Using debate to track oral language performance

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Using debate to track oral language performance

• Sarah Jay
• Prospect Hill Academy, Cambridge, MA

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Session Goals

• Share 3 year process of creating and refining a
  system of performance-based assessment of Spanish
  oral language.
• Give teachers assessment models, instructional
  strategies and data collection methods for oral
  language development.
• Give instructional leaders a model for a
  summative program assessment from which to
  backwards plan assessments and instruction.

Resource Packet
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• Essential Questions
• How do we motivate and support students to speak
  more in the foreign language classroom?
• How do we assess and track their oral language
  development?

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(No Transcript)
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Exhibition Night
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Exhibition Night

• Authenticity
• ?Guest Spanish-speaking judges
• Community
• ?Parents, student volunteers, educators

Accountability ?Graduation requirement
Page 2 and 3
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Performance Assessment
Student Learning Goals
Data Collection and tracking
Backwards plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
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Begin with the standards
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What do we want kids to DO?

• College-ready Spanish proficiency
• Interpretive Read and discuss authentic texts
• Interpersonal Engage with anothers thoughts in
  academic and social conversation.
• Presentational Support ideas with specific
  evidence, sound reasoning and appropriate
  cultural perspectives.

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• What would you like your students to be able to
  know and do?
• This is your student learning goal

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Debate fits all the criteria

• Interpretive
• Sources
• Interpersonal
• Argument and
• rebuttal
• Presentational
• Opening/ Closing argument

Flexible
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• What performance would meet the goals of your
  language program?
• This is your performance assessment

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Performance Assessment
Student Learning Goals
Data Collection and tracking
Backwards plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
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Assessment design
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• AP Exam PHA Debates

Presentational Speaking Opening/Closing
Argument Two minutes, audio Two teams of two,
and written sources one opening, one closing
Interpersonal Speaking Open Debate Read
an outline, Teams give evidence and
respond to recorded audio rebut the
argument of others
Interpretive Language Sources Audio and
print sources Audio, print and video

authentic texts
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Pair performance to learning goals
Spanish level Target skills and content Prompt
Spanish 4 (Early intermediate) Multiple tenses (past-present-future) Geography, landscapes, travel and food Where is it better to live, the city or the country?
Spanish 6 (Advanced, pre-AP) Present subjunctive mood, all indicative mood Social issues The passing of the Dream Act is beneficial for the United States.
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Rubric development
Page 4
Prepared Statement (Opening or Closing)
Presentational Focus on memorization and
fluency.
Content
Presentational Speaking
General Grammar
Interpersonal Focus on responding appropriately
to other team, using evidence.
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Rubric uses

• Sub-categories with descriptors provide specific
  feedback
• Students receive a proficiency-based grade
• 5 Demonstrates excellence
• 3 Demonstrates competence (PROFICIENCY)
• 1 Demonstrates lack of competence

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For the performance that you have in mind, what
would you want your rubric to assess? Are there
existing assessment tools that you could modify?
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Performance Assessment
Student Learning Goals
Data Collection and tracking
Backwards plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
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Define target vocabulary
Charades, Taboo, Password
Pages 5-10
Find evidence in written and oral language
Evidence notes, Trifold
Respond to statements with appropriate information
Speed dating, Point-counterpoint
Debate
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What are three oral language activities that
would scaffold up to your performance assessment?
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Performance Assessment
Student Learning Goals
Data Collection and tracking
Backwards plan
Instruction
Overall student oral language growth
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Data collection Formative assessments

• Benchmark performances
• Ensure preparation towards learning goals.
• Allow for early intervention and support.

Pages 11-15
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Benchmark 1 2 3 4 Year-end
7th Grade Cumulative Describe family Describe house of your dreams Pobre Ana Cumulative
8th Grade Cumulative Describe school Describe daily routines Pobre Ana Cumulative
Spanish 3 Cumulative Ordering at the restaurant Childhood memories Interactions at a model store Cumulative
Spanish 4 Cumulative Hypothetical situations Explaining a health crisis Debate Cumulative
Spanish 5 Cumulative Power of Christians/Moors Peru before/after Conquest Debate Cumulative
Spanish 6 Cumulative Bullfighting pro/con Baseball in DR pro/con Debate Cumulative
Spanish 7 Cumulative Race in colonial S.A. Environmental issues Student-choice Cumulative
AP AP practice AP practice AP practice AP practice AP Exam
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Data collection and tracking
Audacity Digital recorders Voice Memo
(iPhone) Edmodo Google Voice Flip
cameras iMovie
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Data collection and tracking
Excel / Google Drive
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Student Learning Growth Spanish 6
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Student Learning Growth Spanish 6
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Student Learning Growth Juniors
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Next steps and challenges

• Data
• Track debate scores at each level across years
• Track AP scores
• Track SAT II scores
• Instruction
• Evaluate and refine scope and sequence of
  benchmarks
• Focus on in-class formative assessments

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• What is your next step in putting your
  performance assessment plan into action?
• Who do you need to talk to?
• What resources do you need to gather?
• How will you create your assessment?

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Acknowledgments
PHA Spanish Department, past and present Allyson
Saunders, Yadissa Bello, Jess Nollet, Dave
Cantu, Lucia Morales, Lauren Davis, John
Carolan , Kate Powell Family and supporters Ian
Huntington Katie Hutchinson Liz Murray Chris
Douglas And, of course, all the amazing
students of PHA
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Contact information

• Sarah Jay
• sjay_at_prospecthillacademy.org
• sarahejay_at_gmail.com

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What is Prospect Hill Academy?
School Demographics

• Spanish at PHA
• 1 hr per week K-3
• 2 hr per week 4-6
• 5 hrs per week 7-12

• K-12 public charter school
• 1,100 students
• Cambridge and Somerville, MA
• 64 low-income families
• 86 minority

Spanish oral language graduation requirement
www.greatschools.org
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Systems of Accountability
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Three years of data

• 2009-2010 64 juniors and seniors debated, all
  scored proficient or higher
• 2010-2011 60 juniors and seniors debated, four
  juniors failed and re-debated their senior year.
• 2011-2012 65 juniors and seniors debated, two
  seniors failed and participated in two OPI
  interviews to demonstrate proficiency.