“How Do We Know They Are Learning?”

1. “How Do We Know They Are Learning?” Enhancing our Professional Learning Communities… ACT Meeting October 9, 2007 Ladera Ranch Middle School

2. Major District Objective • Enhancing Professional Learning Communities • Continue implementation and expansion of the CUSD Professional Learning Community through increased collaboration among school site and district personnel. Increase articulation and support in order to continue to improve learning for all students.

3. Specific Focus on: • Expanding the use of data to guide instructional decisions • Extending the use of formative common assessments and best practices in classroom assessment • Piloting standards-based report cards • Narrowing the achievement gap through systematic pyramids of interventions which employ research-based practices

4. What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? • That all departments, schools, and teams use student learning information to make decisions regarding their instruction, interventions, and program design • Having on-demand, user-friendly access to meaningful data regarding their students

5. What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? • That all teams design and use frequent common assessments to formatively monitor student learning • Designing them collaboratively with collective agreement about essential standards • Allowing all students to have access to the same essential curriculum • Going beyond typical paper/pencil tests to examine student work and performance tasks

6. What is our vision for assessment in a Professional Learning Community? • That teachers meet regularly to analyze the results of their common assessments, and based on these results… • …figure out ways to provide additional opportunities for learning essential skills and differentiate for individual student needs • That students receive meaningful feedback and specific strategies to help them “close the gap.”

7. Corollary Question #2:How Do We Know they are learning? High Stakes Testing Benchmark Testing External Assessments Did they reach the bar? Summative Common Assessments Local Assessments Did they attain a certain level of learning? Formative Common Assessments Learning Assessments Are the students “getting it?”

8. Formative Common Assessments Learning Assessments Are the students “getting it?”

9. Crucial Distinction • Assessment OF Learning • How much have students learned at a particular point in time? • Assessment FOR Learning • How can we use assessment information to help students learn more?

10. Formative Assessment • Those activities undertaken by teachers and students that provide information to be used as FEEDBACK to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. • Research consistently shows that regular, high-quality formative assessment increases student achievement • Black & Williams, 1998

11. Research on Effects of using Formative Assessments: • .5 to 1.0 Standard Deviation Score Gain • Largest Gain for Low Achievers • 1.0 Standard Deviation Equals • 30+ percentile points on state testing • 4 Grade equivalents • 100 SAT Score Points • 6 ACT Score Points • U.S. TIMSS Rank from 23rd to Top 5

12. Our moral, professional, and ethical imperatives: • “ While those (NCLB, etc.) are clearly sources of pressure for many schools, I would argue that the purpose of formative assessment is far more important. In fact, if No Child Left Behind were repealed tomorrow, if every state standard and testing requirement were terminated, and if teachers and school leaders were told simply, “Do the right thing,” then I would nevertheless be an advocate of common formative assessment.” • Doug Reeves • Found inCommon Formative Assessmentsby Larry Ainsworth and Donald Viegut Corwin Press 2006

13. Guiding Questions for Schools to Consider • Are teachers/teams using data to identify specific areas of need for groups and individual students along clearly defined and agreed upon concepts and skills? • How often? • Are meaningful benchmark measures developed and used to monitor progress?

14. Guiding Questions for Schools to Consider • Do students receive meaningful, descriptive, and timely feedback about their progress? • Are students provided additional opportunities to learn the information based on these results? • Are they aware of how they can close the gap? • Are the results of these measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies, interventions, and curriculum?

15. A Shift in the Use of Assessments(from Learning by Doing – DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many) • From infrequent, summative assessments… • To frequent common assessments • From assessments to determine which students failed to learn by the deadline • To assessments to identify students who need additional time and support • From assessments used to reward and punish students • To assessments used to inform and motivate students • To assessing a few things frequently • From assessing many things frequently • From individual teacher assessments • To assessments developed jointly by collaborative teams • From each teacher determining the criteria to be used in assessing student work • To collaborative teams clarifying the criteria and ensuring consistency among team members when assessing student work • From an over-reliance on one kind of assessment • To balanced assessments • From focusing on average scores • To monitoring each students’ proficiency in every essential skill

16. School Reflection Time Self Study in Assessment Practice

17. What can leaders do this year to support this MDO? • Using the Self Study in Assessment Practice rubric, examine your school’s practices relative to Question 2. • Thread a focus on assessments throughout your efforts this year. • For example, if you’re focusing on writing, be sure to examine the formative assessment of writing. Embed conversations at your school during ACE time, team meetings, etc. • Guide teachers toward the development, implementation and analysis of common assessments

18. Resources, Information and Support • Resources/Bibliographies • Books • Articles • Videos/DVDs • Training in online reports • Continued exploration of tools to assist the process • Professional Development • Understanding by Design • Various RIC classes • Embedded (site-based) professional development

19. Education Division Website

20. What can leaders do this year to support this MDO? • Using the Self Study in Assessment Practice rubric, examine your school’s practices relative to Question 2. • Thread a focus on assessments throughout your efforts this year. • For example, if you’re focusing on writing, be sure to examine the formative assessment of writing. Embed conversations at your school during ACE time, team meetings, etc. • Guide teachers toward the development, implementation and analysis of common assessments • Participate in an assessment study group/cadre

21. April 2 ACT Mtg. October 9 ACT Mtg. How will we enhance our own practice in the area of effective assessment this year? Setting the Focus Reflecting on our learning Interest-based Study Groups/Cadres • What might happen in the cadres? • Book shares • Conference attendance • School visits • Discussion Groups • Practice protocols/facilitation • Sharing of resources/ideas

23. Cadre Conversations • Join a table group that addresses your interest • Participate in a conversation that helps identify the following: • The focus of the group (e.g. guiding questions, actions, outcomes) based on input from each table member (use a “once around” approach) • Possible first activities in support of that focus • A plan to meet on November 6th; facilitator will notify you of the location and specific time