Implementing Formative Assessment Online Professional Development

What Principals

Need to know

Laura.Kacewicz@ride.ri.gov

Objectives

Orient you to the FA course content & expectations

Illustrate how this initiative aligns with other work

Explain the role of the principal in supporting FA

Convince you that this is worthy of your faculty’s

time and energy

CCSSO Definition of Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievement of intended instructional outcomes.

The Formative Assessment Process

Planning for classroom formative

assessment

Collecting evidence of

student learning

Using evidence to inform and

adjust instruction

Engaging students to take next steps in learning

This works!

• Teachers report they are more successful in reaching all students

• Students report more interest in learning• Discipline issues decline• Students share their learning goals with parents,

and parents say “I get it!”• Learning is more fun• Student achievement gains are amongst the

highest compared to other educational interventions

Overview of Course

Where did this come from?

• Race to the Top• Basic Education Program• Comprehensive Assessment System

“Each LEA shall develop a Comprehensive Assessment System that includes measures of student performance for the purposes of formative, interim, and summative evaluations of all students in each core content area.”

Formative

Interim

Summative

Frequency of administration

Scope and Duration of

Cycle

A Blended Approach

Self-study Online Modules School-based Community of Practice

Sample Timeline

Expectations of Participants

90 minutes for each Community of Practice

Will vary by educator 3-4 hours per module

Will vary by educator

Module 1Exploring the Foundations of Classroom Formative Assessment

Learning Focus:- Understand formative assessment as a process

that takes place during instruction- Learn key elements of formative assessment

research- Understand how formative assessment fits within

the RIDE Comprehensive Assessment System

Module 2Planning for Classroom Formative Assessment

Learning Focus:

Using the formative assessment unit planning template, including:

- Understanding how to write unit learning goals from standards

- Understanding how to write and use success criteria with students

- Learning how to write and use a learning progression aligned with a unit plan

Module 3

Eliciting and Using Evidence of Learning

Learning Focus:- Develop routines and strategies for eliciting

evidence- Learn strategies for interpreting evidence- Explore ways to use evidence to guide next steps- Develop techniques to use evidence to provide

descriptive feedback

Module 4Engaging Students to Take Next Steps in Learning

Learning Focus:

- Develop strategies to support students to be instructional resources for each other. (Peer assessment)

- Learn how to help students use evidence of learning to move forward. (Self-assessment)

- Explore strategies that support a safe, collaborative classroom culture.

Module 5Developing and Sustaining Formative Assessment Practice

Learning Focus:

-Putting it all together-Building-based implementation-Strategies for sustaining the work-Tools for monitoring implementation

Principal support: “One Pagers”

Leadership considerations for formative assessment implementation Module 1: Exploring the Foundations of Classroom Formative Assessment

Mo

du

le 1

Learning focus

Potential issues Leadership considerations

Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students

Other definitions of formative assessment are widely used, and so teachers may have existing definitions that do not fully align to the research. These may include understanding formative assessment as:

a set of student engagement strategies common formative assessments summative assessments “used formatively” benchmark assessments

If a different definition is currently in use in your

building, help teachers think critically about how their existing definition is different from the research-based definition developed by CCSSO.

Support all faculty (those in the Formative Assessment online course and those not in the course) to develop a shared understanding of the CCSSO definition and its five attributes.

Formative assessment is an instructional process, not a program.

Formative assessment is not a program that can be “adopted”. Formative assessment is a process that teachers learn through practice, reflection, revision, and exploration of next steps.

Compared to a wholesale program adoption, where teachers are, more or less, provided with materials to use and procedures to employ, formative assessment can feel messy, uneven, or unclear.

Let teachers know that if they are doing what is outlined in the online course and if they are reflecting on their own teaching practice in light of the course frameworks, then that is exactly right. Learning to implement formative assessment can be, at times, quite messy.

Support teachers to understand that formative assessment will look different in each classroom or grade level, based on classroom context, content area focus, and teacher pedagogy.

Reflection is a critical part of the learning process. The more opportunities teachers have to reflect on their emerging classroom formative assessment practices, the more quickly these early-stage change issues can be resolved.

ImplementationChoice Points & Flexibility Factors

• Participants• Launch• Access• Collaboration• Facilitators• Compensation

Role of Principal

It’s All Connected

•Common Core•Data Use PD

•IMS•RTI

•Educator Evaluation•Interim Assessment

For More Information

FA webpage:http://www.ride.ri.gov/Assessment/Formative.aspx

Laura Kacewicz222-8993Laura.kacewicz@ride.ri.gov