Boot CampTask ThreeFall, 2015

Assessing Students’ Literacy Learning What do you Need to Think About? You will analyze both student learning and student

use of language. You will select ONE assessment that was given to the whole

class during your learning segment. The assessment must reflect each student’s individual work; it cannot be the work of pairs or groups of students.

You will analyze the work of all of the students in the class and you will select three student work samples for more detailed analysis and discussion using the ONE assessment.

The ONE assessment you choose to analyze should align with the central focus and one or more of the stated learning objectives of your learning segment; and should provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate the essential literacy strategy and related skills.

Create a document with the evaluative criteria. It should align with the objectives of the learning segment. It should measure the outcomes of your learning segment as related to the central focus. Importantly, the evaluation criteria should address the elements of the subject-specific language function.

Evaluation criteria - Evaluation criteria should indicate differences in level of performance, e.g., a rubric, a checklist of desired attributes, points assigned to different parts of the assessment. Summative grades are not evaluation criteria.

Collect and analyze student work from the selected assessment to identify quantitative and qualitative patterns of learning within and across learners in the class.

After analyzing the whole class data, review the patterns of learning you found. Choose three work samples from focus students that illustrate identified patterns from your analysis. You want to choose work samples that show the range of performance on the assessment so that you can point to specific examples of the understandings, misunderstandings and patterns of errors that you discuss in the whole class analysis.

IT IS NOT THE THREE LOWEST STUDENTS… YOU WANT TO SHOW A RANGE. At least one of the student work samples must be from a focus student with a

significant learning need. The whole-class analysis will examine data/performance from the whole

class. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes student learning for the whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for ALL evaluation criteria submitted for this task.

Choose the three focus students and give their work sample a more detailed examination to select appropriate examples to illustrate key points in your analysis.

Ask yourself the following questions: What did many or most students understand and how can you use the work sample(s) to demonstrate that understanding? What were common errors? How can you use the focus student work samples and your knowledge of their instruction to hypothesize why students might have made those errors? What, if anything, did students who succeeded or made errors have in common (e.g., strong or struggling readers, English learners)? Your response should indicate that you understand how well your students have understood the content and what they need to continue to work on.

In your analysis be sure to address all your evaluation criteria and differences relative to the essential literacy strategy and related skills.

Analyzing Student Learning 1. (a) Identify learning objective measured in the chosen

assessment. (b) Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that

summarizes student learning for the whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for ALL evaluation criteria submitted for this task.

(c) Use evidence found in the 3 student work samples and the whole class summary to analyze the patterns of learning for the whole class and differences for groups or individual learners relative to the essential literacy strategy and related skills.

(d) Answer only if you are using a video or audio clip of the student work sample.

Feedback for Focus students (a) Choose how you will give the feedback to the 3 focus students. (Written directly

on work samples or in separate documents, audio files, or video clips.) (b) Explain how the feedback addressed the students’ strengths and needs relative

to the learning objectives. (c) Describe how you will support each focus student in understanding and using the

feedback whether it is during the learning segment or at a later date. (What are you going to do to ensure that students understand the feedback that

they were given? Strategies that address common errors for most of the class and also attend to unique student work. What opportunities are there to apply the feedback? Would revision of the work sample be a more powerful learning experience? Is there additional support that might scaffold the application of the feedback and accelerate learning? Do the focus students have different needs that imply different choices? ) Effective feedback to students on the work samples will denote areas

where they did well and where they need to improve related to the specific learning objectives.

Be specific in what they did well and what they need to work on, NOT just the number correct or number missed.

Evidence of Language Understanding and Use As you respond to the next set of prompts, use concrete

examples from the video clips and the student work samples as evidence.

Explain and provide concrete examples for the extent to which your students were able to use or struggled to use selected language function, vocabulary or key phrases, AND discourse or syntax to develop content understandings.

Are they struggling with some vocabulary words and able to use others? What does that mean about their understanding and not understanding about the content? What quote from a video or work sample demonstrates this? Remember to focus on the language use of your students – how they are developing use of the language you wanted them to learn and use; not your own language use. Needs to go beyond students parroting back definitions of unfamiliar words.

Using Assessment to Inform Instruction (a) Using the analysis of student learning you described in 1b and c,

describe what you would do next for instruction to impact student learning. What would do for whole class and for the three focus students and other students with specific learning needs? how can you challenge students who did well? What will you do in order to help students meet the learning objectives they were unable to meet? Think about your focus students and their performance. What does their performance suggest that you need to do in next lessons? Are there other students in the class who could benefit from the same changes, follow-up, review or challenge? How can you support the further development of students with differing needs?

(b) Explain how these next steps in instruction follow your analysis. Support it with research and/or theory. What does the research and theory you learned suggest would be effective strategies to meet these varied needs? Be sure to explain how you chose your next steps based on your analysis of student strengths and needs as well as research and theory.

Rubric 11: Analysis of Student Learning

Evidence: Assessment Commentary prompt 1,evaluation criteria, work samples. To score a three: analysis focuses on what the students did right AND wrong and is

supported with evidence from the summary and the work samples. Analysis includes some differences in the whole class learning- areas where the whole class excelled or struggled.

For a Four: Analysis uses specific examples from work samples to demonstrate patterns of student learning consistent with the summary. Describe students’ understanding and struggles citing evidence (As demonstrated in sample 3…). Patterns are described for whole class.

For a Five: Analysis uses specific evidence from work samples to demonstrate the connections between quantitative and qualitative patterns of student learning for individuals or groups. Learning trends related to individual or groups understandings/misunderstandings ( ELLs scored lower on essay questions, struggling readers had difficulty supporting their answers)

Rubric 12: Providing Feedback To Guide Further Learning Evidence: Assessment Commentary prompt 2a, work samples For a three: Feedback is accurate and primarily focuses on either

errors or strengths related to learning objective, and some attention is given to the other. Feedback is provided consistently (same amount and kind)for the focus student. Specific feedback connected to objective ( As you explain the causes, remember to include key details).

For a four: Feedback is accurate and addresses both strengths and needs related to specific learning objective. Balanced feedback between strengths and weaknesses.

For a five: Describe how you will guide focus students to use feedback to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses (have students use the rubric to evaluate their own draft and discuss results with a peer)

Rubric 13: Student Use of Feedback Evidence: Assessment Commentary prompt 2b For a three: Describe (not tell that they will use )how focus students

will use feedback on their strengths and weaknesses too revise their current work as needed. Explicit discussion for how the students will use feedback to improve work … give examples

For a four: Describe how you will support focus students to use feedback on their strengths and weaknesses to deepen understandings and skills related to current work. (One-on-one conference to use feedback on a draft or to correct paper)

For a five: Guide student to generalize feedback beyond the current work sample. ( Have student explain how they will use feedback in the future put what student says in the commentary)

Rubric 14: Analyzing Students’ Language Use and Literacy Learning Evidence: Assessment Commentary prompt 3, work samples For a three: Explain and provide evidence of students’ use of the

language function as well as vocabulary or additional language demands. ( List and explain how students use the vocabulary, discourse or syntax in their work sample)

For a four: Explain and provide evidence of students’ use of the language function as well as vocabulary AND additional language demands in ways that develop content understandings. ( List and explain how students use the vocabulary, discourse or syntax in their work sample)

Four a five: Explain and provide evidence of language use(function, vocabulary, discourse, and syntax) and content learning for students with varied learning needs. Clearly explains how the language use supports content understandings.

Rubric 15: Using Assessment to Inform Instruction Evidence: Assessment Commentary prompt 4 For a three: Next steps propose general support that improves

student learning related to the essential literacy strategy OR requisite skills. Loosely connect research and/or theory. (Students will use a Venn diagram to support writing)

For a four: Next steps provide targeted support to individuals or groups to improver learning relative to the essential literacy strategy and requisite skills. Connection to research and/or theory is grounded.

For a five: Next steps provide targeted support to individuals AND groups to improver learning relative to the essential literacy strategy and requisite skills. Connection to research and/or theory is grounded and next steps are JUSTIFIED with principles from research and/or theory.