Targets, Assessments, & Grading

Targets, Assessments, & Grading What do I do with targets after I have them? Ken Mattingly B.A. – University of Kentucky M.A. – Eastern Kentucky University National Certification in Early Adolescent Science ken.mattingly@rockcastle.kyschools.us

Agenda • 8:30-11:00 Targets and Assessments • Review of Assessment for Learning practices • Overview of process as implemented at Rockcastle County Middle School • Target generation • Target-activity match • Target-assessment match • Common summative assessments • 11:00-12:30 Implications for Grading • Linking targets/standards to grades • My experiences with standards-based grading

What do we want to assess? • Start with the end in mind. • What do we want students to know and do? • Sources :POS, CCD, Common Core not CCA • Turn those documents into manageable chunks of information • Take standard and break into the learning pieces that when put together form the scaffolding for performance of the standard • Knowledge, Skills, Reasonings, Products • These are the pieces that give your instruction direction and you want to assess

Side Note on Deconstruction • Taking standards and deconstructing them is hard and time consuming. • Decisions often have to be made on what is essential learning. • There will be differences of opinion on how standards break out. • Put your textbook away when deconstructing • Don’t let this step frustrate you and keep you from implementing AFL.

Now what? • I’ve broken the standards down into understandable pieces. • I’ve arranged the pieces into common groups or units. • I’ve divided the units into manageable pieces of instructional time. • How do I use them?

Clear, Student-friendly Targets • Turn knowledge, skill, reasoning, and product pieces into “I can” target statements. • Targets should use student-friendly language. • Targets should be attainable. • Provide clear, stationary targets for students to aim at and they will hit them. • Give students a copy of learning targets for the unit.

Student Friendly Learning Target Example • Standard: SC-07-4.6.2 Students will: • describe the transfer and/or transformations of energy which occur in examples that involve several different forms of energy (e.g., heat, electrical, light, motion of objects and chemical). • Explain, qualitatively or quantitatively, that heat lost by hot object equals the heat gained by cold object.

Student Friendly Learning Target Example • I can give examples of energy. • I can give examples of energy transfer. That means when energy is moved from one object to another. • I can give examples of energy transformations. That means when energy is changed from one form to another form. • I can describe the exchange of energy between hot objects and cold objects.

6th grade geometry example

7th grade ELA example

Learning Targets Allow Us to ... • Make the learning intention transparent to our students • Select experiences that purposefully move students toward mastery of the target • Be good consumers of our resource materials • Monitor student performance and make adjustments as learning is taking place

Working Group Discussion • How would developing learning targets change the instructional environment in your school? • What challenges do you foresee with developing learning targets?

Using Targets for Pre-Assessment Development • Targets can easily be turned into questions for a pre-assessment to see where students are at the beginning of a unit. • Develop questions that give students an indication of what they are to learn. • Pre-assessment as feedback throughout unit.

Using Targets for Post-Assessment Development • Matching the assessment method to the type of target. • Determining adequate sampling size. • Assessment format considerations: open response vs. multiple-choice, time constraints • Quality of questions, information value of incorrect answers

Target – Method Match Figure 4.2 Target-method Match * = modification

Possible Assessment Methods • Selected response/short answer • Multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank, label a diagram • Extended written response • Writing in response to a question or a request, e.g., “How are these two _____ similar?” or “Explain the effect of the Stamp Act on the colonists.” • Performance assessments • Demonstrating skills, developing products • Personal Communication • Questions and answers, conferences, interviews, oral examinations

Value of Incorrect Answers #2 - I can give examples of energy transfer. That means when energy is moved from one object to another. • We dropped a golf ball from 100 cm in class. It bounced back to 60cm. Why did it not return to the 100 cm mark? • Energy was lost while it fell. • Energy was added to it when it hit the ground. • Energy was transferred when it hit the ground. • Energy was lost while it rose back up.

Working Group Discussion • How do you determine the questions that are on your assessments? • What is the benefit, if any, for common summative assessments? • How would you have to prepare your faculty for this process?

Linking Lessons to Targets • Each learning experience should be explicitly linked to a target. • Students are introduced to the target at the beginning and ending of the experience. • Each learning experience is evaluated for its effectiveness at moving students toward mastery of the target.

Selecting/Designing Lessons • The learning target is the goal of the instruction. • Instruction should link directly to the target • No direct link = pruning instruction from curriculum • Basal programs should be used where they connect to the target(s) • Become a better consumer of resources

How do I know my instruction is “good”? • The students seem to enjoy the activities? • I think they understand it? • When I get back their unit test results? • When the state test scores arrive? • By the number of parent compliments or complaints? • What my peers/administrator say about me?

Formative Assessments • Assessments conducted during learning to promote, not merely judge or grade, student success • Provide information to teacher and student on student performance. • Supplies opportunities to make mid-course corrections to learning experiences.

Research on Feedback • Quality of feedback matters. Specifically descriptive ,criterion-based feedback is better than numerical scoring or letter grades. • Emphasis on the importance of learning leads to greater learning vs. looking good or being compared to others. • Descriptive feedback that focuses on strengths and weaknesses is most effective • Classroom Assessment for Learning, p. 40

Working Group Discussion • What are your thoughts on not grading formative assessments? • How would your classroom have to change in order to incorporate it? • As a learner, what makes you feel an assignment is worth doing?

Summative Feedback • Before using targets: score 65% • Student knows what questions they got right/wrong • Kept the score and went on, maybe reviewed, but still went on • No diagnosis of problems and ways to address them – perhaps taking a test again but no plan as to what to focus on • No idea on student or teacher’s part of strengths and weaknesses

Summative Feedback • After using targets: score 65% • Get results broken out by target • Students know what they do well and what they need to work on • Students have opportunities to work on identified targets and gain understanding before trying again to show mastery • Diagnostic tool to show strengths and weaknesses by student and class

Re-testing • Students have received summative assessment results by target • Identify targets needing improvement • Work on target practice in preparation for re-testing • Re-test only over identified targets • Evaluate results, rinse, and repeat!

Summary of Targets and Assessments • Learning targets form the backbone of instruction and assessment program • LT allow for focused development of pre- and post-assessments • LT give clear direction to selection and development of instructional activities • LT provide students with clear learning goals and a format for organized feedback on their performance

Standards-based Grading • How do I make my grading: • Meaningful? • Defensible? • Student motivating? • Teacher friendly? • Infinite Campus compatible? • Administration approved?

Guidelines for Grading in Standards-Based Systems • Relate grading procedures to learning goals (targets) • Use criterion-referenced performance standards as references points to determine grades • Limit the valued attributes included in grades to individual achievement • Sample student performance – do not include all scores in grades • Grade in pencil – keep records so they can be updated easily • Crunch numbers carefully – if at all • Use quality assessments and properly recorded evidence of achievement • Discuss and involve students in assessment, including grading, throughout the teaching/learning process • Ken O’Connor, How to Grade for Learning, p. 44

My Grading Format • All assessments, formative and summative, are based on learning targets • Students’ grades are based on how well they show mastery of learning targets • Behaviors are not factored into grade unless the behavior is an identified and communicated learning target • Students are aware of targets being assessed • Students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of targets

Learning Target Performance Criterion • Student performance is divided into three categories • Basic • Developing • Mastery • Students receive a score of 1, 2, or 3 for each target depending on their performance

Determining Student Performance • Multiple-choice questions • 4 questions or less • Must get all of them correct for master • Miss 1 = developing, miss 2+ = basic • 5 or more questions • Can miss 1 and still show mastery • Miss 2 = developing, miss 3+ = basic • Open-response questions • Score a 3 or 4 to demonstrate mastery • Score 2 = developing, score 1 = basic

Assessment • Formative • Tied to how student is doing on a particular target • Use to identify growth areas and show how to close the mastery gap • Generally not included in grading of target mastery • Summative • Includes assessment items for all targets in a unit • Diagnoses strengths and weaknesses of student • Provides road map for attaining target mastery • Determines current performance on targets

Summative Assessment • Provides itemized feedback on performance per learning target

Why Do We Need a Grade? • They will be around for a while • Parents expect and “understand” them • Students need something to compare their learning to • Communities are not ready for “no grades” • Administrators are not ready for “no grades” 

So Where’s the Grade? • Total points possible for each target is 3 • Total points for unit is number of targets times 3 • Students total points earned divided by total unit points gives percentage • All 2’s (developing) = 67% D • ½ 2’s and ½ 3’s = 83% low B • All 3’s (mastery) = 100% A

Re-testing • Opportunities for re-teaching • Reviewing test results • Learning target practice • Classroom time • Re-test by target • Targets receiving 1’s must be worked on • Targets receiving 2’s can be worked on • Results on re-test provide information for further narrowing of mastery gap

Standards-based Grading in a Nutshell • Focuses on whether students know what you want them to know • Provides opportunities for variable learning paces • Rewards students who continue to try mastering the information/concepts • Gives a clear indication of what students know and don’t know • Gives a clear picture of where your instruction is being effective/ineffective

Infinite Campus • Targets are entered as different assignments • Assignment is given a name “Ecosystem Learning Target #1” • Assignment description contains the target statement • Each assignment is worth a maximum of 3 points

SBDM and District Considerations • What if I’m required to enter a specific number of grades per week? • What if my district requires weekly quizzes or tests? • How do I deal with parents who feel daily grades offer real feedback? • What about weekly athletic eligibility checks?

Working Group Discussion • What support needs to be in place for standards-based grading to work for you? • Would everyone have to grade this way? • What would your students think about this grading method? • What about your parents? Administrators?

Summary of Standards-based Grading • Students are graded on their mastery of standards (learning targets) • There are communicable levels of performance leading to mastery • Only mastery of standards is included on grade calculation • Students receive multiple opportunities to show mastery of standards

Today’s Take Home Message • Learning targets inform students and teachers specifically what the learning intention is • They can be used as a basis for instructional design and assessment formulation • Formative and summative assessments should provide feedback to all parties on how to improve understanding • Students should be given multiple opportunities to develop and show mastery of learning targets • Standards-based grading gives students the chance take ownership of their performance

Contact Information • Ken Mattingly • ken.mattingly@rockcastle.kyschools.us • PIMSER P-12 Math & Science Outreach • University of Kentucky • 641 S. Limestone St. • Lexington, KY 40506-3706 • Kim.Zeidler@uky.edu

Targets, Assessments, & Grading