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leading assessment in international schools earcos weekend workshop western academy of beijing january 2012 presenter bambi betts teacher training center for international educators bambibetts@aol.com www.thettc.org

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leading assessment what do i need to know and understand 1 2 3 4 practical definition of assessment essential design principles for creating a comprehensive assessment plan 4 types of learning 5 major assessment tools and which offer best evidence of the 4 types of learning 5 set of research ­based practices 6 typical areas where we will encounter resistance from teachers kids and parents 7 five evaluation tools 8 key learnings on feedback 9 ways to record learning results 10 ways to report learning results what do i need to be able to do to lead and guide others 1 design assessment tools which will give best evidence of the intended learning 2 determine how much is enough evidence to make learning decisions 3 determine what specific learning looks like at various stages of development 4 establish models of work which represent the standards expected 5 determine what should happen with the data collected 6 determine how much needs to be recorded and in what ways 7 use assessment results to modify teaching 8 how to organize your team to get the assessment work done 9 analyze how teachers typically adopt new initiatives and decide on next steps 10 how to handle resistance from teachers/kids/parents ttc earcos at wab january 2012 2 assessment leadership

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assessment leadership self-assessment yes not really 1 i know the 4 components of a comprehensive assessment scheme 2 i have a firm grasp of the design principles which lead to using the assessment process to improve learning 3 i have a sound knowledge of the principles of construction of effective assessments including the 5 types of classroom assessment 4 i am familiar with recent ideas and practices related to assessment 5 i know an effective assessment when i see one 6 i know where to access current information and support concerning assessment practices 7 i acknowledge that assessment leadership is a core aspect of my role 8 i understand that teaching learning and assessment are integrally linked processes 9 i have an appreciation for the role of classroom and student context in determining what is to be taught and assessed 10 i have an appreciation for the value of student work as an indicator of what students know and can do 11 i am able to anticipate areas of potential concern and resistance from teachers parents and students with regard to assessment processes 12 i can engage teachers in reflective dialogue about assessment practices 13 i can design effective classroom assessment tools using up to date design principles 14 i can effectively gauge levels of assessment literacy among the teaching professionals in my team 15 i can initiate in collaboration with teachers classroom level and team level action plans based upon student assessment data 16 i can create effective evaluation tools rubrics criteria 17 i can lead the process of using common assessment data to inform teaching 18 i have the ability to adequately determine existing assessment practices in the classrooms of my team 19 i have the ability to conduct continuing critical examination of my own assessment literacy 20 i can motivate my team members to continuously improve their assessment practices assessment leader s checklist 1 2 3 4 5 establish a working definition of assessment adopt from research assessment design principles describe the key purposes of assessment adopt a practical `model establish required practices for · evaluating · feeding back to learners · recording · communicating to parents and other stakeholders · how data will be used modify teaching etc ttc earcos at wab january 2012 3 assessment leadership

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your beliefs about assessment agree disagree 1 the primary purpose of assessment is to make judgments about whether a student should move on to the next grade level or course 2 most learning we expect students to do in school can effectively be assessed through written tests 3 self-assessment is an essential component of all assessment 4 the type of assessment tool should be determined by the learning outcomes it is designed to assess xxxxx x x p 5 everything that a teacher assesses in her own class should be taught 6 a well-designed assessment process contributes to improved student learning 7 grading is important for motivating students p 8 the form of assessment to be used will influence the choice of teaching strategies 9 to a great extent students determine what s worth learning through our assessment tools 10 most learners will typically try harder under the threat of failure 11 students should have clear criteria for success on any assessment task 12 assessment results should be used regularly to inform and modify instruction 13 all assessments should `count toward a final evaluation grade 14 students should have access to and be taught how to use assessment results to improve their learning 15 summative end of unit results are more accurate predictors of long term retention than ongoing formative data x x x xxxxxxxx xxxxxppp 16 assessments should be developed before teaching 17 a summative assessment should be designed so that students will do just as well six months later as they do the first time they take the assessment 18 the fundamental purpose of assessment is to sort and rank students 19 quantitative data are more useful in planning for learning than qualitative data 20 to be effective feedback must be as immediate as possible 21 a grade can be sufficient feedback p 22 in most cases the same assessment tool should be used for all students 23 feedback is essential for learning and therefore required on every assessment x p design practices ttc earcos at wab january 2012 4 assessment leadership

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assessment principles those which are now considered axioms 1 2 3 assessment is inherently a process of professional judgment assessment influences student motivation and learning a culture of `penalty disrupts learning essential not essential effective assessment 4 5 6 7 8 9 improves student learning recognizes learning differences begins with clear statements of intended learning relies on adequate pre-assessment requires process both during and after learning requires timely actionable feedback 10 measures what is truly valued 11 enhances instruction 12 is valid 13 is fair and ethical 14 requires alignment between the tool and the intended learning 15 is efficient and feasible 16 promotes learner self-reliance 17 allows and encourages the student to demonstrate personal individual development of understanding knowledge skills attitudes values and processes 18 is authentic and contextual 19 captures what is most essential to be learned ttc earcos at wab january 2012 5 assessment leadership

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principles or standards for assessment substantial research exists on the characteristics of good practice for assessing student learning this research is summarized in the following set of principles · · · · · · · · · · the primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance good assessment is based on a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and how they might best achieve these it sets out to measure what matters most assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn assessment is most effective when it reflects the fact that learning is a complex process that is multidimensional integrated and revealed in student performance over time assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add afterwards the teaching and learning elements of each program should be designed in full knowledge of the sorts of assessment students will undertake and vice versa so that students can demonstrate what they have learned and see the results of their efforts good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student achievement a variety of assessment methods fit for purpose provides teachers with evidence of what students know and can do and their particular strengths and weaknesses teachers then can report to parents on how far their child has progressed during the year where they are compared to the relevant standards and what the student the parent and the teacher need do to improve the student s performance good assessment requires clarity of purpose goals standards and criteria assessment works best when it is based on clear statements of purpose and goals for the course the standards which students are expected to achieve and the criteria against which we measure success assessment criteria in particular need to be understandable and explicit so students know what is expected of them from each assessment they encounter staff students parents and the community should all be able to see why assessment is being used and the reasons for choosing each individual form of assessment in its particular context good assessment requires a variety of measures it is generally the case that a single assessment instrument will not tell us all we need to know about student achievement and how it can be improved we therefore need to be familiar with a variety of assessment tools so we can match them closely to the type of information we seek assessment methods used should be valid reliable and consistent assessment instruments and processes should be chosen which directly measure what they are intended to measure they should include the possibility of moderation between teachers where practical and appropriate to enhance objectivity and contribute to shared understanding of the judgments that are made assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes information about the outcomes students have achieved is very important to know where each student ends up but so too is knowing about their experiences along the way and in particular the kind of effort that led to these outcomes assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic student learning is best fostered when assessment involves a linked series of activities undertaken over time so that progress is monitored towards the intended course goals and the achievement of relevant standards assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection all assessment methods should allow students to receive feedback on their learning and performance so assessment serves as a developmental activity aimed at improving student learning assessment should also provide students and staff with opportunities to reflect on both their practice and their learning overall ttc earcos at wab january 2012 6 assessment leadership

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where does assessment `fit in curriculum what do we intend learners to learn standards outcomes aims objectives how will they learn strategies how will we know whether they learned assessment what is assessment assessment is collect evidence communicate report evaluate record feedback to learner fundamentally ttc earcos at wab january 2012 7 assessment leadership

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major purposes of assessment feedback provide learner with the right amount and type of timely so each can become a continuous independent learner promote self-adjustment by the learner gather enough data uncontaminated to make confident teaching decisions and offer substantiated recommendations about next steps for each learner traditional focus was assessment of learning today focus is assessment for learning big idea use evidence about learning to adapt instruction to meet student needs think back what is the worst test or assessment you have ever taken what made it that way common characteristics of `poor assessments why are schools rethinking assessment ttc earcos at wab january 2012 8 assessment leadership

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fenwick s findings on alignment what the research revealed written taught assessed what would be the ideal relationship in your school 1 2 3 4 ttc do i teach everything in the curriculum is it ok to teach things that are not in the curriculum do i assess everything in the curriculum is it ok to assess things that are not in the curriculum earcos at wab january 2012 9 assessment leadership

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a `pretender assessment this student received 11/11 on her quiz the teacher assumed she understood when asked in an interview what elevation was the student could not respond she also could not explain the connection between the pictures and the spheres when the interviewer asked what do you think about when you hear the word elevation the student responded like the stuff i forgot some of this when asked to explain the bottom section of spheres the student responded this is water pointing to hydrosphere and this one is rock pointing to lithosphere no the rock fits atmosphere better but i m not sure the interviewer then asked why balloons and a spider were included the student responded i m not sure i don t know upon hearing this the teacher saw that just because students could match pictures with words did not mean they understood that the spider represented all living things which made up the biosphere the 100 showed performance without understanding assessment showing understanding this sheet was used to record working ideas of the main concepts in the chapter students could record initial conceptions by providing a word bank students were encouraged to use the scientific vocabulary in their responses figure 3 the teacher would make individual comments such as describe what you mean by or explain how this can happen ttc earcos at wab january 2012 10 assessment leadership

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categories of assessment category external examples isa sat otp4 developmental levels policy category common assessment map igcse ap curriculum school based beyond single classroom includes a team of teachers vertical horizontal identify practices collect data evaluate feedback record report identify practices collect data evaluate feedback record report category category ongoing examples observation more suited to some subject divisions chunk examples products performances assess multiple outcomes primary decision is on student learning identify practices collect data evaluate feedback record report identify practices collect data evaluate feedback record report ttc earcos at wab january 2012 11 assessment leadership

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for as or of collect evidence evaluate and feedback to learner record include as evidence of achievement in `final report assessment `for learning `during learning assessment `of and for learning after learning p practice 1 backwards design ubd what do we want learners to achieve select intended learning design tasks 1 2 what assessment tasks will provide best evidence of our intended learning what will it take to be successful at teach task how will we distinguish degrees of achievement 3 develop criteria develop assessment method rubric design learning activities 4 5 what learning experiences will be needed for learners to be successful at the tasks ttc earcos at wab january 2012 12 assessment leadership

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p practice 2 begin with clear intended learning types of learning `understandings an understanding is concepts big idea lasting enduring value trans-disciplinary understandings · knowledge of the past and its trends can help explain current events · human beings have important traits in common yet differ from one another · critical readers question the text consider various perspectives and look for author s bias in order to think live and act differently · · · · subject-specific understandings manipulation of rhythm creates musical patterns numbers represent quantities societies have formal processes to make laws and to reforms laws scientists construct and use models to generate knowledge and to advance understanding skills a skill is competencies measured by doing trans-disciplinary skills work effectively with others solve problems conduct research listen actively write for a purpose distinguish between fact and opinion subject-specific skills sing music written in two parts use a microscope analyze literature pass a ball read a geographical map dispositions a disposition is a value attitude ethos e.g ib learner profile trustworthy kind examples polite responsible independent concerned for others a risk-taker subject-specific knowledge describe patterns of trade from ancient times to present list the basic needs of living organisms and describe know the relative location of size of and distances between places ttc earcos at wab january 2012 13 assessment leadership

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p s=skill what type of learning is each k=knowledge/content u=enduring understanding d disposition type the learner 1 dictates stories 2 compares and orders objects according to a given attribute 3 uses materials independently 4 knows that animals have external features that help them thrive in different 5 identifies the elements of poetry 6 uses appropriate expression when speaking 7 takes risks 8 presents personal position on issues 9 differentiates between evidence and opinion 10 uses productivity tools 11 analyzes chronological relationships and patterns 12 knows the major influences of the greeks and romans on western civilization 13 empathizes with people living in other times and places 14 identifies specific geographic features 15 knows the concepts of city-states democracy voting and government in the greek and roman worlds 16 uses reference materials independently 17 reads to gather information 18 organizes and synthesizes information from various sources 19 recognizes the effect the holocaust has on present-day society in europe 20 adds single digits 21 understands the basic features and processes of the earth 22 know the rules of soccer 23 understands that numbers are quantities 24 understands that supply and demand affect price 25 uses diagrams graphs tables and charts to communicate information ttc earcos at wab january 2012 14 assessment leadership

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p practice 3 align assessment tools with intended learning assessment types type selected response description student selects from a pre-set list of responses visual written or oral examples multiple choice t/f matching constructed response student creates own response within a limited framework visual,written or oral short answer fill in the blank vocab quiz academic prompt written work on a topic question issue with no particular audience narrative report literary analysis contextual product or performance tasks which require students to make or do something for a particular audience and purpose simulated or real tools designed to collect writing an editorial for a local paper making a speech at a town meeting observation evidence of work processes tools and understanding `of the moment ttc earcos at wab january 2012 15 assessment leadership

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