Moderation P-12

1. Moderation P-12 Loddon Mallee Region

2. ‘Breakthrough Framework’

3. Outline • Assessment Formative Summative • Moderation • Planning

4. Assessment …comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do withandforstudents and not to students. Green, 1998

5. John Hattie. University of Auckland • The most powerful single moderator that enhances achievement is feedback. • The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback.’ In particular, this should be about: • how and why the student understands and misunderstands • what directions the student must take to improve.

6. Professor David Pearson. Berkeley University, California. • “It could be fun…..if we could get this assessment problem on its ear, get it right, make it an ally of teaching and learning rather than an enemy.” • “Assessment is something you do to and for yourself because it helps you outgrow your current self.” • “Tests are a means to an end… their value is measured by the degree to which they allow us to make good decisions and provide good instruction. They are not the ends themselves. They are NOT curriculum.” International Reading Association Conference. Auckland. 2010

7. CONTENT Points of entry for improvement of instruction. The Task The culture is present in the academic tasks that students are asked to do. STUDENT TEACHER The task predicts performance Richard Elmore. Instructional Core

8. Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. • In 1998 Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam of Kings College London published their wide-ranging analysis of research into classroom-based assessment: Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment http://www.collegenet.co.uk/admin/download/inside%20the%20black%20box_23_doc.pdf

9. The value of formative assessment Activity • Read the article • Highlight 3 key statements • So What

10. Inside the Black Box Black and Wiliam’s research indicates that improving learning through assessment depends on five deceptively simple factors: • Providing effective feedback to students. • Students’ active involvement in their own learning. • Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment. • Recognising the profound influence of assessment on students’ motivation and self-esteem … both crucial influences on learning. • Ensuring pupils assess themselves and understand how to improve.

11. Inside the Black Box Implications for Classroom Practice. • Sharing learning goals with students • Involving students in self-assessment • Providing feedback that helps students recognise their next steps and how to take them • Being confident that every student can improve IS THERE STILL WORK TO BE DONE AROUND THIS TODAY, 10 YEARS LATER?

12. Black & Wiliam 2009 Key Strategies of FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Engineering effective classroom discussion, questions & tasks that elicit evidence of learning Providing feedback that moves learners forward Clarifying and sharing learning intentions & criteria for success Activating students as owners of their own learning Activating students as instructional resources for one another

13. What are Summative and Formative Assessments? The garden analogy If we think of our children as plants … Summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply measuring them. It might be interesting to compare and analyse measurements but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of the plants. Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the equivalent of feeding and watering the plants appropriate to their needs - directly affecting their growth. Shirley Clarke “Unlocking Formative Assessment” ( 2001)

14. Formative Assessment “… often means no more than that the assessment is carried out frequently and is planned at the same time as teaching.” (Black and Wiliam, 1999) “… provides feedback which leads to students recognising the (learning) gap and closing it … it is forward looking …” (Harlen, 1998) “ … includes both feedback and self-monitoring.” (Sadler) “… is used essentially to feed back into the teaching and learning process.” (Tunstall and Gipps, 1996)

15. Summative Assessment “… assessment (that) has increasingly been used to sum up learning” (Black and Wiliam, 1999) “… looks at past achievements “… adds procedures or tests to existing work “... involves only marking and feedback grades to student “… is separated from teaching “… is carried out at intervals when achievement has to be summarised and reported.” (Harlen, 1998)

16. Web resources It is widely and empirically argued that formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement. http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/default.asp Show sample on this site... Feature Article http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Assessment-for-learning

17. Moderation Teaching conversations • Teachers learn from each other so curriculum and pedagogical content knowledge improves. • Professional learning needs can be identified when analysing the achievement data through the moderation. • Classroom teaching and learning programmes can be adjusted to meet student learning needs. • Individual and collective student achievement trends become clearer.

18. Moderation • http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Moderation What is moderation? Moderation is the process of teachers sharing their expectations and understanding of standards with each other in order to improve the consistency of their decisions about student learning. The moderation process helps teachers make dependable decisions about student progress and achievement. It improves decisions at one point in time, as well as over time. Schools use moderation processes to increase assessment dependability. • The moderation process • The moderation process begins with the planning of teaching, learning and assessment. • Moderation involves a group of teachers discussing evidence of student learning. • Assessments of the evidence are made using specific shared criteria. • The criteria may be exemplified through annotated examples and other national/state/ resources • Moderation may involve teachers within a group, within a school or from different schools. Schools design their moderation processes to suit their situation and needs. They consider factors such as: • the purpose, learning area and context of the moderation • the size of the school • the number of student samples to be included • how the moderation will occur over time • how the school will document their moderation processes as part of their assessment procedure.

19. Key Characteristics of Effective Literacy Instruction P-6 http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/keycharliteracyp6.pdf Assessment. Regularly collect and analyse student writing samples.

20. Protocol for Moderation. When Listening to Others’ Thinking: • Listen without judging • Tune in to differences in perspective • Use controversy as an opportunity to explore and understand each other's perspectives. • Focus on understanding where different interpretations come from • Make your own thinking clear to others • Be patient and persistent.

21. Process Groups of 3 Samples of Persuasive Text are (vaguely) • Early Stage of Schooling • Middle Years • Later Years Package: Samples of several students, VELS Standard Statements, Progression Points, ADAPTED Naplan Persuasive Criteria, VCE Criteria,

22. Process • Group select one student’s text • Read carefully, looking for strengths and weaknesses • Which VELS standard do you think is best fit at this early stage? • Use the adapted Naplan Persuasive Criteria and look for evidence of criteria (purple record sheet) • Best fit with Progression Point/VELS Standard • Indicate on the sample where the teaching needs to go for this student (student unknown! One sample! Not like this in your schools) • Choose another sample…

23. Process cont Place moderated samples on continuum P-12 Browse/ponder continuum • REFLECTION: Spend 10 minutes thinking re your school writing assessment and develop an action plan to support rich conversations/moderation of writing

24. Now What? Discussion re process

25. Examples of annotated expositions • http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/

26. School Literacy Plan Your school Literacy Plan will need adjustment for 2011. Now is the time to reflect, using all sources of information to ensure PRECISE data: individual students, cohorts, teams, whole school , staff, individual teachers. What are we going to do in the first 6 weeks? What are we going to do around literacy leadership?

27. References Key Characteristics of Effective Literacy DEECD http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/keycharliteracyp6.pdf Inside The Black Box. Black & Wiliam http://www.collegenet.co.uk/admin/download/inside%20the%20black%20box_23_doc.pdf TKI. New Zealand Ministry of Education website http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Assessment-for-learning Assessment for Learning. Australian Curriculum Corporation website http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/default.asp