Looking at Assessment Through an H.E.T. Lens

Sue Pearson, Associatesusanpiti@aol.com

The lasting measure of good teaching is what the individual student learns and carries away.

-- Stanford Erickson -- Alan Blinder (Princeton),

Assessment: Definition• Assessment is the process of gathering and documenting information about the achievement, skills, and abilities of an individual.

Why Do We Assess Students?

• Assessment is used in an educational setting by teachers to accomplish a range of objectives including to:

• Learn more about the competencies and deficiencies of the individual being tested

• Identify specific problem areas and/or needs• Evaluate the individual's performance in

relation to a set of standards or goals• Provide feedback on effectiveness of instruction• Predict an individual's aptitudes or future

capabilities• Provide for differentiated instruction

Assessment ToolsThe choice of an assessment tool depends on the purpose or goal of an assignment.

Assessment Tools Traditional

Alternative

TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENTS

These tests:rely on specific, structured procedures and

instructions given to all test-takers by the test administrator (or to be read by the test-takers themselves).

are either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced tests.

allow researchers to compare data from large numbers of students or subgroups of students.

ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS

These assessments: provide differentiation may be individual, partners, Learning Club, or

whole class projects/products can offer choice (in task, product and MI) allow for more individual reflection and the

steps needed for improvement

Balanced Assessment

Balanced assessment should provide BOTH formative and summative for information gathering in regard to students’ growth and understanding.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT• Given periodically at a particular time to

assess what students know and don’t know• Means to gauge where students are at a

particular point in time in relation to content standards

• Can only help in certain aspects of the learning process

• Taken after instruction

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTTools that help evaluate: Effectiveness of program School improvement goals Alignment of curriculum Student placement in specific programs

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTEXAMPLES INCLUDE: State assessments District benchmark or interim assessments End-of-unit or chapter tests End-of-term or semester exams Scores that are used for accountability for

schools (AYP) and students (report card grades).

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTREMEMBER TO: Determine/Create BEFORE teaching

unit/component Base on “have-to-knows” rather than “nice-

to-knows” (State standards/skills/objectives)

CCSam4/17 Took Test 1-went home sick4/18-4/22 Absent-strep throat4/23 Took tests 2-3-44/24-4/27 Absent: ST relapse

SamGrade 3: 99th %Grade 4: 91st %C

AmandaGrade 3: ELA TEST-77th%Subset-reading comprehension: 75th%Grade 4: reading comp. 45th%Got to the end of the test and had one row of “circles” left over-obviously left one out along the way which through off all the other answers

Class Card: 10 minute spelling testClass average: 55th %

Approx. 1 minute after test started, fire engines, ambulances, emergency vehicles came to apartment house kitty-corner from-active fire-kids attention drawn from test

“The directions said to find the word that best ‘fits’ in the box!”

a. b. c.10.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT• Part of the instructional process• Provides information needed to adjust teaching and

learning while they are happening• Informs teachers and students about student

understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made

• Adjustments help to ensure students achieve targeted learning goals within a specific time frame

STUDENTSMust be involved as: Assessors of their own learning Resources to other students Owners of their own work-

motivating!

Think of formative assessment as

“practice”.

Students are not held

accountable - this is practice.

Formative assessment helps teachers determine next steps

during the learning process (as the instruction approaches the summative assessment of

student learning).

Driver’s LicenseWhat if you received a grade every time you sat

behind the wheel?What if your final grade for the driver’s license test

was the average of all the grades you received while practicing?

In the beginning of learning to drive, how confident or motivated to learn would you feel?

Would any of the grades you receive provide you with guidance on what you need to do next to improve your driving skills?

Learning is a Two-Step Process

STEP ONE: Input Stage: Pattern seeking & meaning making First, the brain must detect/identify a pattern Second, the brain must make meaning of the

pattern, including its relationship to other patterns

Learning is a Two-Step Process

STEP TWO: Output Stage: Building programs to use what we

understand Begins with conscious effort (often with

guidance)and then

With practice, becomes almost automatic and wired into long-term memory.

ASSESSMENT: H.E.T. MODELAssessment is done: As extension of instruction During each phase of the two-step

learning process For immediate adjustment

ASSESSMENT: H.E.T. MODELAt any moment during a lesson, the

teacher must be able to answer 2 questions:

“Where in the two-step learning process is this student?”

“Are there any clues in his/her performance that will help me ensure that the student learns the first time?”

ASSESSMENT: H.E.T. MODEL

What we want students to UNDERSTAND is clearly stated in the key points: concepts significant knowledge skills

ASSESSMENT: H.E.T. MODEL

What we want students to DO with what they understand is specifically described in the inquiries.

ASSESSMENT: H.E.T. MODEL

Curriculum for the HET Model contains the

assessment tools for both formative and summative

assessment.

ROLE OF KEY POINTSConceptual Key Points have GUTS-capture BIG ideas that apply worldwide G=generalizable U=understandable T=transferable S=succinct; clear

ROLE OF KEY POINTSSignificant Knowledge Key Points Provide information necessary to

understand the concept where it can be directly experienced through the being there location (have-to-knows of curriculum)

ROLE OF KEY POINTSSkill Key Points Describe those basic skills needed to

explore, utilize and understand those big ideas (concepts)

ROLE OF INQUIRIESFormative Assessment: Any inquiry that meets the

ABC+D2 rule is a good candidate for formative assessment.

ABC+D2 Rules for Writing Inquiries

Always start with the action in mind (verb). Be specific with your directions-what is the inquiry

asking students to do? Connect to the key point. Require DEEP thinking and real world application. Don’t stop writing until you have enough inquiries for

each key point to take students through mastery to long-term memory.

3 C’s of Assessment

CorrectCompleteComprehensive

3 C’s of Assessment

Correct-conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate

Complete-having all parts/elementsComprehensive-of large scope;

inclusive; extensive mental range or grasp; often reflective of multiple points of view

3 C’s of Assessment

When washing a car:CORRECT – The outside of the car has been washed and rinsedCOMPLETE – The outside has been washed and rinsed; the windows have been wiped inside and outCOMPREHENSIVE – The outside of the car has been washed and rinsed; the windows have been wiped inside and out; mats have been washed and the floor has been vacuumed; “stuff” has been cleared, the trunk has been organized, and receipts have been collected.

HET Summative AssessmentReserved for assessing completion

of the last (2nd) phase of the Two-Step Learning Process

Should require the same content (need-to-know) of all students but the format may vary

Authentic Assessment: HET Model

Norm-referenced criteria are drawn from:“Real life” rubricsWhat one needs to understand and be

able to do as an employee, business owner or visitor at the being there location

TWO-STEP LEARNING vs. TYPES OF TEST ITEMS

STEP 1: PATTERN SEEKING

Making meaning; Understanding (INPUT)

Detecting Understanding patterns the patterns

Assessment Q: What do you wantQuestions: students to understand?

TEST T/F ItemsITEM Essay QuestionsTYPE Multiple Choice

STEP TWO: PROGRAM BUILDINGAble to use what is understood (OUTPUT)

Use with conscious Use automaticallyeffort & guidance and “wired” into

long-term memory Q: What do you want them to do with what they understand?

Demonstrations with DemonstrationsReal-world situations over time in

Different settings

Transforming Inquiries into Assessment Tools

First, select an inquiry that asks for the most authentic real-world application of the content or skill you wish to assess.

Second, tweak that inquiry so it can provide a definitive yes-no determination.

Let’s try one!

Conceptual Key Point

A system is a collection of parts and processes that interact to perform some

function. Many things can be looked at as a system or as part of a system. To study a

system, one must define its boundaries and parts.

3-5th grade-MTW-Deb Meyer and Sue Pearson

INQUIRY #11) In your Learning Club, analyze a bicycle. Experiment

with drawing boundaries which would define at least three systems within that bicycle. Draw the boundaries for each of those systems. Record your findings and explain why you chose the boundaries you did for each system. Share your findings with at least one other Learning Club. In your science journal, record what you learned from this Learning Club. (BK, S, V, ML)

Elements of a Measurable Test Item

Who – All students (not just the advanced students)What students should know and be able to apply (the

concept/skill described in the key point and the application as described in the inquiry)

How well – Framed by the inquiries and judged against the rubric(s) of the being there location and the “3C’s” of mastery

When – As described in the inquiry (e.g., within the next 10 minutes, by the end of the day, by tomorrow morning, by the end of the week.

INQUIRY #11) In your Learning Club, analyze a bicycle. Experiment

with drawing boundaries which would define at least three systems within that bicycle. Draw the boundaries for each of those systems. Record your findings and explain why you chose the boundaries you did for each system. Share your findings with at least one other Learning Club. In your science journal, record what you learned from this Learning Club. (BK, S,

V, ML)

ASK YOURSELF. . .

Q1: Is the action required observable and specific?

Answer-Mostly yes but the action required needs tweaking. For example, the “what” is incomplete. Add “Describe the parts and processes of each of these systems and the functions these parts and processes create.”

ASK YOURSELF. . .

Q2: Would this inquiry as written tell you if each member of the Learning Club understood and could apply it?

Answer: Probably not. Tweak it to make it an individual task. Change it to read “Working alone, analyze one of the bicycles in the classroom.”

ASK YOURSELF. . .

Q3: Does this inquiry provide a time frame for completion?

Answer: No it does not. Add “Complete your work by Friday afternoon (1PM).”

ASSESSMENT INQUIRYWorking alone, analyze one of the bicycles in the classroom. Then:a. Sketch the bicycle.

b. Draw the boundaries for three systems: one which would help you analyze a customer’s complaints about brake failure, a second, that would help you analyze a customer’s propulsion problem, and a third system of your choice.

ASSESSMENT INQUIRYc. Diagram the parts and processes of each system. Describe on the diagram the functions that these parts and processes perform together. Check your work by physically moving the bicycle and comparing its movement to the boundaries that you have drawn for each system.

d. Identify what you believe to be the part/processes that is the most common cause of failure of that system. Include this information on your sketch. Add your work to your science journal.

ASSESSMENT INQUIRY

E. Complete your work by Friday (1PM). Before submitting your science journal to the teacher for review, check your work against the 3C’s of Assessment. Make any changes to improve your work. Make sure it represents your personal best efforts.

TWEAKED ASSESSMENT INQUIRYWho – a student working aloneWhat the learner will do/know and be able to apply –

define boundaries of three or more systemsHow – by analyzing and identifying three systems of a

bicycle and describing the parts and processes of each of those systems and the function the parts and processes create

How well – framed by the inquiries and judged according to the “3Cs” of mastery

When – by Friday at 1PM

FINAL QUESTION• Has the student truly mastered this concept

(systems) and wired it into his/her long-term memory?

• If in doubt, ask the student to select a favorite toy with moving parts. Have the student redo the inquiry but substitute the toy for the bicycle.

NEXT STEPSUsing the HET assessment lens:Review the state standards/skills-the “need-

to-knows”Revisit your Conceptual Key Points for clarity

and “big picture” focusRewrite/Tweak your inquiries so they meet

the needs for both formative and summative assessment.

“... life is not a multiple choice test, it's an open-book essay exam.”

-- Alan Blinder (Princeton),

Alan Blinder, Princeton

B4E Assessment Resources Exceeding Expectations: A User’s Guide to

Implementing Brain Research in the Classroom Chapters 16-19

www.books4educ.com

Other Assessment Resources Rubistar-create rubrics for your

inquiries http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

TeAchnology http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/ Project-Based Rubrics http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/index.shtml

Schools Exceeding Expectations

“From Ordinary to Extraordinary”Excellence in Education

April 27-30, 2010Site: Columbia, SC

On-Site District: Richland School District Two•Classroom visitations demonstrating Highly Effective Teaching (HET) in action• Breakout sessions and focus strands with HET master associates• Interactive presentations on instructional practices and leadership approaches• Networking opportunities with other schools and districts• Developing Effective First Teaching curriculum and instruction

Visit: http://www.thecenter4learning.com/html/events/2011/see.htm