Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

MODULE 3: ASSESSMENT

Adolescent Literacy – Professional DevelopmentUnit 1, Session 2

Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Session 2 Questions & ObjectivesSession 2 Key Questions

What is literacy assessment? What are the elements of a balanced assessment model for the

school and for the classroom? How can I begin to enhance my use of assessment in the

classroom?

Session 2 ObjectivesParticipants will understand the elements of a balanced

assessment model and examine their own assessment practices from this point of view.

Participants will consider ways they can enhance their uses of assessment in the classroom.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Think

•What are two or three aspects of assessment that you’ve been thinking about since last session?

Talk

•Share these with the person next to you.

Write

•Write three questions you have about assessment at this moment.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

What is Literacy Assessment?

Literacy Assessment is an umbrella term that refers to a variety of assessments used to gauge students’ knowledge of and skills in understanding and using language.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

The Literacy Assessment Umbrella

Basic Literacy

Receptive Language:-Listening

-Reading comprehension

Expressive Language-Speaking

-Reading fluency-Writing

Disciplinary Literacy

Receptive Language:-Disciplinary vocabulary

and text structure comprehension

-Disciplinary thinking

Expressive Language:-Disciplinary speaking and

writing conventions

Specific Areas and Causes of Learning

Difficulty

Neurological, Psychological, Social,

Physical, etc.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Why We Assess Literacy

Assessing Disciplinary Literacy • Guides us to identify and effectively

instruct in the modes of thinking, reading, and communicating in the academic disciplines

Assessing Basic and Intermediate Literacy• Guides us to identify and remediate

language weaknesses that impede effective listening, speaking, reading and writing skills

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Aiming for ProficiencyTargeted

instruction and accommodation

s and modifications

empower students to access the

curriculum and gain disciplinary

literacy.

Remediation of basic language

skills empowers students to

learn independently.

GOAL

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Systematic use of assessment data is a key part of a district’s literacy action plan.

Discuss within your group what you know about the components of your district’s plan if they have or are developing one.

Complete the self-assessment survey about current comfort/knowledge level about assessment.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

A Balanced Assessment System

Formative Assessment for

Learning

Summative Assessment of

Learning Achievement

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Definitions• Assess learning as it occurs.• Improve knowledge and skills

efficiently and effectively.

FormativeAssessment

Measures progress for learning

• Assess achievement after instruction to document proficiency.

SummativeAssessment

Measures achievement from learning

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Screening Assessment

DEFINITIONBrief measures administered school-wideUsually reading, sometimes writing and math

PURPOSEIdentify which students are at risk of difficulty in

meeting proficiency standardsTYPE

May be standardized screenings or curriculum-based measures

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Summative Assessments

DEFINITIONMeasures of goal achievement

PURPOSEIdentify levels of student achievement at a

particular point in timeTYPE

Standardized (MCAS, NWEA, interim/benchmark)

Classroom-based (tests, projects, portfolios, etc.)12

Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Formative AssessmentDEFINITION Measures of progress toward achievementPURPOSE Guide instructional decision making during learning Improve achievement as a resultTYPE A PROCESS, not a particular tool Students must be aware of the teachers’ goals and be part of

monitoring progress. Some summative assessments can be adapted to formative

use.13

Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Diagnostic AssessmentDEFINITION

Measures of student performance and achievement in particular domains

PURPOSE Identify specific strengths and difficulties (and their causes)for

the purpose of guiding instructionTYPE

Standardized/professionally administered (e.g., psycho-educational, neuropsychological, speech-language evaluations)

Classroom-based (e.g., analysis of reading errors)

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Assessment Type Overview

AssessmentPurpose

Gather baseline data in order to determine

“big picture” instructional needs.

ScreeningFormative

Gather data related to targeted instruction in order to inform future

instruction.

ProgressFormative or Summative

Gather data related to instruction in order to

evaluate “end” performance.

AchievementSummative

Gather in-depth data in order to determine the

specific cause(s) of poor performance.

DiagnosticFormative

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Balanced Assessment

Balanced assessments are based on a clear set of goals for listening, speaking, reading, and writing—the core language skills that underlie both basic and disciplinary literacy.

These goals (and the discrete learning targets)are shared by all in the school/district (teachers and students).

The goals and targets are measureable.Both progress and achievement are assessed.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Try out a screening activityA maze passage estimates comprehension

Text is drawn from course material (so performance related to reading and studying in the course is predictable).

After the first sentence, every seventh word is replaced by a choice and distractor item from which the reader must choose.

Scores provide a baseline against which progress can be monitored.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Keep in Mind

“Assessments should provide us, the instructors, and the students with evidence of how well the students have learned (or are progressing toward) what we intend them to learn. What we want students to learn and be able to do should guide the choice and design of the assessment.”

--Carnegie Mellon University18

Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Five Keys to Quality Assessment

1. Clear purpose2. Clear learning targets3. Sound assessment design4. Effective communication of results5. Student involvement in the assessment

process

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Based on reading “The Quest for Quality”Divide into five groups, each of which will

focus on one “Key to Quality.”Each group will discuss:

In relation to your group’s “key,” what do you see as the strengths and needs of the assessment activities in your classes/schools/districts?

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

When thinking like an assessor, we ask different types of questions than those we generally ask ourselves when planning units and lessons.

This habit of thinking about curriculum through an assessment lens facilitates responsible assessment practices.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

The purpose of any assessment is to gather data to inform a decision about action. We must be able to frame a specific question about what data we need, prior to designing an assessment.All of us, consciously or not, ask questions before

we teach, while we teach, and after we teach.Brainstorm questions you ask before, during, and

after teaching.22

Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Ask participants to recall the main points from the readings, “Reliability, Validity, and Fairness of Classroom Assessments,” and “Principles of Effective Literacy Assessment.”

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Include Students in the Process

All adolescents want to feel and be independent.

Including them in goal-setting, assessment design, scoring and interpretation, and data-driven decision making provides a scaffold from which they can strengthen the executive skill that is so difficult to teach—self-monitoring effective progress toward a goal.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Use the Data

The data from assessments—even from summative assessments—should never be an end point.

Assessment is only useful insofar as it points us and our students in the specific direction we should go to improve learning.

There are hundreds of ways to track data from classroom assessments, and identifying and using a system is essential!

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

Activity

Examine assessments you use with students.

Pair up and take turns interviewing your partner using the Interview Questions handout in the Participant’s Resource Packet.

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Module 3: Unit 1, Session 2

For Next Time

Engage in an activity that includes students in the assessment process in some way. See suggestions for activities in the

Participant’s Resource Packet:Standards discussionDiscussion of modelsTest analysis

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