Assessing Student Achievement

August 2014

“Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts.”

- Albert Einstein

Plan For The Day

• Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment• What is Assessment?• Instructional Design Model (UBD)• Target-Method Match• Practice, Practice, Practice!

ChangeReminder!!

Harlem Learning Process

Curriculum &

Instruction

Assessment

Intervention

Students

What do we want

students to know and be able to do?

How will we know that

they’ve learned it?

What will we do if they don’t

Curriculum

InstructionAssessment

Based on New Illinois State Learning Standards

Delivery of Curriculum Content

Engaged Instructional Strategies

Time on Task

• Balanced System• Of and For

learning• Informs

instructional practice

Curriculum Guides: Skills or content that will

be taught

Curriculum Aligned with Standards and State Accountability

Assessments

Data-Informed Decision Making Process

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

StudentAchievement

Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions:

• Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?

• Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?

• Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?

When assessment works best, it does the following:

Provides diagnostic feedback• What is the student's knowledge base?• What is the student's performance base?• What are the student's needs?• What has to be taught?

When assessment works best, it does the following:

Helps educators set standards• What performance demonstrates

understanding?• What performance demonstrates

knowledge?• What performance demonstrates mastery?

When assessment works best, it does the following:

Evaluates progress• How is the student doing?• What teaching methods or approaches are

most effective?• What changes or modifications to a lesson

are needed to help the student?

When assessment works best, it does the following:

Relates to a student's progress• What has the student learned?• Can the student talk about the new

knowledge?• Can the student demonstrate and use the

new skills in other projects?

When assessment works best, it does the following:

 For student self-evaluation:• Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I

doing?• Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do

better?• What else would I like to learn?

For teacher self-evaluation:• What is working for the students?• What can I do to help the students more?• In what direction should we go next?

Comprehensive Balanced Assessment

A comprehensive balanced assessment system includes:• State (Accountability) Assessments• Interim/Benchmark Assessments• Classroom Assessments

– Formative– Summative

Each should be aligned to standards

District Assessment FrameworkLevel Of

AssessmentElementary Middle School High School

Statewide PARCC PARCC PARCC/PSAE

Interim/Benchmark STAR STAR ACT Aspire

Classroom (Summative)

Writing Benchmarks*Common AssessmentsTeacher Developed/From textbooks

Chapter/Unit assessments*Common AssessmentsTeacher Developed/from textbooks

Chapter/Unit AssessmentsCommon Finals*Common AssessmentsTeacher Developed/from textbooks

Classroom (Formative)

Determined by teacher Determined by teacher Common Pre-AssessmentsDetermined by teacher

Universal Screener K: STAR Early Literacy1st: STAR Early Literacy and STAR Math2nd-6th: STAR Reading and STAR Math

STAR Reading and STAR Math

Locally developed reading and math

Progress Monitor Reading:K-6:, STAR Reading, Running Records, AIMSWebMath:K-6: STAR, AIMSWeb

Reading and Math7-8: STAR, AIMSWeb Running Records

Running RecordsAIMSWeb

The Backwards Design Model• Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

– Linked to Content Standards• Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

– Ongoing Assessment– Performance Tasks

• Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction– Sequence of experiences– Scaffolded– Differentiated

Before Instruction• Determine what you want students to know and be able

to do– Essential learning, power standards/priority standards– Identify learning progressions

• What if students don’t know foundational or “pre-requisite” skills

• Review current data to determine students’ current knowledge– Collect additional data as needed

• Group students• Develop differentiated classroom instruction based on

data– Work with Special Education Teachers and Consultants to

determine how instruction will be supported for students with IEPs

During Instruction

• What formative assessments (not just tests) will I use to determine if students are learning?

• How will I modify instruction based on that data?

• Examples of formative assessment (Checking for Understanding)

• http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html

• Observations• Questioning• Discussion• Exit/Admit Slips• Learning/Response Logs• Graphic Organizers• Peer/Self Assessments • Practice Presentations• Visual Representations• Kinesthetic Assessments • Individual Whiteboards• Laundry Day • Four Corners• Constructive Quizzes • Think Pair Share • Appointment Clock • As I See It

Target -Method Match

Selecting The Right Type of Assessment

Clear Targets: Benefits to Students

Students who could identify their learning scored 27 percentile points

higher than those who could not.~Marzano, 2005

Students can hit any target they can see that holds still for them.

A Math ExampleGeometry Subject

Pythagorean Theorem Topic

Chapter 10 Resource

Use Geometric Tiles for proof

Activity

The lengths of the three sides of a right triangle are related

Learning Target

Kinds of Targets

• Master content knowledge• Use knowledge to reason and

solve problems• Demonstrate performance skills• Create quality products

Knowledge Reason Skill Product

List Predict Measure Construct

Define Infer Demonstrate Develop

Understand Classify Use Create

Recognize Evaluate Operate Produce

Explain Summarize Calculate

Learning Targets with Associated Verbs

Converting Learning Targets to Student-Friendly Language

• Identify important or difficult learning goal.• Identify word(s) needing clarification.• Define the word(s). • Rewrite the definition as an “I can”

statement, in terms that students will understand.

• Try it out and refine as needed.• Have students try this process.

Student-Friendly Language

Word to be defined: PREDICTIONA statement saying something will happen in the futureStudent-friendly language:I can make predictions.This means I can use information from what I read to guess at what will happen next.

4 Types Learning Targets

• Knowledge• Reasoning• Performance/Skill• Product

Why It’s Important to Determine Target Type

• Know if the assessment adequately covers what we taught

• Correctly identify what students know and don’t know

• Keep track of student learning target by target or standard by standard

• Helps determine HOW to assess (method)

Target -Method Match: What is it?

• A way to design assessments that cover our targets

• Answers “ASSESS HOW?”

Types of Assessment Method

• Selected response & short answer• Extended written response• Performance assessment• Personal communication

Selected Response (SR)• Students select correct or best response from a

list provided• Students’ scores are figured as the number or

proportion of questions answered correctly• Formats include:

– Multiple choice– True/false– Matching– Short answer– Fill-in questions

Extended Written Response (EWR)

• Requires students to construct a written answer in response to a question or task (not select one from a list)

• Extended = several sentences in length• Examples:

– Compare pieces of literature– Solve a math problem, show & explain work– Interpret music, scientific info. or polling data– Analyze artwork– Describe in detail an economics process

Extended Written Response

• Correctness judged by:– Giving points for specific info. present OR– Use of a rubric

• Scores can be:– Percentage of points attained OR– Rubric scores

Performance Assessment (PA)• Based on observation & judgment

– Rubric• Judgment made on quality• Examples:

– Playing instrument; speaking in foreign language; working in a group (the doing/process is important)

– Creating products like a lab report, term paper, work of art (quality of product is important)

Performance Assessment • 2 parts:

– Performance task or exercise– Scoring guide/Rubric

• Scoring guide:– Can award points for specific features of performance

or product– Can take form of rubric: levels of quality described

• Scores could be number or percent of points earned or a rubric score

Personal Communication (PC)• Find out what students have learned through

interacting with them• Often an informal assessment, but if clear &

accurate info. is gathered, can be used for feedback to students, self-reflection for students, goal setting

• Examples:– Oral examinations– Interviewing students in conferences– Looking at & responding to students’ comments in

journals and logs

Personal Communication

• Student responses evaluated in 2 ways:– Correct/incorrect (for short, simple answers;

parallels scoring of written selected response questions)

– Evaluate quality (for longer, more complex; parallels to extended written response)• Could use a rubric to score or scoring guide

Matching Target and Assessment Methods

Accuracy in classroom assessment revolves around matching the different target TYPES with the appropriate form of assessment METHODS

  Selected Response

 

Written Response PerformanceAssessment

Personal Communication

Knowledge Good

Can assess isolated elements of knowledge and some relationships among them

Strong

Can assess elements of knowledge and relationships among them

Partial

Can assess elements of knowledge and relationships among them in certain contexts

Strong

Can assess elements of knowledge and relationships among them

Reasoning Good

Can assess many but not all reasoning targets

Strong

Can assess all reasoning targets

Partial

Can assess reasoning targets in the context of certain tasks in certain contexts

Strong

Can assess all reasoning targets

Skill Partial

Good match for some measurement skill targets; not a good match otherwise

Poor

Cannot assess skill level; can only assess prerequisite knowledge and reasoning

Strong

Can observe and assess skills as they are being performed

Partial

Strong match for some oral communication proficiencies; not a good match otherwise

Product Poor

Cannot assess the quality of a product; can only assess prerequisite knowledge and reasoning

Poor

Cannot assess the quality of a product; can only assess prerequisite knowledge and reasoning

Strong

Can directly assess the attributes of quality of products

Poor

Cannot assess the quality of a product; can only assess prerequisite knowledge and reasoning

Target-Method Match

Effective Design • Determine the type of learning target• Select a proper assessment method• Ensure sufficient sampling to demonstrate

mastery• Select or create quality items, tasks, and

rubrics• Sample—gather enough evidence • Control for bias• Design assessments so students can self-

assess and set goals

Authentic assessment can include many of the following:• Observation• Essays• Interviews• Performance tasks• Exhibitions and demonstrations• Portfolios• Journals• Teacher-created tests• Rubrics• Self- and peer-evaluation

Let’s try it….but first….• Google Docs• Set up your Harlem Gmail account• Once you are logged in to your computer as yourself,

please visit: http://goo.gl/idcffu.   – Setting your password through this link will sync your Harlem

and Google account so you can activate your account.• Your log in will be Firstname.Lastname@h122.org. 

Example: Albert.Einstein@h122.org.  Your password will be the same password you set in the password reset portal.

• How to guide is on the Resources page of our Wiki so you can share with teachers in your building.

Let’s Try It!

• Go to the standards page on the WikiSpace• In groups of 2 or 3 (same grade level), select

one standard• Identify the target and write in student friendly

language, “I-Can” statements• Determine the type of target it is• What /are the best method(s) to assess this

standard?• How would you assess mastery?

Share

• Google Docs• Set up your Harlem Gmail account• Once you are logged in to your computer as yourself,

please visit: http://goo.gl/idcffu.   – Setting your password through this link will sync your Harlem

and Google account so you can activate your account.• Your log in will be Firstname.Lastname@h122.org. 

Example: Albert.Einstein@h122.org.  Your password will be the same password you set in the password reset portal.

• How to guide is on the Resources page of our Wiki so you can share with teachers in your building.

Virtual Gallery Walk

• Debrief