Assessing Literacy in the Content Areas

1. Assessing Literacy in the Content Areas September 13, 2012

2. Questions before we begin????

3. Great Ideas from Last Class on Creating a Trusting Environment • “Give them some of my background info so that they understand where I came from.” • “Don’t be afraid of showing your knowledge in your content area.” • “Incorporate readings that would feel relevant to them.” • “Speaking to each child individually every day will let them know you care.”

4. Opening with Discussion Why do we assess our students? * Think-Pair-Share

5. Assessment Purposes Assessment FOR Learning [formative] Assessment OF Learning [summative] Assessment AS Learning Affective: Interests Attitudes Self-concept Interactive: Content Literacy Student understanding Student Self-assessment Goal setting

6. Affective Assessment: Getting to know students • Initial assessment • Once a year / semester • What are students’ • Interests in and out of school • Attitudes about your subject • Self-assessment of their capabilities

7. What’s Easy – What’s Hard? • What’s easy about [English/math/science/social studies/art] and why? • What’s hard about [English/math/science/social studies/art] and why? MODEL FOR STUDENTS AND SHARE Engage in a T-Chart for your most difficult content area: For me, it’s MATH.

8. ALL-ABOUT-ME LETTERS • Brainstorm before writing: questions/prompts • What do you do in your spare time? • Do you have hobbies? • Do you have someone you admire? Why? • If you have a job? Tell about it. • Do you have favorite books? What makes them your favorites? • What are your favorite subjects? Why? • What subjects do you dislike? Why? • What sports do you enjoy watching? Playing? • What was the best thing to happen to you last year? The worst? • How did your best teachers enable you to learn from them? • Model and share your own all about me letter

9. All-About-Me Write Back Example

10. Interest Inventory • Questionnaire / checklist • Hobbies • TV, movies, music • Job? • Out of school activities - community • In school activities • Favorite subject(s) and why • Least favorite subject(s) and why • Sports • Free time • Literacy: books and authors; writing • Technology use: Internet, IM, e-mail, video games • One thing I would like my teacher to know . . .

11. Content Area Literacy Assessment - Interactive • CLOZE • Think Writes

12. CLOZE - Why • Estimate comprehension of specific text • Choose passage NOT read yet and on grade level • Passage should be reasonably complete and coherent • Passage should come from first part of a chapter, unit, or introductory information on a topic

13. CLOZE - Construction • Choose appropriate passage • Leave first and last sentence intact • Choose word at random in second sentence, • Replace with uniform blank line every nth word • Repeat until you have 25-50 blanks

14. CLOZE Example A diamond is one of the most beautiful treasures that nature ever created, and one of the rarest. It takes thousands of __1__ for nature to transform __2__ chunk of carbon into __3__ rough diamond. Only three __4__ diamond fields have been __5__ in the world in India, __6__America, and Africa.

15. CLOZE Example A diamond is one of the most beautiful treasures that nature ever created, and one of the rarest. It takes thousands of years for nature to transform a chunk of carbon into a rough diamond. Only three important diamond fields have been found in the world in India, South America, and Africa.

16. CLOZE - Administration • Provide a short practice exercise first • CLOZE is untimed • Use answer sheet OR provide the exercise with blanks long enough to write in

17. CLOZE: Analysis • Accept only exact replacements • Interpretation: • >60: independent level • 40-60: instructional level • <40: frustration level • Aggregate results

18. Think Writes • At beginning, middle, or end of class • Allow ~ 5-10 minutes • Use content focused prompts: • Now I understand OR • I’m still confused about • Explain _____ to a student who was absent today • Variety of responses: written, drawn

19. Think Writes • Can be ungraded or used for assessment • If ungraded, gives an indication of lesson’s success • Helpful in planning future instruction • Clues to • Students’ problems solving strategies • Students’ thinking about an issue or concept • Students’ misunderstandings

20. Think Writes: Analysis • Read through all Think Writes once • Separate into 3-4 groups – intuitive criteria • Describe characteristics of each group • DO NOT count spelling or grammar – focus on content

21. Think Writes: Criteria • Accurate use of technical terms • Evidence of relational knowledge: connections • Examples – from class • Examples – novel [new]

22. Summative Assessment • Tests: • Multiple Choice, Fill in the blanks, True-False, Short Answer, Essay • Authentic assessments: • Students use acquired knowledge and skills • Process and product assessed – usually teacher-designed • Use criteria – created with or provided for students before they complete the assessment • Teacher observations, student journals, portfolios, inquiry projects, exhibitions, essay questions, • Performance assessments: • Similar to authentic assessment • Externally established criteria • Involve some type of benchmark or criteria for judging student performance – usually a rubric

23. Assessing Digital Literacy • Taxonomy of skills developed by the Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents Project (TICA) • www.newliteracies.uconn.edu/iesproject/index.html • Identifying a question or defining a problem • Using the Internet to locate information • Critically evaluating the information • Synthesizing information from multiple sources • Using one or more Internet communication technologies to share a response

24. Standardized Testing • Paper arguments: • Divide into two groups and gather at your designated area • Using your t-charts from homework, bullet the four strongest arguments for or against standardized testing (depending on your area) and leave space between the arguments • Switch areas and develop counter claims for the arguments on the paper – write the counter claim below the argument on the paper • Switch back to your initial area, consider each claim and counter claim and determine whether, as a group, you agree or disagree with each counter claim • Report out

25. Assessment as Learning • Portfolios: • Ownership portfolio • Purpose: Allow students to display and reflect on their accomplishments • Emphasizes student choice, reflection, and self-assessment • Feedback portfolio • Purpose: Guide student learning and to communicate with parents • Provides overall portrait of a students’ development, strengths, and needs • Accountability portfolio • Purpose: Demonstrate student achievement for accountability or program evaluation • Meets externally imposed criteria

26. “Tough, but fair” Grading • Select assignments, tests, or projects that reflect and measure what you value most as a teacher • Provide a variety of opportunities to earn extra credit • However, think about what that extra credit encourages • Be clear about your grading system and standards • Be clear about how you will assess specific assignments and tests • Collaborate with students to set and achieve goals and to deconstruct language of both official and teacher-devised standards

27. Assignments for Thursday 9/20 • By MIDNIGHT TONIGHT post your first reflection on Discussion Board • Read handout on learning cycle – on BB • Keep working on (or start) your Disciplinary Literacy Graphic Essays

28. A Closing Thought… • http://youtu.be/_A-ZVCjfWf8

29. Exit Slip Choose one of the following: • Now I understand . . . • I’m still confused about . . . This is your ticket out the door --