assessment & learning presentation
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This presentation provides an overview of how we use assessment and feedback, in a standards-based environment, to drive student learning.TRANSCRIPT
Assessment & LearningUsing Assessment to Drive Student Learning
Henderson International School
October 9, 2014
TONIGHT’S AGENDA
• Assessment– Why do we assess?
– What types of assessment do we use?
• Standards-Based Grading– What is the purpose of grading?
– How is SBG different from traditional grading?
• Standards-Based Grade Marks & Rubrics– Why do we use them and what do they mean?
• SBG in the Classroom
• Q & A
Presenters: Chris Bezsylko, John Hefforn, Riki Seybert, Tara Cadena, and Ashia McReynolds
ASSESSMENT & LEARNING
We believe that the primary purpose of assessment is to drive student learning.
We use assessment to:
1. Communicate student progress and achievement
2. Gather evidence to inform instructional decisions
3. Provide meaningful feedback
4. Create a structure for improved achievement
ASSESSMENT, LEARNING & MINDSET
Riki Seybert, 2nd Grade
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Effective assessment at HIS:• Enables students to demonstrate what they have
learned, and take responsibility for their learning
• Enables teachers to ascertain levels of understanding and modify instruction based on the needs of the students
• Provides families with accurate information regarding their child’s progress, including their strengths and areas in need of support
• Moves from a grading culture to a learning culture
HIS STANDARDS
The standards we teach to are:
• CPAA Literacy & Mathematics in grades K-1
• ERB Verbal & Mathematics in grades 2-8
• NGSS Science in grades 1-8
• ACFTL Spanish in grades 1-8
• NCCAS Arts in grades K-8
• SHAPE Physical Education in grades K-8
TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
Formative – assessment to promote learning
Summative – assessment to measure learning at a moment in time
Assessment events: quizzes, tests, graded discussions, journals, essays, self-reflections, peer-reflections, presentations, projects…
GRADING & REPORTING
The purpose of grades is to communicate to students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders
what a student knows and/or is able to do.
• Student #1 has a ‘B’ because she did all the work, turned in her homework, and participated in class but didn’t quite understand the concepts
• Student #2 has a ‘B’ because she aced all the tests and quizzes but didn’t do any of the homework and didn’t participate in class
GRADING MINDSET
- Derived from the factory model of education- Grades used to label/sort
- Grade A versus Grade B
Golden Thin, delicate taste: try mixing with cocktails
Amber Ample & rich; enough body to hold up on pancakes
Dark Hearty & robust; aficionados love its complexity
Very Dark Bold & strong; best for backing
STANDARDS-BASED GRADING MINDSET
• Grades should have meaning
• SBG grades help teachers adjust instruction to meet the needs of individual learners
• Students, and their families, can see more explicit information about their learning
• SBG teaches what quality looks like
TRADITIONAL GRADING PRACTICES
A variety of grading practices are based on tradition rather than science.
Challenging these traditions will not be easy. They’ve been part of our education experiences for so long that they usually go unquestioned, despite the fact that they
are ineffective and potentially harmful to students.
- Thomas Guskey, Five obstacles to grading reform
FIVE MISNOMERS ABOUT GRADING
Misnomer 1: Grades should provide the basis for differentiation
- We don’t select talent, we develop it
- Differentiation should target specific standards and include flexible grouping
Obstacle 2: Grade distribution should resemble a bell-shaped curve
- Teaching is not random, it is a purposeful and intentional act
FIVE MISNOMERS ABOUT GRADING
Misnomer 3: Grades should be based on student’s standing among classmates
- Grades based upon student’s standing tells us nothing about how well students have learned
- Grades must be based on specific learning criteria that have direct meaning
- Grading is not about competition or ranking, but rather about growth and learning for all
FIVE MISNOMERS ABOUT GRADING
Misnomer 4: Poor grades prompt students to try harder
- We don’t shut down learning, we promote it
- A Growth Mindset, along with clear levels of performance, motivates students
Misnomer 5: Students should receive one grade for each subject
- A averaging of diverse measures does not yield anything meaningful
- Grades are based on explicit criteria within a subject
- Academic and Non-Academic grades
TRADITIONAL GRADE BOOK
Name Homework Ave. Quiz 1 Chp 1 Test Essay
John 90 65 70 68
Bill 50 75 78 70
Susan 110 65 70 80
Amanda 95 100 90 93
• How do these grades communicate student achievement?
• What instructional decisions can be made from these grades?
• How can these grades be used to provide meaningful
feedback?
• Is there a structure for improved achievement?
STANDARDS-BASED GRADE BOOK
Language Arts Grade Mark
Describe the main idea of a passage Meeting Expectations
Describe a supporting idea in a passage Meeting Expectations
Compare and contrast elements from two texts Approaching Expectations
Capitalization of proper nouns Below Expectations
Capitalization of the first word of a sentence Meeting Expectations
Correct use of the comma Approaching Expectations
• How do these grades communicate student achievement?
• What instructional decisions can be made from these grades?
• How can these grades be used to provide meaningful
feedback?
• Is there a structure for improved achievement?
STANDARDS-BASED GRADE MARK RUBRICS
Grade Mark Proficiency Levels
Exceeding Expectations
- A very high to outstanding level of achievement- Achievement exceeds the standard- Involves in-depth inferences and applications that go
beyond what was taught
Meeting Expectations
- A high level of achievement- Achievement meets the standard- No major errors or omissions regarding any of the
information and/or processes that were explicitly taught
Approaching Expectations
- A passable level of achievement - Student is approaching the HIS level of achievement- Student presents no major errors/omissions regarding the
simpler details and processes, but there may be errors/omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes
Below Expectations- An insufficient level of achievement- The student does not yet have a grasp on the standard
RUBRICS – TOOLS FOR LEARNING
Research has shown that grading and reporting to specific standards, while using the accompanying
strategy of formative assessments and feedback related to progress towards standards, significantly boosts
student achievement and motivation.
Effective Rubrics
1. Present explicit learning targets
2. Clearly define levels of proficiency
3. Provide a path for improvement
SAMPLE RUBRIC – PHONEMIC AWARENESS K
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Below Expectations
Rhyming
Studentconsistently and
independently creates two or more syllable rhyming pairs
Studentconsistently and
independently identifies one and
two syllable rhyming pairs
containing blends.
(black/tack)(dreaming/steaming)
Student independently identifies one
syllable rhymingpairs.
(fun/sun)
Student may be able to identify
one syllable rhyming pairs with direct support and
guidance.
SAMPLE RUBRIC – SPELLING 2nd GRADE
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Below Expectations
FormativeWeeklyQuizzes
Meets + all of the bonus words
17-20 wordscorrect
14-16 words correct
0-13 words correct
Summative
Studentsconsistently
identify misspellings of
commonly used words with affixes
and words that display improper pluralization and
can then spell the words correctly
below the passage.
Studentsconsistently
identify misspellings of
commonly used words with affixes
and words that display improper pluralization in a given passage.
Students can identify a
misspelled grade appropriate word
in a given passage, with prompting
and support.
Students struggle to identify
misspelled grade appropriate words
in a passage.
SAMPLE RUBRIC – MATHEMATICS 5th GRADE
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Below Expectations
Understand order of
operations with whole
numbers
I independently solve real world
application problems and
corresponding 3+ step numerical
expressions with multi-digit whole
numbers and groupings using
the order of operations
I independently evaluate 3-step
numerical expressions with multi-digit whole numbers and one
set of grouping symbols using
order of operations
I independently evaluate 2-step
numerical expressions with
multi-digit numbers and one
set of grouping symbols using the
order of operations
I can evaluate 2-step numerical
expressions with multi-digit
numbers and one set of grouping
symbols using the order of
operations with support and
guidance
NON-ACADEMIC RUBRIC – EFFORT
ExceedingExpectations
Student always demonstrates best effort in the classroom. The student always demonstrates persistence and perseverance in his or her work, positively responds to feedback, and shows genuine interest and curiosity in learning and growing. In addition, student always: participates in class discussion, is actively engaged in learning tasks, turns in all completed class work and homework assignments on time, and is prepared for class. Student positively encourages and supports the efforts of others.
Meeting Expectations
Student consistently demonstrates best effort in the classroom throughout the term. The student usuallydemonstrates persistence and perseverance in his or her work, positively responds to feedback, and shows genuine interest and curiosity in learning and growing. In addition, student consistently :participates in class discussion, is actively engaged in learning tasks, turns in all completed class work and homework assignments on time, and is prepared for class. Once in a while the student may need a teacher reminder or prompt to continue giving best effort.
ApproachingExpectations
Student sometimes demonstrates best effort in the classroom throughout the term. The student sometimes demonstrates persistence and perseverance in his or her work, positively responds to feedback, and shows genuine interest and curiosity in learning and growing. In addition, student sometimes: participates in class discussion, is actively engaged in learning tasks, turns in all completed class work and homework assignments on time, and is prepared for class. There may be an attempt on the part of the student, but requires prompting on the part of the teacher.
Below Expectations
Student rarely demonstrates best effort in the classroom throughout the term. The student rarelydemonstrates persistence and perseverance in his or her work, positively responds to feedback, and shows genuine interest and curiosity in learning and growing. In addition, student rarely: participates in class discussion, is engaged in learning tasks, turns in all completed class work and homework assignments on time, and is prepared for class. The student often requires prompting to give best effort and lack of effort is effecting academic achievement.
RUBRICS AS TOOLS FOR LEARNING #1
Tara Cadena, 7th & 8th Grade Math
8th GRADE MATHEMATICS RUBRIC
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Below Expectations
Understand order of
arithmetic operations(decimals)
I can accuratelyadd, subtract, and
multiply expressions with
four signed decimals, and
expressions with divide two signed decimal, including expressions with
variables
I can accuratelyadd, subtract, and
multiply expressions with
three signed decimals, and
divide expressions with two signed
decimals
With promptingand support, I can
add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed
expressions with two decimals
I struggle to accurately add,
subtract, multiply, and divide
expressions with two signed decimals
RUBRICS AS TOOLS FOR LEARNING #2
Ashia McReynolds, 4th Grade
HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS IT?
4th GRADE WRITING CONCEPTS & SKILLS RUBRIC
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Below Expectations
Recognizethesis
statements
Student can create a thesis
statement that is precise,
knowledgeable, and significant.
Student consistently
identifies the thesis statement
in a piece of writing.
Student can explain what a
thesis statement should be but
cannot yet consistently
identify a thesis statement in a
piece of writing.
Student cannot explain what a
thesis statement should be.
RUBRIC: FREE WRITING JOURNAL Quotes, PE Today, Science Today, and CNN Student News
MY TAKEAWAYS
• Rubrics help remove subjectivity
• Students and parents are aware of expectations
• Teachers are concise and clear about expectations
• Create student confidence
REFERENCES
• Guskey, Thomas R. (2011). Five obstacles to grading reform. Educational Leadership.
• Heflebower, Tammy, Hoegh, Jan K., Warrick, Phil. (2014). A school leader’s guide to standards-based grading. Marzano Research Laboratory.
• Marzano, R. J. (2009). Formative assessment and standards-based grading. Solution Tree.
• O’Connor, Ken. (2009). How to grade for learning: K-12 (3rd edition). Corwin.
• O’Connor, Ken. (2010). A repair kit for grading: Fifteen fixes for broken grades (2nd
edition). Pearson.
• Wormeli, Rick. (2006). Fair isn’t always equal: Assessing and grading in a differentiated classroom. Stenhouse.
QUESTIONS
• Assessment
– Why do we assess?
– What types of assessment do we use?
• Standards-Based Grading
– What is the purpose of grading?
– How is SBG different from traditional grading?
• Standards-Based Grade Marks & Rubrics
– Why do we use them and what do they mean?
• SBG in the Classroom