Welcome to Classroom Formative Assessment for Coaches and Administrators

Target1. We will be able to describe the very big picture for the district

and for their school: how classroom formative assessment connects with everything we do, including but not limited to:

The 27J Instructional Model PLCs PSTs Professional development Staff meetings SIP PBS Professional growth plans Teacher evaluation Grading and reporting

2. We will start thinking about change in the district and in schools, and explore constructs that may help us with planning and execution.

27J Instructional Model Version 1.3 November 30, 2007

Purpose Our mission is to ensure that all students have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for present and future competence and success. The purpose of this instructional model is to provide a tool to examine our students' progress and to adjust our instruction accordingly. Our goal is to guarantee rigor by ensuring that all students reach our Essential Learning Targets through delivery of appropriate instruction. The model enables us to plan the instruction and intervention needed in order to deliver the Essential Learning Targets to all our students, according to need rather than label. We define intervention as instruction that involves sufficient time, focus and intensity that student achievement gaps are closed.

Curriculum Teams of 27J teachers, working on curriculum committees, write Essential Learning Targets. These are adopted by the Board of Education, and form the backbone of 27J's written curriculum. We believe that student achievement is grounded in a written curriculum that is respected, implemented, and monitored. We believe that the curriculum has power when articulated from grade level to grade level.

Instruction We define for all students the time, focus, and intensity of instruction required in order to deliver a guaranteed and viable curriculum. This includes the programming we provide to support ESL, special education, GT, and positive behavior.

Tier 1 The high quality instruction found in the regular classroom: clearly defined learning objectives, instruction appropriate to meet those targets, student engagement, and assessment for learning that gives students feedback in timely and meaningful ways;

Tier 2 Scaffolding of instruction for individuals or groups of students that can be accomplished in the regular classroom, and that will benefit more students than the target group;

Tier 3 Intervention of such time, focus, and intensity that it is delivered in a setting other than the regular classroom, or in the regular classroom with additional staffing;

Tier 4 Individualized programming for students with exceptional needs, including special education, GT when specified in an ALP, and behavior plans.

Assessment We are in the process of developing a comprehensive assessment framework that will describe the assessments in use in 27J, and their purpose. We intend to develop a system of balanced assessment that will allow us to evaluate our programming and place students on our continuum of instruction based on a body of evidence. We will develop guidelines for when to employ interventions and establish standards for those interventions.

Collaboration Teachers work in teams to review student data on achievement. They use this information to make decisions about changes to instruction in Tier 1; what scaffolds to implement in Tier 2 that will make the greatest impact with the largest number of students; which students need what interventions in Tier 3; and which students require referral for special education services.

Professional Development All 27J professional development and coaching supports the 27J Instructional Model. Every teacher in 27J must have the capacity to meet the expectations of their role. The district's professional development is the promise to the teachers that they will receive support in developing their professional skills that is relevant, critical to their role relative to the instructional model, and responsive to their professional needs.

Leadership 27J leadership supports the 27J Instructional Model by providing district and building professional development and coaching on high quality instruction, scaffolding, intervention, and assessment; providing time for teachers to collaborate in looking at student data; clarifying the instruction and intervention expectations in each tier at every building; monitoring implementation of ELTs; and modeling instructional leadership.

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The indispensable conditions for improvement are that the student comes to hold a concept of quality roughly similar to that held by the teacher, is able to monitor continuously the quality of what is being produced during the act of production itself, and has a repertoire of alternative moves or strategies from which to draw at any given point.

Sadler, 1989

Our Story1. Where are you now?2. Where do you want to be?3. How do you close the gap?

Connecting Classroom Formative AssessmentIn school groups, draw a web showing the connection of classroom formative assessment to what is going on in your school.

Reflection Individually, write about the what you have

been thinking about so far. (Sentence stems are available in your packet.)

Think about Change

The confusion created by the inevitable discrepancies in meaning that occur in any organization might seem like a problem. In fact, it can be a rich source of new knowledge—if a company knows how to manage it. The key to doing so is continuously challenging employees to reexamine what they take for granted. Such reflection is always necessary in the knowledge-creating company, but it is especially essential during times of crisis or breakdown, when a company’s traditional categories of knowledge no longer work.

Nonaka, 2007

Tacit Knowledge1. Individually, list the tacit knowledge that

exists among you and your colleagues and that has an influence on your situation.

2. In your group, discuss the implications of this tacit knowledge, positive and negative.

3. What will you do to get yourself and your colleagues on the knowledge spiral?

Feedback Our own feedback-seeking behaviors What we do as leaders to reduce the

perceived cost of feedback seeking What our leaders do to reduce our perceived

cost of feedback seeking

Confidence Read the excerpt from Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s

book, Confidence Use your own experiences to respond to the

prompts about winning and losing streaks, then add with other people’s stories

It was when you found out you could make mistakes that you knew you were onto something.