Formative Assessment

1. Race to the Top~November Session Formative Assessment

2. Understanding of individual studentsTypes of assessment In-depth understanding of individual students

3. Sharing learning intentions and criteria for success. Crafting discussions, questions, and learning tasks. Providing feedback that moves learning forward. Activation students as the owners of their own learning. Encouraging students to be instructional resources for one another. What is formative assessment?

4. Where are you now? (assessment goal) Where are you trying to go? (instructional goal) How can you get there? (what is needed to reach instructional goal) Formative assessment model

5. Soup analogy When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative.

6. Before beginning a lesson, unit, or course: • What are the standards the students need to know? • What curricular tools will be used? • What summative assessments will measure student learning at the end? • What formative assessment strategies will be used to gauge learning during the lesson, unit, or course? • What formative strategies will be used to help students learn? Formative assessment process

7. Assessment as instructional feedback FROM: TO: Assess Assess Assess Teach Adjust instruction

8. Assessment for learning Using evidence of learning to adapt instruction to meet students’ immediate learning needs Five Key Strategies

9. Independent Learning (Students Taking Responsibility) Self Assessment Modeling by Teacher Success Criteria Questioning Tactics Descriptive Feedback Self Reflection Peer partners Clear understanding of intended learning by educator Climate for learning in classroom

10. Is the culture in your classroom one where students feel safe to ask questions or insert discussion? What do you expect from your students? Do they know what you expect? Are you monitoring their progress on in-class assignments? Have you shared your rubric for performance based assessments? Success criteria

11. Questioning Techniques • Formative or summative? • Closed or open? • Can engage students in dialogue to extend learning • Can be used to check for learning • Wait time ***See handout

12. “The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback’” John Hattie (1992) Using feedback to enhance achievement

13. Evaluative feedback: Tells learners how they compare to others or provides a judgment summarizing the quality of the learning. Descriptive feedback: Specific information in the form of written comments or conversations that helps the learner understand what he or she needs to do to improve. Descriptive feedback

14. Acknowledging Student Success Guiding future thinking • Identify what is done correctly. • Describe an aspect of quality present in the work. • Point out effective use of strategy or process. • Identify a (need for) correction. • Describe an aspect of quality needing work. • Point out a problem with strategy or process. • Offer a reminder. • Make a specific suggestion. • Ask a question. Descriptive feedback

15. “Formative assessment requires that pupils have a central part in it……unless they come to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and how they might deal with them, they will not make progress.” Harlen & James, 1997 Self Reflection

16. Using the “Chalk Talk” protocol, participants at each table will work together to answer this question: “What are the characteristics of a good evidence gathering technique or tool?” Peer partners

17. Questions????????????