ES Parent CoffeeTuesday 13 September 2011

Assessment in the Elementary School at

ISM

‘You don’t fatten a cow by weighing it’

Anonymous

Essential Questions • Why do we assess?• How do we know our students understand

something?• What are the different types of assessment we

use at ISM?• What is criterion based assessment?

Why do we assess our students?

• On a piece of paper write down why you think we assess our students at ISM?

• Discuss as a group.• Share

Why do we assess?The prime objective is to provide feedback on the

learning process. Why do we report?

To give information to parents about where their child is in particular areas at particular

times.

Understanding• Think of something that you truly understand.• Share this with a partner.• How do we know if we truly understand something?

Assessment identifies what students know, understand, can do and feel at

the different stages

How do we know a child understands?The 6 facets of understanding are:• Can explain• Interpret• Apply• Perspective• Empathizes• Self reflect

‘Understanding’

Teachers need to make the assessment varied to see what the students can do in a wide range of circumstances.

Students need to transfer their learning to new situations.

Unfamiliar situations are important to truly assess ability and understanding.

What are the different types of assessment?

• Pre-assessment

• Formative: Assessing FOR learning

• Summative: Assessment OF the learning

• Self-assessment

• Peer assessment

Pre -Assessment

• Importance of prior knowledge.

• Enables us to know where each

individual student is at in relation to

this unit / concept.

• Feeds into differentiation.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is interwoven with the daily learning and helps teachers and students find out what the students already know in order to plan the next stage in learning.

Formative assessment and teaching are directly linked: neither can function effectively or purposefully without the other.

Summative assessment

Aims to give teachers and students a clear insight into students understanding. Summative assessment is the culmination of the teaching and learning process, and gives students opportunities to demonstrate what has been learned.

The soup metaphor…If you are tasting the soup along the way to see what needs adding… then it’s formative. Tasting will feedback into your planning and guide your next steps.If you are serving the soup to your guests … then it’s summative. Now we’ll get feedback on whether the soup matches the desired results.

Self – assessment and Peer assessment

• Self-assessment is the ability of a student to judge his/her performance, that is, to make decisions about one’s self and one’s abilities.

• Peer-assessment involves one student's assessment of the performance or success of another student (usually using some pre-determined criteria)

• Peer and self-assessment are grounded on constructivist philosophies that “whatever a person discovers himself is what they really know”

Why do we do it?

Teachers use peer and self-assessment to enhance learning:

• to increase student involvement in the learning process (e.g. students assume teaching responsibilities)

• to increase social interactions and trust in others

• to facilitate individual feedback• to focus students on the process rather

than the product.

Examples of assessment strategies

• Observations – frequently• Performance assessment – authentic

and significant challenges and problems• Process – focused assessments – how

kids perform on a regular basis on skills• Selected responses – tests and quizzes• Open ended tasks – written response,

drawing, diagram or solution

Criteria based assessment

We need three volunteers.

Criteria

To be outstanding you have to show:• Clap for 30 seconds• Show creativity in the clapping• Show facial expression• Varied beat- fast slow• Audience participation• Movement around the room

Success Criteria

• Established criteria • It is not a summary of the lesson – it

is what the students are going to be judged on

• Main format - ‘rubrics’• These can be teacher generated or

class generated

What is a rubric?Sharing assessment expectations

with students

A rubric is a tool that:• Lists criteria explaining the desired outcome

for student learning.• Removes the mystery for the student.• Can be developed to assess any task

including performance tasks.Why do teachers use rubrics?• To clarify the performance expectations for

students, teachers and parents.• To serve as a reference during assessment.• To focus instruction of learning. We plan with

assessment driving the learning!

  Emerging Developing Proficient Exemplary

What are the

characteristics/

descriptions of

the endangered

animal

Needed help by

the teacher to

locate and copy

information

Needed some help

to locate

information about

the animal

Needed very little help

to locate information

about the animal

Located all information

about the animal on their

own

Why are they

endangered

Had difficulty

explaining the

concept

Stated some

reasons why

animals are

endangered with

prompting

Stated the reasons why

animals are endangered

with practice and help

Stated why animals are

endangered and had an in-

depth knowledge of the

reasons for endangerment

without help

What action can

we take to save

the animals

Demonstrated

no

understanding

that we need to

take action

Demonstrated

some

understanding

that we need to

take action

Demonstrated the

understanding that we

need to take action

without explaining why

we need to do so

Demonstrated

understanding of the

reasons why animals are

endangered and knows how

to take action

Endangered Animals -Rubric Name : ________________

Thank you.Questions?

Other Business- Supervision

- AFAC – After School Activities ATAC – Athletics Activities

- MAP – Grades 3 & 4 – 22 September – 730 – 830 – Rm. 2123