assessment: the linchpin in the collaborative planning...

Assessment: The Linchpin in the Collaborative Planning Process

(Slides)

Virginia Mahlke

Solution Tree

Assessment The Linchpin in the Collaborative

Planning Process

Virginia Mahlke [email protected]

Solution Tree

What Does the Research Say?

“The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community.”

—Milbrey McLaughlin

Solution Tree

The standards or behaviors by which we agree to operate while we are in this group

Norms

© Mahlke 2012. solution-tree.comDo not duplicate. 1

Solution Tree

Our Learning Norms

  Gather back together by raising our hands and stopping our conversations when we see Ginny do the same.

  Stay engaged with the group—no cell phones, pagers, or extraneous work.

  Be open to new learning.

  Seek clarification and ask questions.

  Look at yourself and your school or school system with an honest and caring eye.

Solution Tree

Reflection

  On a piece of paper make two columns with these headings:

  What Resonates With Me

  How I Can Apply This at My School?

  At different times during the session I will ask you to stop and write on this piece of paper about work we have just completed.

Solution Tree

Definition of a Professional Learning Community

“An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve”

—DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing (2010), p. 11

© Mahlke 2012. solution-tree.comDo not duplicate.2

Solution Tree

“We cannot imagine any school succeeding in its effort to create a professional learning community without a commitment to formative assessments—assessments used for learning.”

—DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour (Eds.), On Common Ground (2005)

Solution Tree

How Do We Use Assessments?

  Work with a partner and make a list of all the ways you can use assessments and assessment data.

  Categorize what you wrote by whether it gives you:

o  Information about students

o  Information about teachers

Solution Tree

“Professional learning communities create an intensive focus on learning by clarifying exactly what students are to learn and by monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis.”

—DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing (2010)


Solution Tree

Assessment as Linchpin

1.  Linchpin: a locking pin inserted crosswise (as through the end of an axle or shaft)

2.  One that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit (the linchpin in the defense’s case)

Solution Tree

How will we know they have learned it?

Essential standards

Develop common

assessments. Design lessons.

Set SMART goal.

Give common assessments.

Plan based on common assessment results.

How will we respond when learning has not occurred?

Analyze data.

How will we respond when learning has already occurred?

What do we want all students to learn?

Deliver lessons.

Reteach—individualize, small group, deploy, etc. Enrich and deepen.

Reassess learning.

Solution Tree

A Shift in the Use of Assessments (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, Learning by Doing, 2010)

From infrequent summative assessments To frequent common formative assessments

From assessments to determine which students failed to learn by the deadline

To assessments to identify students who need additional time and support

From assessments used to reward and punish students

To assessments used to inform and motivate students

From assessing many things infrequently To assessing a few things frequently

From individual teacher assessments To assessments developed jointly by collaborative teams

From each teacher determining criteria for judging student work

To collaborative teams determining consistent criteria to be used by the entire team

From an over-reliance on one kind of assessment

To balanced assessments

From focusing on average scores To monitoring each student’s proficiency in every essential skill


Solution Tree

A Balanced Assessment System

Solution Tree

Formative Assessment

“… All those activities undertaken by teachers and/or by students which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they engage”

—Black & Wiliam, “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment,” Phi Delta Kappan (1998), pp. 7–8

Solution Tree

Research on Formative Assessment

  The largest gain was for the lowest achievers.

  Formative assessment needs to improve.

  Improvements need to be made in:

o The accuracy of classroom assessments

o Feedback given to students (more descriptive feedback and less evaluative feedback and grades)

o More student involvement


Solution Tree

Summative Assessment

“[It] occurs when teachers evaluate a final product … usually at the end of a chapter, a unit of study, a benchmark period, a quarter, a course, a semester, or an academic year.”

—Burke, Balanced Assessment: From Formative to Summative (2010), p. 22

Solution Tree

Formative Assessment Is … ? Summative Assessment Is … ?

Summative Formative

Solution Tree

Assessments of Learning

  Take place after learning has occurred.

  Determine if learning did occur.

  Make a statement about student status at a particular point in time.

  Help those outside the classroom to make comparisons and placement decisions.

(Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right—Using It Well, 2006)


Solution Tree

Assessments for Learning

  Happen while learning is still underway.

  Help diagnose students’ needs.

  Help plan the next steps in instruction.

  Give students feedback they can use to improve performance.

  Show students increments of achievement.

(Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right—Using It Well, 2006)

Solution Tree

Common Formative Assessments

  Require teachers to meet and agree on what to teach.

  Demand discussion on the best ways to help students learn the outcomes.

  Require consensus regarding the best way for students to demonstrate their learning.

  Show teachers where they have to make adjustments in their teaching.

  Ensure consistency at a grade level or across a department.

Solution Tree

What Happens When Teachers Don’t Use Common Formative Assessments

“The more you teach without finding out who understands the information and who doesn’t, the greater the likelihood that only already proficient students will succeed.”

—Wiggins, “Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment,” Edutopia (2006, April)


Monitoring Along the Way Where are we starting?

Key Questions

 Are we moving in the right direction?

 Are we going at the necessary pace?

 Are we leaving anyone behind?

Where did we end up?

Summative Data

Summative Data

Formative Data

A Balanced and Coherent System of Assessment

Most Formative

Daily/Weekly

Ongoing teacher assessment and checks for understanding

Student involved

In-class adjustments

More Formative Weekly/Unit

Collaboratively developed and curriculum embedded

Pyramid of interventions

More Summative

Interim/Quarterly

Identify groups of at-risk students

Entrance and exit criteria

Programmatic support

Most Summative

Annually

Ranks and benchmarks of proficiency

STAR testing program

Standardized achievement tests

Five Keys for Improving Assessment

Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment

The provision of effective feedback to students

A recognition of the profound influence assessment has on motivation and self-esteem

The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve

The active involvement of students in their own learning


Solution Tree

Determine the level of proficiency needed for mastery.

Identify essential or prioritized standards.

Unwrap standards to clarify targeted concepts and skills.

Develop aligned assessments that match the target.

Sequence of Work for PLC Teams

What standards are we emphasizing in our instruction, assessments, and interventions?

Are we clear on the specific skills and concepts contained within the standard?

Do common assessment questions accurately and efficiently measure skills and concepts?

What is mastery? How do we ensure consistency of mastery?

Solution Tree

Let’s See How This Actually Works

  This is the time to look at your school with an honest and caring eye.

  As we go through the planning cycle in your handout, ask yourself the questions, decide if you are having substantive conversations, and look for products.

  You will see where in the cycle you may be stuck or how you want to tweak an already effective system.

Solution Tree

Bring Something to the Table

Before leaving your group, share something your school is doing in the area of assessment that you think will be helpful for the others in the room.


Solution Tree

Dale Carnegie Says …

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Thank You!

To schedule professional development at your site, contact

Solution Tree at 800.733.6786.

Solution Tree


assessment: the linchpin in the collaborative planning...

Documents