Designing Assessments for Learning

(rather than of learning)

EDC448

Dr. Julie Coiro

Today’s Objectives: You will be able to

Differentiate between a learning objective and an educational standard and identify/generate examples of eachIdentify the characteristics of a holistic and analytic rubric scoring systemDiscuss the benefits and the impact of a well-designed/well-defined assignment and companion rubric

Standards Vs. Objectives

Educational Standard: defines the knowledge and skills students should possess at critical points in their educational career (e.g., at each grade level); provides common expectations for all students to measure up to these standards

Learning Objective: a detailed description that states the expected change in student learning, how the change will be demonstrated, and the expected level of change as a result of a specific course of instruction

Are Standards A Curriculum?

Curriculum: Scripted day-to-day lesson plans that include your learning objectives; materials for measuring performance of those objectives; links to learning standards; teaching practices; and key learning experiences students will engage in

Recently, the Common Core Standards has raised red flags for some who fear the entire curriculum is being mandated

Each discipline has a professional set of standards

ELA: National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

History: National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); C3 Framework (College, Career, & Civic Life)

Science: Next Generation Science Standards

For. Lang: Standards for Foreign Language Learning

Common Core State Standardsin English Language Arts, History/Social Studies,

Science & Technical Subjects

Literature; Informational Text; Literacy in History/Soc Studies; Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects– Key ideas & details; Craft & structure; Integration of knowledge &

ideas; Complex texts at grade level

Writing:– Texts and Purposes: Write arguments with sound reasoning &

evidence; write informative/explanatory texts– Produce & Distribute (with both traditional & digital tools)

Speaking and Listening: – Comprehension and Collaboration (solve problems in groups)– Presentation of knowledge and ideas (transfer to new problems)

Language (Conventions, Use, and Vocabulary)

Which is which? And why?(educational standard vs. learning objective)

ENGLISHUsing a graphic organizer and working in groups, students will be able to make inferences about the symbols found in Lord of the Flies.

Students will determine the meaning of words as they are used in the text including figurative & connotative meanings

Which is which? And why?(educational standard vs. learning objective)

HISTORYStudents will analyze and interpret individual texts, citing evidence as appropriate by explaining connects about information within a text, across texts, or to related ideas.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and groups exercise (or are denied) their rights and responsibilities by identifying and explaining how an action taken by an individual or groups impacts the rights of others.

Students will evaluate the impact of Andrew Jackson’s passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 on the Cherokee Indians.

Which is which? And why?(educational standard vs. learning objective)

SCIENCEAfter reading The Great Kapok Tree, students will discuss in small groups examples from the book that illustrate the different ways that deforestation affects the environment.

Students will cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of descriptions.

Students demonstrate an understanding of how humans are affected by environmental factors by provide an explanation of how the human species impacts the environment and other organisms.

Your turn…Craft a relevant learning objective that addresses these standards

CCSS: Students determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another.

History:

Language Arts:

Foreign Language:

CCSS: Students translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words into visual form (e.g., a table or chart)

Science:

Math:

Part 2: Standards or Objectives?

Identify the characteristics of a holistic and analytic rubric scoring system

Discuss the benefits and the impact of a well-designed/well-defined assignment and companion rubric

What is a rubric?

A scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a student’s performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical scoresA working guide handed out BEFORE the assignment begins to enhance quality of student’s work and teacher’s instructionExpectations vary according to one’s level of expertise (along a continuum of sorts)

Evaluating Chocolate Chip Cookies

Categories

1.2.3.4.

Levels High Medium Low

You get to determine which quality level is “passing”.

Evaluating Fictional Writing

Is this an ANALYTIC rubric or a HOLISTIC rubric? Why?

Analytic vs. Holistic Rubrics

Analytic rubrics identify and assess components of a finished product.

Holistic rubrics assess student work as a whole– Holistic rubrics are sometimes easier to provide a

“big picture” while extra detail of analytic rubrics helps guide instruction in each component and increases consistency among multiple-scorers (many teachers)

Holistic Rubric

How do rubrics shape learning (and quality of products)?

Grade 7: Data Collection Project vs. “Make a campaign poster” ProjectBetter Examples (see handouts) Friedman (2000) - staff study groups for enhancing student performance in reading and writing in the content area by revising the assignment prompts/directions & rubrics – Writing in Science: Solar System– Writing in Social Studies: Colonial America

The project that “failed”

• needs more color• no “statistics” • no particular issue

(of the 3 selected)

Design a poster that includes an important message from one of the presidential candidates and include a carefully drawn visual.

Friedman (2000) Initial Assignment: ScienceThe sun is one of the most important stars in the solar system. How does the sun affect our lives and how would the lives of people in the future change if the sun suddenly disappeared?

Students helped develop initial rubric, teachers modeled and reflected as wrote draft with students > revised 4 times to improve! Students were involved in rating as well.

Designing a Rubric for Writing in Science

Rubric elements: – Note score on each part (Excellent, good,

just passing, and not acceptable) – Analytic components

• Content – Background information -- Thesis Statement– Supporting Paragraph(s) -- Conclusion

• Organization• Mechanics

Revising the Assignment: History

Prompt: Colonial America: How were people dependent on one another for survival?

The teachers had specific expectations, but even the most sophisticated writers had difficulty creating the desired response

So…they restructured the content-focused prompt to provide clear expectations and encourage them to tell what they learned

How would you restructure the prompt?

The Revised Prompt

Comparing the Ratings from Prompt 1 to Prompt 2

So…how does your own assessment prompt and the companion rubric compare? Could either be more precise in eliciting the knowledge/behaviors you want?

Homework

Finish your lesson plan

Make sure all the materials are included

Complete the cover sheet checklist (both sides) and attach to the front

See APA format links for ideas – we’ll cover more about APA on Thursday

APA Formatting – references at the end and in-text citations

Pass back diverse text sets at the end of class

Teaching Content Area Literacy Conference: Theory Into Practice

Locate and read a research-based article related to content area literacy in your discipline

Submit a conference proposal form with copy of article (Due April 18)

Make a presentation (poster or technology) and prepare a handout

Share at our conference on April 30

How might you use assessments to inform your teaching (and modifications

you make to differentiate instruction)?

Relationship between assessment and instruction

Assessment of Learning (happens after the fact primarily for teachers) Assessment for Learning (involve the students in the process too) Assess to discover learner’s strengths and needsPlan instructionTeach and monitor progressReflect on learning and response to instruction

Formative Assessment: The Rest of the Story (Guskey, 2008)

Formative assessments designed to I________ ; (what learned well and what problems still exist?)

It’s not the act of formative testing itself, but what happens after the assessment that’s key!!

Some will know it > they need ________________Others will not know it > they need _____________

What can you do for both groups tomorrow???

Give feedback and offer corrective activities (Guskey, 2008)

Regular feedback and corrective activities (specific remediation) - first guided, then eventually self-regulated (e.g., monitoring!)

Three principles of effective corrective activities– Present concepts differently! – Engage students differently! – Provide students with successful learning

experiences!

Types of Corrective Activities - Think different, not louder!

Three groups: with teacher, with a friend, by self (think “different”) Reteaching with different approach or different example (good for review>transfer) Individual tutoring with different models and check to see where understanding falters (try other tutors for variety!) Peer tutoring can be effective for both the learner and the tutor for new perspectives if the match is a good one and a specific purpose is clear. Textbooks- focus on specific examples/passages or alternative textbooks / diverse [different] texts

Alternative Materials for Corrective Activities

Workbooks and Study Guides (extra practice) Academic Games (application) Learning Kits (manipulatives) Learning Centers and laboratories (hands-on) Picture books (introduce difficult concepts to develop knowledge) --- DIVERSE TEXTS Computer activities (interactive tutorials, a different medium/format) -- DIVERSE TEXTSEnrichment activities (valuable, challenging, rewarding, and student choice) – DIVERSE TEXTS AND PRODUCTS

Managing Corrective and Enrichment Activities

Cooperative teams grouped by proficiency (or sometimes partnered to tutor peers) Corrective activities can/should still be engaging, if not enriching Move review time to after formative assessments to help students monitor their own need for correction or enrichmentTaking time sooner to correct typically results in less time down the road

Apply and Reflect

How might I use formative assessment data to inform/design my next day’s instruction?– Work in groups of 3-4 students. – Share your homework ideas for corrective

activities and enrichment activities. – Get feedback and exchange ideas with others in

your group. – Five minutes each person.

Homework

Create a solid typed draft of your lesson plan to share with a partner on Thursday Come prepared to give feedback to your partner and ask questions about your own lesson plan

Partners for Lesson Plan Work

Marissa and Laura

Nicole, Jay, and Lenny

Eric and Mark

Deborah and Ryan

John and Stephanie

Amanda and Andrew