Investigating Assessment, Evaluation, and

Reporting

Hamilton Wentworth DSBFri Apr 8, 2011

MaryLou Kestellmkestell@sympatico.ca

Learning Goals

• Creating and using assessment for and as learning to improve student engagement and achievement in mathematics

• Identifying success criteria for a unit of study

• Gathering assessment of and as learning data

• Evaluating based on a collection of data and a unit rubric

Day 1 : Instruction and AssessmentOverview Growing Success

What do math coaches need to know? What do teachers need to know?

Planning a Unit of Study with Success in Mind Overall / Specific Expectations Articulate Success Criteria Define collaborative learning tasks Identify a collection of assessment data to be used for

evaluation Create assessment recording forms, rubrics, and

assessment of learning scoring guides to evaluate the unit Enhance chapter by creating strategies to be used

throughout instruction• Assessment for learning• Assessment as learning

In Between Day 1 and Day 2: Instruction and AssessmentImplementing the unit plan:

Between Mar 1 and Apr 7 classroom teachers will: teach a unit on fractions (developed by us)

while focusing on assessing for, as and of learning in order to improve student achievement

gather all work from 5 students (sorted into piles of assessment for learning, assessment as learning and assessment of learning)

and bring in the student work to be analysed and

evaluated by all of us.

Assessment for and as learningFor• Exit card• Blue / red dots on index

card (thumbs up / thumbs down or red-yellow-green)

• Turn and talk• Think-pair-share• Student identification of

learning goal• Observation (CIL form)• Frayer model

Day 2: Evaluating

Evaluating our experienceMoving from Assessment to EvaluationStop – Start – Continue What changes do we make? why? And how?

Creating tools for math coaches / facilitators to use

with teachersAssessment for learningAssessment as learningAssessment of learningEvaluating

Today, Apr 8, 2011 8:30 - 9:15 Examining New Thinking Research about Learning and

Purposes for Assessment

9:15 – 10:15Organizing and labeling Student Work Samples » (5 students per class) » Record class, student, work sample » (e.g., A1.01 that is Class A, Student 1, work sample .01, .02, .03, …, .10)

10:15 – 10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:00Moving from the Success Criteria to Unit specific Achievement Chart

11:00 – 12:00Holistically score student work samples : Level 1, 2, 3, 4. Record these scores (We need a centre for this.)

12:00 – 12:45Lunch

12:45 – 2:00 Identify anchors for future assessment of Work Samples

2:00 – 2:30 Assign an Evaluation and write descriptive feedback based on Success Criteria

2:30 – 3:30 Evaluating our Action Research

- Report?

- Next Steps for our Learning?

NEW ASSESSMENT IDEAS

Revolution or evolution?

Research and thinking inform new practices

• Moving from a 20th century thinking and research to a 21st century view that recognizes new thinking and research about learning and the purposes of assessment

Reading

The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture

Groups

• Separate the article into parts and have different people read different sections

• Highlight important parts and be ready to share.

In your groups, appoint• a time keeper• a chair• a recorder• a reporter

20th Century Paradigm

•Behaviorist Learning Theories

•Test-teach-test

•Knowledge as bits

•Intelligence as innate, unitary, and fixed

PsychologyEducation Measurement

•Schools as

factories

•Educational

objectives = jobs

•Achievement is the accumulation of bits of knowledge

•Objective tests to measure achievement

Adapted from Shepard (2000)

Emergent Paradigm

•Intellect is socially and culturally developed

•Learners construct knowledge and understanding

•New learning shaped by prior knowledge

Cognitive and Constructivist Learning Theories

Reformed Vision of Curriculum

Assessment

•All students can

learn

•Encourage critical

thinking and

problem solving

•Fostering habits of

mind

•A process rather than an event

•Students active in evaluation process

•Provides feedback for both teaching and learning

Adapted from Shepard (2000)

Some basic premises

• All students can learn– All students need opportunities to

show what they know and can do

• Learning is complex– Assessing learning is equally complex

• Assessment can inform learning– Assessment is ongoing and

embedded in instruction

Shifts in mathematics assessment

towards

NCTM, 1995

From: Who is out front

Shifts in mathematics assessment

• Aligning assessment with curriculum and instruction

• Regarding assessment as continual and recursive

• Developing a shared vision of what to assess and how to do it

• Using assessment results to ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve their potential

• Holding all concerned with mathematics learning accountable for assessment results

towardsNCTM, 1995

Ontario policy statements – Growing Success

• Assessment as, for, and of learning

• Role of assessment in improving student learning

• Your responsibilities (e.g., transparent, ongoing, descriptive of actions that would improve achievement)

HWDSB AER Project

This is what we have planned

• What issues do we need to address?

Moving from Success Criteria to Unit Specific Achievement Chart

Holistically Score Student Work Samples1. Pile the work Into

Levels 3-4 and Levels 1-2

2. a) Go back through and examine again to determine the level 3s compared to level 4s

b) Go back through and examine again to determine the level 2s compared to level 1s

Review the Student Work SamplesAs you do this…• Identify samples of work that clearly

show each area of the achievement chart. These would act as anchors for future evaluation of samples.

• Identify what information you are getting from each piece of work

• What “other” tools (e.g., checklist, rubric, scoring guide, marking scheme) would a teacher need to assign an “evaluation” to the work?

Let’s discussDo we separate (as, of, for?)

Review the Student Work Samples• Use your empty Achievement chart to

write in visible criteria for each area of the achievement chart.

• Describe– Level 4 student work– Level 3 student work– Level 2 student work– Level 1 student work

• Write descriptive feedback to students about what they need to do to improve a level

Evaluating our work: What did we learn?1. about assessment for, as and of

learning?

2. writing Success Criteria

3. using Success Criteria with students and teachers?

4. about additional tools teachers need to do this?

5. about what we need to continue to work on improving student achievement?

Evaluating our work: What did we learn?6. Creating tools for math coaches / facilitators to

use with teachersAssessment for learningAssessment as learningAssessment of learningEvaluating

Before I show you what else is on the WIKI…

Exit Card: What

does this mean to

you?

“The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning.”

Ontario Ministry of Education

But you need to know what you need to assess before you start your unit of study…

Tools for Writing Success Criteria