Quality Assessment Practices & Project Based Learning

Clarity of Learning Targets, Setting objectives, Formative Assessment as Feedback and Balanced Assessment Quality Assessment Practices & Project Based Learning

Formative Practices Teacher Clarity d=0.75 (+27%) Formative eval of programs d=0.90 (+31%) Providing feedback d=0.73 (+26%) Students Self-Reporting Grades d=1.44 (+~45%) Authors commonly associated with these: Arter, Chappuis, Brookhart, Stiggins, Hattie Bibliography located at: http://bulldogcia.com/Articles.htm

Assessment within PBL Things to remember and guide you • Target selected “power standards” • In depth standards create the opportunity for in depth authentic assessment • Select 21st Century Skills to teach and assess (e.g. collaboration, presentation and critical thinking) • Formatively assess only for the purpose of revision and improvement

The assessment itself doesn’t determine if it is formative or summative…only the use of it can make that determination

Two Purposes of Assessment SUMMATIVE • Assessments OF Learning • The purpose is to report on learning FORMATIVE • Assessments FOR Learning • The purpose is to improve learning and shape instruction

What is balanced assessment? All slides related to the 5 Keys to Quality Assessment are ideas taken from: Stiggins, R.J., Arter, J., Chappuis, J. & Chappuis, S. (2007). Classroom assessment for student learning: Doing it right—using it well. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Balanced Assessment Summative Provides evidence achievement to certify student competence or program effectiveness Formative Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence to directly improve the learning of students assessed Formative uses of summative data Use of summative evidence to inform what comes next for individuals or groups of students Assessment for learning Use classroom assessments to inform teacher’s decisions Assessment for learning Use assessments to help students assess and adjust their own learning

Quality Classroom Assessment

5 Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment • Why assess? (PURPOSE) • Assess what? (TARGETS) • Assess how? (DESIGN) • Communicate how? (COMMUNICATION) • Involve students how? (STUDENT INVOLVEMENT) Stiggins, et al (2007). CASL

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION DESIGN ACCURACY EFFECTIVE USE PURPOSE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT TARGET Stiggins, et al (2007). CASL

Classroom Assessment: Accuracy Why Assess? Assess What? Assess How?

Key 1 Purpose—Why • Educators need to: • Understand who the assessment users are and the needs of the assessment users • Understand the relationship between assessment and student motivation • Use results in a formative & summative way • Have a plan to integrate assessment of and for learning in the classroom

Key 2 Clarity of Targets—What The most critical question—it drives planning, instruction and assessment. • We need to… • Identify and broadcast the essential learning targets (refer to Andrew Miller article) • Articulate differences between learning targets and activities • Have a comprehensive plan over time for assessing the learning targets • Differentiate between “window shopping standards” and “buying standards”

Clarity—Where am I going? • Key Point: differentiate between learning targets and learning activities • How might you do this? Take 2 min and talk to your neighbor.

Clarity—Where am I going? What are some ways that you can engage students that will require them to interact with one another and establish learning target clarity at the same time within a PBL design? Hint: Think of examples of strong and weak work

Clarity—Defining quality work • Students must first be able to: • Understand concepts that define quality before being asked to self-assess them HOW? • One way to do this is to use rubrics

Clarity—Strong and weak work • Use anonymous samples • After defining the criteria… • have students look at 2 samples and determine which ones do/do not meet the criteria and why

When are learning intentions useful? • Read p. 56 excerpt from: Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded Formative Assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Clarity—Using rubrics • It acts as a diagnostic tool so.. • Each feature of quality needs described—from beginning to proficient. • “This is beginning because…” • This aligns with teaching the elements of quality • Allows you to provide feedback related to elements of quality

Key 3: Assess how? (DESIGN) Why is that important? • Target-Method Match • There are specific ways in which learning targets are most effectively & efficiently assessed.

Classroom Assessment: Effectiveness Communicate how? Involve students how?

Key 4: Effective Communication Key 5: Student Involvement

Keys 4 & 5 are really assessment strategies The 7 Strategies of Assessment FOR Learning Chappuis (2009)

We Will Emphasize a Formative Assessment System…one built on the premise of feedback

Principles of Providing Feedback WHAT’s NEXT FEEDBACK— • feedback isn’t necessarily about how to do it correctly. What if it is all done correctly? Feedback needs to direct attention to what’s next for the learner. Think of the student who is a high achiever…what’s next for her? FOCUSED FEEDBACK— • feedback should do its best to focus on one particular aspect of quality at a time because too much feedback can prevent improvement. FEEDBACK TO FEED FORWARD— • direct feedback at the student’s acquisition of the learning intentions and success criteria; not just ___ out of ____ correct. Instead of this, use a “find it, fix it” strategy.

Formative Evaluation Teacher • Where are they going? • Where are they now? • What’s next? Student • Where am I going? • Where am I now? • What’s next? These are on-going

Student Feedback within PBL • Critical thinking and in-depth understanding can be readily activated through self-reflection and peer to peer dialogue • The teacher’s role? • Explicitly teach this • Model it • Engineer the kind of environment that has it built into the fabric of the classroom

7 Strategies of Assessment for Learning Based on the underlying belief that students are the most influential decision makers in the classroom Addresses 3 questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? How do I close the gap? Chappuis, J. (2009). Seven strategies of assessment for learning. Portland, OR: ETS. Sadler, D.R. (1989 & 1998)

Where am I going? • Clarity of learning intentions/targets • Strong and weak examples of the work we want students to do

Where am I now? • Provide regular descriptive feedback • Helps students begin to monitor where they are in relationship to where they need to be • Teach students to self-assess and set goals • Students need to know where they are in order to set goals • They need to be taught how to self-assess

How Can I Close the Gap? • Design lessons to focus on one target or quality aspect at a time • Makes monitoring the learning more specific • Teach students focused revision • Task analyze the target into small chunks • Practice and revise • Engage students in self-reflection; have them track and share • This impacts the retention of things learned and increases motivation

Quality Assessment Practices & Project Based Learning