Common Formative Assessments (CFAs)

1. Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) Adapted from The Leadership and Learning Center Presented by Jane Cook for Plainfield Public Schools jcook@eastconn.org Available online at: http://ctteams.wikispaces.com/CFA

2. As a result of participating in this session, teachers will be able to: • Explain what a Common Formative Assessment (CFA) is • Describe how a CFA can be used to inform planning and instruction • Begin the process of developing a CFA Objectives

3. Formed a professional learning community • Focused on student work (through assessment) • Changed their instructional practice accordingly to get better results • Did all of this on a continuing basis Common Findings inSuccessful Schools Fullan, April 2000

4. Professional Learning Communities Ask… Four essential questions: • What do all students need to know and be able to do? • How do we teach so that all students will learn? • How will we know if they have learned it? • What will we do if they don’t know or if they come to us already knowing? DuFour & Eaker, 1998

5. Putting the Pieces Of the Puzzle Together Standards and Assessment Effective Teaching Strategies Accountability for Learning Data-Driven Decision Making

6. Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative

7. How Powerful Practices Work Together Effective Teaching Strategies

8. Nine + 1 Effective Teaching Strategies Similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Effort and recognition Homework and practice Nonlinguistic representation Cooperative learning Setting objectives, providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Cues, questions, advance organizers Non-fiction writing (Reeves, et al) Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001

9. Powerful PracticesProduce Results! Improvement in student achievement on all assessment measures!

10. Data Teams: The Mechanism for Measuring Progress • Step 1: Collect and chart data and results. • Step 2: Analyze strengths and obstacles • Step 3: Set S.M.A.R.T. goal for student improvement. • Step 4: Select effective teaching strategies. • Step 5: Determine results indicators. Data TeamsProcess, The Leadership and Learning Center

11. Two Interdependent Practices Learning Centered Common Formative Assessments Data Teams

12. The Power Of COMMON Assessments “Schools with the greatest improvements in student achievement consistently used common assessments.” Reeves, 2004

13. The Two Tools of Assessment “No single assessment can meet everyone’s information needs…To maximize student success, assessment must be seen as an instructional tool for use while learning is occurring, and as an accountability tool to determine if learning has occurred. Because both purposes are important, they must be in balance.” NEA, 2003

14. Two Purposes of Assessment: Important Distinctions • Diagnosis – Assessment FORLearning • Evaluation – Assessment OF Learning

15. Assessment FOR Learning • Formative: Given before and during the teaching process to inform planningandinstruction, e.g., CFAs, quizzes, etc. • Diagnostic: Intended to be used as a tool or guide to improve teaching and learning • Providesteachers with information they need to createappropriateworkfor groups of learners or individual students • Not typically used to assign grades • Answers key questions: Do students possess critical pre-requisite skills and knowledge? Do students already know some of the material that is to be taught? Bravmann, 2004

16. Assessment OF Learning • Summative assessment for unit, quarter, semester, grade level, or course of study • Provides “status report” on degree of student proficiency or mastery relative to targeted standard(s) , e.g., CMT, CAPT, etc. • Helps teachers judge effectiveness of their teachingpractices • Supports the assignment of grades • Answers question: Have students achieved the goals defined by a given standard or group of standards? Bravmann, 2004

17. Achievement Gains Associated With Number of Assessments over 15 weeks (The higher the effect size and percentile gain, the more statistically significant.) Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 2007

18. In your group, organize yourselves in a line in the order that you believe that your topics belong CFA Big Picture Activity

19. What Are Common Assessments? “Not standardized tests, but rather teacher-created, teacher-owned assessments that are collaboratively scored and that provide immediate feedback to students and teachers.” Douglas B. Reeves, CEO, The Leadership and Learning Center

20. The Power Of COMMON Assessments “Schools with the greatest improvements in student achievement consistently used common assessments.” Reeves, 2004

21. What Are Common Formative Assessments? “Common formative assessments are designed to give students specific feedback on the clear target to be achieved, along with suggestions on how to reach that target on subsequent assessments. Students need to understand that this feedback will not be graded but that it will be used by their teachers to design specific instruction to help them improve. After a review of almost 8,000 classroom studies focused on determining the impact of feedback on student improvement, John Hattie (1992) declared: “The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback’.” Hattie, 1992, p. 9

22. What Are Common Formative Assessments? (continued) • Assessments for learning administered to all students in grade level or course several times during semester, trimester, or year • Items collaboratively designed by participating teachers • Items represent essential (Priority) standards only • Items aligned to district and state tests • Results analyzed in Data Teams in order to differentiate instruction Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006

23. Simply Put – A Common Formative Assessment is… • Common = Given by all teachers at a grade level or in a content area • Formative = Provides data to inform planning and instruction • Assessment = Provides diagnostic rather than evaluative information

24. A CFA should take no more than one 45-minute class period. For early grades, it should take much less time, no more than 10-20 minutes. Limit the total number of items so that student papers can be quickly scored and the results can be used right away to inform instruction. How Long Should a CFA Take?

25. Recommended # of CFA Items

26. The Process of Developing CFAs: Laying The Standards Foundation - Steps 1-6 • Step 1: Choose Important Topic • Step 2: Identify Matching Priority Standards • Step 3: “Unwrap” Matching Priority • Standards • Step 4: Create Graphic Organizer • Step 5: Determine the Big Ideas • Step 6: Write the Essential Questions

27. The Process of Developing CFAs: Creating The AssessmentSteps 7-10 • Step 7: Write Selected-Response Items • Step 8: Write Constructed-Response Items (extended or short) • Step 9: Write Essential Question-Big Idea Directions • Step 10: Create Answer Key & Scoring Guides • for Constructed-Response Items

28. Periodic assessments collaboratively designed • Matching pre- and post-assessments • Similar in design to high stakes tests • Items should represent priority standards • Blend of item types including selected and constructed response • Administered several times a year • Results analyzed in Data Teams • Results used to inform planning and instruction CFAs – A Summary

29. Regular and timely feedback • Multiple-measure assessments • Ongoing collaboration opportunities • Consistent expectations within a grade level regarding standards, instruction and assessment • Agreed-upon criteria for proficiency • Deliberate alignment between classroom and district assessments • Predictive value regarding how students are doing in time to make instructional modifications CFA Summary – The Benefits

30. Now it’s your turn to start the process of developing CFAs – Step 1: Choose Important Topic • You’re ready to begin Step 1 in the CFA process – this is similar to Step 1 in the Data Team process. • In your Grade Alike Teams work on identifying “important topics” for students in your grade level. • Focus specifically on literacy

31. Step 1 (continued) • Identify topics in literacy that are essential for students to understand at your grade level • Appoint a scribe on your team to write the list the topics • Topic examples: Sound-letter relationships, making text connections, narrative writing, informational text, reading comprehension, e.g., main idea, supporting details, inferences, generalizations, etc.

32. On to Step 2 – Identify Matching Priority Standards • Using the Common Core State Standards handout, identify the standards that match the important topics that your Grade Level Team found in Step 1

33. Next is Step 3 – “Unwrapping” the Standards • Analyze the wording of your Priority Standards to determine exactly what students must know and be able to do. • Underline the key concepts – the important nouns and noun phrases that students must know. • Circle the skills - those verbs that represent what students must be able to do.

34. Step 3 Example – “Unwrapping” the Standards CT English/LA Framework 3.2c Revise texts for organization, elaboration, fluency, and clarity • Revise texts for organization, elaboration, fluency, and clarity

35. Bring materials to the next session that will help you develop questions for your CFAs. Next Steps…

36. What did I learn? What are the key points I want to remember? • What helped/hindered my learning? • What questions do I still have? • What suggestions do I have for the next PD session? Exit Card Reflection Questions