The Power of Learning TargetsTransform Learning in the Classroom

Ken Mattingly Rockcastle County Middle School

Stephanie HarmonRockcastle County High School

Representing PIMSER K-12 Outreach

Group Norms

• Start and end on time

• Put cell phones on silent

• Be respectful of all comments

• Everyone participates

• Exercise the rule of “two feet”

• You may not agree with me

…and I’m okay with that!

Our Roadmap for Today

Review Day 1

Types of Targets

Assessment and Instruction

ImplementationConsiderations

Wrap Up

4-2-1 Free Write Organizer

• INDIVIDUALLY, identify four important ideas from yesterday’s session.

• PAIR UP and compare your ideas and decide on the TWO most important ideas.

• PAIRS PAIR UP, share your ideas and then decide on the most important point.

• Then, spend about 3 minutes explaining all that you know about the most important point.

• Be prepared to share out as a group.

Main Ideas

• Deconstruction – process as important as product

• The conversation is vital and requires time• Everything doesn’t need to be graded• Everyone needs to be assessment literate• Learning targets are backbone of

assessment and instruction• Descriptive feedback results in the

greatest gains in student achievement

BEFORE

I didn’t know enough about Formative Assessment use.

NOW

I understand how it can work.

BEFORE

NOW I know that there are

many more formative assessments needed before a summative is ever done!

I thought balanced assessment meant equal time.

BEFORE

I thought this was just how to write Learning Targets.

NOW

This is a whole cultural shift.

BEFORE

NOW I realize the time

involvement and what makes it worthwhile.

I thought all of this could be done quickly.

Learning targets are like…

• A road map to show you how to get to the learning item.

• A road map. It gives you a starting point and you travel through experiences. Sometimes the trip takes several weeks.

• Self assessment. They guide one’s understanding of content towards mastery.

• A road map. You know the end destination, but can find many routes to get there.

Review Day 1

• Learning targets can be the primary driver of classroom assessment and instruction.

• They form the basis for student engagement with the curriculum.

• They allow students to self-assess their performance.

• Inclusion of learning targets can be taken to many different levels.

• Incorporation of learning targets and CASL methodology requires a great deal of time.

Learning Targets for Day 2

• I can explain the difference between standards, targets and activities.

• I can describe how targets are used in assessment and instruction decisions.

• I can identify important considerations for CASL implementation.

• I can develop a professional development plan around learning targets for a school or district.

Learning Target #1

• I can explain the difference between standards, targets and activities.

QUESTION

What are the similarities and

differences between a

STANDARD

and a

TARGET?

Are the Standards Clear?

• Can your content standards stand alone and be used as learning targets or do they need to be deconstructed or ‘unpacked’?

• Deconstruction involves taking a standard and breaking it down into manageable learning targets—Knowledge, Reasoning, Performance/skills, and/or Products—so that students and teachers can accurately identify what students should know and be able to do.

An Example• STANDARD: To shoot free throws with

80% accuracy.• TARGETS:

– Proper placement for feet (stance)– Proper hand placement while maintaining

stance– Shot A, B, C (3-parts to shot)

• ACTIVITIES:– Watch videos of great shooters and imitate

their stanceWhen should these be

added and/or developed?

Developing Clear Learning Targets

• Individually, draw the front of a penny.

• Include as many details as you can without looking at one.

• Do not compare with a partner until instructed.

Learning Targets

• Knowledge

• Reasoning

• Performance/ skills

• Products

Knowledge Targets

Mastery of substantive subject content where mastery includes both

knowing and understanding it.

Knowledge Examples

• Identify metaphors and similes

• Read and write quadratic equations

• Describe the function of a cell membrane

• Know the multiplication tables

• Explain the effects of an acid on a base

Reasoning Targets

The ability to use knowledge and understanding to figure things out and to solve problems.

Reasoning Examples

• Use statistical methods to describe, analyze, evaluate, and make decisions.

• Make a prediction based on evidence.

• Examine data/results and propose a meaningful interpretation.

• Distinguish between historical fact and opinion.

Performance/Skill Targets

The development of proficiency in doing something where the process is most important.

Performance/Skill Examples

• Measure mass in English and SI units

• Use simple equipment and tools to gather data

• Read aloud with fluency and expression

• Participates in civic discussions with the aim of solving current problems

• Dribbles to keep the ball away from an opponent

Product Targets

The ability to create tangible products that meet certain standards of quality and present concrete evidence of academic proficiency.

Product Examples

• Construct a bar graph

• Develop a personal health-related fitness plan

• Construct a physical model of an object

• Write a term paper to support a thesis

Clear Targets: Benefits to Students

• Students who could identify their learning scored 27 percentile points higher than those who could not (Marzano, 2005)

• A student’s success on a standardized math test: 40% is dependent on mathematics literacy (Jacobs, 2004)

We need Clear Targets to:

1. Know if the assessment adequately covers what we taught.

2. Correctly identify what students know and don’t know

3. Have students self-assess or set goals likely to help them learn more.

4. Keep track of student learning target by target or standard by standard.

5. Complete a standards-based report card.

Classifying Learning Targets

• Lay out the four learning target category cards—Knowledge, Reasoning, Performance/Skill, and Product—in a row in that order.

• Sort the learning target example cards according to which kind of learning target it is. Lay these cards in columns under the appropriate category.

• When you have finished, walk around and look at what other groups have done and discuss any differences that you notice.

Learning Target #2

• I can describe how targets are used in assessment and instruction decisions.

How do Learning Targets connect to our assessment

practices?

PURPOSE

TARGET

ACCURACY EFFECTIVE USE

STUDENTINVOLVEMENT

DESIGN

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The Challenge….

How can we use assessments to help the student believe that the target is within reach?

Deconstruction of Standards

Using Formative Assessments

• How will you use formative assessment strategies to determine what your students know before its too late?

• Where would you start?

Developing a Formative Assessment

• What target are you going to assess?• What are some strategies you can use to

assess it formatively?• What will you want to take into

consideration in your assessment design?• How will feedback be delivered to the

students?• What happens with the results of these

type of assessments?

Formative Assessment Strategies

• Think of the ways you assess the students in your class before the end of the unit.

• Make a list of 4 ways you can formative assess student understanding.

• Pair up with someone else at a different table, give them one new way from your list, and get one new way from theirs.

• Then move on to a different person.• Continue this until you have a total of 8 different

strategies, then return to your table

Developing a Formative Assessment

• Use our first target for the day: I can explain the difference between standards, targets and activities.

• Think about what strategy you would use to assess whether a participant has mastered this target.

• Design your formative assessment.• Pair up with someone else at your table and

share your strategy and reasons for selecting it.

Test Blueprints

“When we make a plan for an assessment, whether we intend to create the assessment or just copy it, we are making the advance decisions about validity—what the test will cover and how much weight each learning target will get.” (CASL)

Test Blueprint (and Instructional) Design Considerations

• Are the targets aligned to the standard?• Are the targets clear with respect to what evidence

would constitute mastery?• Do the learning targets represent what has been

or will be taught?• Does the relative importance of each learning

target match its relative importance during instruction?

• Is the sample size large enough to inform judgments about mastery of a target?

• Have appropriate assessment methods been selected based on the target types?

Develop a Test Blue Print & Plan

• What targets will this assessment cover?

• What percentage will each target have on the assessment? Look back at considerations to help with this.

• Once your blueprint has been determined, use the bank of test items & select appropriate items for the assessment.

Knowledge Reasoning Skills Products•Identify triangles, rectangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, and right rectangular prisms•Explain composing and decomposing of figures using rectangles, triangles, and other shapes•Define coordinate plane, volume, vertex, coordinate, and net

•Compare volume of right rectangular prisms found using unit cubes to volume found by multiplying edge lengths•Apply volume formulas V = l x w x h and V = b x h to find volume of right rectangular prisms

•Calculate the area of polygons by composition or decomposition •Use coordinates to find polygon side lengths of points with same first coordinate or second coordinate•Use nets to find surface areas of 3-D figures.

•Draw polygons in coordinate plane given coordinates for vertices.•Represent 3-D figures using nets made of triangles and rectangles.

1. Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.2. Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with fractional edge lengths by packing it with unit cubes of the appropriate unit fraction edge lengths, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths of the prism. Apply the formulas V = l w h and V = b h to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with fractional edge lengths in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.3. Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to find the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.4. Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

Mathematics » Grade 6 » GeometryLearning Targets

• I can identify triangles, rectangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, and right rectangular prisms.

• I can explain composing figures using rectangles, triangles, and other shapes. This means I can combine figures to create a rectangle, triangle, or other shape.

• I can explain decomposing figures into rectangles, triangles, and other shapes. This means I can break a figure down into triangles, rectangles, or other shapes.

• I can define coordinate, coordinate plane, vertex, volume, and net.• I can compare a right rectangular prism’s volume found by using unit cubes, to its

volume found by multiplying edge lengths.• I can apply formulas for finding volume (V = l x w x h and V = b x h) to right

rectangular prisms.• I can calculate the area of a polygon using composition or decomposition.

This means I can find the area by either combining polygons to make a simpler shape, or breaking the polygon down into simpler shapes.

• I can find the side length of a polygon on a coordinate grid that has either the same first coordinate or same second coordinate.

• I can use nets to find the surface area of 3-D figures.• I can draw polygons on a coordinate plane when given the vertices coordinates.• I can represent 3-D figures using nets made of triangles and rectangles.

Developing a Test Blueprint

• Use the highlighted targets from the previous slide as the basis for your blueprint.

• Determine what percentage each target will count for on your assessment.

• How many questions will you need to ask to know if students have mastered the target?

• What type(s) of questions do you plan to ask for each target?

A Good Target-Method Match:

ACCURATEand

EFFICIENT

Target-Method Match

• What’s the best way to assess the learning targets?

Target X Method Match

+PRODUCT

++SKILLS

++++REASON

+?++KNOW

PCPAEWRSR

CASL page 100

Possible Assessment Methods

Selected Response/Short Answer

Multiple-choice True/False Matching Fill in the blank (one to a few words) Label a diagram

Extended Written Response

Writing in response to a question or request, e.g., “How are these two ___ similar?” or “Explain the effects of the Stamp Act on the colonists.”

Performance Assessments

Demonstrating skills Developing products

Personal Communication

Questions & answers Conferences Interviews Oral examinations

Develop a Test Blue Print & Plan

• What targets will this assessment cover?

• What percentage will each target have on the assessment? Look back at considerations to help with this.

• Once your blueprint has been determined, use the bank of test items & select appropriate items for the assessment.

Sound Assessment Design Summary

• Teachers must be able to evaluate the assessments they use.

• Generally, off the shelf assessments are designed to cover as much content as possible.

• A lack of good evaluative skills results in mismatched assessments with questionable validity.

• Focusing on Sound Design allows teachers to be better consumers of assessment items.

• Only when our assessments truly match our targets do we get useful information to help move our students along to mastery.

Summative as Formative• Summative assessment is administered, scored

and returned.• Results identify targets mastered and targets

needing further study and work.• After further practice, review, and re-teaching,

students retest over identified targets.• Those results serve to further close the gap.

Summative Assessment with Formative Implications

Showing Mastery

Mastery takes many forms. The bottom line is whether or not the student knows the material and to what depth. This can be measured by means other than a paper/pencil test.

Using Targets for Activity Selection

• Identify your learning targets.• Design summative

assessments.• Plan formative assessment

strategies.• Determine the activities that will

move your students toward mastery of the targets.

Deconstruction of Standards

Learning Target #3

• I can identify important considerations for CASL implementation.

“I thought I knew what students needed to learn and what a good

school looks like—because I was a student once and I went to school,

and it worked for me. But times have changed. And maybe

students today do need something different.

I WONDER WHAT IT IS?”Tony Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap, pg. 269

SBDM/District Policies

• What requirements do you have within your system that deal with grading?

• How do these requirements help or hinder the use of balanced assessment practices?

• How much leeway do teachers have when assigning work or assessing students?

• Are there specific programs/resources that are required for teachers to use?

Infinite Campus

• Are teachers allowed to grade in “pencil”?

• What considerations must you include for use of the student and parent portal?

• How many points are enough?

• What teacher competencies are necessary for using targets with Infinite Campus?

Communication

• Who are the stakeholders in the school system?

• How should they be informed about balanced assessment and CASL?

• What steps can be taken to ensure that stakeholders are aware of assessment and instructional shifts that occur?

• Who will be responsible for planning this?

Grading Issues

• Does the school or district have a specific homework/test policy? Would it interfere with adoption of balanced assessment?

• What expectations do students bring to your classrooms about grading?

• What expectations do parents and your community have for grading?

• What should a grade really encompass?

Classroom Culture

• How does your ranking of the learning climate considerations connect to your vision of how classroom culture needs to change?

• What ways will the school culture need to change to successfully incorporate CASL and balanced assessment?

• “But my students won’t do it if it’s not a grade” – What do we do here?

Through the Eyes of Others

A Student’s Viewpoint on Learning Targets

An Administrator’s Viewpoint on Learning

Targets and Changes in Assessment

Learning Target #4

• I can develop a professional development plan around learning targets for a school or district.

Professional Development and CASL

• Classroom Assessment for Student Learning is not the next “thing”

• It is a model that provides for teacher professional growth within the school setting.

• It is a real bargain for your PD dollar in today’s economy.

• There needs to be a realistic plan for implementation of the process

• Recommended that you start with a core group of teachers first and then branch out to whole school

• A case must be built with the stakeholders in order for this (or any initiative) to succeed

Implementation Considerations

• Time, amount of professional development needed (research says 30-90 contact hours are needed to change teacher practice)

• Length of commitment, evidence of success, follow-up

• Building a case for buy-in

Changes that support organizational learning

• Time for teachers to work and reflect on practice together

• Teachers working in small groups

• Leaders who cultivate and maintain a shared vision

- ERIC Digest, 2003

Wrap Up

• Learning targets talking points and follow up questions.

• Self-assessment of today’s learning targets.

• Learning targets, assessments, and instructional planning – in that order!

• Where are you going from here?

• Final reflection!