Good Spirit School Division 5 Year Professional Development Continuum

1. . Good Spirit School Division 5 Year Professional Development Continuum Module 2 Using Pre-Assessment and Formative Assessment to Continually Assess Student Learning

2. Good Spirit School Division believes in “Learning Without Limits” and “Achievement For All.” To reach this end, teachers employ responsive teaching strategies with a belief that each and every student can learn and succeed.

7. Module Outcomes To become aware of and further develop the concept of pre and formative assessment. To expand our ‘toolkits’ of pre-assessment and formative assessment strategies. To link the assessment processes to the Division’s UbD Unit Plan Template.

8. Table TalkAssessment and Evaluation What distinctions do you make between assessment and evaluation?

9. Assessment Processes

10. Formative Assessment • Informs our practice • Provides information about what students already know (pre-assessment), are learning, and have learned. • What has been learned? What needs to be learned? • Relies on specific, descriptive feedback using criteria and is focussed on improvement.

11. Popham(2011) states, “recent reviews of more than 4,000 research investigations show clearly that when the [formative assessment] process is well implemented in the classroom, it can essentially double the speed of student learning … it is clear that the process works, it can produce whopping gains in students’ achievement, and it is sufficiently robust so that different teachers can use it in diverse ways, yet still get great results with their students”. Source: http://newlearningonline.com/2011/02/23/formative-assessment-best-methods/ Popham, J. (2011) Formative assessment- a process not a test. Education Week. Vol 30 (21) pg. 35.

12. Value of Formative Assessment • Ian Krips (SPDU): Even if you’re doing a bad job of formative assessment, it is still doing your students a world of good.

13. Summative Assessment • A summary of the level to which students have reached or mastered outcomes. • Evaluation • How students performed in relation to an outcome. • Considers evidence and decides whether or not students have learned what was needed and how well they have learned it. • Reported using grades, numbers, or checks.

14. Descriptive Feedback Examples Courtesy of S. Muir

15. Shifting the Balance AS FOR OF Learning Assessment Traditional Assessment Pyramid OF FOR Learning Assessment AS Reconfigured Assessment Pyramid Where we were, where we’re going Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education. (2006).

16. Pre-Assessment Given at the start of a lesson or unit. Provides information on student knowledge/background. Used to plan instruction. Used to create instructional groups by readiness. Should not be used as a summative grade. Formal/informal strategies. Whole class or individual. Link to activating prior knowledge activities.

17. Booklet Activity Think Pair Share Take a look at your Pre-Assessment Booklet. Select 3-5 pre-assessment strategies. Then answer these questions in your share time. Which assessments are familiar with? Which assessments have worked well for you or you have liked? Why? Are there any assessments that are new to you that you would try?

19. Formative Assessment Given multiple times during a unit of study Provides information on student learning Used to gather information about student progress Used to make changes to current instruction practices Used to support students to make changes to current learning processes Should not be used as a summative grade Provide descriptive feedback Formal/informal strategies Whole class or individual Link to instructional activities

20. Booklet Activity Think Pair Share • Take a look at your Formative Assessment Booklet. Select 6-10 formative assessment strategies. Then answer these questions in your share time. • Which assessments are familiar with? • Which assessments have worked well for you or you have liked? Why? • Are there any assessments that are new to you that you would try?

21. Characteristics of Effective Feedback • Effective feedback should: • Be directly related to the clear, specific learning goals that have been shared. • Be specific, in both the positive and the critical • Be descriptive, rather than judgmental • Focus on the task, not the person • Be offered as soon as possible after the event to which it refers • Look forward to the specific next steps to improve “performance” • Encourage and plan for opportunities for the feedback to be used as soon as possible • Involve the learner wherever possible, to improve the chance of it being understood and acted upon • Rarely compare the student with other students • From: Ruth Sutton Publications, used with permission Email Ruth_Sutton @compuserve.com

22. Assessment Strategies • Consider the following when choosing a pre-assessment or formative assessment strategy: • Type of Assessment (pre-assessment or formative) • Purpose of Assessment (gather information on student learning, to provide descriptive feedback to the student, use to track student progress, or inform instruction) • Target of Assessment (individual or small group) • Learning Style (visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic)

24. Example One

30. Five Minute Table Talk • Review information presented during assessment module. Take a risk and share with your table possible …. • Opportunities • Challenges/Potential Solutions • Questions

31. Module 2 Expectations TEACHERS: • Implement three pre-assessment or formative assessment strategies into instruction. • Reflect on one strategy using the “Module Two Assessment Strategies Reflection Guide.” • Reflections to be completed and discussed with administrators by: May 31, 2014 ADMINISTRATORS: • Review Assessment Strategies Reflection Guide with all teachers by: May 31, 2014.

32. Module 2: Assessment Strategies Reflection Guide Name: ___________________________________ Date: ____________ Strategies I tried: ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Reflect on one strategy by answering the following questions: Name of Strategy: ____________________________________________________ How did you use the information gained from this strategy? What worked well with this strategy? What would you change the next time you used this strategy? How was student learning affected by using this strategy? Other comments:

33. Revisit Module Outcomes To become aware of and further develop the concept of pre and formative assessment. To expand our ‘toolkits’ of pre-assessment and formative assessment strategies. To link the assessment processes to the Division UbD Unit Plan Template.