Understanding the Role of Formative Assessment in Planning Instruction

1. Understanding the Role of Formative Assessment in Planning Instruction Beth Estill

2. Formative Assessment: Definition by W. James Popham“Formative Assessment is a planned process in which assessment-elicited evidence of students’ status is used by teachers to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures or by students to adjust their current learning tactics.”

3. What does it mean? • Formative assessment is a process, not a particular test. • It is used by both teachers and students. • Formative assessment takes place during instruction. • It provides assessment-based feedback to teachers and students. • The purpose of the feedback is to help teachers and students make adjustments that will improve students’ achievement. W. James Popham; 2008

4. Making the Most of Formative Assessments Develop learning progressions as the framework. Identify intended learning target and the necessary subskills or building blocks. Plan formative assessments of subskills before proceeding to the next building block in the learning progression. W. James Popham; 2008

5. Identify the intended learning target. Develop a complete and thorough understanding. Example: Nonfiction: The students will be able to identify the main idea of a piece of nonfiction text. Creating a Learning Progression

6. Creating a Learning Progression 2. Identify the building blocks needed to acquire the learning target. Look at specific grade level information on the Standards of Learning.

7. Creating a Learning Progression 3. Determine how each building block will be assessed; both formal and or informal to determine mastery.

8. Creating a Learning Progression 4. Arrange all building blocks in an instructionally sound sequence.

9. Nonfiction Learning Progression Specific Learning Target: Identify main idea sentence/summary sentence for particular piece of text How is nonfiction organized? Topic Main Idea/Heading Details Main Idea Statement/Summary Statement

10. Building Blocks • Identify and explain the purpose of the text features • Identify information presented in the text feature • Understand how text and text features support each other • Determine Importance in Text: Develop criteria questions; analyze text • Understand categories (Understand text is organized by similar attributes/characteristics) • Identify information that is RIGHT THERE in the text and information that is INFERRED

11. Building Blocks • Identify a topic based on details; identify two main ideas (Headings) for each set of cards • Create a main idea sentence based on sorted details • Identify details that support a heading/main idea • Skim to locate details • Manipulate sentence strips to differentiate details from a main idea sentence • Identify headings or main idea for specific pieces of text Intended Learning Target: Identify the main idea or summary statement for nonfiction text

12. Let’s Look at Some Building Block Examples Identify Text Features • Text Feature Mat • Scavenger Hunt • Mix and Match: FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTION

13. Information Learned from Nonfiction Text Features

14. Determine Importance in Nonfiction Text

15. Sorting Important Information

16. Reading to Locate Important Information

17. Sorting Details to Write the Main Idea

18. Identify Details that Support a Heading and Main Idea

19. Summative Assessment

20. Final Thoughts . . . Why are learning progressions so pivotal in the successful implementation of formative assessment? They are the backdrop against which teachers and students can determine when to collect what sort of evidence regarding students' learning. They provide a framework that helps teachers identify appropriate adjustment-decision points as well as the kinds of en route assessment evidence they need.

21. Bibliography W. James Popham; Transformative Assessment; 2008 W. James Popham; Transformative Assessment in Action; 2011

22. Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.

23. Beth Estill bpestill@vbschools.com