Ongoing Assessment:

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Ongoing Assessment Unprecedented Gains in the
Achievement of Each Student
"For as long as assessment is viewed as something
we do after teaching and learning are over, we
will fail to greatly improve student performance,
regardless of how well or how poorly students are
currently taught or motivated." Grant Wiggins,
1998
Thinking is an engagement of the mind that
changes the mind. M. Heiddegar
Prepared for the Instructional/Assessment Team
of Williamsburg/James City County Public
Schools by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D. Summer 2008
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page 4
On-going AssessmentA Diagnostic Continuum
Feedback and Goal Setting
Pre-test Graphing for Greatness Inventory KWL Chec
klist Observation Self-evaluation Questioning
Conference Exit Card Peer evaluation Portfolio
Check 3-minute pause Quiz Observation Journal
Entry Talkaround Self-evaluation Questioning
Unit Test Performance Task Product/Exhibit Demonst
ration Portfolio Review
Send a representative to obtain a Business Card
for each team-member.
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My preferred way to be assessed is...
I know that I have really learned something
when...
My response
My response
Colleague __________ School ______
Colleague __________ School ______

• DEBRIEF
• WHAT DID YOU NOTICE
• was never mentioned
• was often mentioned
• to each question

Business Card
Name
My response
My response
Colleague __________ School ______
Colleague _________ School _______
I typically assess students by...
When I think about assessing students, I have
learned that...
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Our BIG Idea

• Making Best Practices, Common Practices
• create a variety of assessments, to be used
  throughout the lesson, which are aligned with the
  learning goal (unpacked standards)

page 2

• Key Questions to ask about assessment
• Does the assessment reflect the standard(s)?
• Do the items measure students' ability to perform
  the standards?
• Does the assessment provide sufficient
  information to make decisions about whether
  students
• have reached a given level of proficiency?
• Does the assessment reflect the instructional
  program, the teaching resources and the
• instructional methods?
• Does the assessment reflect the information
  presented in the classroom?

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page 7
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Steps in Developing a Rubric

• With your colleagues, make a preliminary decision
  on the dimensions of the performance or product
  to be assessed.
• Look at some actual examples of student work to
  see if you have omitted any important dimensions.
  
• Refine and consolidate your list of dimensions as
  needed. Write a definition of each of the
  dimensions.
• Develop a continuum (scale) for describing the
  range of products/performances on each of the
  dimensions.
• Alternatively, instead of a set of rating scales,
  you may choose to develop a holistic scale or a
  checklist on which you will record the presence
  or absence of the attributes of a quality
  product/performance. 
• Evaluate your rubric using the criteria discussed
  in Part 1.
• Pilot test your rubric or checklist on actual
  samples of student work.
• Revise the rubric and try it out again.
• Share the rubric with your students and their
  parents.

Excellent Chicago Public Schools web resource for
rubrics http//intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments
/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/rubric_bank.html
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Team Participation Rubric
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page 4
On-going AssessmentA Diagnostic Continuum
Feedback and Goal Setting
Pre-test Graphing for Greatness Inventory KWL Chec
klist Observation Self-evaluation Questioning
Conference Exit Card Peer evaluation Portfolio
Check 3-minute pause Quiz Observation Journal
Entry Talkaround Self-evaluation Questioning
Unit Test Performance Task Product/Exhibit Demonst
ration Portfolio Review
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3 Basic Questions
When Designing Assessments
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Kinds of Evidence
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• Our Essential Question

What is the BEST way?
Select Response page 8 16 Performance Task
page 23 27
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Kinds of Evidence Continuum of
EvidenceInformal Check for Understanding
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Kinds of Evidence Continuum of EvidenceTests
and Quizzes
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Kinds of Evidence Continuum of
EvidenceAcademic Prompts
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Kinds of Evidence Continuum of
EvidencePerformance Tasks
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Create assessments which

• Effectively guide and provide evidence for
  student achievement of established learning
  goals
• Measure understanding/learning according to
  Blooms Taxonomy or the 6-facets of Understanding
• Allow for differentiation, as well as, on-going
  feedback for specific learning goals (what
  students will know and be able to do)

page 17 21
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What are the specific characteristics we are
looking for?

• Two possible ways to look at this
• 6-facets of understanding
• Blooms Taxonomy

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Blooms Taxonomy Model Questions and Key Words
page 20
Analysis (breaking down into parts,
forms) Distinguish What is the function
of Identify Whats fact, opinion What
assumptions What statement is relevant What
motive is there Related to, extraneous to, not
applicable What conclusions What does author
believe, assume Make a distinction State the
point of view of What is the premise What ideas
apply What ideas justify conclusion Whats the
relationship between The least essential
statements are Whats the main idea, theme What
inconsistencies, fallacies What literary form is
used What persuasive technique Implicit in the
statement is
Comprehension (translating, interpreting, and
extrapolating) State in your own
words Classify Which are facts What does this
mean Judge Is this the same as Give an
example Infer Select the best definition Condense
this paragraph Show What would happen if State in
one word Indicate Explain what is happening What
part doesnt fit Tell Explain what is meant What
expectations are there Translate Read the graph,
table What are they saying Select This
represents What seems to be Explain Show in a
graph, table Which statements support Represent De
monstrate What restrictions would you add
Application (to situations that are new,
unfamiliar or have a new slant for
students) Predict what would happen
if Explain Choose the best statements that
apply Identify the results of Judge the
effects Select What would result Tell what would
happen Tell how, where, when, why Tell how much
change there would be
Knowledge (drawing out factual answers, testing
recall and recognition) Who Where describe Which
one What How Define What is the best
one Why Match Choose How much When Select Omit Wha
t does it mean
Synthesis (combining elements into a pattern not
clearly there before) Create Hw would you
feel Make up Tell Propose an alternative Compose M
ake Solve the following Formulate Do Plan How
else would you Choose Design State a rule Develop
Evaluation (according to some set of criteria and
state why) Appraise What fallacies,
consistencies, inconsistencies,
appear Judge Which is more important, moral,
better, logical, valid, appropriate Criticize Find
the errors Defend compare
Adapted and expanded by Dan Mulligan from the
work of John Maynard, 2008
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6 Facets of Understanding When we truly
understand, we
Self-knowledge (perceive the personal style,
prejudices projections, and habits of mind that
both shape and impede our own understanding we
are aware of what we do not understand and why
understanding is so hard)
Empathy (find value in what others might find
odd, alien, or implausible perceive sensitively
on the basis of prior direct experience)
Perspective (see and hear points of view through
critical eyes and ears see the big picture)
Application (effectively use and adapt what we
know in diverse contexts)
Interpretation (tell meaningful stories, offer
apt translations, provide a revealing historical
or personal dimension to ideas and events make
it personal or accessible through images,
anecdotes, analogies, and models)
Explanation (provide thorough, supported, and
justifiable accounts of phenomena, facts, and
data)
Adapted and expanded by Dan Mulligan from the
work of Grant Wiggins Jay Mc Tighe, 2008
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Why Assess?

• Assessments are not just to provide a grade
• Purpose of assessment is to
• Determine if learner got it Gather evidence
  which demonstrates learning outcomes were
  achieved
• Help teachers determine extent of student
  understanding
• Guide next steps of instruction
• Provide appropriate scaffolding/differentiated
  instruction for students throughout the learning
  experience and
• Provide meaningful feedback to stakeholders
  (students, parents, other teachers,
  administrators).

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Kinds of Evidence Continuum of
EvidenceObservations and Dialogues

• Key Research Findings
• When feedback is corrective in naturethat is, it
  explains where and why students have made
  errors--significant increases in student learning
  occur (Lysakowski Walberg, 1981, 1982 Walberg,
  1999 Tennenbaum Goldring, 1989).
• Feedback has been shown to be one of the most
  significant activities a teacher can engage in to
  improve student achievement (Hattie, 1992).
• Asking students to continue working on a task
  until it is completed and accurate (until the
  standard is met) enhances student achievement
  (Marzano, Pickering, Pollock, 2001).
• Effective feedback is timely. Delay in providing
  students feedback diminishes its value for
  learning (Banger-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, Morgan,
  1991).
• Administer tests to optimize learning. Giving
  tests a day after a learning experience is better
  than testing immediately after a learning
  experience (Bangert-Downs, Kulik, Kulik,
  Morgan, 1991).
• Rubrics provide students with helpful criteria
  for success, making desired learning outcomes
  clearer to them. Criterion-referenced feedback
  provides the right kind of guidance for improving
  student understanding (Crooks, 1988 Wilburn
  Felps, 1983).
• Effective learning results from students
  providing their own feedback, monitoring their
  work against established criteria (Trammel,
  Schloss, Alper, 1994 Wiggins, 1993).

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Are the Assessments Reliable and Valid?

• Reliable we have confidence in the pattern of
  results
• Valid
• Is the assessment fair?
• Is it measuring what you asked the student to
  learn?
• Is it measuring in a way which students can
  demonstrate understanding? (does it match their
  learning styles?)

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• When speaking of evidence of understanding, we
  are referring to evidence gathered through a
  variety of formal and informal assessments during
  a unit of study.

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KEY QUESTION Why are common assessments so
important?
WHY do we ASSESS 1. INFORM INSTRUCTIONAL
DECISIONS 2. ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO TRY
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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WHAT CAN BE ASSESSED?
INTEREST
READINESS
LEARNING PROFILE

• Areas of Strength
• and Weakness
• Work Preferences
• Self Awareness

• Interest Surveys
• Interest Centers
• Self-Selection

Content Knowledge
Skills
Concepts
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Brainstorm and Pass

• This strategy reinforces three important
  messages
• Everyone is responsible for participating.
• Everyone has something to contribute.
• Time to think is valued and provided.
• Directions
• Create groups of 4 or less participants.
  
  Provide the acronym FLOW as a
  scaffold for setting brainstorming norms
• FLEXILILITY and fluidity of thinking is
  encouraged.
• LOTS OF IDEAS is the goal all ideas are
  recorded.
• OPEN ACCEPTANCE of all ideas is necessary.
• WITHHOLD ALL JUDGEMENT (both criticism and
  praise).
• 2. Choose a recorder.
• 3. Each group member offers an idea on the
  topic in turn, starting to the right of the
  recorder. The group must wait for each student to
  either a) offer an idea, or b) say Pass.
  Passing means I cant think of an idea right
  now.

Brainstorm Question How do you know it is
September in your part of Virginia?
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LEARNING PROFILE

• Steps
• Select a recorder.
• Take turns (in a clockwise direction) responding
  to the brainstorm question below.
• Generate as many Reponses as possible (try to
  generate a list of at least 10 items.

Areas of Strength and Weakness Work
Preferences Self Awareness
Brainstorm Question How do you know it is
September in Williamsburg-James City County?
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ttaconline.org
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Teacher/Learner Relationship

• IDEAL teachers are individuals who see
  themselves as bridges over which students can
  cross, then, having facilitated their crossing,
  joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create
  their own bridges.
• Kazantzakis

Todays GOAL Go Make BRIDGES!!!
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Suggested Strategy

• Use the search engine altavista.com
• Use the prefix hostk12.va.us _________
• (e.g. hostk12.va.us shadows for Virginia
  specific resources on shadows)
• EXCELLENT RESOURCES from other Virginia
  teachers/schools/divisions.
• HOWEVER.PLEASE verify validity and reliability
  by crosschecking with the appropriate curriculum
  document!