USING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND

TECHNOLOGY TO RAISE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Matthew Schmitt, M.EdScience Curriculum CoordinatorGlendale Union High School DistrictMatthew.Schmitt@guhsdaz.org

Presentation Objectives• Define, explain, and provide examples of the

assessment cycle.

• Review the available technologies to be used for formative assessment.

• Highlight the rise in student achievement that the implementation of technology-aided formative assessment has had in GUHSD.

• Develop formative assessment ideas for use in any science class.

Assessment CycleFormative

Assessment

Common Formative

Assessment

Summative Assessmen

t

Summative Assessments …are given to determine at a particular point in time

what students know and don’t know …determine the effectiveness of already-completed

instructional activities …are focused on a grade rather than on student

improvement … provide overview of how the curriculum, instruction

and assessments prepared students to master the course outcomes

…allow for refinement of curricular, instructional, and assessment practices for the following year

Examples• State assessments

• AIMS• Stanford 10

• District assessments

• Chapter / Unit tests

• Projects / Presentations

Common Formative Assessments • …given by two or more instructors on a team

• …not standardized

• …teacher-created and teacher-owned

• …collaboratively scored

• …provide immediate feedback

• …results examined for best practices and remediation opportunities

Examples• Chapter / Unit test

• Quiz

• Projects / Presentations

Formative Assessment• James Popham, Transformative Assessment, 2008:

• Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers use assessment-based evidence to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures and students use this evidence to adjust their current learning tactics.

• The DuFours and Eaker, Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008:• Formative assessment is an assessment for learning

used to advance and not merely monitor each student’s learning.

Formative Assessment• … is a continuous process

• … takes place during instruction

• … improves students’ achievement of outcomes

• … is not always a “test”, but a check for students’ understanding

• … is focused on improvement rather than grades

Examples• Ask questions• Bell work• Pop quiz• Ticket out the door• Any questions• Think-Pair-Share

Formative Assessment Analysis• What kind of data do you get from formative

assessments?

• What do students do with formative assessment data?

Assessment CycleFormative

Assessment

Common Formative

Assessment

Summative Assessmen

t

Formative Assessment Tools

NO TECH

• Thumbs up / down

• 1 – 5

• Verbal questions

LOW TECH

• Popsicle sticks

• White boards

• Student Response Systems

GUHSD Success• Assessment Literacy Course

• Trained 500+ teachers

• On-going professional development

• Observations about student achievement in GUHSD• Lower drop-out rate• Higher graduation rate• Lower freshman failure rate

Formative Assessment in Science