Overview to Common Overview to Common Formative Assessments Formative Assessments

(CFAs)(CFAs)Adapted from The Leadership and Learning Center

Presented by Jane Cook & Madeline NegronFor Windham Public Schools

Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative

Common Findings inCommon Findings inSuccessful SchoolsSuccessful Schools

Formed a professional learning community

Focused on student work (through assessment)

Changed their instructional practice accordingly to get better results

Did all of this on a continuing basis

Fullan, April 2000

Professional Learning Communities

Four essential questions:• What do all students need to know and be able to do?• How do we teach so that all students will learn?• How will we know if they have learned it?• What will we do if they don’t know or if they come to

us already knowing?

DuFour & Eaker, 1998

Priority Standards

“Unwrapped” Standards, Big Ideas, Essential

Questions

Decision Making for

Results

Performance Assessments

Common Formative

Assessments Scoring Guides

How Powerful Practices Work Together

Data Teams: Data Teams: The Mechanism The Mechanism for Measuring Progressfor Measuring ProgressStep 1: Collect and chart data and

results.Step 2: Analyze strengths and obstaclesStep 3: Set S.M.A.R.T. goal for student

improvement.Step 4: Select effective teaching

strategies.Step 5: Determine results indicators.

Data Teams Process, The Leadership and Learning Center

Nine + 1 Effective Teaching StrategiesNine + 1 Effective Teaching Strategies

1. Similarities and differences2. Summarizing and note taking3. Effort and recognition4. Homework and practice5. Nonlinguistic representation6. Cooperative learning7. Setting objectives, providing feedback8. Generating and testing hypotheses9. Cues, questions, advance organizers10.Non-fiction writing

Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001

The Two Tools of Assessment

“No single assessment can meet everyone’s information needs…To maximize student success, assessment must be seen as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring, and as an accountability tool to determine if learning has occurred. Because both purposes are important, they must be in balance.”

NEA, 2003

Two Purposes of Assessment: Two Purposes of Assessment: Important DistinctionsImportant Distinctions

• Diagnosis – Assessment FORFOR Learning • Evaluation – Assessment OFOF Learning

Assessment Assessment FORFOR Learning LearningFormative: Given before before and duringduring the

teaching process Diagnostic: Intended to be used as a guide to

improve teaching and learningProvides teachers with information they need

to create appropriate work for groups of learners or individual students

Not typically used to assign gradesAnswers key questions: Do students possess Do students possess

critical pre-requisite skills and knowledge? critical pre-requisite skills and knowledge? Do students already know some of the Do students already know some of the material that is to be taught?material that is to be taught?

Bravmann, 2004

Assessment Assessment OF OF LearningLearning

Summative assessment for unit, quarter, semester, grade level, or course of study

Provides “status report” on degree of student proficiency or mastery relative to targeted standard(s)

Helps teachers judge effectiveness of their teaching practices

Supports the assignment of gradesAnswers question: Have students Have students

achieved the goals defined by a given achieved the goals defined by a given standard or group of standards?standard or group of standards?

Bravmann, 2004

The Power Of COMMON Assessments

“Schools with the greatest improvements in student achievement consistently used common assessments.”

Reeves, 2004

What Are Common Assessments?

“Not standardized tests, but rather teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that are collaboratively scored and that provide immediate feedback to students and teachers.”

Douglas B. Reeves, CEO,The Leadership and Learning Center

What Are Common Formative Assessments?

“Common formative assessments are designed to give students specific feedback on the clear target to be achieved, along with suggestions on how to reach that target on subsequent assessments. Students need to understand that this feedback will not be graded but that it will be used by their teachers to design specific instruction to help them improve. After a review of almost 8,000 classroom studies focused on determining the impact of feedback on student improvement, John Hattie (1992) declared: “The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback’.”

Hattie, 1992, p. 9

What Are Common What Are Common Formative Formative Assessments? Assessments? (continued)(continued)

Assessments forfor learning administered to all students in grade level or course several times during semester, trimester, or year

Items collaboratively designed by participating teachers

Items represent essential (Priority) standards onlyonly

Items aligned to district and state testsResults analyzed in Data Teams in order to

differentiate instructionAinsworth & Viegut, 2006

Simply Put – A Common Simply Put – A Common Formative Formative Assessment is… Assessment is…

Common = Given by all teachers at a grade level or in a content area

Formative = Provides data to inform planning and instruction

Assessment = Provides diagnostic rather than evaluative information

Grade Levels # of CFA Items

Grades K-1 Approximately 5-8

Grades 2-3 Approximately 8-10

Grade 4-5 Approximately 10-15

Grades 6-8 Approximately 15-20

Grades 9-12 Approximately 20-25

Recommended # of CFA Items

How Long Should a CFA Take?How Long Should a CFA Take?

A CFA should take no more than one 45-minute class period. For early grades, it should take much less time. Limit the total number of items so that student papers can be quickly scored and the results can be used right away to inform instruction.

Achievement Gains Associated With Achievement Gains Associated With Number of Assessments over 15 weeksNumber of Assessments over 15 weeks

Number of Assessments

Effect Size Percentile Gain

0 0 0

1 0.34 13.5 5 0.53 20.0

10 0.60 22.5

15 0.66 24.5

20 0.71 26.0

25 0.78 28.5 30 0.82 29.0

Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 2007

(The higher the effect size and percentile gain, the more statistically significant.)

The Process of Developing CFAs: The Process of Developing CFAs: Laying The Standards Foundation Laying The Standards Foundation - Steps 1-6- Steps 1-6Step 1: Choose Important TopicStep 2: Identify Matching Priority

StandardsStep 3: “Unwrap” Matching Priority StandardsStep 4: Create Graphic OrganizerStep 5: Determine the Big IdeasStep 6: Write the Essential Questions

The Process of Developing CFAs: The Process of Developing CFAs: Creating The AssessmentCreating The AssessmentSteps 7-10Steps 7-10

Step 7: Write Selected-Response ItemsStep 8: Write Constructed-Response

Items (extended or short)Step 9: Write Essential Question-Big

Idea DirectionsStep 10: Create Answer Key & Scoring

Guides for Constructed-Response Items

CFAs – A SummaryCFAs – A SummaryPeriodic assessments collaboratively designedMatching pre- and post-assessmentsSimilar in design to high stakes testsItems should represent priority standardsBlend of item types including selected and

constructed response Administered several times a yearResults analyzed in Data TeamsResults used to inform planning and

instruction

Questions?Questions?

Now it’s your turn… Now it’s your turn… You’re ready to begin Step 1 in the CFA process –

this is also Step 1 in the Data Team process.In your Grade Level Data Teams work on your

“Treasure Hunt” looking for CMT Strands that are “important topics” for your grade level students.

You may divide into smaller content area teams within your Grade Level Data Teams, e.g., Science and Math may choose to look at the Math & Science data while Social Studies and English work together on the Reading & Writing data.