Assessment and Your ChildInternational School Eastern Seaboard

Outcomes ● What is education today?● What are best practices that we should

be using in schools?

Why I Hate School but Love Educationvideo

Discussion StarterTurn and Talk

In terms of assessment and reporting, what is the “game of school?”

Using Assessment to Improve Instruction

“It is very difficult for students to achieve a learning goal unless they understand that goal and can assess what they need to do

to reach it. So self-assessment is essential to

learning.” (Paul Black et al. 2003, p. 49)

Fixed Mind Set● Children are born gifted● Children have natural talent● Their traits are set in stone

Growth Mind Set● Success come from effort● Success comes from practice● Success comes from hard work

Problems with theFixed Mindset

● Children are given a label● Once they get the label they don’t want

to lose it● Fearful of making mistakes● In order to grow and learn we all must

make mistakes● When something does not come naturally,

they have to put in effort and at this point some don’t know what to do

Growth Mindset● Activity enjoyment● Learning enjoyment● Process enjoyment● Childhood enjoyment● Enjoy challenges

Carol Dweck, PhD

“People are, to a large extend, in charge of their own

intelligence. Being smart- and staying smart - is not just a

gift, not just a product of their genetic good fortune, it is very much a product of what they

put into it.”

Daniel Pink

We need to move kids toward autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Drive and Motivation

Offer Praise…The Right Way

● Praise effort and strategy, not intelligence

● Make praise specific● Offer praise only when there's a good

reason for it

Standards-BasedAssessment and Reporting

Why Standards-Based?

Douglas Reeves

“There is a century of consistent evidence that

makes the need for change in grading policies obvious....

many common grading practices are ineffective and

counterproductive.”

Why Standards-Based?Our experience shows us that standards-based

assessment and reporting is best for student learning.

Standards-based is a growth model rather than a deficit model. It promotes improvement and mastery learning.

Remember.....teachers are still teaching and the kids are still learning. This is just a new perspective on assessment and reporting that refocuses energy on growth.

Standards-BasedA process where each student’s performance is

assessed against criteria of learning targets within a specific subject. The standards-based report card communicates progress towards mastery of learning standards.

Common Misconceptions● Confusion between the standards movement and

standards-based assessment● Students lose motivation to do their work● It’s an unfair system that rewards procrastinators● It can work at elementary but not at the secondary level● We can’t get rid of the letter grade in high school

“In a standards-based school, students are active in thinking about their learning. They know where they’re going, where they are now and how to close the gap between the two.”

Rick Stiggins

Five Major ElementsStudents are aware of the criteria for success.In other words, students know what they have

to do in order to be successful. It’s not a mystery.

Teachers provide students with feedback regarding their progress against the criteria.In other words, students know how well they

are performing.

Five Major ElementsStudents receive feedback about how to improve, so that they can work towards meeting the criteria.In other words, students know what they need

to work on to improve.There are opportunities for students to show improvement regarding the criteria.In other words, students get a chance to show

improvement throughout the reporting term.

Five Major ElementsLearning is individualized. In other words, the feedback that students

receive is specific to their own performance when compared to a clear set of expectations.

Standards- Based Grading and the Game of School

LearningFormative assessmentSummative assessmentsNo zerosAll work turned inNo penalty for late work, just get it done

New Role for EducatorsShift from teaching

TO

.....ensuring that all students are learning.

We have to ask ourselves, “Do our grading practices reflect this new role?”

Updated Report Cards• Product – Standards• Process Goals• ESLRs