The Efficient and Effective Role of Assessment to Inform Mathematics Instruction

1. The Efficient and Effective Role of Assessment to Inform Mathematics Instruction Rob Reynolds Middle School Mathematics Teacher Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Project Seattle, Washington September 2013

2. Some Background Information • Rob Reynolds • Mathematics and Science Teacher • Peace Corps, Zaire, Central Africa, 2 years+ • Three Public Schools, Chicago, 17 years • Instructional Mathematics & Science Coach, Chicago, 4 years • Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Project, 6 months • My original Fulbright Research Project • Rigor of assigned mathematical tasks • Student discourse solving the mathematics • Students’ representation to demonstrate understanding

3. Success with Mathematics • Finland has demonstrated high performance with the mathematics portion of the PISA (Programme International for Student Assessment) in 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. • Finland has not identified any particular reasons for this positive performance.

4. Finland - Classroom Level • Teachers are responsible to create, implement, & utilize assessments to guide instruction. • Results of the assessment stay with the teachers and are not ranked (or even shared) at the city or national levels.

5. Narrowing the Focusof my Fulbright Project Compare and contrast the instructional approaches at the classroom level in Chicago and Finland through the lens of assessment.

6. Project Design • Visit 10 schools, 2-3 times • Establish relationships through return visits • Observe mathematics instruction • Collect data of mathematics task, teacher decisions, student engagement • Conduct interviews • Teachers • Students • Principals

7. Conducted School Visits • 1. Classroom Observations • Data: mathematics task, form(s) of assessment, collaboration, student discourse • 2. Interview Teachers • Data: planning process, assessment development & collaboration • 3. Interview Students • Data: attitude towards mathematics, conceptual understanding of day's lesson, responsibility for own learning • 4. Bonus • Our sons’ experiences in Finnish public schools

8. My Take Aways • Assessment for Learning (AfL) • Research and field work over the years by Dylan Wiliam and Paul Black, Inside the Black Box • Replicate/simulate Finnish Structures • Identify transferable components for the Chicago school district, schools, and the classrooms

9. Assessment for Learning (AfL) • Assessment for Learning • Teacher’s role to use formative assessment to guide instructional planning and decisions • Assessment as Learning • Student’s role to be aware of depth of understanding and responsible for his/her own learning • Assessment of Learning • We know this one! • Summative for grades

10. Replicate/Simulate Finnish Structures • “Looping” • Primary, Middle School, Secondary School Levels • Impact: teachers know their students really well • Flexible Scheduling • Vary start/end times (or other times of the day…) • Impact: reduce class size for at least part of the day • Frequent Breaks • Establish more opportunities for recess, breaks • Impact: enables more movement and rest

11. Replicate/Simulate Finnish Structures • Trust • Time • Enable teachers to prioritize the work (or have a voice) • Impact: Efficiency, efficacy of the work, teacher buy-in • Space • Organize teachers’ work area(s) for professionalism and collaboration • Impact: Deliberate demonstration of trust and respect which facilitates opportunities for collaboration

12. Kiitos! Rob Reynolds rlreynolds@cps.edu www.mathfinnway.blogspot.com (my Fulbright project blog) www.fiveinfinland.blogspot.com (my wife’s blog of our family adventures)