Assessing and Grading for Performance

1. Assessing and Grading for Performance Languages and Learning for Schools of the Future Lexington 1

2. Agenda • What is assessment? • Why assess? • What does the research say? • What options are there for Lexington ?

3. What isassessment?

4. Definition of Assessment Techniques used to analyze student accomplishment against specific goals and criteria. Wiggins and McTighe

5. Beyond Measurement Referring to “assessments” instead of “tests” implies a distinction of attitude and more closely reflects the Latin origin of the word to assidere, or “sit with the student.” Wiggins and McTighe

6. In times of rapid change, experience is our worst enemy. Chinese Proverb

7. Why do weassess?

8. Purpose of Assessment Possible responses – Group 1 • need for grades • end of the marking period • influence student behavior • motivate students

9. Purpose of Assessment Possible responses – Group 2 • plan for instruction • monitor progress • provide feedback to students • gather evidence of learning

10. Attitudes Towards Assessment • Reward / Punishment? • Motivator / Morale buster? • Snapshot / Time-lapse? • Student-directed / Teacher-directed

11. Questions to Consider • Do our current assessment practices improve learning? • Could alternative assessment practices have a greater impact? • Can we design assessments that have the effect of helping students WANT to learn and feel ABLE to learn? Richard Stiggins

12. Assessment as Information Assessment • provides teachers, parents and administrators with information on student achievement. • informs the instructional process. • helps students want and be able to learn.

13. Assessment of Learning STANDARDS INSTRUCTION ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENT

14. How do current assessments inform the instructional process and help students want and be able to learn?

15. Informing Instruction Too little, too late. Danish Proverb

16. Purposes of Assessment • Assessment “of learning” provides evidence of achievement for reporting. • Assessment “for learning” serves to help students stick with the learning process.

17. Assessment for Learning • is a powerful tool for learning. • is a powerful tool for instruction. • can result in significant gains in achievement. Richard Stiggins

18. Assessment for Learning Teachers • decide the achievement targets before teaching. • let students know the achievement targets before teaching. • create assessments that can accurately gauge student performance. • use assessments to build student confidence. Richard Stiggins

19. Assessment for Learning Learning Facilitators • give students meaningful feedback. • adjust instruction based on the assessments. • engage students in self-assessment based on stable criteria. • involve students in communicating with them and their families. Richard Stiggins

20. Assessment for Learning • Without sufficient • assessment for learning • student learning is not measured accurately. • student needs are overlooked. • students misunderstand their ability to learn.

21. What Does Research Say? What improvements in classroom assessment are likely to yield the greatest gains in student achievement? Black and Wiliam, 1998

22. Research Results Improved formative assessment • helps low achievers more than other students. • reduces the “achievement gap.” • improves achievement for all. Black and Wiliam, 1998

23. Research Results Feedback includes • definition of the desired performance goal. • evidence of current student performance status. • ways to close the gap between the goal and the status. Black and Wiliam, 1998

25. Research Summary Students show gains in improvement when teachers • give performance assessments, • provide students with frequent, informative feedback, and • involve students in assessment, record-keeping and communication.

26. Brainstorm a list of current assessment practices used in language classes.

27. Sample Assessment Tasks • Memorize vocabulary • Conjugate verbs • Fill-in-the-blanks • Translate sentences • Analyze grammar • Mechanical drills • Listen and repeat

28. Sample Assessment Tasks • Take a personality survey and make a list of qualities required for your dream job. • Compare an American school experience with that on a target culture. • Prepare a radio spot/Public Service Announcement

29. How do these practices- improve language learning?- give students meaningful feedback?- help students WANT to learn and feel ABLE to learn?

30. Assessment for Learning “…learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice" Angelo and Cross, 1993

31. Assessment for Learning Provides information on what an individual student needs • to practice. • to have re-taught. • to learn next.

32. While it is possible to change without improving, it is impossible to improve without changing. Anonymous

33. Self-Assessment Checklist What type of assessments should I • stop doing? • start doing? • do less? • do more?

34. Research Results Improved formative assessment • helps low achievers more than other students. • reduces the “achievement gap.” • improves achievement for all. Black and Wiliam, 1998

35. Assessment for Learning Teachers • decide the achievement targets before teaching. • let students know the achievement targets before teaching. • create assessments that can accurately gauge student performance. • use assessments to build student confidence. Richard Stiggins

36. Assessment for Learning Teachers • give students meaningful feedback. • adjust instruction based on the assessments. • engage students in self-assessment based on stable criteria. • involve students in communicating with them and their families. Richard Stiggins

37. Assessment of Learning STANDARDS INSTRUCTION ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENT

38. How does the “assessment triangle” apply to language teaching?

39. Assessment for Learning • Feedback • Guidance • Evaluation Grant Wiggins

40. What isfeedback?

41. Definition of Feedback Feedback is information about what was and was not accomplished, given a specific goal. Grant Wiggins

42. Assessment as Feedback • Identify the expected accomplishments. • State the requirements of each accomplishment. • Describe how performance will be measured and why. • Set exemplary standards, preferably in measurement terms. Thomas Gilbert

43. Assessment as Feedback • Identify exemplary performers and resources to become performers. • Provide frequent and unequivocal feedback on how well each person is performing. • Help people troubleshoot their own performance. • Relate poor performance to remedial actions. Thomas Gilbert

45. “In years of looking at schools and jobs, I have almost never seen an ideal [feedback system]. Managers, teachers, employees, and students seldom have adequate information about how well they are performing.” Thomas Gilbert

46. In the world of sports, what “is” and “is not” feedback?

47. Is not Comments of praise or blame Focus on product directions Sporadic Evaluativelanguage Based on lists of goals Promotes dependency Is Comments about performance Focus on end product Frequent Descriptive language Based on specific exemplars Promotes autonomy Feedback Grant Wiggins

48. Feedback • Information about what happened, the result and the effect of student actions • Others (teachers, peers, or students themselves) “feed back” the impact, intended or unintended, of the student actions Grant Wiggins

49. Guidance • Guidance gives future direction. • Students ask “What should I do in light of the feedback received?” • Teachers collaborate with students to determine the next steps.

50. Evaluation • Judges overall performance against the criterion of an exemplar. • Prompts students to ask “How successful was I in the task?”