Moderation of Overall Teacher Judgments 2011

1. Moderation of Overall Teacher Judgments 2011

2. Purpose of the workshop: To provide support and guidance to better understand the processes and systems needed for the moderation of overall teacher judgments.

3. Outline of the Day • Set the scene re: moderation • Consider the place of the OTJ in moderation • Look at systems and processes for making consistent overall teacher judgments • The process of moderation • Develop in-school systems to support moderation and especially student learning

4. Standards in N.Z. • Three options: • - A test or range of assessments from • standardised tools • - A set of criteria • or • - To describe what you want the students to be • doing at each year and illustrate them - based • on Royce Sadler’s work

5. Sadler (1988, p.80) • Described three elements that comprise teacher judgment of student work. • The elements include: • teachers attending to the learning students produce • appraising this work against a reference framework • and making explicit response such as feedback or judgment on the learner’s work. • Overall teacher judgment has an added complexity in that the judgment process is applied to a range of evidence.

6. Therefore in New Zealand • The NZC Standards are not a test, they rely on skilled teachers understanding their students and their students’ learning needs. • Forming OTJs and moderating them are high level professional skills, requiring knowledgeable skilful teachers. • Our model needs to involve moderation • Supports the intent of the NZC • vision + principles

7. Word Burst In pairs or threes think about the words in the pack then……. • Choose a word that interests you and say why • Choose a word that describes your classroom practice • Choose a word that describes how you work with a colleague • Park any words that you’re not sure about

8. Making Overall Teacher Judgments Key aspects to developing consistency of OTJs: • Understanding what constitutes an OTJ (and having systems/processes to promote consistent understanding) • Developing common understandings of the curriculum levels, the ‘standards’ and the reference materials which help describe them • Having clear criteria and exemplars of student work demonstrating achievement of standards • Using moderation processes to ensure appropriate and consistent judgments are made.

9. Bev’s First Video

10. Use your Recording Frame and look for examples of: • Multi-dimensionality • Cross Curricular • Student Voice • Levelling • Observations • Learning conversations

12. Making an O.T.J. • In pairs share how this process compares with what you already do. • What are the implications for your practice? • Record on the recording frame your next steps for making a sound OTJ.

13. Critiquing the Evidence Look at the pack of evidence you have brought: Is there enough evidence from a range of sources to show: • Multi-dimensionality • Cross curricular • Student voice • Observations • Learning conversations • Does it include information from an assessment tool?

14. Making an OTJ • Using Vini’s or Sau’s evidence and the reference points previously discussed to decide if he is Above/At/Below or Well Below the Year level standard. • Record on the template provided your judgment for each piece of evidence and your overall ‘Best Fit’.

15. What might this look like in reading and Mathematics? Use the templates provided to brainstorm the forms of evidence you might gather in reading and mathematics.

16. Points to note re Mathematics? • Independently and most of the time – can do it • with very little scaffolding • Language is different but it means the same as • the reading and writing standards • Key point is to be looking for the application of • knowledge & strategy to solve problem • eg additive thinking – Student applies their additive thinking to solve problems within the three mathematical strands and across the curriculum. • Teachers need to provide the opportunities for • students to show what they can do • notice - recognise - respond • .

17. Points re Mathematics? • What might count as evidence: • Gloss tool – assesses the strategy number frame work • which aligns with the NS - (Use of tool needs to • be moderated) • PAT • E-asTTle • Modelling book evidence that they have done alongside the teacher • Students books/worksheets as well as models,graphs an diagrams. • Learning conversations • Student’s place in the process – • Ability to articulate their learning and their next steps • Teachers need to consider how their practice supports students to discuss their learning, explain & justify their mathematical thinking. • .

18. One school’s system for recording information

19. Summary: Consistency is developed by… • Discussing what sources of evidence you currently collect to inform teaching and learning decisions • Critiquing whether these sources of evidence are adequate • Developing a process/template for the school (or areas within the school – e.g. junior and senior school) so that teachers are using similar types of evidence to inform OTJs.

20. Developing common understandings of ‘standards’ and the reference materials which help describe them. • Having clear criteria and exemplars of student work demonstrating achievement of standards NZC, National Standards illustrations, Literacy Learning Progressions, Number Framework,

21. The big picture -Moderation Moderation is the process of teachers sharing their expectations and understandings of standards with each other in order to improve the consistency of their decisions about student learning and achievement. The process where teachers compare judgments to either confirm or adjust them.

22. Staff culture and systems for on-going professional learning Theoretical and content knowledge of the NZC and the standards Familiarity with the relevant support material Moderation processes require:

23. express and clarify thinking ask questions explore solutions adapt thinking after listening to informed ideas of others tolerate and appreciate differences in perspectives view differences as opportunities to deepen knowledge base Teachers need to be safe to:

24. This is what a moderation process could look like? • Select the children whose evidence is conflicting or who sit on the cusp. • Each teacher from the team/syndicate brings evidence of one of those students. • Using evidence, the National Standards and other curriculum resources, each teacher makes an independent judgment about each student. • Teachers discuss their judgments and use evidence, the National Standards, and other curriculum resources to come to an agreed judgment. • The team selects one student for whom it has reached agreement and take to school-wide moderation.

25. Select the children whose evidence is conflicting or who sit on the cusp. Each teacher from a team/syndicate brings evidence of one of those students Each teacher uses evidence/ NS/resources to make an independent OTJ for each student An example of a moderation process The team selects one student’s results for which they have come to agreement and take to whole-school (vertical) moderation. Teachers compare independent OTJs and come to an agreed judgment for each student using evidence / NS / resources.

26. Moderation Listen to the following conversations and consider: • Consistency • Reliability • Validity • Bias • Teacher knowledge

28. Moderation In your level groups use this process to explain your OTJ from Vini’s evidence or the evidence you have brought Discuss differences and underlying reasons Decide as a team your agreed OTJ (overall team judgment)

29. Across school moderation In vertical groups of three share your team’s explanation of their OTJ.

30. Recording the consistency with which teachers are making independent OTJs

31. A framework for Moderation Interpersonal skills Theoretical /content knowledge Frame of reference Culture of professional learning Clear about OTJs Common understandings Clear criteria and exemplars Use of moderation processes Making Effective OTJs Attending to components of moderation Understanding and using moderation High quality learning and teaching Ultimatepurpose of moderation Confirm or adjust quality judgments

32. Deepening teacher knowledge

33. Action Plans Using your Next Steps sheet develop an action plan for: • Term 2 2011 • The rest of 2011 • 2012 Consider teacher/team/management processes.