WELCOME

1. WELCOME October 24-26, 2010

2. CTN Vision Mission Goals

3. Vision All West Virginia educators continually grow in their professional expertise and improve their professional practice by working together interdependently in collaborative teams supported by collaborative cultures.

4. Mission To create district and school-based collaborative teams whose goals are to promote higher levels of learning for all students through formative classroom assessment practices and collaborative team processes.

5. Goals • Create a core of CTN schools that include teacher collaborative teams supported by school leadership teams • Engage in professional development designed to enhance effective collaboration and school-based decision-making • Focus improvement efforts on building collective capacity to impact student outcomes • Provide a structured support system to assist schools as they move along the continuum of implementation

6. Classroom Heroes A Touch of Greatness Freedom Writers Stand and Deliver West Virginia Department of Education

7. Improving Schools One Teacher at a Time Individual growth does not ensure organizational growth. Organizations need more than well-developed individuals. Effective leaders focus on developing the culture and the collective capacity of the organization. Center for Creative Leadership (2003) Michael Fullan (2007) Richard Elmore (2006)

8. Individual Growth Does Not Ensure Organizational Growth Student achievement gains and other benefits are influenced by organizational characteristics beyond the skills of individual staff. We saw schools with competent teachers that lacked the organizational capacity to be effective with many students. The task for schools is to organize human resources into an effective collective effort. Newmann and Wehlage,(1995)

9. Teacher Collaborative Teams • School Leadership Team West Virginia Collaborative Teams Network • District Leadership Team West Virginia Collaborative Teams Network • Regional Support Teams

10. Network Teams Teacher Collaborative Teams Organized into teams on the basis of shared responsibility for addressing the critical questions of teaching and learning with a particular group of students –by content, course or grade level

11. Network Teams School Leadership Team School administrators and collaborative team leaders (representing each teacher collaborative team) form a School Leadership Team that supports the work of teacher teams using a distributed model of leadership.

12. What is the Right Work of Teams? Math teachers discuss how to phrase test questions during a team meeting before morning classes at the Adlai E. Stevenson High School staff cafeteria in Lincolnshire, Illinois. —John Zich for Education Week

13. First General Session Balanced Assessment System 4:00 p.m. West Virginia Department of Education

14. Triangle  Square  CircleThe Big Ideas

15. Triangle  Square  CircleValidate My Thinking

16. Triangle  Square  CircleQuestions I Still Have?

17. Personal Experiences with Assessment BEST WORST Describe a negative assessment experience you have had. Explain why it was negative. • Describe a positive assessment experience you have had. Explain why it was positive.

18. Personal Experiences with Assessment Best • when I scored high enough on my ACT to go to college • the science fair • when you knew what you were going to be assessed on, when the teacher made it very clear and all anxiety was eliminated • Our teacher allowed us take assessments when we were ready - a self-paced schedule.  I always performed better when I knew I was ready. • When I was in second grade the teacher had us to explain the water cycle any way we wanted.  I was allowed to express my knowledge through drawings and I loved it! Worst • taking all standardized tests.  I had real test anxiety! • when I ran out of time and felt pressure and disapproval from the teacher • a 'game' that my high school studies teacher liked to play when we were a little out of control.  The assessment was impossible to complete in one class period and EVERYONE failed.  It was added to our grade and lowered everyone's GPA.

19. Assessment Literacy We need to provide the language and the tools to administrators, teachers and students so they can communicate accurately about assessment.

20. In an Effective School System…

22. Critical Questions • What is the primary aim of assessment? • Who will use the information gathered? • What decisions will they make?

23. Primary Aim of Assessment The primary purpose of assessment is not to rate, rank and sort students, but to provide meaningful feedback that informs decisions.

24. A Balanced Assessment System Assessment of Learning • Summative Assessment • An event after learning • Benchmark Assessment • An event after learning Assessment for Learning • Formative Assessment • A process during learning • Classroom Assessment For Learning • A process during learning

26. Learning Targets within an Objective • Determine ultimate (overall) type of target the objective represents: • knowledge target • reasoning target • performance skill target • product target • Identify its underpinning learning targets

27. Objective/Benchmark: Overall Target Type: Knowledge  Reasoning  Performance Skill  Product Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, performance skill or product targets underpinning the standard/objective? Knowledge Targets Reasoning Targets Performance Skill Targets Product Targets

28. Objective/Benchmark: First Grade Reading /English Language Arts Produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Overall Target Type: Knowledge  Reasoning  Performance Skill  Product Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, performance skill or product targets underpinning the standard/objective? Knowledge Targets Reasoning Targets Performance Skill Targets Product Targets Distinguish the uses or meanings of a variety of words (word choice) Holds a pencil correctly Print letters correctly Space words Use lines & margins Stretch out sounds in words to create a temporary spelling of a word Write sentences with varied beginnings Know what a sentence is Understand concept of word choice

29. Learning Targets A learning target is an achievement expectation we hold for students. It’s a statement of what we want the student to learn. Is this a target? • Math • Decimals • Page 152 in the book • Going on a decimal hunt • Read decimals and put them in order

30. Clear Targets: Benefits to Students • Students who could identify their learning scored 27 percentile points higher than those who could not. (Marzano, 2005)

31. Summative Assessment Objective/Benchmark: First Grade Reading /English Language Arts Produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Overall Target Type: Knowledge  Reasoning  Performance Skill  Product Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, performance skill or product targets underpinning the standard/objective? Knowledge Targets Reasoning Targets Performance Skill Targets Product Targets Distinguish the uses or meanings of a variety of words (word choice) Holds a pencil correctly Print letters correctly Space words Use lines & margins Stretch out sounds in words to create a temporary spelling of a word Write sentences with varied beginnings Know what a sentence is Understand concept of word choice Formative/Classroom Assessment for Learning

32. Summative Assessment Standard/Objective: Drive with skill. Type:  Knowledge  Reasoning  Performance Skill Product Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill or product targets underpinning the standard/objective? Knowledge Targets Reasoning Targets Performance Skill Targets Product Targets • Know the law • Understand informal rules of the road • Understand what different parts of the car do • Read signs and understand what they mean • Understand what “creating a danger” means • Understand what “creating a hazard” means • Other? • Analyze road conditions, vehicle performance, and other driver’s actions • Compare/contrast this information with knowledge and past experience • Synthesize information and evaluate options to make decisions on what to do next • Evaluate “Am I safe?” and synthesize information to take action if needed. • Other? • Driving actions such as: steering, shifting, parallel parking, looking, signaling, backing up, braking, accelerating, etc. • Fluidity/automaticity in performance driving actions. • Other? None Since the ultimate type of target is a performance skill, there are no embedded product targets Formative/Classroom Assessment for Learning

33. An Analogy • A pilot guides a plane or boat toward its • destination by taking constant readings and making careful adjustments in response to wind, currents, weather, etc. • A teacher using formative classroom assessment practices does the same: • Plans a carefully chosen route ahead of time • Takes numerous readings along the way • - Changes course as conditions dictate

34. Balanced Assessment Users Uses  What  How  When Take a few minutes to reflect on what you have heard and use your graphic organizer to write down your thinking.

35. Research on Assessment & Student Achievement British researchers Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam completed a comprehensive review of 250 international studies exploring the connection between formative assessment practices and student achievement (1998)

36. Research on Assessment & Student Achievement • Does improved formative assessment cause better learning? • Do formative assessment practices need improving? • Is there evidence about how to improve formative assessment?

37. Needed Improvements to Realize Gains • Increased commitment to high-quality classroom assessments • Increased descriptive feedback; reduced evaluative feedback • Increased student involvement in the assessment process Black and Wiliam, 1989

38. Review of Research Literature …achievement gains from using such assessment-for-learning strategies were “among the largest ever reported for educational interventions.” -Black and Wiliam (1998) • More frequent testing does not necessarily mean greater gains. • The strategies Black and Wiliam refer to involve students in the entire process.

39. Black & Wiliam Research on Effects of Classroom Assessment for Learning:.4 to .7 Gain .7 Standard Deviation Score Gain = • 25 Percentile Points on ITBS • 70 SAT Score Points • 4 ACT Score Points Largest Gain for Low Achievers

40. Successful schools are places where teams of teachers meet regularly to focus on student work through assessment and change their instructional practice accordingly to get better results. Michael Fullan, 2000

41. Assessment Issues of Quality

42. Sound Assessment Design • Select a proper assessment method • Select or create quality items, tasks, and rubrics • Sample—gather enough evidence • Control for bias • Design assessments so students can self-assess and set goals

43. Possible Assessment Methods • Selected Response • Multiple Choice • True/False • Matching • Fill in the blank • Label a diagram • Extended Written Response:Writing in response to a question or prompt • Performance Assessment: Assessment based on observation of a performance or a product and judgment of its quality • Personal Communication • Questions • Conferences • Interviews • Oral Examinations

44. Target X Method Match

45. Imagine you are going to go skydiving. Presumably, you will want to have a parachute that has a very good chance of opening properly. The skydiving company has provided you with the assessment scores of three students from a recent parachute-packing course.

46. These three are the only people they employ to pack parachutes, so you have to have a parachute packed by one of them-unless you want to jump without a parachute! Please note the competency/mastery level for each assessment, as shown on the chart in the next slide and carefully consider which student you want to pack your parachute.

47. FINAL PACKING DEMONSTRATION RESEARCH PAPER ON HISTORY OF PARACHUTING WRITTEN EXPLANATION OF STEPS WRITTEN FINAL EXAM PARACHUTE VOCABULARY QUIZ ASSESSMENT 1 ASSESSMENT 2 ASSESSMENT 3 ASSESSMENT 4 ASSESSMENT 5 ASSESSMENT 6 ASSESSMENT 7 ASSESSMENT 8 ASSESSMENT 9 READ MANUAL AND ANSWER QUESTIONS SKETCH OF THE PARACHUTE DEMONSTRATION SEQUENCING QUIZ

48. Reflections 1)What was the learning objective? 2) Which assessments match the learning objective? 3) Which student will you choose to pack your parachute? Why? 4) If these scores were used to assign a report card grade, could you determine which student(s) had mastered the objective? 5) How many of the assessments were at the knowledge level? • #1-Research paper • #2-Read and answer questions • #3-Written explanation • #4-Sequence Steps quiz • #5-Vocabulary quiz • #6-Label parts of a parachute drawing • #7-Written final exam • #8-Packing demo • #9-Final packing demo

50. Summative Assessment Standard/Objective: Packing a Parachute Type:  Knowledge  Reasoning  Performance Skill Product Learning Targets What are the knowledge, reasoning, performance or product targets underpinning the standard/objective? Knowledge Targets Reasoning Targets Performance Skill Targets Product Targets None Since the ultimate type of target is a performance skill, there are no embedded product targets Formative/Classroom Assessment for Learning Page 4