SST Presentation

1. SST Presentation Assessment and Evaluation Oct 17, 2005 tom.macartney @ ocdsb.ca

2. KWL - Assessment and Evaluation • What do I Know? • What do I Want to know? • What have I Learned?

3. The greatest adjustment teachers have to make related to the new Ontario Curriculum is the way they assess, evaluate and report on student learning.

4. The adjustment requires a shift from a focus on teaching all to a focus on the learning of each.

5. In medicine, the cardinal rule is… Do no harm.

6. Louis Pasteur - 1865 "This water, this sponge, this lint with which you wash or cover a wound, may deposit germs which have the power of multiplying rapidly within the tissue....If I had the honor of being a surgeon....not only would I use none but perfectly clean instruments, but I would clean my hands with the greatest care...I would use only lint, bandages and sponges previously exposed to a temperature of 1300 to 1500 degrees.”

7. 1875 - 1900…

8. In education the cardinal rule is… Do not destroy hope.

10. Research “The role of research is to attach numbers to the obvious, to make it undeniable.” - anonymous

11. Brain Research, Cognitive Psychology, Education collide Today, there are more scientists devoted to research on the mind and brain than any other medical-research field.

12. Brain Compatible LearningAttention / Motivation To learn well we believe people need: • Physical needs satisfied • Challenge / Mystery / Novelty • Success • Connections / Perceived Need • Fit to learning style

13. Brain Compatible LearningMotivation Three types of factors that influence a student’s level of motivation: • Personal beliefs • School practices and policies • Classroom Environment

14. Personal beliefs • Student personal beliefs • Low self efficacy • Lack of relevance • Fear of failure • Peer concern • Learning problems • Lack of challenge • Desire for attention • Emotional distress • Expression of anger

15. School practices and policies that inhibit motivation • Culture based on competition - the labour of less talented students seldom acknowledged ; grades do not inspire effort • Culture of low expectations for low achieving students • Student peer culture that discourages effort

16. Classroom Environment Classroom practices that undermine student motivation: • Tying success to ability rather than effort • Promoting a competitive environment • Lack of routines and procedures • Negative approach to classroom management • One size fits all tasks • Public punishment • Slow pacing • Uninspiring instructional practices

17. Implications for Schools • Develop a culture of high expectations where staff truly believe all students can and will achieve. • Learner-centred classrooms designed to maximize opportunities for all students to become engaged.

18. W. E. Deming- Total Quality Improvement • Individuals have an intrinsic drive to learn and do well and they do not want to fail. • Individuals are motivated by improvement no matter how small.

20. Deming principle:Deep Learning Key points: • Drive out fear! (TPA, grading system, class rules…) • Develop systems for collecting and analysing data. • Ensure all levels of system are expected to learn from experiences and data.

21. Four Examples to pay attention to… 3. 1. 2. 4.

22. High Levels of Learning for All Students

23. Raise the Bar Close the Gap

24. Raise the Bar Close the Gap

25. Raise the Bar Close the Gap

26. Where’s the Bar? • Level 3 is the Provincial Standard. • A student achieving at this level is well prepared for work in the next grade or the next course.

27. Where’s the Bar? • Level 4 means the student is demonstrating a very high to outstanding achievement of the specified expectations and a greater command of the requisite knowledge and skills than a student achieving at a level 3.

28. Vygotskian Perspective: Teacher/Student Interactions Student Responsibility Teacher Responsibility Joint Responsibility Self Responsibility Zone of Proximal Development Zone of Actual Development New Zone of Actual Development Transition from other assistance to self-assistance Assistance provided by the self Internalization, automatization What the student can do on her own unassisted Assistance provided by more capable others: teacher or peer or environment: classroom structures and activities Adapted from Wilhelm, Baker, and Dube, 2001

29. “Backwards Design” Planning Stage 1: Identify targeted understandings Stage 2: Determine appropriate assessment of those understandings Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction that make such understanding possible Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design

30. Professional Learning Communities Stage 1: What do we want students to learn? Stage 2: How will we know they have learned it? Stage 3: What time and support can we offer students who are not learning? Dufour and Eaker, Professional Learning Communities

31. Worth being familiar with Important to Know and Do “Enduring” Understanding Identifying Curriculum Priorities

32. Curriculum Design is Key • Making an assessment plan • Target-method match • 1. Summative tasks of the course / grade • 2. Summative tasks of each unit / strand • 3. Enabling tasks within each unit / strand • Evaluation tools • Tools must match performance • Marking scheme, rubric, checklist, rating scale, anecdotal record

33. Making an Assessment Plan • 2. Develop Summative Tasks • Exam • Performance Task(s) • Tools • shared with students at beginning of course • 3. Develop evaluation tasks tools • Authentic performance task(s) (Say, Write Do) that develop knowledge/skills • Appropriate tools (marking scheme, rubric, checklist, rating scale, anecdotal record) that are shared with all before task begins • Balance of achievement chart categories • (K/U, A, T, C) • Feedback (effective questioning; timely, specific, frequent, feedback; self / peer assessment; formative use of summative tasks) • 1.Enduring Understandings • Essential Questions • Key Knowledge and Skills • lasting value, key concept, focusing theme, the overarching principle 4.Plan learning experiences and instruction W= where is unit / course going H= how will design hold student interest E= equip students, explore issues, experience key ideas R= opportunities for students to rethink / revise understanding E= allow students to evaluate their work and its implications T= tailored to the needs, interests and abilities of learners O= organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement

34. “Backwards Design” Planning • To ensure high levels of engagement for all students… • Worry a lot about the assessment before thinking through the lesson plans. • Worry a lot about what the standards or desired results imply for assessment and learning. • Focus on the important Big Ideas to uncover student misunderstandings rather than cover material. Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design

35. Valid Reliable Assessment Quality Standards Defensible Fair

36. Targets! “Students can hit any target they can see and holds still for them.” Rick Stiggins

37. Thinking - creative / critical inquiry decision making goal setting problem solving analysis evaluation Communication “say” “write” Application “do” making connections Foundational Knowledge / Understanding The Achievement Chart -targets for students Learning Skills

40. Evaluation Tools • The musts • 1. Target – Method – Tool match Methods • Pen and Paper • Performance assessment • Personal communication • Targets • Knowledge / • Understanding • Thinking • Communication • Application Tools • Marking scheme • Rubric • Checklist • Rating scale • Anecdotal records

41. Worth being familiar with Important to Know and Do “Enduring” Understanding Developing Effective Tools 3 Key Questions What is ...? • Assessment Types • traditional • quizzes and tests • • paper/pencil • • multiple choice • • constructed response • performance tasks and projects • • open-ended • • complex • • authentic • learning in context • • student choice

42. Evaluation Tools The musts 2. Clear criteria for feedback and guidance • Students must learn how to self and peer assess • Legitimately takes the burden of feedback off the teacher • What did you do well? • What do you need to do to improve? • Levels 4, 3, Not yet

43. Effective Feedback for Learning • Positive first • Specific (not ambiguous) • Constructive • Connected to clear criteria • Timely (self and peer) • Helps identify next steps • Followed through

44. Evaluation Tools The musts • Clear purpose – need to be clear when student work is not included in the grade • Is it diagnostic? • Used to assess where students are • Is it formative? • Used to guide improvement • Is it summative? • Used to record achievement for reporting purposes

45. Evaluation Tools The musts • Student involvement in process • Choice of demonstrations of learning – this way or that way • Design of evaluation tools - rubrics • Record keeping – self reflections of learning, portfolios of work • Communication – student-led parent-teacher conferences

46. Evaluation Tools The musts 5.Fairness • Not all kids are the same! • Different types of learners require different kinds of evidence • Need enough evidence to “convict them of learning.” • The more inconsistent the demonstrations of learning, the more evidence you need.

47. “Working Inside the Black Box” • Feedback • Questioning • Self and Peer Assessments • Use of Summative Tasks Formatively

48. Pause to reflect A diagnostic test at the beginning of the unit shows students with a wide range of ability and understanding. • To learn well we believe, students need : • Challenge • Success • Connection • Fit • How do we differentiate the curriculum for all students for them to experience success? (differentiation includes accommodations and modifications)

49. Learners differ in: • How they learn • What they care about learning • What they bring to the learning experience • Speed of learning

50. Clarifying Differentiation • Expectations (content standards – THE WHAT) are fixed • Assessment tasks must match content standards. • All kids should have the opportunity to work with the BIG IDEAS.