Formative Assessments

1. Formative Assessments By Elzbieta Indyk September 23, 2014

2. Formative Assessment True or False • Formative assessment is a special kind of test or series of tests that teachers learn to use to find out what their students know. • TRUE • Formative assessment is an intentional learning process teachers engage in with their students to gather information during the learning process to improve achievement • TRUE

3. Formative Assessment True or False • 3.Formative assessment is a program that teachers adopt and add to what they already do. • FALSE • 4. Formative assessment is a philosophy of teaching and learning in which the purpose of assessing is to inform learning, not merely audit it. • TRUE

4. Formative Assessment True or False • 5. The following is an example of formative assessment: A high school teacher notes a troubling pattern on the exam for her World War II unit. Half of her students mistakenly identified Germany as the country that suffered the most lasting damage from the war. As a result, she plans to change the way she teaches the concept of lasting damage so that her future students can draw conclusions that are more accurate. • FALSE

6. Defining Formative Assessment and The Five (5) Essential Components to Formative Assessment Clear Learning Targets Tuning Into Students’ Minds Effective Questioning Immediate & Specific Feedback Peer & Self-Assessment Explore Online Resources, Articles, and Printables in all five (5) of the above areas

7. Definition “Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes.” Council of Chief State School Officers Formative Assessment for Students and Teachers

8. Formative Assessments Enhances learning duringlearning. Gainsarethe largestreported for an educational intervention (Black and Wiliam, 1998).

9. GOALSTo provide evidence that will guide and inform daily instructionTo actively involve all students in the teaching/learning processTo narrow the achievement gap between low and high achievers

10. The Assessment–Instruction Process Pre – Assessment “finding out” Summative Assessment “making sure” Formative Assessment “checking in” “feedback” “student involvement”

11. Where do you need to go? Where are you now? How can you get there? Formative Assessments

12. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SevenStrategies • Where am I going? • Provide a clear and understandable vision of the learning target • Use examples and models of strong and weak work

13. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SevenStrategies Where am I now? 3. Offer regular descriptive feedback. 4. Teach students to self-assess and set goals.

14. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SevenStrategies • How can I close the gap?? • Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time. • Teach students focused revision. • 7. Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning.

15. Aspects of formative assessment

16. Formative Assessment Strategies • Conference • Cooperative Learning Activities • Demonstrations • Exit Card • Graphic Organizers • “I Learned” Statements • Interviews • Journal Entry • KWLs • Learning Logs • Oral Attitude Surveys • Oral Presentations • Peer Evaluations • Problem Solving Activities • Products • Questioning • Quiz • Response Groups • Self-Evaluations

17. Formative Assessment for Special Education Students • Presentation • Is a verbal demonstration of skill/knowledge and understanding. The child describes, shows and offers to answer questions about his/her task. • Conference • Is a one to one between the teacher an the student. The teacher will prompt and cue the student to determine the level of understanding and knowledge • Interview • Helps a teacher to clarify the level of understanding for a specific purpose, activity or learning concept. • Observation • Observing a student in the learning environment is a very powerful method to assess. It can also be the vehicle for the teacher to change or enhance a specific teaching strategy. • Performance Task • Is a learning task that the child will do while the teacher assesses his/her performance. • Self-Assessment • We always want our students/children to be able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses.

18. Practical techniques: feedback • Comment-only grading • Explicit reference to rubrics • Suggestions on how to improve • ‘Strategy cards’ ideas for improvement • Not giving complete solutions • Re-timing assessment • (eg two-thirds-of-the-way-through-a-unit test)

19. Practical techniques:peer and self-assessment • Students assessing their own/peers’ work • with scoring guides, rubrics or exemplars • two stars and a wish • Training students to pose questions • Identifying group weaknesses • Self-assessment of understanding • Red/green discs • Traffic lights • Smiley faces • Post-it notes • End-of-lesson students’ review

20. Practical techniques: sharing learning expectations • Explaining learning objectives at start of lesson/unit • Criteria in students’ language • Posters of key words to talk about learning • eg describe, explain, evaluate • Planning/writing frames • Annotated examples of different standards to ‘flesh out’ assessment rubrics (e.g. lab reports) • Opportunities for students to design their own tests

21. SOME FINAL THOUGHTS Formative Assessment: • Refers to what happens on a daily basis in the classroom • Provides teachers with information about specific next • instructional steps for students: Assessment Drives Instruction. • Students know where they are at instructionally and • where they need to go • On-going assessment provides continual feedback that • helps students progress over time

22. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT This Type of Assessment is NOT about accountability… it is about GETTING BETTER!!

23. The greatest value in formative assessment lies in teachers and students making use of results to improve real-time teaching and learning at every turn. (Stephen Chappuis and Jan Chappuis

24. Formative Assessments Elzbieta Indyk September 23, 2014