School Leadership Team Fall Conference

West Virginia Department of EducationDivision of Educator Quality and System Support

Bridgeport Conference CenterOctober 18-20, 2010

The Power of a Balanced Assessment System

Presented by:Karen Davies, Title I CoordinatorJan Stanley, State Title I Director

Three essential questions

What is a balanced assessment system? Has your school implemented a balanced assessment system? How do the teachers utilize a balanced assessment system to promote learning?

Assessment Literacy

We need to provide the language and the tools to administrators, teachers and students so they can communicate accurately about assessment.

Common Language?

What is a balanced assessment system?

Assessment OF LearningAssessment FOR Learning

In an Effective School …Continuous (Formative) Classroom Assessment

For Learning (part of the learning process)

Classroom Level Users(Students, Teachers and

Parents)

Common Formative Assessments(developed by collaborative teacher teams to assess the

learning targets)

Content Level UsersJob-Alike Collaborative Teacher

Teams

Periodic Benchmark Assessments(customized to assess the learning for a specific time

period)

Program Level Users (Teacher Teams and School

Leaders)

Annual Accountability Testing (State Summative Test)

Institutional/Policy Users

(School, District and State Leadership)

Critical Questions

• What is the primary aim of the assessment?

• Who will use the information gathered?

• What decisions will they make?

Primary Aim of Assessment

The primary purpose of assessment is not to rate,

rank and sort students, but to provide meaningful

feedback that informs decisions.

A Balanced Assessment System

Assessment for Learning• Classroom Assessment For Learning– A process during learning• Formative Assessment– A process during learning

Assessment of Learning• Benchmark Assessment– An event after learning• Summative Assessment– An event after learning

Does

Formative? or

Summative?

How the results are used tells us if the assessment is for or of learning.

Summative Assessment(Assessment OF Learning)

• Summarizes student learning at a specific point in time

• Not designed to give feedback useful to teachers and students during the learning process

• Utilized to communicate statements of student learning status to those outside the classroom

• Administered to demonstrate accountability

News

Formative Assessment(Assessment FOR Learning)

• Acknowledges the critical importance of students and teachers working as a team

• Utilizes strategies undertaken by teachers and by their students that provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged (Black & Wiliam, 1998)

• Provides continuous descriptive rather than evaluative feedback

Advice

Assessment OF and FOR LearningSort Activity

• Assessment for Learning• Assessment of Learning• Not Sure

Reflection Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down

1. Can you explain the key differences in summative, benchmark, formative and classroom assessment for learning?

2. Can you provide examples of each?3. Can you explain how the results of

each type of assessment should be used?

4. How will you use this information in your work?

Has your school implemented a balanced assessment system?

A Balanced Approach

“Teachers involve their students in classroom assessment, record-keeping, and communication during learning.

But, when it’s time for students to be accountable for what they have learned, the teacher takes the lead in conducting assessments OF learning.”

-Richard J. Stiggins

Self-Assessment ToolActivity

• This self-assessment outlines significant commonalities among the practices of the leaders and professional staff in high performing schools—collaborative processes and assessment practices that produce quality results for student learning.

• This self-assessment can help each school gauge where it functions on the continuum of implementation.

How do the teachers utilize a balanced assessment system to promote learning?

Four Areas of Assessment

• Classroom Assessment for Learning

• Common Formative Assessment

• Benchmark Assessment

• Summative Assessment

School Collaborative Teams examine student specific data and establish team SMART goals

Assessment processes and practices teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving

Monitor progress of School SMART goals

Balanced Assessment Practices through

Collaborative Team Processes

Assessment FOR Learning

FORMATIVE CLASSROOM

Leadership Team examines school data and establishes school SMART goals based on summative data

Key Decisions What comes next in the learning? How can instruction be adjusted based on results/data? Which learning targets require additional attention?

Uses Provides descriptive feedback to students Enables students to take responsibility for the learning Supports student motivation and growth

Key Decisions Are enough students meeting standards? What changes need to be made about district and school programs and resources?

Uses Measures achievement status at a point in time for purpose of reporting and accountability Communicates evidence of performance to parents and community

Assessments that provide evidence of student achievement for the purpose of making a judgment about student competence or program effectiveness

Assessment OF Learning

SUMMATIVE

SCHOOL-WIDE FOCUS ON LEARNINGAddressing the Four Critical Questions

1. What do we want students to learn? What knowledge, skills and dispositions do we expect them to acquire?

2. How will we know if students are learning the essential skills, concepts and dispositions we have deemed most essential?

3. How will we respond when some of our students do not learn? What processes are put in place to ensure students receive additional time and support for learning in a timely, directive and systematic way?

4. How do we enrich and extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

Monitor progress of Team SMART goals

Collaborative Teamwork

Periodic District-Wide Benchmark

Assessments

Identify learning targets and plan

instruction

Instruction and

ongoing AssessmentWest Virginia Department of Education

Developed by School & School System ImprovementContact Lisa Youell Or Linda Bragg at 304-558-3199

Monitor learning for

progress

School Year Summative Assessment

Cycle

Ongoing Formative Classroom

Assessment Cycle

Intervention and

Enrichment Cycle

Establish school SMART

goals (for school year)

based on analysis of summative

data

Starting points

Assess and monitor for progress

Repeat intervention

loop as needed

Team Processes for Balanced Assessment Practices in Support of Standards-Based Instruction

Administer WESTEST2 - State

Accountability

Analyze WESTEST2

Design common

formative assessments

Periodic School-Based Benchmark

Assessments

Create an intervention

Plan

Collaborative teams establish SMART goals based on

grade-level/content data

Analyze assessment

results

Instruction and

ongoing Assessment

Revise curriculum,

instruction and assessments as

needed

Assessment Literacy

Brooke GodbeySecond Grade Student

Poca Elementary School Putnam County

Suggested ResourcesBooks• Assessment FOR Learning – An Action Guide for School Leaders

authors: S. Chappuis, R. Stiggins, J. Arter, and J. Chappuis• Classroom Assessment for Student Learning

Doing It Right-Using It Well authors: S. Chappuis, R. Stiggins, J. Arter, and J. Chappuis

• Balanced Assessment: From Formative to Summativeauthor: Kay Burke (new and available from Solution Tree)

Websiteshttp://www.allthingsassessment.info/ http://wvde.state.wv.us/oaa/ Office of Assessmenthttp://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ Teach 21 site