Desired Outcomes

1
Desired Outcomes

• Introduce ideas about how to use common
  assessments.
• Review two protocols for developing common
  assessments.
• Practice using one protocol for developing common
  assessments
• Work together as a team.
• Reflect upon next steps.

2

• Coming together is a beginning.Keeping together
  is progress.Working together is success.by
  Henry Ford

3
Pre-work

• When choosing participants for this program, make
  sure there are two or more teachers who can work
  together to develop a common assessment.
• Ask the participants to choose a grade
  level/subject and select one or two standards for
  that grade/subject.
• Ask each participant to bring two or three sample
  tasks or assessment items that could be used to
  assess the standard(s) selected.
• During the seminar, teams will review the
  possible assessment items and draft other
  performance tasks, multiple choice, essay, open
  response questions or other assessment for each
  standard.

4

• None of us is as smart as all of us.
• Pogo
• NSDCs Standards for Staff Development Trainers
  Guide
• Stephanie Hirsh, 2001

5
Assessments

• Purpose of Assessment
• Degree of success on the standards
• Feedback to students
• Feedback to parents
• Analysis of instruction

• Assessment Methodologies
• Tests
• Products
• Performance

Enhancing Student Achievement by Charlotte
Danielson
6
Common AssessmentsThis presentation is based
upon Assessment as Professional Development,
Jay McTighe and Marcella Emberger in Powerful
Designs for Professional Learning edited by Lois
EastonConstructing Shared Assessments,
Presentation by Jody L. Hoch, Director of
Mathematics, Rush Henrietta, NYTransforming
Classroom Grading by Robert Marzanno (Chapter 6
Classroom Assessments)
7
Common Assessments (Assessment as Professional
Development, Jay McTighe and Marcella Emberger
in Powerful Designs for Professional Learning
edited by Lois Easton)

• .We cannot claim to be standards based if we
  simply agree on content standards. We must also
  agree on what evidence will show that students
  have learned the knowledge and skills outlined by
  the standards.
• A performance task becomes a performance
  assessment when it is accompanied by a rubric or
  a scoring guide describing aspects and levels of
  accomplishment.

8
Common Assessments

• . The format of the assessment should match the
  goals being assessed and the reason for
  assessing.

9

• . A primary goal of teaching is to help
  students understand the important ideas and
  processes identified in content standards.
• Classroom, school, and district assessment should
  provide evidence of student understanding.

10
Common Assessments

• Assessments have two common purposes. One
  purpose is evaluation. Many teachers think
  assessment is summative, something done at the
  end of instruction to evaluate what students have
  learned and to give them a grade. This idea has
  been reinforced by the accountability movement
  with state standardized tests that yield data on
  student, school and district achievement. These
  tests are one basis for evaluating schools and
  districts and sometimes lead to high-stakes
  consequences, such as sanctions for schools or
  denying students promotion or graduation.
• A second purpose of assessment is closer to the
  teaching-learning process. Rick Stiggins (2002)
  distinguishes between the two purposes as
  assessment of learning (summative/evaluative) and
  assessment for learning (ongoing, formative and
  summative). Assessments for learning are
  diagnostic rather than summative. They give BOTH
  teachers and students feedback to help guide
  their actions revising, re-teaching, focusing
  practice.

11
Teachers working together on assessment
experience four primary benefits

• 1. Assessment opens the door to allow them to
  explore fundamental questions such as
• What do these content standards really mean?
• What must students do to show that they have
  learned the content?
• What ideas and processes do we want students to
  understand?
• How will we know they students really understand
  them?
• What criteria will we use to judge student
  performance?
• Are our judgments reliable?
• Are we looking at student work through the same
  lenses?
• How good is good enough?
• How should we teach so we improve student
  achievement?
• As teachers explore these questions, their
  content knowledge, assessment skills and
  instructional methods will improve.

12
Teachers working together on assessment
experience four primary benefits

• 2.When teachers think about what evidence they
  want to show students have achieved the learning
  goals and then plan instructional activities,
  their teaching is more focused and purposeful.
  When students have clear performance targets in
  advance, they are more likely to see the reason
  for learning the particulars.

13
Teachers working together on assessment
experience four primary benefits

• 3. Students are more engaged when they see the
  context for their learning. Students try harder
  on authentic performance tasks, in marked
  contrast to the minimum compliance attitude of
  learners forced into a steady diet of
  decontextualized practice tests. Students see the
  tasks as worthwhile because the tasks reflect
  real ways that people use knowledge and skills
  outside the classroom. And teachers comment that
  these tasks are tests worth teaching to because
  they call for a rigorous, authentic application
  of worthwhile content knowledge and skill.

14
Teachers working together on assessment
experience four primary benefits

• 4. When teachers regularly use performance
  assessment tasks in the classroom, they get the
  most authentic achievement data availablestudent
  work. By regularly examining the strengths and
  weaknesses in student work, teachers do not have
  to wait for the once a year test score report to
  know how well theyre teaching. The results of
  classroom assessments provide ongoing data to
  help them plan continuous improvement.

15
Jigsaw Powerful Designs for Professional
Development, Chapter 6

• Break into groups of 5.
• Read Chapter 6, Assessment as Professional
  Development
• Jigsaw
• Read pp. 61 63
• Read pp. 63 66 (last sentence on 63 to STEPS on
  66)
• Read pp. 66 68 (middle of 66 Steps to middle
  of 68)
• Read pp. 68 70 (middle of 68 to middle of 70)
• Read pp. 70 73 (middle of 70 to end)
• Share ideas with one another.

16
A Process for Designing Performance Tasks
Content Standards
Task Activities
Evaluative Criteria

• Meaningful Context
• Thinking Process
• Products/Performances

• Exemplary
• Responses
• Scoring Tools

• Indicators

17
A Process For Designing Performance Tasks

• Protocol (from Powerful Designs for Professional
  Learning)
• Designing performance assessments is rarely a
  linear process. However, each of the following
  elements should be part of the task
• Decide which content standards or learning
  outcome(s) will be assessed.
• Figure out what evidence will show that the
  standard has been met.
• Use real issues and problems, themes, and/or
  student interests to create a context for
  students.

18
A Process For Designing Performance Tasks, contd

• Identify the thinking skills and processes that
  will help students apply their knowledge and
  skills.
• Decide on what student product(s) will show that
  the students has met the standards.
• Identify criteria that will be used to evaluate
  student product(s) and/or performance(s)
• Generate or select exemplary responses.
• Construct the evaluative tool (scoring or
  criterion checklist) for each question/activity.

19
Strategy 1 Collaborative Design

• Step 1 Form the group
• E.g., a grade level team or a department
• Step 2 Meet as a team
• Step 3 Decide which standard(s) to measure
• Step 4 Create a task or a series of tasks that
  will measure the standard
• Step 5 Develop evaluative criteria/rubric

20
Strategy 2 Peer Review Process

• Step 1 Assemble a review team
• Step 2 Build trust
• Step 3 Establish ground rules
• Step 4 Review assessment questions/ tasks
• Step 5 Offer feedback and suggestions
• Step 6 Revise.

21
Strategy 3 Student Work

• Step 1 Have all students complete the
  assessments.

22
Strategy 4 Analyze Student Work Together

• Step 1 Reconvene the teams
• Step 2 Review the student work. Describe the
  student work on the question/task.
• Step 3 Score the work.
• Step 4 Select anchor papers (See model 1 and
  model 2)
• Step 5 Discuss how to use student work to
  influence decisions about instruction,
  curriculum, further assessments, and professional
  development planning

23
Task Anchoring Process Two Models

• Model 1 Based on Scoring Criteria
• Use the scoring tool to familiarize the group
  with the range and criteria for each score point.
• Follow a consensus process to evaluate student
  responses using the scoring tool
• Sort the scored responses into groups by score
  point (4s, 3s, etc.)
• Sort the scored responses that best illustrate
  the distinguishing characteristics for the top
  score point. These are the anchors.
• Repeat the process for the other score points.
• USE MODEL 1 when
• The task has been validated through reviews,
  field testing and revision
• AND
• The scoring tool (rubric, rule or key) has been
  validated.

24
Task Anchoring Process Two Models

• Model 2 Based on Student Responses
• Follow a consensus process to sort student
  responses into three groupshigh, medium, or low
  quality
• Decide on the distinguishing characteristics of
  the high-quality responses
• Use these characteristics to identify the
  criteria for the top score point of the scoring
  tool
• Select several responses that best illustrate the
  distinguishing characteristics for the top score
  point. These are the anchors.
• Repeat the process for the other groups of
  student responses and identify anchor papers for
  medium and low quality papers.
• USE MODEL 2 when
• The task and the scoring tool are being tried for
  the first time.
• OR
• The scoring tool has not been validated.

25
A PROTOCOL Constructing Shared Assessments
Jody L. Hoch, Director of Mathematics, Rush
Henrietta, NY

• Begin with shared outcomes. The source could be
  state or national standards, district exit
  outcomes, the POS, or course goals. (This step is
  critical. It provides time for teachers to agree
  upon the highest priorities.)
• 2. Determine the timeframe/portion of content to
  be tested - could be at the end of a unit of
  study  or at a pre-determined end of time such as
  a quarter or a semester. Many teams begin with a
  quarter assessment but some find the process
  easier to do with a unit of study.

26
Constructing Shared Assessments

• 3. Determine a map for the assessment that sets
  out the number and types (MC, OE, essay, etc.) of
  items. Teams could use a state assessment or
  previously used assessment that worked well as a
  guideline.
• 4. Consider the level of difficulty. Once a team
  understand the standards they can begin to
  discuss issues of rigor and challenge. Some
  groups make the assessment for prerequisite
  courses more challenging while others are
  satisfied with the minimum requirements.
• 5. Determine items for the assessment. The team
  may construct/select/ adapt items from other
  sources or create original items. Finalize the
  items and develop an answer key. Consider where a
  rubric may be appropriate and provide one

27
Constructing Shared Assessments

• 6. Compare the assessment to the map. The team
  may need to make adjustments to make sure the
  test is aligned with the state or national
  standards, district exit outcomes, the POS, or
  course goals.
• 7. Have everyone who administers the assessment
  "take" the final form.  
• 8. Determine who will be responsible for sharing
  and printing documents, and security of the
  exams.
• 9. Analyze and use the data from the common
  assessment to inform instructional decisions,
  curriculum planning, developing strong
  assessments and identifying professional
  development.

28
Constructing Common Assessments

• Discuss the nine steps described as the process
  for developing common assessments. Modify, if
  appropriate, to meet your needs.
• Determine HOW you might use this protocol to
  develop a common assessment.
• Discuss how you might use the data from the
  assessment to inform instruction, curriculum,
  assessment and professional development.

29
Transforming Classroom Learning, Chapter 6

• Briefly skim this chapter.
• Use as a resource during common assessment
  construction.

30
Constructing Common Assessments--PRACTICE

• Break into grade level teams or subject area
  groups.
• Choose a standard or a simple topic/unit.
• Determine whether to use multiple choice, open
  response, essay, etc. or a combination of these
  types.
• Ask each person on the team to write two
  performance task/test question/assessment items.
• Share and discuss the test items developed by
  team members.
• Share and discuss the items that you brought to
  the session.
• Modify the test items that you determine best
  assess the standard.
• Select appropriate assessments.
• Determine your next steps.

31
School Team Dialogue

• DISCUSS
• How to bring ideas discussed here back to school.
  
• How to organize for upcoming team meetings.
• Whether your teams are prepared to design common
  assessments and use the data to inform decisions
  about instruction, curriculum, assessment and
  professional development.
• What do you need to know and be able to do to
  move in this direction?
• Other

32
Action Plan

• Next Steps
  Timeline Person
  Responsible

33

• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• --. The ABC Complete Book of School Surveys.
  (1996). Ray, Ml Banach, Banach, Cassidy.
• Bernhardt, V. (1994). Data Analysis for
  Comprehensive Schoolwide Improvement, Princeton
  Junction, NJ Eye on Education.
• Bernhardt, V. The School Portfolio Toolkit.
  Princeton, NJ Eye on Education. 2001.
• Blankenstein, Alan. Failure is Not an Option.
  Corwin Press. 2004.
• Blythe, Tina, David Allen, Barbara Schieffelin
  Powell. Looking Together at Student Work
  (Teachers College Press, Columbia University, New
  York and London. 1999
• Brainard, Edward. School Program Evaluation.
  Bloomington, IN. PDK. 1996.
• Conzemius, Anne and Jan ONeill. Quantum Learning
  Dynamics. 1998.
• Conzemius, Anne and Jan ONeill. Handbook for
  SMART School Teams. 2001.
• Danielson, Charlotte. Enhancing Student
  Achievement A Framework for School Improvement.
  ASCD 2002.
• Dolan, W.P. Restructuring Our Schools A Primer
  on Systemic Change. Kansas City Systems and
  Organizations. 1994.
• DuFour, Richard and Robert Eaker. Professional
  Learning Communities at Work. ASCD, 1998.
• DuFour, Richard and Rebecca DuFour. Getting
  Started. ASCD, 2002.
• Easton, Lois Brown, ed. Designing Powerful
  Professional Learning. NSDC, 2003.
• Fitzpatrick, Kathleen A. School Improvement
  Focusing on Student Performance. National Study
  of School Evaluation. 1997.
• Fullan, M.G., Bennett, B. and Rolheiser-Bennet,
  C. Linking Classroom and School Improvement.
  Educational Leadership, May, 1990, (8) 13-19.

34

• Glickman, C.D. Renewing Americas School. A
  Guide for School-Based Action. San Francisco
  Josey-Bass. 1993.
• Guskey, Thomas. Evaluating Staff Development.
  Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA. 2000. Holcomb,
  Edie. Getting Excited about Data. 1998.
• Holcomb, Edie. Ask the Right Questions Tools
  and Techniques for Teamwork. 1996.
• Ruth Johnson. 2002. Using Data to Close the
  Achievement Gap. Thousand Oaks, CA Corwin Press
  Inc.
• Killion, Joellen. What Works in the Middle
  Results Based Staff Development. National Staff
  Development Council. 1999.
• Leithwood, K. R. Aitken. (1995). Making Schools
  Smarter A System for Monitoring School and
  District Progress. Thousand Oaks, CA Corwin
  Press.
• Marzano, Robert. Transforming Grading. ASCD
  2000.
• Marzano, Robert, Debra Pickering and Jane
  Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works. ASCD
  2001.
• Robert, Sylvia and Eunice Pruitt. Schools as
  Professional Learning Communities. Corwin Press.
  2003.
• Sanders, James. Evaluating School Programs.
• Schmoker, M. (1996). Results The Keys to
  Continuous School Improvement. Alexandria, VA
  ASCD.
• Senge, Peter. Schools that Learn A Fifth
  Discipline Fieldbook. Doubleday, 2002.
• Wasley, P.A. Teachers Who Lead. New York
  Teachers College Press. 1991.
• Weisbord, M.R. Productive Workplaces
  Organizing and Managing for Dignity, Meaning and
  Community. San Francisco Josey Bass. 1987.

35
Common Assessments Please rate the following
statements on a 1 to 5 scale. Please make any
comments that will help the facilitator improve
this program.

• 1. The Common Assessments session was practical
  and useful.1 2 3 4 5
• Not Useful Very Useful
• COMMENTS
•  
• 2. The materials are clear and useful.
• 1 2 3 4 5
• Not Useful Very Useful
• COMMENTS
• 3. The activities were appropriate to the
  learning objectives.
• 1 2 3 4 5
• Not Appropriate Very
  Appropriate
• COMMENTS
• 4. The facilitator was well prepared and
  responsive to the needs of the participants.
• 1 2 3 4 5
• Not Responsive Very
  Responsive
• COMMENTS
•