leadership

Team (*) • Develop principals and teachers (*)• Give them permission to lead (*)• Build ownership • Commit to the process (*)

Year Zero

The ProcessJanuary, 2011• Presented to initial overview Learning Leadership Team• Presented to Teacher Advisory Committee• Presented to Paul Alvord, HNEA President

February, 2011• Presented to HNEA Executive Team

March, 2011• Presented to Principals• Asked principals to share with staff• Presented to Curriculum Coordinators• Presented to Special School District Area Coordinators• Presented to Coordinator of Professional Development

Year Zero

The ProcessApril, 2011• Determined Steering Committee• Attended Leading PD in Seven Strategies of

Assessment FOR Learning - Naperville, Illinois)

May, 2011• Sent HSD staff email to invite them to one of four

informational meetings• Submitted article in HSD Staff Talk regarding the

Assessment Literacy Pilot • Held first informational meeting

June, 2011• Held second, third and fourth informational meetings

Year Zero

The Process

July, 2011• Attend Assessment Training Institute

Summer Conference

August, 2011• Held introductory meeting

September, 2011• Held second meeting

Year Zero

The Meeting

• At the table• Assistant Superintendent• Director of Professional Development• President of the Teachers’ Association

• Forming the Committee• Size• Composition

Year Zero

CompositionName Years

TeachingGender Race Area of

DistrictGrade/ Subject

Position

Person 1 5 years Male Caucasian West 9th

ScienceTeacher

Person 2 12 years Female African American

Central 2nd Teacher

Person 3 7 years Male Caucasian Central 7th Math

Teacher/ Team

Leader

Person 4 15 years Female Caucasian West PreK-5 PrincipalPerson 5 2 years Female Indian

AmericanEast 12th

ELATeacher

Person 6 20 years Male African American

East PreK-5 Inst.Specialist

Year Zero

Initial Steering Committee• Alvord, Paul—President of Teachers’ Association• Brown, Paula—Director of Professional

Development • Clifton, Gerri—Instructional Coach • Dirnbeck, Susan—Learning Facilitator• DuMont, JoAnne—Learning Facilitator• Hinds, Tracy—Instructional Specialist• Kelly, Jacqui—Principal• McPherson, Lisa—Teacher• Muse, Angie—Teacher• Reiter, Crystal—Principal• Rizzo, Mike—Teacher • Tobias, Grayling—Assistant Superintendent

Year Zero

Our Learning

•Training, Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning•Bonding•Leadership•Laying the groundwork

Year Zero

Seven Strategies TrainingNaperville, Illinois - April, 2011

• May 18, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. @ The Learning Center Board of Education Room• June 1, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. @ The Learning Center Board of Education Room• June 1, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. @ The Learning Center Board of Education Room• June 8, 3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. @ Hazelwood Central Fieldhouse

Volunteer Teacher Meetings

Cohort A Informational Meetings

2011

Learning Teams

Two to six individuals who have committed to meet regularly for an agreed amount of time guided by a common purpose.

ATI Conference July, 2011

YEAR 1 Where have we been?

Cohort A• 220 volunteers

• Two books:• Main Text: Seven Strategies of

Assessment for Learning• Support Text: Classroom Assessment

for Student Learning

• Expectation: read, attend, implement

• Paid for meeting attendance

Year One

Meeting Parameters• Monthly

• Choice of meeting days

• Central location

• Mixed PreK-12 grouping

• Facilitated by the steering committee

Year One

YEAR 2 Where have we been?

Cohort B

•445 volunteers•Not paid for attendance•One text: Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning•Expectation: read, attend, implement, and keep a portfolio.

Year Two

Cohort B Introductory Meetings

2012

Cohort B Training

2012-2013

Cohort A – Year 2 Training• 188 volunteers•Not paid for attendance• Two books:•Main Text: Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning• Support Text: Classroom Assessment for Student Learning

• Expectation: read, attend, implement, and keep portfolio.

Cohort A Training

2012-2013

Tom Schimmer TrainingFebruary 27 and 28,

2013

Building Leader Training

March, 2012

Teacher Leaders and

Administrators

Honor and Recognize!

Individual Certificates for Cohort A and

Cohort B

April, 2013

Celebrate!

April, 2013

Student Training• Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee• High School students were introduced

to the strategies their teachers will be using in the classroom.

Parent Training

• Parents• Key Communicator Training sessions

• One Training/Introduction during 2011-2012• Two Trainings during 2012-2013

• Strategies 1-3• Strategies 4-7

Board Training• Board of Education• Overview and Board

updates two times in public session during 2011-2012

• 2012-2013 Board was extensively trained in Workshop and Public

Session

• All seven strategies were introduced – a modified version of the teacher training

YEAR 3 Where have we been?

The Summer Institute• Three day training (Supported by presenters

from ATI) July 22, 23, 24

• Voluntary – over 600 attendees

• Lays the foundation for the year’s upcoming professional development

• Differentiated (Learners classified as Year One, Year Two, or Year Three.)

• 979 out of 1441 teachers trained

Year Three

The Summer InstituteYear Three

Seven Strategies Cohort C – First Year of Learning 2013-

14

The Summer Institute Year Three

Classroom Assessment for Student LearningCohort B – Second Year of Learning 2013-14

The Summer InstituteYear Three

Assessment Literacy Grading PracticesCohort A – Third Year of Learning 2013-14

Assessment Literacy Parent Night

Parental Support

Parental Support

Importance of Celebration

District Building Leader End of the Year Celebration

2013-14

2013 – 2014 Steering Committee

What are the results?

2014 District Highlights•Four schools earned between

70% – 79% of the points •Ten schools earned between 80% – 89% of the points•Seven schools earned between 90% – 98.6% of the points*** Three schools earned 100% of the points *** District: 82.9%

HSD Earns National Recognition from Pearson

•Barrington Elementary•Cold Water Elementary•Garrett Elementary•McCurdy Elementary•Walker Elementary

Barrington Elementary

Cold Water Elementary

Garrett Elementary

McCurdy Elementary

Walker Elementary

REFLECTIONWhat have we learned?

What We’ve Learned

•Cultivate teacher leadership•Teacher presentations and videos•Expanding steering committee•Developing building leaders

What We’ve Learned

•Support leaders’ learning•Additional training•Planning discussions•Presentation skills

What We’ve Learned

•Consider accountability•Feedback via collegial conversations.•Feedback via walk-throughs.•Feedback via evaluation tools.

What We’ve Learned

•Learning spirals.•At first, strategies bent to fit schema.•Transformation of philosophy is slow.

What We’ve Learned

•Process develops leaders.•New roles – teacher leaders, building teacher of year, team leaders, coaches, curriculum coordinator, assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents, superintendent.

What We’ve Learned•Board involvement and support are crucial to success

Get Started, Go Slow,

Don’t Stop!

•Ms. Desiree D. Whitlock, Master CBM*, President • Dr. Brenda C. Youngblood Ph.D., Advanced CBM*, Vice President •Mr. Karlton Thornton, Master CBM*, Secretary•Mr. Mark Behlmann, Master CBM*, Treasurer•Mrs. Ann Gibbons, Master CBM*, Director•Mrs. Cheryl Latham, Advanced CBM*, Director•Mr. Chuck Woods, Master CBM*, Director

Contact Information•Dr. Grayling Tobias, Superintendent, Hazelwood School Districtgtobias@hazelwoodschools.org

THANK YOU!

A District’s JourneyImplementing Assessment For Learning Practices With Fidelity Missouri School Boards’ Association

Annual ConferenceSeptember 26, 2014