Assessment for Learning: Classroom Strategies to Improve Learning

1. Assessment for Learning: Classroom Strategies to Improve Learning NESA Winter Training Institute New Delhi, January 30-31, 2010 Damian Cooper (905) 823-6298 dcooper3@rogers.com

2. Session Outcomes • Understand the critical role played by “assessment for learning” in providing students with the information they need to improve • Learn about research-based “assessment for learning” strategies that are proving to be effective in improving student learning • Share with colleagues how these strategies may be appropriate to my own classroom

3. Changing Goals Mean

4. Changing Goals Range of Competent Achievement

5. Instruction Students bring different knowledge & experience to school Students learn at different rates Students learn in different ways Assessment Not all students are able to demonstrate their learning in the same way Not all students respond the same way to test pressure Some students need more scaffolding than others If the new goal of education is success for all, then we have no choice but toDifferentiate Instruction & Assessment

6. Assessment for Learning “Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting students’ learning. It thus differs from assessment designed primarily to serve the purposes of accountability, or of ranking, or of certifying competence.” Black, Wiliam et al. 2004

7. Assessment of Learning “Assessment of learning includes those tasks that are designed to determine how much learning has occurred after a significant period of instruction. The data from such assessments is often used to determine report card grades.”

8. Components of Assessment for Learning (Black & Wiliam, 1999) • The provision of effective feedback to students • The active involvement of students in their own learning • Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment • Recognition of the profound influence assessment has on motivation and self-esteem • The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve

9. Components of Assessment for Learning (Black & Wiliam, 2003) • Oral questioning • Marking as feedback • Peer and self-assessment • Formative use of summative tests

10. Components of Assessment for Learning (Wiliam, 2007) • Clarifying learning intentions and sharing criteria for success • Engineering effective classroom discussions, questions, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning • Providing feedback that moves learners forward • Activating students as owners of their own learning • Activating students as instructional sources for one another

11. Components of Assessment for Learning, (Chappuis, ETS) • Clear learning targets • Examples of student work • Feedback • Self-assessment & goal-setting • Focus on one aspect of quality at a time • Teach students focused revision • Student self-reflection, tracking & sharing learning

12. Time to Talk About Assessment • At your table, discuss which elements of assessment for learning are common to all the research

13. Components of Assessment for Learning (Cooper, 2007) • Do I routinely share learning goals with my students so they know where we are heading? • Do I routinely communicate to students the standards they are aiming for before they begin work on a task? • Do I routinely have students self and peer assess their work in ways that improve their learning? • Does my questioning technique include all students and promote increased understanding? • Do I routinely provide individual feedback to students that informs them how to improve? • Do I routinely provide opportunities for students to make use of this feedback to improve specific pieces of work?

14. Assessment for Learning: am I already doing it? • Do I routinely share learning goals with my students so they know where we are heading?

15. Math Class • Learning Goal: You will demonstrate that you understand the relationship between the numerator and the denominator in a fraction. • At the end of the lesson, Linda points to the poster on the classroom wall and asks her students: What did you learn in this lesson today? • Their exit slip is to answer on a “leaf” and post it on the “knowledge tree” Linda told me that the most effective AFL strategy for her has been to write the learning goal for each day’s lesson on the board.

16. Assessment for Learning: am I already doing it? • Do I routinely share learning goals with my students so they know where we are heading? • Do I routinely communicate to students the standards they are aiming for before they begin work on a task?

17. Clear Targets • Clarity of curriculum standards • High quality assessment tasks • Rubrics to describe what quality looks like • Anchors to show students what quality looks like • Checklists to enable students to monitor their own progress

20. Time to Talk About Assessment • With your colleagues, respond to Jackie’s class in terms of ... - what was effective -what was ineffective -what you would do differently

21. Assessment for Learning: am I already doing it? • Do I routinely share learning goals with my students so they know where we are heading? • Do I routinely communicate to students the standards they are aiming for before they begin work on a task? • Do I routinely have students self and peer assess their work in ways that improve their learning?

22. Formative Assessment StrategiesSelf and Peer Assessment • Self & peer check before submission • Circling, NOT correcting errors • 1st. page marking ONLY • Portfolio reflection strips • Traffic Lights – peer • Snowball and peer assessment of essay

24. Math Class Pete has his students use “Traffic Light” signs at the start of a lesson on equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages to assess prior knowledge. Teacher: Do you know what the word “equivalent” means? Students show either the red or green side of the “traffic light” in response. He orally checks a sample of the “green” responses to see if they do, in fact, understand the term.

25. English Class • “Snowball” activity to activate students’ prior knowledge about writing an effective response to an essay question • Teacher consolidates this information on the board • Teacher presents a sample answer on the board and guides students as they assess it, using colour coding • Students have 15 minutes to answer a sample essay question • Students exchange responses and use coloured pencils to assess each other’s work

26. English Class – peer assessment guide Grade • Underline in blue the best sentence. Explain why • Underline in red the worst sentence. Explain why • Underline in green a good choice of quote D • Underline in purple a good explanation of the C effect of a quote • Underline in orange a good link back to the B question • Underline in pink 3 words you think I’d get A excited about • Underline in brown anything you think is correct A+ but that I didn’t teach you

27. Why Involve Students in the Assessment Process? Students: • Develop understanding of what quality work looks like • Become independent monitors of their own work • Develop skills of metacognition • Develop critical thinking skills • Develop communication and interpersonal skills

28. Time to Talk About Assessment • Discuss with your colleagues 1 of the self or peer assessment examples you’ve just heard about. • Discuss the pros and cons of the strategy? • Does this approach have application to your own classroom? • How might you adapt the strategy to suit your own situation?

29. Assessment for Learning:am I already doing it? 4. Does my questioning technique include all students and promote increased understanding?

30. Formative Assessment StrategiesChecks for Understanding • Thumbs Up! • Traffic Lights –self • Think. Pair. Share • Oral questionning – no hands • Co-op hwk. take-up • Ungraded quiz – graded test • Individual white boards • Oral response circle – reciprocal teaching • Exit pass

31. Assessment for Learning:am I already doing it? 4. Does my questioning technique include all students and promote increased understanding? 5. Do I routinely provide individual feedback to students that informs them how to improve?

32. Provide tons of feedback … • Oral & written feedback tell students how to improve – marks DON’T • Establish classroom routines that create opportunities for teacher & peer feedback • Provide feedback ALONE on formative assessments; do NOT include marks

33. Feedback • Needs to cause thinking: don’t provide the “answer” • Must not be evaluative • Must direct students towards improvement • Must make reference to specific quality indicators (a rubric or checklist) • Must include an expectation that it will be implemented • Must include strategies for checking that it has been implemented

34. Formative Assessment StrategiesFeedback • Written feedback: -done well -done poorly -try this next time • Assignment-focussed conferencing • Implementing feedback: -mandatory -feedback log

35. Assessment for Learning:am I already doing it? 4. Does my questioning technique include all students and promote increased understanding? 5. Do I routinely provide individual feedback to students that informs them how to improve? 6. Do I routinely provide opportunities for students to make use of this feedback to improve specific pieces of work?

36. Demand that feedback be acted upon … • Include feedback logs in student work books, binders, etc. • Hold students accountable for showing you “before” & “after” work • Focus student conferencing around feedback and how to act upon it • …

37. Commitment to Action • Spend a few moments reflecting on today …. • What was your most significant learning? • What specific actions do you plan to take immediately and/or between now and June 2010? • Who will be involved? • What results would you like to see from these actions? • How will you assess the effectiveness of these actions?

38. Some final thoughts... • “Change is a process, not an event… beware the implementation dip.” (Fullan) • Don’t work alone. Collaboration will help you problem solve and will improve the quality of your initiatives. • Be proactive - communicate with parents and students before changing your practice.