USING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND

TECHNOLOGY TO RAISE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Matthew Schmitt, M.Ed

Science Curriculum Coordinator

Glendale Union High School District

Matthew.Schmitt@guhsdaz.org

Presentation Objectives

• Define, explain, and provide examples of the assessment cycle.

• Review the available technologies to be used for formative assessment.

• Highlight the rise in student achievement that the implementation of technology-aided formative assessment has had in GUHSD.

• Develop formative assessment ideas for use in any science class.

Assessment Cycle

Formative Assessment

Common Formative

Assessment

Summative Assessment

Summative Assessments …are given to determine at a particular point in time

what students know and don’t know …determine the effectiveness of already-completed

instructional activities …are focused on a grade rather than on student

improvement … provide overview of how the curriculum, instruction

and assessments prepared students to master the course outcomes

…allow for refinement of curricular, instructional, and assessment practices for the following year

Examples

• State assessments• AIMS• Stanford 10

• District assessments

• Chapter / Unit tests

• Projects / Presentations

Common Formative Assessments • …given by two or more instructors on a team

• …not standardized

• …teacher-created and teacher-owned

• …collaboratively scored

• …provide immediate feedback

• …results examined for best practices and remediation opportunities

Examples

• Chapter / Unit test

• Quiz

• Projects / Presentations

Formative Assessment• James Popham, Transformative Assessment, 2008:

• Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers use assessment-based evidence to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures and students use this evidence to adjust their current learning tactics.

• The DuFours and Eaker, Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008:• Formative assessment is an assessment for learning

used to advance and not merely monitor each student’s learning.

Formative Assessment• … is a continuous process

• … takes place during instruction

• … improves students’ achievement of outcomes

• … is not always a “test”, but a check for students’

understanding

• … is focused on improvement rather than grades

Examples

• Ask questions• Bell work• Pop quiz• Ticket out the door• Any questions• Think-Pair-Share

Formative Assessment Analysis• What kind of data do you get from formative

assessments?

• What do students do with formative assessment data?

Assessment Cycle

Formative Assessment

Common Formative

Assessment

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment Tools

NO TECH

• Thumbs up / down

• 1 – 5

• Verbal questions

LOW TECH

• Popsicle sticks

• White boards

• Student Response Systems

GUHSD Success• Assessment Literacy Course

• Trained 500+ teachers

• On-going professional development

• Observations about student achievement in GUHSD• Lower drop-out rate• Higher graduation rate• Lower freshman failure rate

Formative Assessment in Science