common formative assessments: the key to student learning
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Common Formative Assessments:
The Key to Student Learning
Sharon Kramer, PhD [email protected] Solution Tree Associate
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Facts
• Teachers are hard-working, dedicated individuals.
• Despite all of our hard work, we struggle to help all students learn at high levels.
• The work is never easy and becoming more difficult every year.
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The Question
What is the most important work that will result in high
levels of learning for all students?
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“The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community.”
—Milbrey McLaughlin
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In Fact…
There is now conclusive, compelling research stating that acting as a PLC is the most powerful and effective process to systemically change school culture and improve student learning.
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Critical Questions
• What do we want students to know and be able to do?
• How will we know if they can? • What will we do if they can’t? • What will we do if they already can?
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Today’s Tasks • Understand the role of common formative
assessments in the learning process. • Understand how a team moves from essential
learner outcomes to formative assessment to interventions and enrichment.
• Understand the importance of student involvement in assessment.
• Determine the implications for classroom and team assessment practices.
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You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in
school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your disposal.
Rick Stiggins, Assessment Trainers Institute
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Essential Question
How can we create and utilize common
assessments that both monitor and promote
student learning?
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Big Idea
Teachers must know what students have learned in order to know what to do next.
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Crucial Distinction
Assessment of Learning: How much have students learned as of a particular point in time?
Assessment for Learning:
How can we use assessment to help students learn more?
©2004, ATI www.assessmentinst.com Permission granted for use in training.
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If We Examine the Research…
Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through
Classroom Assessment Paul Black & Dylan Wiliam, 1998
So Why Do We Need Formative
Assessments?
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1. Does better formative assessment = higher test scores?
2. Does formative assessment need improving?
3. What improvement is needed?
Black & Wiliam Questions
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1. Does better formative assessment = higher test scores?
√ YES
Black & Wiliam Questions
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Research Findings Study S.D. Gains
Bloom (1984) 1.0 to 2.0 * Black and Wiliam (1998) .5 to 1.0** Meisels, et al. (2003) .7 to 1.5 Rodriguez (2004) .5 to 1.8**
* Rivals one-on-one tutorial instruction
** Largest gains for low achievers —Rick Stiggins (2005) Keynote Address
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1.0 Standard Deviation Equals
• 30+ percentile points on ITBS • (middle of score range)
• Four grade equivalents • 100 SAT score points • Six ACT score points • U.S. TIMSS rank from 23rd to top five • Potential elimination of score gaps
Unprecedented Achievement Gains
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In Fact….
“When implemented well, formative assessment can effectively double the speed of student learning.”
“Changing Classroom Practice” by Dylan Wiliam in Educational Leadership, Dec. 2007/Jan. 2008 (Vol. 65, #4, p. 36-41), http://www.ascd.org/el
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2. Does formative assessment need improving?
√ YES
Black & Wiliam Questions
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3. What improvement is needed? ü Accuracy ü Descriptive feedback ü Student involvement
Black & Wiliam Questions
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Research Support
“Research suggests that, if done well, genuine ‘assessments for learning’ can produce among the largest achievement gains ever reported for educational interventions.”
Olson, “Just-In-Time Tests” Change What Classrooms Do Next. Education Week, (May 2, 2007), p.22
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Formative Assessment “In other words, formative assessment, effectively implemented, can do as much or more to improve student achievement than any of the most powerful instructional interventions (such as) intensive reading instruction, one-on-one tutoring and the like.”
Darling-Hammond & Bransford, eds. Preparing Teachers for a Changing World (2005), p.277.
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Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality formative assessments increase student achievement.
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An Assessment is Formative…
• If it is used to identify students who are experiencing difficulty in their learning.
• If students who are having difficulty are provided with additional time and support for learning.
• If students are given an additional opportunity to demonstrate their learning.
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An Assessment is Formative…
• If it is used to identify students who have already learned the targets
• If students who have learned it are provided extra time for extensions to their learning
• If students are given an additional opportunity to demonstrate their extended learning
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An Assessment is Formative…
If the students are involved in the entire process.
Formative assessment informs learning-it puts students in the
drivers seat.
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Formative Assessment is the partnership of teachers with
their students Teachers become more effective, students become actively engaged , and both become intentional learners.
Moss & Brookhart Advancing Formative Assessment In Every Classroom (2009) p.5
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Best Practice Teachers and administrators
absolutely must be assessment literate.
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Teacher Assessment Effectiveness
• Teacher at the 50%ile
• Teacher increase to 84%ile
• Teacher increase to 99%ile
• Student at the 50%ile
• Student increase to 63%ile
• Student increase to 78%ile
As the teacher becomes more skilled at using formative assessments, student achievement increases. Marzano 2006, p. 4
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With a Partner, define…. • Test
• Evaluation
• Assessment
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Traditional Instruction-Assessment Model
Assign Grades
Teach Teach
Teach Posttest
Pretest
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Focus on Learning Instruction-Assessment Model
Assign Grades
Teach
Teach
Posttest
Pretest Analyze Results
Plan for Differentiated
Instruction Assess
Modify, Reflect, Adjust
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Summative Assessment (Assessment OF Learning)
• Summative assessment is the attempt to summarize student learning at some point in time.
• Summative assessments are not designed to give feedback useful to teachers and students during the learning process.
—Fair Test Examiner (Winter 1999) NEWS�
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Formative Assessment (Assessment FOR Learning)
All those activities undertaken by teachers and by their students [that] provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged —Black & Wiliam (1998)
Advice �
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Which is which?
It isn’t the method that determines whether the assessment is summative or formative, it is how the results are
used.
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Big Idea
A balanced system of assessments provides information for accurate teacher response as well as effective systematic team intervention.
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The Model
Literate users rely on continuous assessment FOR learning, marked
with periodic assessments OF learning, using a full range of
assessment measures.
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Achievement Gains Associated With Number of Assessments
Over 15 Weeks # of Assessments Effect Size Percentile Gain
0 0 0
1 0.34 13.5
5 0.53 20.0
10 0.60 22.5
15 0.66 24.5
20 0.71 26.0
25 0.78 28.5
30 0.82 29.0
Bangent-Drowns, Kulik & Kulik, 1991, as reported in Marzano, The Art and Science of Teaching, 2007.
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Formative Assessments In Action
• Tests • Quizzes • Homework • Personal
communication • Grading • Observation • Projects
Less Assessments --More Data Points
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What are the benefits of creating and administering assessments as a team?
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What Are Common Assessments?
Not standardized tests, but rather teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that are collaboratively scored and that provide immediate feedback to students and teachers.
—Douglas Reeves, CEO and Founder, The Leadership and Learning Center
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Common Assessment
Any assessment given by two or more teachers with the intention of collaboratively examining the results for: • Shared learning • Instructional planning for
individual students and/or • Curriculum, instruction,
and/or assessment modifications
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(DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008)
Why Common Assessments? Team-developed common
assessments • Are more efficient. • Promote equity. • Monitor and improve student learning. • Inform and improve the practice of individual
teachers and teams of teachers. • Build team capacity to achieve at higher levels. • Are essential to systematic interventions when
students do not learn.
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(Guskey, 2009)
Why Common Assessments?
Team-developed common assessments
• Increase accuracy and reliability. • Promote continued development of assessment
literacy for teachers. • Increase collective efficacy.
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But What If I Stand Alone?
Specialists ● Single Courses ● Varied Curriculum Within a Department
Three options
Whole- school effort
e.g., writing
Vertical or horizontal alignment
Cross buildings or districts
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Power of Formative Assessments
Educators collectively become more skilled and focused at assessing, disaggregating, and using student achievement as a tool for ongoing improvement.
Michael Fullan 2005, p. 71
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Linking Formative and Common Assessments
Two strategies seem especially promising for schools. One is to expand the quality and variety of formative assessments; a second is to promote and organize collective inquiry into and discussion of student progress and achievement based on a range of assessments.
Judith Warren Little, 2006, p. 9
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Common Assessments: The Key to Student and
Teacher Learning To the extent that teachers work together in teams
to: • Analyze, understand and deconstruct standards • Transform standards into high quality classroom
assessments • Share and interpret the results together they benefit from the union of their wisdom about how
to help students continue to grow as learners. Rick Stiggins 2005, p.82
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How does a team use essential outcomes to
create common assessments?
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What Comes Next?
• Clarify essential outcomes and agree on what they mean with team members.
• Understand embedded learning targets.
• Agree on the depth of knowledge that students need.
• Set the foundation for knowing what to assess and do next with students.
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Deconstructing Essential Outcomes
Into Targets
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Deconstructing
• The purpose of this process is to clarify for all what the essential outcome means.
• Teacher teams should agree on which targets are included in the outcome and what proficiency looks like.
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What Are Learning Targets? • A learning target is any achievement
expectation for students on the path toward mastering an essential outcome.
• It clearly states what we want the students to learn and should be understood by teachers and students.
• Learning targets should be formatively assessed to monitor progress toward an essential outcome.
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Essential Outcomes and Targets Outcome
Assessment
Curriculum
Instruction
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2000)
Target Target Target Target Target Target Target
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Achievement Targets • Knowledge • Reasoning • Performance
skills • Products
(Stiggins, 2005b)
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Knowledge Targets
Students know and understand concepts and facts. Students can find information they need.
Key words: explain, understand, describe, identify, define
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Reasoning Targets
The student uses knowledge to solve a problem or make a decision or plan.
Key words: compare, contrast, analyze, synthesize, classify, infer, deduce, evaluate
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Skill Targets The student demonstrates that she knows the process to complete a skill.
Key words: observe, listen, perform, do, use, question, conduct, speak
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Product Targets
The student uses knowledge, reasoning, and skills to produce a final quality product.
Key words: design, produce, create, develop, make
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Types of Achievement Targets
• Review types of achievement targets on page 26.
• Work with a partner to find an achievement target for each type using sample essential outcomes on page 27.
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Which Is Which? Verbs help identify the type of target to be a ssessed . Knowledge Reasoning Performance
Skill Product
Know List name identify tell examine recognize explain understand describe define
Compare–contrast– distinguish analyze organize infer–deduce predict interpret hypothesize sort evaluate prove judge support justify classify
play do use observe measure explore demonstrate carry out model listen perform question conduct speak
make generate design construct invent produce draw write create develop
(Stiggins et al., 2004 ; Anderson et al., 2001)
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Depth of Knowledge It’s more than the verb.
What are the levels of thinking that a student must engage in to
understand this essential outcome?
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Deconstructing Essential Outcomes
• Determine essential outcome type. – Knowledge, reasoning, skill, or product
• Identify its underpinning learning targets.
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Standard Type Underpinning
Learning Targets
Knowledge
Reasoning Reasoning + K
Skill Skill + R + K
Product Product + S + R + K
Knowledge
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Essential Outcome: Construct a horizontal bar, vertical bar, pictograph, or tally chart with appropriate labels and title from organized data.
Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill or product targets underpinning the standard or benchmark? Product Targets
Construct a graph from tables of data.
Skill Targets
Assemble information to complete the appropriate graph: How far apart are the lines? What is on the x axis? The y axis?
Reasoning Targets
Analyze the data to decide which type of graph is most appropriate.
Knowledge Targets
What is a bar graph? Horizontal? Vertical? Pictograph?
Type: þ Product ù Skill ù Reasoning ù Knowledge
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Essential Outcome: Make inferences in informational text.
Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill, or product targets underpinning the standard or benchmark? Product Targets Skill Targets Reasoning Targets
Analyze text to identify evidence that leads to a conclusion regarding a situation or issue.
Knowledge Targets
Explain what it means to infer.
Recognize inference in samples.
Understand how good readers use strategies.
Type: ù Product ù Skill þ Reasoning ù Knowledge
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Misconception Alert!
“When you are deconstructing an essential outcome, you are analyzing what the student should know and do, not how you are going to assess it.”
—Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2004
Teams are clarifying PLC Question 1.
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Why Deconstruct?
• Clarify what the standard means.
• Identify underpinning learning targets to be assessed.
• Determine what method of assessment is most appropriate.
• Map an assessment plan.
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Standard: The student will
Utilize experimentation to demonstrate scientific processes and thinking skills (e.g., formulating questions, predicting, forming hypotheses, quantifying, or identifying dependent and independent variables).
Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill, or product targets underpinning the standard or benchmark? Product Targets Skill Targets
Measure accurately.
Collect data from experiment.
Develop an experiment to be conducted to answer a question.
Reasoning Targets
Develop a hypothesis.
Make predictions based on data.
Know what type of graph to use to collect data.
Knowledge Targets
Know dependent– independent variable.
Know what a hypothesis is.
Know various types of graphs and charts.
Type: ù Product þ Skill ù Reasoning ù Knowledge
Summative Assessment
Formative Assessments
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Mapping an Assessment Plan Mapping A Standard to Assessment
Standard: The student will understand how to collect data from an experiment, organize it with tables and/or graphs, and draw conclusions based on the data gathered. Summative Assessment:
Target 1: Collec t data—measurement, observation.
Target 2: Make a table and graph .
Target 3: Analyze the data to draw conclusions .
Common Formative Assessment: Performance assessment, measurement
Common Formative Assessment: Extended response —Use a table to make a graph . Selected response —Types of graphs, best one to use
Common Formative Assessment: Selected response, multiple choice, analysis of data Extended response —Write a conclusion .
Target Timeline: Target Timeline: Target Timeline:
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Assessment is an instructional tool.
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It’s About Evidence-Based Decision Making.
Formative assessment represents evidence-based instructional decision making. If you want your students to achieve more, then formative assessment should be for you.
(Popham, 2008, p. 15)
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To inform and impact professional practice, ensure all teachers receive timely and frequent information on
their students’ achievement
• in meeting an agreed-upon standard • on a valid assessment*
• in comparison to others.
*(Popham, Educational Assessment: Need an accurate interpretation, not an accurate test.)
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Use Data to Know What to Do Next.
• Plan a differentiated lesson the next day based on assessment results.
• Students requiring more time and support
should be retaught using an instructional strategy different from the first strategy used.
• Students who learned it initially might need
additional practice or extension activities.
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Which Students Are You Concerned About?
Student Name
Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Totals
Multiple Choice
Extended Response
Multiple Choice
Extended Response
Multiple Choice
Extended Response
Multiple Choice
Extended Response
1 80 4 80 4 100 3 100 4 2 80 3 80 3 60 2 80 3 3 100 1 100 3 80 2 40 2 4 100 4 100 3 80 3 100 3 5 80 3 100 1 60 2 100 4 6 100 1 100 4 60 2 80 3 7 40 2 80 4 80 2 100 1 8 100 4 80 3 80 2 80 3 9 80 4 100 4 100 1 100 4 10 100 1 100 4 80 3 100 4 11 100 4 100 4 80 2 60 2 12 100 4 100 3 100 4 100 3 13 80 3 80 4 60 2 100 3 14 80 3 80 3 80 2 80 3 15 100 3 100 4 60 2 60 2 16 20 2 100 4 100 3 80 3 17 80 4 100 3 80 3 60 1 18 100 4 100 3 80 2 100 4 19 100 4 80 4 80 2 80 3 20 100 4 100 4 80 3 20 2
Total 86 2.9 93 3.45 74 2.15 81 2.85
Making Inferences in Information Text
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Data Team Meetings Team: Date: Assessment:
Data Team Meeting
Targets Measured on Assessment
Percent Proficient on Target
Which Students Need Correctives?
Target Student Name Intervention Needed
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Planning Your Own Flexible Grouping Instructional Plan
More Time and Support Practice Challenge
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More of the same is usually not the best intervention. Think new and
comprehensive!
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Consider
• Graphic organizers (metaphors and analogies)
• Using manipulatives
• Reciprocal teaching
• Summarizing, notetaking
• Vocabulary instruction
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Making “Correctives” Work • Use a different strategy than the
classroom teacher used.
• Work with individuals or small groups who have the same identified problem.
• Assess after you have retaught to see if they understand it.
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The Formative Assessment Process is Lightning in a Bottle!
• It costs nothing. • It works in every classroom, grade level, and
subject area. • It works each minute of every school day. • It increases learning for all students. • It raises teacher quality. • It forges learning partnerships between
students and teachers.
(Moss & Brookhart, 2009, p. 23)
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An Assessment is NOT Formative Unless Students are Engaged in the Process
So how do we engage the
Wii GENERATION?
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Essential Questions
Can we use the assessment process to help our students want to learn?��
When was the last time you gave an assessment students did not want to miss?�
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The Wii Generation (X Box, Play Station, DSi…)
Compare video games to more traditional games.
How are they different? How does this impact the way
students think?
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Efficacy Knowing that I have the capacity to make a difference through my work and being willing to take the responsibility to do so �
—Costa & Garmston, Cognitive Coaching, 1997
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Formative Assessment
Largest Gains in Achievement According to the Research…
• Increased Student Involvement
• Increased Descriptive Feedback
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Ken O’Conner (2002)
Assessment is not something that is done to students separate and apart from instruction; assessment must be - and must be seen to be - something that is done with students as an integral part of the learning process.
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Student Involvement Guiding Questions
• Where am I going? • Where am I now? • How can I close the gap?
―Sadler, 1989
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Where am I going?
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“Students can hit any target that they can see and holds still for them.”
Student Involvement Alert!
―Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2004,p.57
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With Clear Targets, Students Can…
• Understand what they know and don’t know and their level of achievement.
• Plan next steps in their learning. • Fix their work. • Self-assess and set goals. • Keep track of their learning target by
target or standard by standard.
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What does it mean to share learning targets and criteria for success?
• Telling students or writing it on the board is not enough!
• Students need to envision the learning target.
• Students must understand the target and know what good work looks like.
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Four Strategies for Sharing Targets
• Questioning
• Planning and envisioning
• Using examples
• Using rubrics
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Student Friendly Targets Target:
Students will begin a paragraph with a topic sentence.
Student Friendly Target:
I can begin my paragraph with a topic sentence. This means the first sentence of my paragraph will let the reader know what I will be writing about.
Pages 19-20
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Largest Effects According to Research
• Increased student involvement • Increased descriptive feedback
(Black & Wiliam, 1998)
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What do I need to do next?
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Student Feedback
• Is based on learning targets they understand
• Is frequent and describes strengths and next steps
• Emphasizes what they already know • Limits corrective feedback to what
they can absorb at a given time —Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, & Chappuis, 2005
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Research Results for Feedback
• Bloom (1976) 43 percentile gain • Kumar (1991) 41 percentile gain • Walberg (1999) 33 percentile gain • Haas (2005) 21 percentile gain
Synthesis studies all showed gains in achievement with feedback.
(Marzano, 2007, p. 12)
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The Research
• Page (1958): Students who receive descriptive feedback rather than grades will achieve higher.
• Stewart and White (1976): Evaluative feedback does not increase student achievement.
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Feedback Content
• Focus: Comment on the work and the process, not the student!
• Compare: Use criterion-referenced feedback comparing student work and process to a rubric or exemplar. Use self-referenced feedback for unsuccessful students who need to see their progress.
(Brookhart, 2008)
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• Function: Describe, don’t judge. • Valence: Use positive comments for
work done well. When using negative comments, add suggestions for improvement.
• Clarity: Use appropriate vocabulary and consider the student’s level.
• Specificity: Make it specific enough that they know what to do next but not so specific you’ve done the work for them!
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Our Goal
Students who are: • Informed about their learning • Analytical regarding their learning • Actively involved in their learning • Personally invested in their learning
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Student Involvement Guiding Questions
• Where am I going? • Where am I now? • How can I close the gap?
(Sadler, 1989)
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Think–Pair–Share
• Individually read the explanation in the handout for each of the seven strategies and identify which of Sadler’s three questions each is designed to answer.
• Pair up and share your answers.
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Assessment for Learning Strategies
• Provide an understandable vision of the learning target.
• Use models of strong and weak work. • Offer regular descriptive feedback. • Teach students to self-assess and set goals for
learning. • Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at
a time. • Teach students focused revision. • Engage students in self-reflection. Let them keep
track of and share what they know.
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Research on Goal Setting • Wise & Okey (1983) 41 percentile gain
• Lipsey & Wilson (1993) 21 percentile gain
• Walberg (1999) 16 percentile gain
(Marzano, 2007, p. 11)
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You Be George
Student involvement in assessment for learning
Self-reflection and goal setting
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You Be George
• The process • Learning targets • Strengths and areas for
improvement • Strengths, review, and further
study • Goal setting
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Learning Targets Elementary Secondary
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Strengths and Areas for Improvement
Elementary Secondary
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Strengths, Review, and Further Study
Elementary Secondary
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Student Goal Setting Elementary Secondary
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Student Involvement
Achievement improves when students are required to think about their learning, articulate what they understand, and identify what they still need to learn.
(Black & Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996)
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Real Student Involvement • Students name their learning targets. • Students manage their materials and data, tracking their
progress. • Students set goals and learning plans or activities for
themselves as learners. • Students self-assess and self-evaluate their work. They have
peers evaluate their work. • Students reflect on what they have learned. • Students generate possible test items. • Students participate in rubric development. • Students engage in meaningful dialogue. • Students support each other in addressing gaps.
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Smarty Pants Folder
Student record keeping by kindergartners (data folder) • Students check off letters and concepts they know. • Students create a bar graph of what they already know.
“Oh, I see that you want me to get better!”
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Secondary Student Teams
• Students assist each other in filling learning gaps.
• First intervention is textbook, notes, homework, reference books, and your team.
• Students retake assessments until they meet the established criteria.
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Student-Involved Communication
Student-led conferences
• Greater sense of responsibility
• Pride in accomplishment
Result? Greater achievement!
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Teaching students how to learn, instead of merely what to learn, is valuable work that is worth doing.
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Putting It All Together
Links Sadler:
Student-Involved Learning Questions
DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker: PLCs Questions
Target Where am I going? 1. What is it we want kids to learn?
Measurement Where am I now? 2. How will we know when they’ve learned it?
Strategies How can I close the gap? 3. What will we do when they don’t learn it?
Advanced target and strategies
Where am I going? 4. What will we do when they have already learned it ?