Evidence Based Practice

1. Evidence Based Practice At Geraldine High School

2. What does EBP look like at GHS? • school wide Assessment for Learning professional development -2nd year • strategic decisions are evidence based • Starting to investigate ways of using achievement data and analysis tools to enhance teaching and learning

3. Assessment for Learning PD Programme • ERO report 2005 recommendations • Anecdotal feedback from teachers, students and parents • Analysis of NCEA results in school self-review

4. Told us we needed to • encourage students to take more responsibility for their learning • develop strategies to meet the range of learning needs within classes • extend the use of achievement information to guide programmes

5. Assessment for Learning programme Supported by research: • Black & Wiliam (1998) –Inside the black box • Assessment Reform group (1999) • Black & Wiliam (2002) Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom

6. NZ Research • Hattie (1999) • Alton-Lee (Best Evidence Synthesis) • Bishop –Maori student achievement • AIMHI project

7. Research evidence strongly supports the idea that using AFL strategies effectively will result in: • Students taking more responsibility for their learning • Students becoming more engaged • Students achieving better learning outcomes

8. AFL strategies involve • Sharing learning goals with students. • Involving students in self assessment. • Using timely and formative assessment to provide feedback which leads to students recognising and taking the next steps. • Being confident that every student can improve.

9. Inside the black box • a meta-analysis of 250 studies showed that ‘improved formative assessment helps the (so called) low achievers more than the rest, and so reduces the spread of attainment whilst also raising it overall’ (Black and Wiliam, 1998)

10. Goal of AFL • “Goal of assessment for learning is not to eliminate failure, but rather to keep failure from becoming chronic and thus inevitable in the mind of the learner..” • So when learners suffer a failure, we must get them back to success as quickly as possible to restore their confidence in their capabilities Rick Stiggins Assessment Through the Student’s Eyes

11. Test marks vs formative asessment Low achievers • become de-motivated by constant evidence of their low achievement if the classroom culture is one of obtaining the best test marks (Assessment Reform Group, 2002). Formative assessment • can help create a classroom culture of success

12. Hattie (1999) The simplest prescription for improving education must be “dollops of feedback” … ….providing information about what a student does and does not understand, and what direction the student must take to improve. Hattie (1999)

13. The Assessment Experience For students on winning streaks assessment results provide: Continual evidence of success For students on losing streaks assessment results provide: Continual evidence of failure

14. The student feels • hopeful and optimistic • empowered to take action • Hopeless • initially panicked • eventually resigned

15. It’s all good. I’m doing fine. I want more success. School focuses on what I do well. Feedback helps me. I know what to do next Public success feels good This hurts. I’m not safe here I just can’t do this…again. I’m confused. Nothing I try seems to work. Feedback is criticism. It hurts. Public failure is embarrassing The student thinks

16. The student becomes more likely to: • Seek challenges • Seek exciting new ideas • Take initiative • Persist in the face of setbacks • Take risks and go for it • Seek what’s easy • Avoid new concepts and approaches • Become confused about what to practice • Avoid initiative • Give up when things become too challenging • Retreat and escape –trying is too dangerous!

17. Self-enhancement Positive self-fulfilling prophecy Acceptance of responsibility Manageable stress Feeling that success is its own reward Curiosity, enthusiasm Continuous adaptation Resilience Strong foundations for future success Self-defeat, self destruction Negative self-fulfilling prophecy Denial of responsibility High stress No feelings of success, no reward\boredom, frustration, fear Inability to adapt Yielding quickly to defeat Failure to master prerequisites for future success These actions lead to

18. Rather than sorting students into winners and losers, AFL can put all students on a winning streak Immense potential of AFL has gone largely untapped • Failed to deliver proper tools into hands of teachers • Need to adjust vision of excellence in assessment in two ways: - evaluate assessments in terms of both quality and quantity - importance of student thoughts and actions regarding assessment results R. Stiggins (2007)

19. What makes good professional development ? • Directly relevant to what teachers do in the classroom every lesson • Focused on deep learning • Involved collaboration & co-operation within departments and across departments • Recognition of the different stages teachers are at • Using the right outside provider for “expertise” and “credibility” • Ownership

20. Assessment for Learning PD • Began at the start of 2007 • Facilitated by an external “expert” –Jan Hill

21. Unit plans revised to include: • Achievement objectives • Learning outcomes in student friendly language • Performance criteria in student friendly language • Planning formative assessments - Timing of formative assessments –quality not quantity - Using self –peer assessment • Planning summative assessment • Barriers to learning (specific to the unit and a particular group of learners) • Learning activities –literacy/numeracy strategies; multilevel teaching; extension/enrichment • Resources • Vocabulary (subject related, academic)

22. Followed by workshops on • Writing clear learning outcomes and criteria • Analysing and giving verbal feedback/feed forward - using Tunstall & Gipps (typology) • Analysing/ writing effective written feedback • Self assessment/peer assessment - teaching students to self and peer assess

23. Evidence collected Staff feedback • after AFL workshops to inform next steps (informal, short written /verbal feedback) • on AFL project overall and where they are at to inform planning for next year (confidential on- line survey) • survey on PD in the school and possible ways of restructuring delivery for 2009 Student perceptions • student perceptions of teacher reference to learning outcomes/criteria in the classrooms ( survey of 107 students)

24. Evidence continued In class observations • video of teacher –student classroom conversations to analyse verbal feedback • performance management visits –AFL focus- report written by observing teacher School & community • consultation process for reviewing charter and strategic plan • Quality of Service delivery survey commissioned by BoT –on all aspects ( yet to be analysed) Data • NCEA data analysis ; MIDYIS ?

25. Student survey How many teachers regularly share the learning outcomes for the lesson?

26. Student survey How many teachers regularly explain what you have to do to do well?

27. Student were also asked • What do your teachers do that help you to learn? • Why do you think that helps?

28. Over 30% “…Give detailed feedback on my work, what’s good about it and what needs to be done to improve/to get a higher grade “…..encourages me to improve/try harder/tells me I’m on the right track” Using feedback/feed forward

29. 20% • “…. explains in detail what to do ; explains clearly/thoroughly; may explain more than once/explains in different ways” • This helps because “I can then try to do the work on my own.” Sharing criteria

30. 15 % • “..moves around the class while we are working and helps students one-to-one; helps me when I ask.” • This helps “..because I feel comfortable asking questions and it lets others get on with work; It’s easier to understand one-to-one.” feedback

31. 12 % • When teachers “use examples/exemplars to show what good work looks like.” • This helps “..because it gives an idea of how to do something/ it helps me to see what good work looks like/to understand what the teacher means.” Sharing Criteria

32. 8 % • When the teacher “…. tries to make it fun/makes subject interesting by having fun/ interesting activities/ uses humour/ uses a variety of teaching activities.” • We learn “….while we are enjoying ourselves; we get more involved.” Knowing your students / building relationships

33. Next steps for GHS Use the results of the recent surveys and evidence collected so far to inform planning of next steps • How are we going to deliver PD in the future? • Where to from here with assessment for learning and how we can link this to the implementation of the new curriculum? • How to provide staff training in accessing and using data/ learner profiles to inform teaching practice?

34. What has changed in our classrooms? • English department – Jason Shaw • Science department – Katie Martin, Adele Quinn • Social studies – Geoff Love