Making Classroom Assessment Work

by Anne Davies, Ph. D

Chapters 1, 2 & 3

April, Becky. R, Chitra & Natasha

Chapter 1: Making Classroom Assessment Work

First step is to note the difference:

Assessment - we gather information about student learning that informs our teaching and helps students learn more.

Evaluation - we decide whether or not students have learned what they need to learn and how well they have learned it.

Assessment for learning involves:

● checking to see what has been learned and what needs to be learned next

● accessing specific, and descriptive feedback in relation to criteria that is focused on improvement

● involvement by the students in assessment - the person more able to improve the learning

This is used to gather information that will give the teacher an idea about what the next steps should be for the student.

Assessment for learning involves descriptive feedback.

Descriptive feedback gives information to the learner that that tells him/her what to do in order to improve.

It comes in many sources and comes in the form of:

● specific comments● posted criteria that describe quality● models/examples that show what quality can

look like

Evaluative feedback is different: ● tells the learner how she or he has done in

comparison to others or to some standards● considers the evidence to decide whether the

student has learned what is needed and how well they have learned it.

● Often reported using grades, numbers, checks/other symbols

Evaluative feedback also known as assessment of learning

A Classroom Assessment Process That Works

1. Teacher based step: teacher reviews curriculum and standards and determines what learning should happen. They find appropriate learning tools for the age range and think of ways that students demonstrate learning.

2. Bring Students into the process: discuss learning, provide examples, and defining criteria. Students participate in their assessment.

3. Teacher evaluates the learning by looking at the evidence through multiple sources over time.

Talking About Learning Engage students in conversation about learning before to:

-clarify options-highlight possible plans- encourage sharing of information with others

This benefits students because they are more likely to:

-understand what is expected of them-access prior knowledge -have some ownership over making it happen-be able to give themselves descriptive feedback as they are learning

-give information that teachers need to adjust their teaching

Showing Samples and Discussing EvidenceThe examples give students mental models about what success

might look like and gives students an understanding about what will be assessed. Choose samples that will not be too easy or too hard for students.

Getting on with the LearningGive students time to figure out what they already know and learn from each other - “bounce ideas off each other”

These conversations build deeper understanding Also, doing things more than once is important to learning, and doing things multiple times creates a better understanding

Self-Assessment

• Helps students confirm and integrate the criteria

• Gives students insights that help monitor their learning

• Helps teachers better understand the students’ progress

Revisiting Criteria

Students put the material into their own words

Marking criteria should allow for different presentation methods• Encourages students to represent what they

know in a variety of ways• Enables teachers to fairly assess a variety of

projects

Feedback to Forward the Learning

When students help to set the criteria, then teacher feedback is more likely to make a difference in their work

More constructive feedback from teachers, peers, etc., will inform future learning

Teacher gives students timely feedback (e.g. 4 times/week)

But first, teacher involves students in constructing criteria

In between, students assess each other’s work

Finally, students self-assess and give specific feedback

Research shows that students seek feedback • when it is easily available to them, and• when their work can be improved by it

Setting Goals

• A powerful way to focus students’ learning

Students who help set criteria and self-assess will better understand the process and language of assessment

Ongoing Assessment for Learning

“Metacognition”: students able to self-assess can better monitor their learning process

“An event is not an experience until you reflect upon it.”

Sharing the work

Linking assessment and learning helps students know how to learn as much as the actual learning content

Teachers can then spend less time grading and more time helping students with the learning process

Students will learn more

Rethinking

‘Classroom assessment’ is being rethought• builds foundation for assessment in classrooms• help students understand what they are to learn• use samples to show what the learning could

look like• decide what counts as evidence• involve students in classroom assessment• make assessment-learning connections• involve students in collecting, organizing, and

presenting evidence

• involve students in communicating about learning

• involve students and parents in evaluating and reporting

• deepen understanding about classroom assessment

You will find your own ways to make classroom assessment work better for you and your students

Listening to learners informs our teaching practice

Chapter 2: Building the Foundation for Classroom Assessment

- In order to fully participate in their learning and assessment, students need a safe school environment in which to learn

Students and teachers can be engaged in assessment for learning when everyone:

1. Knows that mistakes are essential for learning

2. Understands feedback3. Takes time to learn4. Recognizes that success has many different

looks

Mistakes are Essential for Learning:

· Mistakes provide assessment evidence· They give learners feedback about what is not working and bring them

closer to knowing what will work.· Students need to understand that mistakes are essential or they will not

take the risks necessary for success to occur.· teachers model making mistakes and how to fix them which allows

students to value their own mistakes as a source of information.· “ We learn, we assess, we learn some more” (Dewey 1933)

Understand Feedback

· There are two types of feedback:o Descriptive Feedbacko Evaluative Feedback

Descriptive Feedback:

o Tells students about their learning.o They find out what is working (“do more of

this”) ando What is not working (“do less of this”)o Students use this information to become

more successful and to learn from their mistakes.

Descriptive Feedback:

Comes during, as well as after, the learningIs easily understood and relates directly to the learningIs specific, so performance can improveInvolves choice on part of the learner as to the type of feedback and how to receive itIs part of an ongoing conversation about the learningIs in comparison to models, exemplars, samples, or descriptionsIs about the performance of the work- NOT the person

Evaluative Feedback:o Tells the learner how she or he has performed as compared

to others (norm-referenced assessment)o Tells the learner how he or she is compared to what was to

be learned (criterion-feedback assessment)o This type of feedback allows students to understand

whether or not they need to improve but not HOW to improve.

o This feedback is in the form of§ Grades§ Numbers§ Checks§ Or other symbols

QUESTION: (if there is time)

What kind of feedback helps you do a better job? Give examples and explain to a partner next to you.

· Teachers seeking to improve student learning are advised to reduce the amount of evaluative feedback and increase the amount of descriptive feedback.

· Research Connection: pg. 18o Current feedback research is finding that the feedback that

best supports student learning is specific and descriptive. It tells students what to do more of and what to do less of. Evaluative feedback, such as grades, scores, or other encoded information can interfere with student learning. (Black and William 1998, Butler 1987, 1988)

Time to Learn· When we have more time to think about our learning, we learn

more.· Students need time to:

o Set and use criteriao Self-assesso Receive and give descriptive feedbacko Collect proof or evidence of learningo Set and reset goalso Seek specific support for their learningo Communicate their learning to others

· Research Connection:o Co-constructing criteria changes the teaching and learning

environment. Having criteria results in more students being engaged and learning at higher levels. (Joslin 2002; Schmoker 1996; Thome 2001; Young 2000)

Success Has Different Looks:

· Students have a better chance at being successful if they know what success looks like.

· We can allow students to see success by:o Demonstrating what something means or looks like.o Bring in a guest to performo Watch videoso Look at student work from previous yearso Providing reference points, models, and exemplars for

learning

· Showing students a range of models conveys the message that their job, no matter where they are in their learning, is to improve by learning more.

· It is important to show students that learning is a continuous process and that everyone learns in different ways and at different rates.

· By discussing what something looks and sounds like, teacher and student build a shared language for assessment.

Involving Parents

· Invitations to Share· Goal Setting Conferences· Checking In· A Community of Learners

Invitation to Share

- Phone parents or invite them to write letters/email describing their children as learners.- This enables teachers to receive helpful information about students and their learning outside of school, as well as develop a better appreciation for the contest of students’ learning.

Goal Setting Conferences - Early in the school year have students and parents meet at home and talk about the student’s strengths and those areas needing improvement.-They set learning goals together-The student and parent then meet with the teacher and tell the teacher about the student as a learner.-This process provides teachers with powerful information about students as learners, and allows students and parents to be heard.-A great example of this is on pg. 21-22 (an elementary school teacher describes the process of goal setting conferences)

Checking In -Checking in with students and parents benefits everyone.-Consider checking with students and parents if something doesn’t make sense.-Or if students are significantly behind in their learning.-Take assessment finding to the student and say:

§ This is what I see§ Does it make sense to you?

-Go to parents and say:§ This is what I see§ What do you see?§ Am I on track her?§ Do you have anything to add?

Research Connection: pg. 23

§ When parents are involved in talking about learning with their children, children achieve more. The more parents are involved, the higher the student achievement levels. (Henderson & Berla 1994)

A Community of Learners:

· A Community of Learners:o Relationships are key.o Learning is only possible when everyone agrees that the

following are essential:§ Making mistakes§ Giving and receiving feedback

Taking time to self-assess and to learn

Chapter 3 Beginning with the End in MindIn North America, education standards refer to that which students are expected to learn.

Standards and learning outcomes provide both opportunities as well as challenges. They are a guide for teaching and student learning. When teachers and students know where they are going, they are more likely to achieve success.

Standards Pose a Challenge:

- When quality expectations are unclear- When students arrive in class with differing levels of expertise.

- When test results are all that matter

Describing the learning destination (27-28)

While an educational system may define the learning in broad terms throughout it’s documents, teachers must translate and summarize the hundreds of statements into language that students and parents can understand.

Teachers develop descriptions by:● Analyzing curriculum standard documents ● Grade-level expectations ● Descriptions of standards and expectations ● Professional standards document

Teachers need to choose one subject area or one unit of study for focus. Summarize the outcomes or goals in simple, clear language that corresponds to how the learning needs to be reported later.

Read and review the curriculum expectations for the subject and grade level, referencing back to the documents to see if there is anything they missed.

Sharing with Students (pg. 28)Students need their learning destination clearly stated so that they should also know what they are learning and in this way they might feel that they are not handicapped and their success is not at risk

Using it:Teachers have many diverse ways of designing their descriptions to make them easy to use during the year and to align them with school and district reporting requirements. Descriptions vary from place to place because the context differs, and each jurisdiction has its own unique way to use terms. Only teachers have to know how to communicate best to colleagues, students, and parents in the school community

The Development Cycle (pg. 30)

● Teachers develop descriptions that take into account what needs to be learned and how learning needs to be reported

● Developing and using descriptions is part of the assessment-learning cycle

● When we explain to students what they need to learn and answer their questions, the students know what evidence can look like and they become more able to show us what they know.

● As teachers use descriptions in classrooms they find ways to express them more clearly- an ongoing process with each new group of students and parents