Teacher Classroom Assessment Competence and Performance Indicators: A Question Mark

1. Teacher Classroom Assessment Competence and Performance Indicators: A Question Mark Janet Pilcher, Ph.D. Robin Largue, Ed.D. AACTE Meeting New York, NY February 2007

2. Questions? • In regard to assessment practices, what do teachers need to know and be able to do to improve student learning? • How well do teachers and leaders believe that teachers implement sound assessment practices? • How do their perceptions align with the reality of what they do?

3. Presentation Problem • Standards of teaching practices do not guide teachers and leaders very well. • For example, • Florida’s Accomplished Practices (see handout) • Teacher preparation programs and professional development fail to appropriately and thoroughly teach “balanced” assessment strategies (Assessment of and assessment for learning, Stiggins)

4. Research That Guides Us • Paul Black and Dylan William selected more than 20 studies and found that teachers using classroom assessment strategies in which learning is evoked and then used to modify the teaching and learning activities where teachers and students are engaged reported higher learning gains for students on standardized tests. Those gains were even higher for lower achieving students or students that had the highest learning gaps. • We need to know how well teachers know and are able to implement good classroom assessment strategies in their classrooms to begin to produce sustainable student gains.

5. Assessment FOR Learning Research • Stiggins and Chappius – Classroom Assessment to Reduce Achievement Gaps • Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap? • #1 – Focus on clear purposes • #2 – Provide accurate reflections of achievement • #3 – Provide students with continuous access to descriptive feedback on improvement in their work (versus infrequent judgmental feedback) • #4 – Bring students into the classroom assessment processes

6. Assessment FOR Learning Research • Stiggins, Arter, Chappius and Chappius (2004) – Strategies to ensure systematic student involvement in the formative assessment process • #1 – Provide a clear and understandable vision of the learning targets • #2 – Use examples of strong and weak work • #3 – Offer regular and descriptive feedback. • #4 – Teach students to self assess and set goal • #5 – Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time

7. Assessment FOR Learning Research • #6 – Teach students focused revision • #7 – Engage students in self-reflection and let them document and share their learning

8. Assessment OF Learning Research • Making a final judgment • Student grades • Unit tests • District benchmark tests • End of unit performance assessments • Grading article - Stiggins

9. Data Sources to Answer 3 Questions • To begin to answer the three questions, we analyzed three data sources • Survey followed by discussion with leaders • Survey to teachers prior to beginning an intensive 4 month class • Responses from students’ work in • Assessment for Leaders course • TeacherReady

10. General Findings • They don’t know what they don’t know • Think they are following good practice, but realize that they are not when they learn good practice. • District administrators, principals and teachers have little understanding of good assessment practices

11. Looking at Examples • Presentation and Discussion of Realities • Use Survey questions to guide discussion

12. Categories of Survey Items • The day-to-day classroom assessment strategies in six major areas: • Aligning instruction to standards • Developing learning targets • Designing classroom assessments • Using assessment information • Communicating assessment information • Involving students in the assessment process

13. How well do you think your teachers understand and apply these classroom assessment strategies in their day to day practices? 4 My teachers have mastered this classroom assessment strategy 3 My teachers know and are able to perform this classroom assessment strategy, but need to go through a refresher session. 2 My teachers understand this classroom assessment strategy, but need to know more to apply it in their classrooms. 1 My teachers need to learn this information so that they can apply it in their classrooms.

14. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers use the state standards as a guide to design units and lessons. • Teacher Response (4, 3, 2, 1) • 19, 48, 22, 11 • Leader Response (4, 3, 2, 1) • 43, 21, 36, 0

15. Aligning instruction to standards • By viewing state standards, teachers can interpret what is expected of students. • Teacher Response • 44, 37, 15, 4 • Leader Response • 14, 14, 43, 29

16. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers can use district benchmark testing to plan the instructional sequence for the year. • Teacher Response • 19, 37, 33, 11 • Leader Response • 14, 21, 7, 0

17. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers plan instruction over a certain time period by selecting a limited number of standards per instructional unit and developing specific learning targets that align to each standard. • Teacher Response • 11, 41, 44, 4 • Leader Response • 14, 43, 14, 29

18. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers use benchmark tests, standardized test data, and classroom assessments to know how well students mastered the standards. • Teacher Response • 33, 48, 15, 4 • Leader Response • 43, 14, 43, 0

19. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers use the alignment of learning targets to standards to plan their instruction each day. • Teacher Response • 19, 26, 37, 19 • Leader Response • 14, 7, 50, 29

20. Aligning instruction to standards • Teachers can describe how their learning targets form the building blocks for student mastery of state content standards. • Teacher Response • 11, 37, 37, 19 • Leader Response • 0, 7, 64, 29

21. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers write learning targets that clearly describe a skill or performance to students. • Teacher Responses • 7, 56, 33, 4 • Leader Responses • 21, 21, 29, 29

22. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers write learning targets that align to various knowledge, skills, products, performances, and attitudes. • Teacher Responses • 4, 51, 41, 4 • Leader Responses • 14, 36, 50, 0

23. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers look at a learning target to determine what is expected of students. • TR • 15, 70, 15, 0 • LR • 36, 24, 36, 0

24. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers determine the appropriate assessment that aligns to a specific type of learning target. • TR • 7, 51, 33, 7 • LR • 0, 21, 79, 0

25. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers state the learning targets for everything they teach. • TR • 11, 22, 52, 15 • LR • 0, 29, 43, 24

26. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers provide thorough descriptive details about student knowledge and skills associated with learning targets. • TR • 11, 26, 52, 11 • LR • 0, 0, 100, 0

27. Developing Learning Targets • Teachers design instruction associated with learning targets to help students perform at their highest levels. • TR • 7, 56, 3, 4 • LR • 0, 29, 43, 24

28. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers design classroom assessments using defined learning targets. • TR • 11, 26, 41, 7 • LR • 0, 21, 50, 24

29. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers can match the learning targets to assessment methods they use (paper and pencil tests, performance assessments, personal communication). • TR • 11, 41, 41, 7 • LR • 14, 36, 50, 0

30. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers use test blueprints to design assessment tools that appropriately match the learning targets. • TR • 22, 51, 26, 7 • LR • 0, 7, 21, 71

31. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers use “prepackaged” assessments ONLY if the test aligns to the lesson learning targets with the appropriate emphasis on each target. • TR • 4, 44, 41, 11 • LR • 14, 24, 24, 24

32. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers apply defined criteria for developing tests when creating their paper and pencil tests. • TR • 7, 26, 50, 19 • LR • 0, 7, 50, 43

33. Designing Classroom Assessment • Teachers apply recommended strategies when creating performance assessments. • TR • 7, 44, 37, 11 • LR • 0, 14, 71, 14

34. Using Assessment Information • Teachers regularly implement classroom assessments to gather information about students to determine how well they are doing on the learning targets. • TR • 26, 44, 22, 7 • LR • 14, 43, 43, 0

35. Using Assessment Information • Teachers use classroom assessments to provide useful feedback to students. • TR • 33, 50, 15, 4 • LR • 7, 50, 43, 0

36. Using Assessment Information • Teachers use classroom assessments information to modify their instruction after reviewing how well students have learned. • TR • 33, 44, 19, 4 • LR • 0, 21, 79, 0

37. Using Assessment Information • Teachers do NOT include in a student’s grade classroom assessments that provide corrective feedback. • TR • 15, 30, 44, 7 • LR • 0, 43, 21, 36

38. Using Assessment Information • Teachers ONLY include classroom assessment information on student achievement in a student grade and do not include other factors such as effort, participation, discipline, etc. • TR • 26, 22, 37, 33 • LR • 0, 36, 36, 24

39. Using Assessment Information • Teachers use multiple types of classroom assessments to provide students with information about their performance on stated learning targets. • TR • 30, 33, 26, 11 • LR • 7, 43, 0, 50

40. Using Assessment Information • Teachers gather enough examples of student work to get a good sense of what a student knows and can do. • TR • 33, 44, 11, 7 • LR • 7, 71, 7, 0

41. Using Assessment Information • Teachers know how to choose the appropriate classroom assessment tools to measure what students know. • TR • 7, 41, 41, 11 • LR • 0, 43, 24, 24

42. Using Assessment Information • Teachers know how to choose the appropriate classroom assessment tools to measure what a student can do. • TR • 11, 41, 33, 15 • LR • 0, 36, 36, 24

43. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers provide frequent feedback to students on their progress toward the learning targets. • TR • 26, 48, 22, 7 • LR • 14, 21, 64, 0

44. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers communicate with others about student learning in a way that they understand. • TR • 26, 44, 25, 7 • LR • 0, 100, 0, 0

45. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers involve others in interpreting all types of assessment results, including classroom assessments, benchmark tests, and state standardized tests. • TR • 11, 48, 30, 11 • LR • 0, 57, 43, 0

46. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers can explain various types of standardized tests scores in ways that others understand (percentile ranks, standard scores, mastery scores, state standardized tests scores, etc.). • TR • 7, 37, 41, 15 • LR • 14, 36, 50, 0

47. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers accumulate classroom assessments, benchmark tests data, and standardized tests scores to communicate to students and others how well students have learned. • TR • 11, 52, 22, 11 • LR • 7, 24, 64, 0

48. Communicating Assessment Information • Teachers work with each other in learning teams to interpret assessment information from various sources to make instructional decisions. • TR • 15, 52, 22, 11 • LR • 14, 50, 36, 0

49. Communicating Assessment Information • Students regularly communicate their learning needs and gains to others. • TR • 7, 22, 41, 26 • LR • 0, 0, 43, 57

50. Involving Students in the Assessment Process • Teachers involve students in the assessment process so that they are always aware of the learning expectations that help them take control of their own learning. • TR • 7, 25, 41, 25 • LR • 0, 7, 24, 64