Wednesday, August 24, 2011

August 24, 2011

Purpose of assessment:


  • develop a deeper understanding
  • summative vs formative
How do you assess students in your classroom?
  • clickers
  • observation notes
  • standardized tests
  • whiteboards
  • CFAs
  • Chapter tests
Teachers are constantly assessing.  Many tests are not formal
    Assess:
    • means to "sit with" 
    • in assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner.
    • the process of gathering, interpreting, recording, and using informatin about pupils' reponses to and educational task.
    Values and Attitudes about Assessment
    • teachers value and believe in students
    • sharing learning goals with the students
    • involving students in self assessment (most successful way to get students to improve their scores)
    • providing feedback that helps students recognize their next steps and how to take them (second most successful way to get students to improve their scores.)
    • being confident that every students can improve
    • providing students with examples of what we expect from them
    The State of Assessment
    • "A wealth of research - a poverty of practice." (Black and William, 1998)
    • A shift from "teaching" to "learning"
    • Confusion of terms and conditions
      • evaluation - 
      • assessment
        • pre-assessment
        • formative
        • summative
    Assessment Process
    • Pre-assessment
      • to determine what students know
      • determine flexible grouping patterns and should be used regularly
    • Pre-assessment strategies
      • checklist
      • pre-test
      • kwl charts
      • graphic organizers
      • student discussions
      • student work samples
      • teacher observation
    Formative and Summative Assessments
      • formative and summative assessments are interconnected.
      • the vast majority of genuine formative assessments are informal
      • formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement
    • Formative Assessment
      • assessment for learning
      • taken at varying intervals throughout a course to provide information and feedback that will help improve
        • the quality of student learning
        • the quality of the course itself
      • provides information on what an individual student needs
        • to practice
        • to have re-taught
        • to learn next
      • ".....learner centered, teacher directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice" (Angelo and Cross, 1993)
      • Formative Assessment Strategies
        • conference
        • demonstrations
        • exit cards
        • I learned statements (I can statements)
        • interviews
        • journal entries
        • kwls
        • learning logs
        • peer evaluations
        • problem solving activities
        • quiz
        • response groups
        • self-evaluations
      • Summative Assessment
        • assessment of learning
        • generally taken by students at the end of a unit or semester to demonstrate the sum of what they have or have not learned
        • summative assessment methods are the most traditional way of evaluation student work
        • good summative assessments -- tests and other graded evaluations -- must be demonstrably reliable, valid and free of bias
      • Summative Assessment Strategies
        • Unit tests
        • performance task
        • product/exhibit
        • demonstration
        • portfolio review
    Factors Inhibiting Assessment
    • a tendency for teachers to assess quantity and presentation of work rather than quality of learning
    • greater attention given to marking and grading, much of it tending to lower self esteem of students, rather than providing advice for improvement
    • a strong emphasis on comparing students with each other, which demoralizes the less successful learners
    Self - evaluation
    • Where would you place your assessment practice on the following continuum
    quantity or work/presentation <------------------------------------------------------------->quality of learning
    marking/grading   <-------------------------------------------------------------------------> advice for improvement
    comparing students <--------------------------------------------------------------> identifying  individual progress

    Classroom Assessments
    • Some teachers talk about learning while Some teachers talk about grades
      • Can these co-exist peacefully?
        • if you are focused on learning and select your grading scale carefully, your grading can become a reflection of your learning
      • Should one receive emphasis over the other?
    HW Article: The Role of Assessment in Elementary Math
    Math Endorsement Materials (article is found on this wikispace)
    • read the article 
    • what is the role of the CFA in your classroom
    • Respond to this statement: "A CFA is formative so much as the teacher uses the information  to inform instructional decisions.  (Example: the teacher reteaches misunderstood concepts.)  If a teacher chooses to not take any instructional action based on student  performance on a given CFA, that test then becomes summative"
    • Who or what resources do I have available to me if I have any concerns or questions as I implement a balanced math "assessment toolkit"?
    A Balanced Assessment System
    • Screening assessments 
    • diagnostic assessments
    • formative assessment - assessment for learning
    • summative assessment - assessment of learning
      • classroom
      • standardized
    Which stakeholder group currently makes the best use of assessment information?
    • teachers 
      • screening assessments (example: CBM)
        • determine interventions and what students
        • progress monitoring
      • diagnostic assessments
        • highlight problems
        • to find holes in learning
      • formative assessments
        • to decide what to teach and how to teach
      • summative assessments
        • for a grade, to determine mastery
      • standardized tests
        • some send it on, or don't look at it 
        • some preview student scores at beginning of year
        • some improve instruction
    • students
      • screening assessments
        • comparison to other students
      • formative assessments
        • demonstrate what they are learning to teacher
      • summative assessments
        • they compare
        • they feel good or bad
      • standardized tests
        • they don't
    • administrators
      • screening assessments
        • school-wide interventions
      • diagnostic assessments
        • where to put the resources
        • where to spend the money
        • what teachers need support
      • formative assessments (don't have much say in this)
        • if involved in PLC can help teachers fill those holes
      • summative assessments (not applicable)
      • standardized tests
        • AYP
    • parents
      • screening assessments
        • how can they help students improve learning at home
        • support student at home
      • diagnostic assessments
        • how can they help students improve learning at home
      • formative assessments
        • parents can see student progress, and areas of improvement that they can support at home
      • summative assessments
        • to see their student has learned a concept
      • standardized assessments
        • look at scores when deciding what school to send their students to
    • community
      • screening assessments (don't see these scores)
      • diagnostic assessments (don't see these scores)
      • formative assessments (don't see these scores)
      • summative assessments (don't see/use these scores)
      • standardized assessments
        • legislatures use it to say how well our state is doing
    What type of assessment methods can be used?
    • selected or closed response
      • multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank....etc
    • extended written or open response
      • short answer
    • performance assessments
      • students are given a situation, a practical application
      • forced to produce something
      • term essays
      • projects
      • example: science fair project
    • personal communication
      • journaling
      • reflections
      • learning logs
      • personal interaction with student (in person and/or responding to their logs)




    Homework
    Read the article, Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment, by Black and Wiliam in preparation for next week’s class.

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