Unpacking Standards Matching Assessments

Tulsa Public SchoolsJanuary 11, 2012

Paul Farmerpd@solution-tree.com

@pcfarmersr

Agenda

Professional Learning Communities3 Big Ideas4 Critical Corollary Questions

You’ve got Mail!Identifying Essential SkillsUnwrapping StandardsMatching assessment methods with learned skills

What are theThree Big Ideasof PLC at Work?

1. A Focus on Learning2. A Collaborative Culture3. A Focus on Results

Essential Outcomes for January 11, 2012

• Discuss specifics of the 3 big ideas and 4 critical corollary questions in a PLC

• Learn an activity to engage stakeholders in problem solving

• Review criteria from Reeves and Ainsworth to identify essential skills

• Learn a process for unwrapping standards • Complete an activity of matching

assessments to essential skills

First Big IdeaFocus on Learning

“The very essence of a learning community is a

focus on and a commitment to the learning of each

student”

DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010,Learning by Doing, Second Edition p. 11

Second Big IdeaA Collaborative Culture

“A PLC is composed of collaborative teams whose

members work interdependently to achieve

common goals for which members are mutually

accountable”DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010,Learning by Doing, Second Edition p. 11

Third Big IdeaFocus on Rearning

“Members of a PLC realize that all of their efforts must

be assessed on a basis of results rather than

intentions”

DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010,Learning by Doing, Second Edition p. 11

What are the Four Critical Corollary Questions?

1. What do we want our students to learn?(essential, guaranteed, and viable curriculum)

2. How will know they have learned it?(frequent, team-developed, common formative assessments)

3. How will we respond when they don’t learn it?(timely, directive, systematic intervention)

4. What will we do when they do learn it?(timely enriched content, extended activities)

Identifying Essential Skills/Concepts1. Gather necessary resources: – State standards – Association standards – District curriculum guides – Prerequisite skills – Assessment framework and blueprints – Other supporting documents and information2. Review documents3. Determine what is most important

Identifying Essential Skills/Concepts

• Essential skills/concepts must be aligned with district curriculum guides, state or national standards such as the Oklahoma Standards and Common Core Standards.

• Essential skills/concepts must be aligned with the association• standards for courses such as Foreign Language, Family &• Consumer Science, Music, Physical Education, etc…• Students must be prepared to demonstrate proficiency with the

essential skills/concepts on high-stakes tests.• Learning of essential skills/concepts will be assessed frequently• with teacher made common formative assessments for• students to prove mastery and when necessary to allow for• additional time and support to assure learning takes place.

Teaching to the StateStandards

Recent research reveals that teaching to the state

standards would require approximately 23 years.

Determining What Is Essential

1. Endurance—Will this standard provide students with knowledge and skills that will be of value beyond a single test date?

2. Leverage—Will this provide knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple disciplines?

3. Readiness—Will this provide students with the essential knowledge and skills necessary for success in the next unit, level of instruction, course, grade or level of instruction?

DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many Learning by Doing 2nd Ed, 2010, Page 65Ainsworth , Rigorous Curriculum Design, 2010 Page 40Reeves, The Leader’s Guide to Standards 2002, pp. 49–52

Consider one item your school has encountered as a hurdle for moving

forward in the PLC journey.

Create a description of the hurdle that would provide a reader with enough

clarity to offer a meaningful suggestion.

You’ve got Mail!1. Each team writes their greatest challenge on the outside of the

envelop (no names or other identifying information)2. The second team reads the challenge and writes a suggestion

for overcoming the challenge on one index card inside the envelop

3. The third and fourth teams read the challenge and the suggestion/s for overcoming the challenge then writes another suggestion

4. The postmaster redistributes the mail to the starting team with the challenge

Skills / Concepts

Learning / Achievement Targets

Statements of what wewant students to learn

and be able to do.

“The single most common barrier tosound classroom assessment is theteachers’ lack of vision of appropriateachievement targets within thesubjects they are supposed to teach.” Rick Stiggins

Knowledge / Understanding

“Mastery of substantivesubject content where

mastery includesknowing it

understanding it, andknowing how to find it.”

Possible Verbs:Understand, describe, identify, define, label, match, choose, recall, recognize, select

Adapted from Laurie Robinson 2011

Reasoning“The ability to use

knowledge andunderstanding tofigure things out

and to solveproblems”

Possible Verbs:Explain, analyze,(support, determine, dissect, examine, order) Compare/contrast(discriminate, distinguish, find similarities and differences), Synthesize (blend,formulate, organize, adapt, modify) Classify (categorize, sort, group) Infer (interpret,conclude, predict) Evaluate (justify, support, appraise, debate, defend, evaluate,prove)

Adapted from Laurie Robinson 2011

“The development ofproficiency in doing somethingwhere it is the process that isimportant, such as playing amusical instrument, readingaloud, speaking in a second

language, or usingpsychomotor skills”

Performance Skills

Possible Verbs:Observe, listen, perform, do, question, conduct, work, read, speak, assemble,operate, use, demonstrate, measure, investigate, model, collect, dramatize, explore

Adapted from Laurie Robinson 2011

“The ability to create tangible products, such as term papers, science fair models, and art products, that meet certain standards of quality and that present concrete evidence of academic proficiency”

Products

Possible Verbs:Design, produce, create, develop, make, draw, represent, display, model, construct,build

Adapted from Laurie Robinson 2011

Driving a Car With Skill

• Knowledge

• Reasoning

• Skills

• Products

The Process of Unwrapping

• First, CIRCLE all of the verbs. What will students need to do?

• Second, UNDERLINE all the knowledge• components that provide content.• STAR any performance skills in the

standard.• BOX any products that will be required

for standard completion. • Below the standard, NAME any

reasoning targets that are either explicit or implied.

“Teachers who truly understand what they want their students to accomplish will almost surely be more instructionally successful than teachers whose understanding of hoped for ‐student accomplishments are murky.”

W. James Popham

Assessment Methods and Effectiveness• Selected/Constructed Response • Multiple choice, true/false, matching,

labeling of diagram, or short answer fill in ‐items

• Extended Written Response• An original written response

• Performance• The ‘performance’ is the target

• Personal Communication• Interview, conferences, oral examinations,

class discussions

Aligning Learning Targetsto

Assessment MethodsUsing the Target Method Match Activity:‐1. Each person has a number 1 4‐2. Individually read through your assigned scenario

and record your answer to each question by marking a “Y” in the appropriate box when your answer is “Yes.” Put an “N” in the box if the answer is “No.”

3. At your table or in your group discuss your answers for the ‘best’ matches.

Unpacking Standards Matching Assessments

Tulsa Public SchoolsJanuary 11, 2012

Paul Farmerpd@solution-tree.com

@pcfarmersr