PARTNERS for Mathematics Learning Formative Assessment to Support Student Learning

1. PARTNERSfor Mathematics LearningFormative Assessment to Support Student Learning Module 4 Grades K-2

2. Overview of Modules • Module 1: Learning Targets • Module 2: Task Selection & Questioning • Module 3: Inferences & Feedback • Module 4: Making Students Active Partners • Module 5: Decisions: Next Steps • Module 6: Collaboration Around Assessment

3. Making Students Active Partners “Involving students in their learning is a key characteristic of formative assessment.” (Black and William, 1998) “ When children continually participate in the assessment process, they learn to recognize their own expertise. As active assessors, they necessarily exercise a more autonomous and decision-making role in their learning. Consequently, instead of being used to gain power over a child, assessment empowers the child.” (Anderson, 1993)

4. Making Students Active Partners • Formative assessment strategies emphasize student self-assessment and responsibility • Clear learning targets and criteria for success allow students to keep track of their progress • “Actionable” feedback tells students what they are doing right and suggests ways to improve

5. Establishing the Learning Environment Teacher Responsibility Learning within the Environment Student Responsibility Self Assessment Peer Assessment Making Students Active Partners • Goals for this Module

6. Assessment For Learning (modified from William and Thompson, 2007)

7. Encouraging Student Responsibility “The dialogue between teacher and student should be thoughtful, reflective, focused to evoke and explore understanding, and conducted so that all pupils have an opportunity to think and express their ideas.” (Black and William, 1998)

8. Encouraging Student Responsibility • The classroom should be a place where students feel comfortable, secure, and accepted • Students are able to take risks when sharing strategies and ideas • Teachers build self-confidence in students through encouragement and understanding

9. Establishing the Environment • Impede vs. Empower Student Responsibility • Read the scenario cards with your group • Decide which scenarios impede students and which scenarios empower students • List on chart paper actions that empower and actions that impede student responsibility • Be ready to share your thoughts with the whole group • Add your own group’s additional examples

10. Establishing the Environment • Were there some scenarios that the group could not agree on? If so, which ones? • What other characteristics that empower student responsibility did your group list that were not included in the scenarios? • What other characteristics that impede student responsibility did your group list that were not included in the scenarios?

11. Establishing the Environment Students must believe that… • Success in math is within their reach • They know what success looks like • Assessment supports their learning • Feedback is useful • They will have chances for improving • Monitoring their progress toward achieving learning targets helps them move forward (Dynamic Classroom Assessment by Bright and Joyner)

12. Establishing the Environment: Supporting Student Responsibility • Environment provides for group work and group goals • Students work as a group instead of in a group • Students are responsible for contributing to the group • Any student in the group should be able to explain or present solution strategies • Students as instructional resources for one another • Teacher becomes facilitator • Play Video Here

13. Establishing the Environment “When the classroom culture focuses on rewards, “gold stars,” grades, or class ranking, then pupils look for ways to obtain the best marks rather than to improve their learning.” (Black and William, 1998)

14. Establishing the Environment • Students choose easier tasks rather than difficult tasks so that they can earn a reward • Students spend time looking for the right answers versus taking the time to understand • Students don’t ask questions out of fear of failure • Students who have difficulty, tend to believe they lack ability and blame it on themselves and in return put little effort in learning (Black and William, 1998)

15. Establishing the Environment • Take a minute to reflect in your journal • Which characteristics that empower student responsibility do you feel are strengths in your classroom? • Which characteristics do you need to change or improve in your classroom?

16. Establishing the Learning Environment Teacher Responsibility Learning within the Environment Student Responsibility Self Assessment Peer Assessment Making Students Active Partners

17. Student Self-Assessment • What does it mean for students to be “owners of their own learning? ” • How do we move K-2 students to self-assess their own work? • What must students understand in order to self-assess? • So how do teachers begin helping students self-assess?

18. Student Self-Assessment • Monitor and evaluate the quality of their thinking and behavior when learning • Identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills • Judge their own work to improve performance as they identify discrepancies between current and desired performance McMillan and Hearn 2008

19. Student Self-Assessment Teach students to self-assess • Ask students to identify their own strengths and weaknesses before you give feedback • Reflections • Pause & Think • Index Cards • Margin Symbols • Color Alerts • Use notebooks and/or journals for students to record progress and problem solutions Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by R. Stiggins, J. Arter, J. Chappuis, and S. Chappuis

20. Student Self-Assessment • Teach students to self-assess • Allow time during assessments for students to reflect upon their understanding • Allow time for students to offer classmates “descriptive feedback” Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by R. Stiggins, J. Arter, J. Chappuis, and S. Chappuis

21. Student Self-Assessment • Teach students to self-assess • Ask students to use your feedback, classmate’s feedback or their own self-assessment to identify what they need to work on next and set goals for future learning Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by R. Stiggins, J. Arter, J. Chappuis, and S. Chappuis

22. Student Self-Assessment • Student Self-Assessment Questions: • Am I improving over time? • Do I know what it means to succeed? • What should I do next? • What help do I need? Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by R. Stiggins, J. Arter, J. Chappuis, and S. Chappuis

23. Self Assessment: Error Analysis “Mistakes, in essence are rich areas for learning.” “Mistakes should not mark the end of learning; rather, they can be the beginning.” The Teacher as Assessment Leader

24. Self Assessment: Error Analysis • Analyzing mistakes from assessments • Guidelines • Guiding Statements/Questions • Summarize the reasons you had points taken off your quiz/test. • What math do you still need to learn? What questions do you need answered? • Identify two questions you got wrong or struggled with the most. Describe your mistake and what you learned from the question.

25. Self Assessment: Error Analysis

26. Self Assessment: Error Analysis “When teachers structure opportunities for students to analyze their mistakes, students are much more involved in thinking about and planning for their learning.” The Teacher as Assessment Leader In summary, students have opportunities to: • Self-assess before a test or quiz • Self-assess during a test or quiz • Self-assess after a test or quiz *Provided actionable feedback is given

27. Self Assessment: Error Analysis “Students learn nothing from a successful performance. Instead, they learn when their performance is less than successful, for when they can gain direction.” (Wiggins, 1998) • Time to Reflect: How do you use mistakes and errors as learning opportunities for your students?

28. Student Self-Assessment and Responsibility • Teachers can guide students to self-assess during class lessons, but it is essential that students learn to self-assess on their own • How can we make students aware of metacognition? • Why is it important that students pay attention to how they think?

29. “Thinking About Thinking” • Encouraging students to think about their thinking • Teachers should not just be concerned with answers, but how students get to the answers • Teachers value the process of “doing” math • Teachers value student thinking

30. “Thinking about Thinking” • How do teachers begin developing metacognition in elementary students? • K – 2 • 3 – 5 • What strategies can teachers use to ensure that metacognition becomes “natural” for them? • Discuss with your group • Be ready to share your thoughts with the group

31. Student Self-Assessment and Responsibility • Why is metacognition important for students? • What does metacognition look like in the math classroom? • Discuss with your group. • Be ready to share your thoughts with the whole group.

32. Establishing the Learning Environment Teacher Responsibility Learning within the Environment Student Responsibility Self Assessment Peer Assessment Making Students Active Partners

33. Peer Assessment • In teaching self-assessment, one of the recommendations is to allow time for students to offer classmates “descriptive feedback” • What ways do you provide opportunities for students to provide feedback to each other?

34. Peer Assessment • Strategies/Suggestions for Peer Assessment • Two Stars and a Wish • Showdown • Pupil Talk

35. Peer Assessment • Using the samples of student work, provide Two Stars and a Wish • How might this strategy help students peer assess? • What is the benefit of requiring two positive comments and one opportunity for improvement?

36. Peer Assessment: Showdown • Let’s play Showdown • Get into groups of four • Question cards are stacked in the center of the table • Showdown Captain draws the top card and reads the question • All students work individually on dry erase boards

37. Peer Assessment: Showdown • Let’s play Showdown • When individuals are finished, give signal • Showdown Captain calls “Showdown” • Individuals reveal answers, Showdown Captain checks • If all correct, team celebrates, if not, individuals provide feedback to reteach/discuss correct answers

38. Peer Assessment • What’s the value of peer assessment to the student? • To the teacher?

39. Making Students Active Partners Let’s Assess • Complete the Strategies for Encouraging Student Responsibility Handout • As you complete the Handout, discuss with a partner about what these strategies look like at your grade level. • Final Comments and Thoughts

40. Making Students Active Partners Take a minute to reflect in your journal: • What are the potential benefits to students when they take greater responsibility for their own learning? • What are the benefits to teachers when students take greater responsibility for their own learning?

41. DPI Mathematics Staff Partners for Mathematics Learning is a Mathematics-Science Partnership Project funded by the NC Department of Public Instruction. Permission is granted for the use of these materials in professional development in North Carolina Partner school districts.

42. PML Dissemination Consultants

43. 2010 Writers Partners Staff Freda Ballard,Webmaster Anita Bowman,Outside Evaluator Ana Floyd,Reviewer Meghan Griffith,Administrative Assistant Tim Hendrix,Co-PI and Higher Ed Ben Klein, Higher Education Katie Mawhinney,Co-PIand Higher Ed Catherine Schwartz,Higher Education Ana Floyd Katie Mawhinney Kayonna Pitchford Wendy Rich Nancy Teague Stacy Wozny Please give appropriate credit to the Partners for Mathematics Learning project when using the materials. Permission is granted for their use in professional development in North Carolina Partner school districts. Jeane M. Joyner,Co-PI andProject Director

44. PARTNERSfor Mathematics LearningFormative Assessment to Support Student Learning Module 1 Grades K-2