CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNING

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNINGAdapted from Assessment Training Institute, Pearson Education, Inc., 2010

Used with skill, assessment canMotivate the unmotivatedRestore students desire to learnEncourage students to keep learning Createnot simply measureincreased achievement

--Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2004

Classroom AssessmentGuiding PrinciplesGather accurate information about student achievementUse assessment process and results to promote maximum student learning

Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment

Think of a time you were assessed and it was a negative experience. What made it negative?

Now think of a time you were assessed and it was a positive experience. What made it positive?

*PURPOSEACCURACYEFFECTIVE USE

*Key 1: Clear Assessment PurposeAlways begin by askingWhos going to use the information?How will they use it?What information will they need?Do our assessment practices meet students information needs?

*Two Assessment PurposesSUMMATIVEAssessments OF LearningHow much have students learned as of a particular point in time? FORMATIVEAssessments FOR LearningHow can we use assessment information to help students learn more?

*Balanced Assessment SummativeProvides evidence of achievement to certify student competence or program effectivenessAssessment for learningUse assessments to help students assess and adjust their own learningFormative uses of summative dataUse of summative evidence to inform what comes next for individuals or groups of studentsFormativeFormal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence to directly improve the learning of students assessedAssessment for learningUse classroom assessments to inform teachers decisions

*PURPOSETARGETACCURACYEFFECTIVE USE

*Key 2:Clear Learning TargetsAre our targets clear to us? Are they clear to students?Can we identify what kinds of targets we have?Do our assignments and assessments reflect the targets students have had the opportunity to learn?

*Key 3: Sound Assessment DesignWhich assessment methods are the best match for the learning targets?What is an appropriate sample size?Are the items, tasks, and scoring rubrics of high quality?Does the assessment control for bias?Will the assessment yield information that students can use, when appropriate?

*Key 4: Effective CommunicationDo formative assessment results function as effective feedback to students and teachers? Are students engaged in tracking and communicating about their evolving learning?

Formative PurposeIs achievement tracked by learning target and reported by standard?Do grades communicate achievement accurately?Are standardized test results used appropriately?

Summative Purpose

*PURPOSETARGETACCURACYEFFECTIVE USESTUDENTINVOLVEMENT

*

Key 5: Student InvolvementKey 1: Are students information needs planned for?

Key 2: Do students have a clear vision of the intended learning?

Key 3: Are students able to self-assess and set goals on the basis of their assessment results?

Key 4: Do students receive and offer effective feedback during the learning?

Key 5: Do students track, reflect on, and share their learning progress?

*Understanding the Importance of the Keys to QualityThinking about each of these five keys to quality:Which key(s) did your negative experiences violate? Which key(s) did your positive experiences reinforce?Categorize the experiences according to the keys to quality.

*Inside the BLACK BOXRaising Standards Through Classroom Assessment

A Review of Research on the Effects of Formative Assessmentby Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam

*FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:

All those activities undertaken by teachers and by their students [that] provide information to be used as FEEDBACK to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged.

--Black & Wiliam, 1998

*Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT increases student achievement.

*Activity DirectionsRead through the excerpt from Inside the Black Box.

Note the 35 most important points to you. Then note the practices that Black and Wiliam suggest are essential to improved achievement. (5 minutes)

Share with a group of 2 or 3 others at your table. (5 minutes)

*Black & Wiliam Review of Research:

1. Does better FORMATIVE assessment = higher learning?

2. Does formative assessment need improving?

3. What improvement is needed?

*Black & Wiliam Research on Effects of Formative Assessment:.4 to .7 Gain.7 Standard Deviation Score Gain =25 Percentile Points on ITBS (middle of score range)70 SAT Score Points4 ACT Score Points

Largest Gain for Low Achievers

*Recommended PracticesIncreased descriptive feedback, reduced evaluative feedbackIncreased student self-assessment Increased opportunities for students to communicate their evolving learning during the teaching

*The ultimate user of assessment information is the student.

*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like in the Classroom

*A key premise is that for students to be able to improve, they must have the capacity to monitor the quality of their own work during actual production. This in turn requires that students:

Know what high quality work looks like

Be able to objectively compare their work to the standard

Have a store of tactics to make work better based on their observations

--Royce Sadler, 1989

*Assessment for learning meets students information needs:Where am I going?Where am I now?How can I close the gap?

*Assessment for Learning StrategiesWhere am I going?1.Provide a clear statement of the learning target2.Use examples and modelsWhere am I now?3.Offer regular descriptive feedback4.Teach students to self-assess and set goalsHow 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

*Activity DirectionsParticipants count off 1-7.Each person with the number one reads the explanation of Strategy 1, etc.Be ready to explain the key idea of your strategy and how it addresses the AFL key question. Note ideas that are familiar and ideas that are new to you.Share briefly with the whole group on each of the seven strategies.

*New Idea: Formative assessment can and should be done BY STUDENTS as well as by teachers. The key to improvement is how students and teachers use assessment information.

*Assessment for Learning:

A GPS system for students, too.

On the Way to Quality Assessment!

Start now!

Go slow!

Dont stop!

*PURPOSETARGETACCURACYEFFECTIVE USESTUDENTINVOLVEMENT

*Assessment for Learning StrategiesWhere am I going?1.Provide a clear statement of the learning target2.Use examples and modelsWhere am I now?3.Offer regular descriptive feedback4.Teach students to self-assess and set goalsHow 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

*Requirement for Success?Quality Assessment! All assessments arise from high-quality content standardsAll assessments produce accurate evidenceAll users use assessment to benefit student learning

*Expected Benefits and Proven ResultsAssessment connected to learningBetter instruction focused on standardsProfound achievement gains for all students, with the largest gains for lowest achieversMore self-managed learning by students

In Senate Bill 1 it is stated that The General Assembly finds, declares, and establishes that: Schools shall expect a high level of achievement of all students.As part of the direction for achieving this goal the state has initiated training in identifying the concepts, skills and instructional strategies needed to apply assessment for learning in each classroom. We will talk more about assessment for learning during this presentation.

Rick Stiggins, Judith Arter, Jan Chappuis, and Steve Chappuis have authored the book entitled Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It RightUsing It Well.

The Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Oregon, has put together resources and professional development sessions to enable teachers and/or administrators to become facilitators of the assessment for learning training in all schools. You cant workshop everything you need to be able to do in education. In order to deepen assessment expertise of teachers and administrators, this book, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning ( or CASL), targets a two pronged approach to PD:Learning teams are created for content delivery (independent and collaborative work)Introductory presentations are made to give an overview of the big picture of assessment quality and to provide specific examples and classroom applications.

*Preliminary Slides 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, OR www.assessmentinst.com*Slide 2This is the opening claim from the CASL book, page 3. Preliminary Slides 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, OR www.assessmentinst.com*Slide 3This slide leads into the content of the presentation.

Slide 4The first thing were going to take a closer look at are the keys to quality classroom assessmentclick to slide 5.*Slide 5*Slide 6*1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 7

Key 1 is Clear Purpose. Sound classroom assessment requires that both processes and results serve clear and appropriate purposes. A central question for this key is, Who will use the assessment results and how will they be used?

1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 8

To establish a clear assessment purpose, we ask the following questions: What decisions will this assessment inform? Who is making these decisions? What information will be most useful in making those decisions? And, have we included student information needs in planning our assessment?

The answers to these questions determine what information is needed and in what formthis is the first step in assessment planning, whether you are developing your own assessment or selecting one already developed.


We can divide the purposes of assessment into two categories: assessment of learning and assessment for learning. Summative assessment, or assessment of learning, measures the level of achievement at a point in time. Standardized tests and benchmark assessments generally fall into this category. Any work that is evaluated that counts toward the report card grade we can consider an assessment of learning. So, if you think about all the assessments given over a trimester or quarter and how many of them are figured into the grade, youll discover that a lot of them, if not most of them, are assessments of learning. Assessment of learning is periodic and is for accountability (for both students and teachers).

Formative assessment, or assessment for learning, on the other hand, is not an accountability tool, but a teaching tool. We can conduct assessments to make decisions about instruction before the learning process or during the learning process. For example, we conduct pretests to help us decide where to begin with certain groups of students. We can also set assignments and quizzes up so that students are able to determine what theyve mastered and what they still need to learn. Assessment for learning is continuous. It can be viewed as teaching with the eyes open. Teachers watch as students practice and intervene if they are practicing things the wrong way.


(Paraphrase slide) Then say: You can see classroom-level, building-level, and district-level decision-makers represented here. Remember, the term formative includes the manner in which an assessment is used and doesnt just refer to an assessment instrument in and of itself. Formative assessments are used to increase learning and summative assessments are used to verify that it has or hasnt taken place. The question is not, Which one should we use? We need both. The question is, Are they in balance?.


The second key to quality is Clear Targets. Good assessments reflect clear and valued student learning targets.1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 12

Key 2 asks us to be clear about the targets we intend to teach and assess before we plan our assessments. We need to know what kind of target the content standard represents, so we teach to the intended level of cognitive challenge, and so we can select the appropriate assessment method. We need to be competent, confident masters of the targets ourselves. We need to know what targets each assessment measures so we can ensure that our tests match our teaching and so that we can keep track of learning standard by standard. And we need to make our targets clear to students in advance of, or during, the learning.Targets must be communicated in student friendly language, such as I can multiply two digit numbers. 1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 13So, good assessment begins with Keys 1 and 2, Clear Purpose and Clear Targets. Once those prerequisite decisions are in place, we are ready to take action in Key 3, Sound Assessment Design.1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 14

High-quality assessments are not built first and then retro-fitted into a context. After we have established the contextidentified the purpose and targets to be assessedthen we are ready to design the assessment with these questions in mind. (Read slide. You may also want to add a sentence or two of explanation for each design feature.)

After Question 1: Different methods include selected response, extended written response, performance assessment, and personal communication.After question 3: Do the items/tasks address the learning targets from teacher instruction? Do the rubrics specifically address the intent of the question/task?

After question 4: A source of bias is anything that may interfere with assessment results (such as a death in the family or other traumatizing event occurring in a students life).1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 15

Once we have ensured the accuracy of our assessments, we are ready to address their effective use. The fourth key to quality is Effective Communication: Assessment results are managed well and communicated effectively.1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 16

The most accurate assessment is wasted if its results are miscommunicated, or if they are communicated to students in ways that shut learning down. In Key 4, we focus on what needs to be in place so that everyone who receives assessment information can use it effectively. This includes making sure that formative assessment results can function as effective feedback, and involving students in tracking and communicating about their progress. For summative assessment, it means that our record keeping and grading practices accurately reflect student learning and that we are able to interpret and use standardized test results correctly.


The fifth key to quality is Student Involvement and it is not a stand-alone key, but rather a part of all of the other keys.

1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 18These are the central components of student involvement in assessment: (read slide, or paraphrase).


This is the second half of the activity at the beginning of this presentation (negative and positive experiences in assessment). Participants work in the handout to identify which key or keys to quality were involved in their negative and positive experiences. They can work alone or discuss with a partner.

2. Formative Assessment Research 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comFormative Assessment Research Slide 20The Keys to Quality Assessment have shown us that assessment must have a clear purpose and clear learning targets have to be identified. Therefore, teachers teach to the targets and then align their assessments to the instruction.

Directions: Explain that Black & Wiliam are two British researchers who conducted a comprehensive review of the research on the impact formative assessment practices have on student achievement. They published an article reviewing their findings in the October 1998 PDK.2. Formative Assessment Research 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comFormative Assessment Research Slide 21

In the article, Black & Wiliam define formative assessment as (read slide).2. Formative Assessment Research 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comFormative Assessment Research Slide 22

They noted that (read slide).2. Formative Assessment Research 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comFormative Assessment Research Slide 23

Now were going to read an excerpt from that article to understand more about their findings. Have participants read the 2-page excerpt provided in the handout, noting the 35 most important points to them. Also ask them to pay attention to Black & Wiliams recommended practices. This takes about 5 minutes.

Conduct a large-group debrief. (If time permits, you may want to note responses on chart paper. Possible chart title: High-Impact Formative Assessment Practices).

2. Formative Assessment Research 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comFormative Assessment Research Slide 24

You can use this slide and the three that follow it as a summary of what the article says, as a way to draw closure to this activity.


There is significant research showing that assessment for learning practices increase student motivation and achievement. Black and Wiliam reviewed over 250 studies on the effects of formative assessment on achievement. They found effect sizes of between .4 and .7 standard deviations. To understand the significance of these numbers, we can translate them as follows: A .7 standard deviation gain on the ITBS equals a gain of 25 percentile points, a gain of 70 points on each portion of the SAT, and a gain of 4 points on the ACT composite score.


Black and Wiliam highlighted three fundamental changes necessary for schools to attain those gains: increasing descriptive feedback and reducing evaluative feedback, increased student involvement in the assessment process, and increased opportunities for students to communicate their evolving learning while the teaching is in progress.

(These three findings are the foundation of the ATI assessment for learning strategies. We urge you to become comfortable repeating them from memory before you give this presentation.)


You could ask Which of our current assessments are set up so students can act on the information? Or, you could use this slide as a probe with a partner discussion question such as: How does this match your current thinking about formative assessment?

This slide concludes the introductory part that focuses on the connection between assessment and motivation and introduces assessment for learning in a general sense.

4. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide 28This is not hard work, but neither can it be done overnight. It is multi-year work (3-5 years).

We are going to do a brief overview of the Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning

4. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide 29


These three questions are a short-hand way to think about assessment for learning.4. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide 314. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide 32


This may have been one of the new ideas. For many it is a new interpretation of what formative assessment can mean.

4. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide34

A final point is that a balanced assessment system acknowledges and meets students information needs. It shows students where they are, where they need to go, and how to close the gap.

Slide 35The best way to address the process of implementing Classroom Assessment for Learning is to:Start nowIf we dont change what were doing, were going to keep getting the same results.Go slowThis is an ongoing processat least 3-5 years for complete implementation of a balanced assessment system.Dont stopwhen the going gets tough, we have to keep trudging on. This is to be implemented one piece at a time, through collaboration and team work.*1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comKeys to Quality Slide 36

Quick review of the 5 Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment (student involvement is embedded in each of the first four keys).4. What Assessment for Learning Looks Like2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institutewww.assessmentinst.com*What Assessment for Learning Looks Like Slide 37

Briefly summarize the seven Assessment for Learning Strategies.1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comSlide 38In order for students to achieve success, a quality balanced assessment system must be in place.1. Keys to Quality 2010 Pearson Assessment Training Institute, Portland, ORwww.assessmentinst.comSlide 39

These four points act as a summary of why schools would engage in this learning. Stress how important it will be to approach this process through learning teams and to have students actively involved in each key to quality assessment.

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CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNING