Lynley Ball

E-asTTle

Using e-asTTle to promote learning

Aim: to explore how we can use e-asTTle to promote learning

Why Bother?

This is a powerful tool and if we can use it more effectively

we will support teachers and students to focus learning

and target support.

Success Criteria: We will•Know how to create and assign appropriate informative tests •Understand how various types of tests and reports might be used with students, parents and teachers to inform learning•Understand the purpose and use of e-asTTle in a classroom setting…the so what!•Know where to seek further support

Some revelations from yesterday

• E-asTTle is primarily a formative assessment tool, to be used by teachers and students within a year

• IT administrators should be involved in setting up and using e-asTTle from the beginning because of the intricacies of the technical aspects and online functionality. They are really good problem solvers if they are aware of the problems!

Changing the Hardwiringquote from Ruth Sutton - Palmerston North, Oct. 2006

The hardwired concepts we as teachers have about testing are well soldered in.

E-asTTle challenges the way we think about testing and how it should be done.

Erroneous Perception: All questions worth one mark

Two students get 25/34 correct.

However, this does not mean they will receive the same asTTle scale score. Item Response Theory is based on the difficulty of items a student gets correct - not how many.

Implication – Raw scores mean very little in asTTle.

Changing the Hardwiring

Erroneous Perception: 100% is best

If we want to use asTTle to inform us, the students need to get some answers wrong. A student that gets 100% correct gives little information on where his/her next steps in learning are.

Implication – We must make the tests challenging, even difficult for the students (aim for 50% correct and 50% wrong).

Advise students not to guess: We want to find out what students

can and can’t do not how good they are at guessing. Putting in any

answer or misusing student access impacts on the national

database and calibration

Changing the Hardwiring

Erroneous Perception: Everyone needs to do the same test for a fair comparison

If students of wide ability take the same test it is really only the ‘average’ sector where any useful information will be gained.Getting too many right or wrong provides us with very little information.

Implication – Test based on ability not age. A cohort of students may be have two or three tests of different difficulty created for them. Each student is then assigned to a test which is most suitable for him/her. (see next slide)

Changing the Hardwiring

Erroneous Perception: Everyone must take the test at the same time in the same place

E-asTTle provides the opportunity/challenge to test students

at different times and places, especially when taking an online

test. Students, if allowed in the assignment of the test, can

even sit a test at home. The MAIN purpose of the test will

dictate when and where testing can take place.

Changing the Hardwiring

Erroneous Perception: e-asTTle means you take the test on the computer.

In many cases computer based testing is the best way

forward. However, paper based testing should also be

considered depending on your situation. Paper based testing

is the recommended method for areas such as Geometry or

Measurement where interaction with graphics is required.

Changing the Hardwiring

Norm information

one standard error of measurement around the students

score. This is like the 'margin of error' reported in political polls

– two out of three times the student’s true score will lie

somewhere between the top and the bottom of the red circle.

Criterion information

Note: When a dash appears in the e-asTTle ILP it means that the student has failed to get more than 3 questions correct in that strand. If a dash appears in the overall score it means the student has not achieved three correct answers in the test.

The quadrants – diagnostic information

Interpreting the Four Quadrants

• Unexpectedly correct

• Harder than student’s overall ability

• More than two sublevels harder than the students overall score

• This quadrant displays the student’s unexpected strengths that should be exploited in future teaching and learning.

Strengths

• Unexpectedly wrong

• More than two sublevels easier than the student’s overall ability

• The teacher needs to investigate to determine the nature of the gap e.g. carelessness, skipping items, not taught.

• The teacher should eliminate as a concern or put in place a remedial plan. He/she should learn quickly and fill in the gap

Gaps

• Correct as expected

• Within 1 sublevel of the student’s overall ability

• Given the student’s overall asTTle score these are the items that were expected to be answered correctly and were.

• “The Green Light”. The teacher can confidently give the student more challenging work in these areas.

Achieved

• Wrong as expected

• Within 1 sublevel of the student’s overall ability

• These are the areas that the student still has to achieve in and which it is expected the teacher will carry out more teaching.

To Be Achieved

Cor

rect

Inco

rrec

t

Misleading Reports

For the Teacher!

For the Teacher!

Grouping

Grouping

Grouping

Interpreting our own results

Lets have a look

Any challenges for us?

So what are you doing with this information?

Goal Setting

A writing example

Interpreting the Three Quadrants

Using e-asTTle to inform decisions relating to National Standards

Using e-asTTle information to help inform overall teacher judgements Information on TKI http://assessment.tki.org.nz/

“No single source of information can accurately summarise a student’s achievement or progress. A range of approaches are necessary in order to compile a comprehensive picture of the areas of progress, areas requiring attention, and what a student’s unique progress looks like. Using a range of approaches also allows the student to participate throughout the assessment process, building their assessment capability. Because of this, to assess a student in relation to National Standards, teachers need to bring together a range of evidence in order to form an overall teacher judgement.”

More workshops on OTJs, Moderation and Plain Language Reporting

http://www.learningmedia.co.nz/

Using e-asTTle to inform decisions relating to National Standards

Using e-asTTle information to support students to reach standard and make adequate progress

•Target setting functionality

•Setting goals