Using Formative Assessment and Technology to Raise Student Achievement

1. Using Formative Assessment and Technology to Raise Student Achievement Matthew Schmitt, M.Ed Science Curriculum Coordinator Glendale Union High School District Matthew.Schmitt@guhsdaz.org

2. Presentation Objectives • Define, explain, and provide examples of the assessment cycle. • Review the available technologies to be used for formative assessment. • Highlight the rise in student achievement that the implementation of technology-aided formative assessment has had in GUHSD. • Develop formative assessment ideas for use in any science class.

3. Assessment Cycle

4. Summative Assessments • …are given to determine at a particular point in time what students know and don’t know • …determine the effectiveness of already-completed instructional activities • …are focused on a grade rather than on student improvement • … provide overview of how the curriculum, instruction and assessments prepared students to master the course outcomes • …allow for refinement of curricular, instructional, and assessment practices for the following year

5. Examples • State assessments • AIMS • Stanford 10 • District assessments • Chapter / Unit tests • Projects / Presentations

6. Common Formative Assessments • …given by two or more instructors on a team • …not standardized • …teacher-created and teacher-owned • …collaboratively scored • …provide immediate feedback • …results examined for best practices and remediation opportunities

7. Examples • Chapter / Unit test • Quiz • Projects / Presentations

8. Formative Assessment • James Popham, Transformative Assessment, 2008: • Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers use assessment-based evidence to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures and students use this evidence to adjust their current learning tactics. • The DuFours and Eaker, Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008: • Formative assessment is an assessment for learning used to advance and not merely monitor each student’s learning.

9. Formative Assessment • … is a continuous process • … takes place during instruction • … improves students’ achievement of outcomes • … is not always a “test”, but a check for students’ understanding • … is focused on improvement rather than grades

10. Examples • Ask questions • Bell work • Pop quiz • Ticket out the door • Any questions • Think-Pair-Share

11. Formative Assessment Analysis • What kind of data do you get from formative assessments? • What do students do with formative assessment data?

12. Assessment Cycle

13. Formative Assessment Tools NO TECH LOW TECH Popsicle sticks White boards Student Response Systems • Thumbs up / down • 1 – 5 • Verbal questions

14. GUHSD Success • Assessment Literacy Course • Trained 500+ teachers • On-going professional development • Observations about student achievement in GUHSD • Lower drop-out rate • Higher graduation rate • Lower freshman failure rate

15. Formative Assessment in Science