Skip to main content

Home/ Iowa Core Discussion/ Group items tagged assessment

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
35More

The Changing Face of Education in Iowa: 5 Characteristics of Effective Instruction - 6 views

eabbey.blogspot.com/...racteristics-of-effective.html ICC formative assessment
shared by Teresa Bellinghausen on 31 May 09 - Cached
Matt Townsley liked it
  • So not only will Iowa's high schools develop implementation plans for the content next year, they will also conduct a self-study to determine which characteristics need attention and put forward a professional development plan to improve in that area(s).
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      ICC is a process. To see this change to its fullest extent, the DE is proposing a plan for each district to create a plan to roll it out over several years. (This is how we should/might view our classrooms...focus on making a few changes at a time, but do them well rather than trying to be Mr. Awesome Teacher in all kinds of areas without enough time/thought/trial & error.) <-- this is KEY. What are your thoughts, Russ?
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I like that it is built on reflection and continual improvement. You've explained it to me before as being "what good teachers should be doing." I think all teachers, rookies and veterans, can benefit from an open discussion on that point.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      I'm leery of the plans becoming planning for planning sake, but the intention is good--trying to get at the process of continual improvement, as you mentioned.
    • Teresa Bellinghausen
      Teresa Bellinghausen on 07 Apr 10
       
      Evan, there's no doubt that some schools/districts will simply write a plan, then check it off the list of things to do. However, many others that recognize the value in the intent, or spirit, of the IC will approach the process seriously.
    • Lacy Kolpin
      Lacy Kolpin on 07 Apr 10
       
      Just to piggy back here, I also like it that there are people that are going to reflect on what may or may not be working. Often enough, I don't think that gets done enough. As Teresa said, some and perhaps the majority of schools will just fulfill what they have to, but some will put in time and get some neat things out of this process. I hope that many will take it seriously.
    • Karen Waid
      Karen Waid on 08 Apr 10
       
      Our district is currently working on the plan. I hope we do a good job so we can implement and use it!
  • Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students as part of instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of core content.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I didn't think about this until my 5th year of teaching. What is your "assessment plan"? How will you assess? How often? What will you do if students are absent on assessment day?
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      Your comment made me think of the quote we shared with you this past weekend: "our generation wants in 7 years what our parents worke for all their lives." That's what I feel fairly often since I've been surrounded by veteran teachers. There are many times I need to slow down and remember that I'm learning, learning. learning. So, to "answer" your questions, I don't know. I appreciate being able to learn from your experiences.
  • A rigorous curriculum is one that is complex, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      This is a never-ending task. I don't expect to "master" this, even when I'm ready to retire. It involves really thinking about the content and the students and how authentic work can be created by them according to their interests. This is TOUGH!
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      Evan had a great comment on this point: "The key is to teach students how to learn that advanced content on their own--to become life-long learners. No one is arguing that teachers aren't cognitively limited; they are. But that is (or should be) irrelevant. To continue the transmission model of education, where teachers have all the knowledge and students have to get it in the approved way, will continue to stunt the growth of students."
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      That quote came from this post on Scott Mcleod's blog: http://is.gd/KhNX
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Good point. It's the old 'liberal arts' education lingo...becoming a life long learner. From my experience, it's difficult to get some students to learn the basics, let alone do any learning on their own (the few that come to school because they're required...or only desire a passing grade...or some other sort of grade to please parents). Not saying it can't be done, but lots of thought, motivation and modeling needed.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      One thing I've found is that out of the 5, this is the one that teachers say, "Yeah, I've got this one down". It seems everyone has seen the graphic of the quadrants. What's difficult is, even though we all know we need to be rigorous & relevant, we don't often know which of our lessons truly are rigorous & relevant. The best professional development will give teachers some specific, tangible examples to show how to ramp up rigor.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Jul 09
       
      This definition is adapted from Teaching What Matters Most by Silver, Strong and Perrini. It's a great read (ASCD)
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Differences can best be accomplished by engaging in a process which has teachers using student and instructional assessment data to make sound instructional decisions to meet the needs of individual students.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      when formative assessment is done well, differentiation comes naturally. Again, easier said than done....so we need to be patient in this area as we learn the common misconceptions of students in our curriculum, this practice will become more visible over time.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I saw this on a large scale when I visited Knoxville West Elementary school as part of our IDM team. They had reading data on all students and used it to adjust the instruction for all kids. Do you think formative assessment flows naturally from the assessment to the remedial instruction? What I mean is, say a teacher formatively assesses students, do we assume that teacher is using that data to influence instruction? Is the "changing intruction" part of the definition of formative assessment?
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      You hit the big "aha" moment ICC is going to (hopefully) help so many educators in Iowa realize. I sort of feel like differentiation and formative assessment aren't mutually exclusive...one in the same (assess, use data to create new individualized/group instruction to help students move along the continuum of learning; repeat). Not sure if it's worth debating the definitions, but rather seeing the ideas as working together to improve classroom practice. Yes, it is possible to collect data and do nothing with it. This is the major misconception of 'formative assessment,' in my opinion. The analogy of "formative assessment is chef's ongoing soup tasting during prep; summative assessment is restaurant customer liking or disliking soup" seems to fit, but when some educators hear this, they only taste the soup (collect data, quiz more often, etc.) but never make any changes to the soup recipe (instruction). I'm guilty and to be honest thought this way until earlier this year. We can't just assume the data is being used, you're right. In a quality classroom, I think it would be pretty obvious that the data was being used (maybe my class next year?!).
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      The only reason I bring up the definition is so everyone is on the same page when discussing it. If some think "formative assessment" is only the assessment and others think it includes the instruction-adjustment, there's a disconnect. That's all. Plus I'm an English guy, so I like definitions. I'm already loving this ICC stuff now that I get "the point." So here's my big thought of the day: how are college education programs going to use the ICC? If the state has defined effective practices, will colleges follow suit in what they focus their teaching on...both in the ed. training programs and how the faculty teaches?
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      I think ICC defines formative assessment as a process of both collecting the data and modifying instruction: From ICC, Module 5: "Assessment FOR Learning (Formative Assessment): Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students as part of instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievement of core content. As assessment FOR learning, formative assessment practices provide students with clear learning targets, examples and models of strong and weak work, regular descriptive feedback, and the ability to self-assess, track learning, and set goals. (Adapted from Council of Chief State School Officers, FAST SCASS)."
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      Not sure how/if it will impact higher ed. Impact on higher ed. will surely aid in determining success of ICC, but won't necessarily directly affect our day-to-day instruction. If new staff are trained with ICC in mind, it would help the process along. To be realistic, I think it takes extended classroom experience to get a grasp on what an abstract idea such as "assessment for learning" truly is. Nonetheless a theoretical framework (aside from modifying/extending student teaching/practicum as you and I have discussed previously), is one possible step forward.
    • Teresa Bellinghausen
      Teresa Bellinghausen on 07 Apr 10
       
      You both make excellent points, and I like the "chef" anaology. As far as post-secondary ed is concerned, some of them are coming to the table to at least sniff the soup. Eventually, I think they'll buy the whole meal because (1) schools will be demanding that teacher ed programs include the IC, and (2) students who have experienced full implementation of the IC in high school will demand the same of their experiences at the post-secondary level. It's just going to be a long-term process.
  • In Student-centered Classrooms, students construct their own knowledge based on experiential, holistic, authentic, and challenging experiences.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      From what I know about you, Russ, I think you'll do well in this area (student-centered classroom). Realistically, this can only be done "well" with a solid classroom management plan coupled with a focused look on the desired culture of your classroom.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I appreciate you saying that, Matt. It struck me as funny, mainly because of what I emailed you last night: "I'm nervous about classroom management/atmosphere." :)
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      See other bookmark in this group, re: Harry Wong and procedures. Wish I would have known Wong (and implemented it) earlier on. You'll be much wiser and knowledgeable than me. Read the book and/or the website. Becky probably has the book. I can email you my procedures if you're interested. Rehearse! It seems goofy and a strange use of time for the first few weeks, but pays huge dividends. Once procedures are established, you can shape the culture (a la more student-centered) and build relationships with students to your heart's content.
  • while these 5 characteristics are essential to a successful school, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive of each other.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Amen, Evan! See my notes on differentiation and formative assessment. They go together!
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      It's my gut feeling that the DE thinks this is implicit; that everyone knows this. But given that the DE's main role is in checklist accredidation, they'll need to be a bit more explicit to districts, or I think they will have districts treating each one separately.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      Great point, Evan. I would venture to guess that the majority of the educators I know would say that "assessment" and "instruction" are mutually exclusive entities. I hear things all the time like "Today is quiz day" rather than viewing it as an ongoing activity. I discussed my thoughts related to this topic here: http://bit.ly/NBqyH This will be a HUGE task on the DE/AEAs part, in my opinion...helping Iowa educators see the conceptual connection as well as how it looks (and doesn't look) in practice.
  • Teaching for Understanding is leading students (to engage in a variety of thought-provoking activities such as explaining, finding evidence in examples, generalizing, connecting, applying, making analogies, and representing the topic in new ways.
    • Rob Kleinow
      Rob Kleinow on 01 Apr 10
       
      This characteristic is always one that concerns me because of the word "understanding" I think it will be interesting how these definitions of understanding evolve through the process
16More

Educational Leadership:Informative Assessment:The Best Value in Formative Assessment - 3 views

www.ascd.org/...e_in_Formative_Assessment.aspx formative assessment
shared by Russell A on 27 Jul 09 - Cached
  • Even though assessments will continue to be labeled formative or summative, how the results are used is what determines whether the assessment is formative or summative.
  • but some, by design, are better suited to summative use and others to formative use.
  • Although such assessments are sometimes intended for formative use—that is, to guide further instruction for groups or individual students—teachers' and administrators' lack of understanding of how to use the results can derail this intention
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • however, teachers must plan and allow time for students to learn the knowledge and skills they missed on the summative assessment and to retake the assessment
  • When we try to teacher-proof the assessment process by providing a steady diet of ready-made external tests, we lose these advantages. Such tests cannot substitute for the day-to-day level of formative assessment that only assessment-literate teachers are able to conduct.
    • Russell A
      Russell A on 10 Apr 10
       
      music instructors are said to do formative assessments every 5-10 seconds. I haven't figured out whether that's good or bad.
  • Where am I going? Give students a list of the learning targets they are responsible for mastering, written in student-friendly language. Show students anonymous strong and weak examples of the kind of product or performance they are expected to create and have them use a scoring guide to determine which one is better and why. Where am I now? Administer a nongraded quiz part-way through the learning, to help both teacher and students understand who needs to work on what. Highlight phrases on a scoring guide reflecting specific strengths and areas for improvement and staple it to student work. Have students identify their own strengths and areas for improvement using a scoring guide. Have students keep a list of learning targets for the course and periodically check off the ones they have mastered. How can I close the gap? Give students feedback and have them use it to set goals. Have students graph or describe their progress on specific learning targets. Ask students to comment on their progress: What changes have they noticed? What is easy that used to be hard? What insights into themselves as learners have they discovered? When students use feedback from the teacher to learn how to self-assess and set goals, they increase ownership of their own success. In this type of assessment environment, teachers and students collaborate in an ongoing process using assessment information to improve rather than judge learning. It all hinges on the assessment's ability to provide timely, understandable, and descriptive feedback to teachers and students.
    • Teresa Bellinghausen
      Teresa Bellinghausen on 11 Apr 10
       
      One of the most important features of formative assessment is that teachers and students are both actively involved in the assessment process. Students are not just passive recipients of grades, but must set learning goals and reflect on their own learning, making adjustments in strategies when needed. My guess is that in most classrooms, especially at the high school level, this will be a radical departure from the norm.
  • When teachers assess student learning for purely formative purposes, there is no final mark on the paper and no summative grade in the grade book.
  • What is formative assessment, then? First, it's not a product.
  • Assessment for learning can take many different forms in the classroom.
  • Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09
     
    great article on what 'formative assessment' is and is not.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Russell A on 10 Apr 10
     
    great article on what 'formative assessment' is and is not.
  • Michele Arman on 10 Apr 10
     
    I feel that modern language teachers do many assessments during each class. This year, we tracked all the kinds of assessments that we do. I have already ended up with a huge notebook full of the different types of assessment that is used in my classroom. My question is if we should have that many or should we concentrate on ones that give us the best results on depicting a student's progress.
  • Bridgette Wagoner on 12 Apr 10
     
    I always think back to what Doug Reeves says about the difference between formative and summative assessments. He says formative assessment is like exploratory surgery; summative assessment is like an autopsy.
  • Renee Harmon on 19 Apr 10
     
    Great description Bridgette. I love this and will use it with my college students.
33More

Best content in Iowa Core Discussion | Diigo - Groups - 11 views

groups.diigo.com/...ICCdiscussion
shared by Colleen Olson on 17 Apr 10 - No Cached
  • Give students a list of the learning targets they are responsible for mastering, written in student-friendly language.Show students anonymous strong and weak examples of the kind of product or performance they are expected to create and have them use a scoring guide to determine which one is better and why.Administer a nongraded quiz part-way through the learning, to help both teacher and students understand who needs to work on what.Highlight phrases on a scoring guide reflecting specific strengths and areas for improvement and staple it to student work.Have students identify their own strengths and areas for improvement using a scoring guide.Have students keep a list of learning targets for the course and periodically check off the ones they have mastered.Give students feedback and have them use it to set goals.Have students graph or describe their progress on specific learning targets.Ask students to comment on their progress: What changes have they noticed? What is easy that used to be hard? What insights into themselves as learners have they discovered?
    • Julie Collison
      Julie Collison on 28 Aug 11
       
      I agree that identifying their owns strengths and areas of improvement can be a useful tool
    • Kevin Kleis
      Kevin Kleis on 28 Feb 12
       
      Student self assessment is becoming both more important and more difficult in classrooms. It seems as though students sometimes aren't ready to admit their faults or concerns when it may help the teacher conduct formative assessment tasks. Sadly, teachers often rely heavily on that very self-assessment, which may or may not be entirely accurate.
    • Kris Ward
      Kris Ward on 28 Feb 12
       
      I have actually found that those students who take their education seriously (and there are more than I think) are almost fault finding rather than confidence building. That is when I take the opportunity to build them up and point out their successes.
    • Jenna Stevens
      Jenna Stevens on 28 Feb 12
       
      I agree with Kevin's comment that students do not want to admit fault. They are also timid about asking for help. We recently had a student who did not hand in an assignment that was a substantial part of his grade for the term. We asked several times if he wanted/needed help. His response was always no. Finally, after about 3 weeks the teacher made him come into her room during study hall and work on the assignment. He failed to understand one of the key steps and after it was explained, he finished the essay. It was a failure on both our parts. The student should have asked for help, but if we had a better system in place to check for understanding at key points, it would have been less stressful for both parties. We need to consider doing more of these things at my school.
    • Christine Scott
      Christine Scott on 16 Apr 12
       
      I really like the last question, especially with students I work with. It is most important that the student see their progress, for the sole reason they don't believe anyone. Also, the fact they are to see themselves as learners and what they have discovered. Love it!!!
    • kassi Nelson
      kassi Nelson on 16 Apr 12
       
      I think if students are given their expectations a head of time, you will see progress in their work. Their are special cases where this is untrue, but we all like expectations that are obtainable.
    • Patricia Westin
      Patricia Westin on 16 Apr 12
       
      I agree with Chrisine. Students are quite honest and critical of themselves and it gives them the oportunity to see growth within themselves.
    • Cassandra Savage
      Cassandra Savage on 16 Apr 12
       
      I agree that if we let the students know from the beginning what the expectaions for the class are, they can follow their progress in the class and see their improvment. Also, giving a norgraded quiz is also a good idea but I'm wondering if they would do their best knowing it isn't graded at the beginning.
    • Emily Hoffert
      Emily Hoffert on 16 Apr 12
       
      'student friendly language' is key... great ideas!
    • Carrie Olson
      Carrie Olson on 23 Apr 12
       
      These are all excellent components to learning and helping students move forward with learning. Could there also be a parent component which would allow for more communication opportunities?
    • Steph Groathouse
      Steph Groathouse on 04 Jun 12
       
      I use non-graded quizzes regularly -- the word "quiz" helps them take it seriously -- to assess where students are. I think I will try adding the self assessment of where they are on the learning targets to the end of the quiz. Rather than collecting and going through myself, I will let them assess what they know and what still needs to be worked on. When I collect them, we will both be on track to fill the gaps.
    • sarah block
      sarah block on 07 Jun 12
       
      I like having students identify their own strengths and goals...gives them ownership and accountability.
    • Michelle Holt
      Michelle Holt on 08 Jun 12
       
      I like the idea of "student-friendly" language and for students to look at their own progress would be very helpful. Using rubrics would be similar but adding it into technology would make it more engaging for students plus it would be paperless.
    • Lowell Young
      Lowell Young on 10 Jun 12
       
      A big part of DuFour (Solution Tree, PLC) is non-graded formative assessment. The claim is that, once a student sees a grade, the learning stops. No matter what amount of feedback you give, all they are concerned about is the grade.
    • Dan Kuchera
      Dan Kuchera on 13 Jun 13
       
      As a high school teacher, I have found that students generally don't take seriously non-graded assessment. I do though strongly agree that incremental formative assessment is key to developing desirable levels of skill and understanding. Over the years I've developed two different schemes for addressing the need for incremental formative assessment, while avoiding the barriers that "grades" can impose. For Junior and Senior students, it has been useful for the students to allow them retakes, so they may retake any incremental formative assessment whose score is not what they would like it to be. I take the most recent score for better or worse. If they wish to retake a third, forth, or umpteenth time then they may do so (with the same better or worse consequence). Though this scheme is helpful for them, allowing them to see how the prep work leads to assessment items, and thus focusing their instruction to make them more efficient test-takers, it is somewhat burdensome in paperwork (as every incremental formative assessment has multiple versions -- many tailor-made to suit specific learning preferences). As the Freshmen student class sizes are so much greater and as Freshmen are less mature in the ways of the grades, the aforementioned retake scheme has not proven useful with them. Many Freshman consider that a nongraded assignment is "busy work" and don't give it their best effort. More importantly, the results of such nongraded assignments are considered to be unimportant primarily because the students knew they didn't utilize their best effort. The scheme that has proven to be most successful with them is "risk ratcheting". Students are given prep work which is designed to help them with note-taking skills. the answer to all the prep-work material is reviewed in class with the understanding that if the prep work was done poorly, then it is a sign that your notes need to be fixed (corrected, culled, or added to). The next assessment item is small and each ind
    • Laura Clausen
      Laura Clausen on 30 Jun 11
       
      I agree with Todd here. We have done it both ways and we went to teach another school about PLC's where they would be assigning groups. I do not think they would find as much joy and success that way as DuFour says in his book having a choice is key! 
    • Rick Roberts
      Rick Roberts on 29 Aug 11
       
      Van Meter has given teacher flexibility when doing PLC. Meeting at Early but allowed to leave early of whatever the group works out.
    • Kathy Etringer
      Kathy Etringer on 06 Jun 12
       
      Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elem teachers have been having their PLC's on Wednesday mornings before school. Unfortunately, we didn't have much focus or direction. Some of our teachers are going to a training this summer, so hopefully next year will be better.
    • Deb Sykes
      Deb Sykes on 28 Aug 11
       
      In the article, one district had late starts on Mondays. Our district is having teachers meet for 30 minutes once a month. I'd like to hear how other schools are setting up planning time for their PLCs.
    • rick gabel
      rick gabel on 29 Aug 11
       
      At Charles CIty we are have late starts on MOnday. Teachers will have 80-85 minutes to work in PLC's that are being 'dictated' this year with the idea that they will 'breakout' next year.
  • ...10 more annotations...
    • Kimberly Fix Schmidt
      Kimberly Fix Schmidt on 29 Aug 11
       
      Educating using social network is important both for the teachers and the students.  However there is a lot to learn.
    • Kimberly Fix Schmidt
      Kimberly Fix Schmidt on 29 Aug 11
       
      Teaching Paperless sounds like a good idea and I can see it having appeal to quite a few students.  I am wondering though if there are students out there like me that are tactile and if they respond as well to learning by technology which I do not find as engaging as paper and pen.
    • Gwen Wrich
      Gwen Wrich on 27 Feb 12
       
      time for PLC is important!
    • vickiroberts
      vickiroberts on 27 Feb 12
       
      Discussion and ideas contributed by the group members as to activities, use of technoogy and curriculum changes adn modifications are all great to hear from others, especially when I am a 1 person curricular area teacher in our small school
    • Robin Krueger
      Robin Krueger on 16 Apr 12
       
      Charles City has set a late start on Wednesday for PLC. This is are first year and groups were asigned. I think being able to choose you own team would make descussion and topics more useful.
    • Ben Walters
      Ben Walters on 16 Apr 12
       
      I'm in my first year in a district that uses PLCs for professional development.  I find it to be a great way to share ideas and learn from colleagues from a variety of curricular areas; very worthwhile professional development.
    • Ben Walters
      Ben Walters on 16 Apr 12
       
      With the research that shows the importance of building student creativity, it is concerning to see so many districts eliminating or de-funding arts programs.  
  • This is an interesting read - ebook is Titles - Becoming a Core Ninja
    • Tina Wahlert
      Tina Wahlert on 05 Jun 12
       
      The author uses the word CORE as an acronym - C. - Current, O. - Obtainable, R - Rigorous, E. - Exemplar-based. Interesting. 
    • Tina Wahlert
      Tina Wahlert on 05 Jun 12
       
      I agree with using student-friendly language. Many of the standards are even hard for teacher to understand the exact meaning and expectation.
    • Susie Peterson
      Susie Peterson on 05 Jun 12
       
      The author makes a valid argument:  It is great that persuasive writing is being required across the board (all areas) -- take a stance and justify it.  And yes, this will lend authenticity to the students' work, which is what we want anyway.  Good for Common Core and writing and persuasion. Susie P
    • Colleen Olson
      Colleen Olson on 29 Oct 12
       
      I commend Jenna in recognizing that a student's failing to complete an assignment was a failure on both parts. I see too many teachers put it all on the student and don't see that they, as educators, as responsibilities too. I hope that student seeks help the next time before it gets so late.
8More

Formative assessment: The most important data you aren't using - 0 views

www.examiner.com/important-data-you-arent-using Formative formative assessment formative assessment
shared by Russ Goerend on 09 Jun 09 - Cached
    • Brenda McKone
      Brenda McKone on 09 Jun 09
       
      Formative assessment needs to be used throughout a unit to check student progress.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 10 Jun 09
       
      Definitely! I would argue that just as important as checking progress is adjusting instruction based on that progress.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 10 Jun 09
       
      good point, Russ. It's a big shift from "assessment to report learning" from "assessment to improve learning." I see this difference as one that will be tough for the masses to understand due to the tradition of summative assessments.
  • In turn, it allows the educator to amend their instruction and content before they administer the summative assessment.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 10 Jun 09
       
      This is also important!
    • K Wolf
      K Wolf on 17 Jun 09
       
      I think this is key with students of today. As we (educators) realize that students are learning differently today b/c of the way they use technology, I think we will see that using MORE formative assessments and giving students MORE immediate feedback will be even MORE effective than we think. Students receive immediate feedback all the time from their peers; I think it should be the same with their teachers.
  • Stacey Wigant on 16 Jun 09
     
    Formative assessments vs. summative...meaning of Homework. 21st century skills.
  • Stacey Wigant on 16 Jun 09
     
    Formative assessment.
2More

Iowa Department of Education | Formative Assessment Resources | Assessment, Students, L... - 0 views

www.iowa.gov/...1174 formative assessment ICC
shared by Matt Townsley on 31 May 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    formative assessment resources to be used by DE/AEA to support districts.
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    Formative assessment articles that will be used by DE/AEA to support schools in developing understanding and implementation of ICC's 'assessment for learning' essential characteristic. **Many links aren't working; I have hard copies of articles. Some can be found by Googling, too. A good place to start, I guess.
2More

TKI - Assessment - Teaching and Learning - Formative assessment - 1 views

www.tki.org.nz/...formative_e.php formative assessment
shared by Matt Townsley on 25 Aug 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 25 Aug 09
     
    great links to more "assessment for learning" resources
  • Matt Townsley on 25 Aug 09
     
    great links to more formative assessment resources
2More

Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment) - Iowa Department of Education - 5 views

www.iowa.gov/...index.php assessment formative assessment ICC
shared by Matt Townsley on 17 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 17 Oct 09
     
    assessment for learning resources
  • Matt Townsley on 17 Oct 09
     
    assessment for learning resources
2More

Formative Assessment Cycle in Your Classroom: Your Technology Use? « Educatio... - 1 views

eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/...-classroom-your-technology-use formative assessment
shared by Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09
     
    simple diagram of formative assessment to share with colleagues
  • Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09
     
    simple diagram of formative assessment
2More

Is REAL Formative Assessment Even Possible? - The Tempered Radical - 0 views

teacherleaders.typepad.com/...-assessment-even-possible.html formative assessment billferriter
shared by Matt Townsley on 11 Sep 11 - No Cached
  • Instead, school leaders should ask that teachers meet with ONE collaborative group and one collaborative group only. Then, they should require that collaborative groups make formative assessment a priority. Meetings should focus on studying formative assessment data, creating exemplars, improving rubrics, and designing remediation and enrichment opportunities for kids. The simple truth is teachers just don’t have the time to do formative assessment correctly if their attention is divided between the kinds of traditional meetings we’ve always been required to attend.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 11 Sep 11
       
      Yes!  In my opinion, this should be the #1 priority of every collaborative learning team. 
3More

UI College of Education's Iowa Testing Programs creates Iowa Assessments - 8 views

news-releases.uiowa.edu/...01711new_iowa_assessments.html icc
shared by Matt Townsley on 19 Oct 11 - No Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 19 Oct 11
     
    information about the new Iowa Assessments 
  • Lisa Yoder on 29 Feb 12
     
    This is very interesting. I knew nothing about this and have still been referring to assessments as ITBS when I walk through that section of the IEP about whether a student will take district-wide assessments with or without accommodations. I am glad to know this and I learned several other tidbits including the $ aspect.
  • Kris Ward on 02 Mar 12
     
    There are many assessments the students take throughout the year at our school. The data generated would be interesting reading.
3More

Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom - 0 views

www.nmsa.org/...Default.aspx assessment formative
shared by Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09 - Cached
  • When teachers use sound instructional practice for the purpose of gathering information on student learning, they are applying this information in a formative way. In this sense, formative assessment is pedagogy and clearly cannot be separated from instruction. It is what good teachers do. The distinction lies in what teachers actually do with the information they gather. How is it being used to inform instruction? How is it being shared with and engaging students? It's not teachers just collecting information/data on student learning; it's what they do with the information they collect.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09
       
      well said. I think that putting this into practice will be a challenge. Convincing others that this mentality is where we should be going might be even more of a challenge though. Wow.
  • Matt Townsley on 27 Jul 09
     
    another great write-up on formative assessment; this one comes from a secondary (middle school) source. The driver's license analogy is worth sharing with colleagues, in my opinion.
2More

Assessment for Learning Resources - Iowa Department of Education - 0 views

www.iowa.gov/...index.php formative assessment ICC
shared by Matt Townsley on 31 May 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    Another great starting point for article downloads related to 'assessment for learning.'
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    Assessment for Learning ICC resources; links to articles
2More

YouTube - Assessment For Learning - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch formative assessment
shared by Matt Townsley on 29 Aug 09 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 29 Aug 09
     
    Stiggins on assessment FOR learning. (YouTube video) great "first glance" at this important Iowa Core Curriculum topic.
  • Matt Townsley on 29 Aug 09
     
    stiggins on assessment for learning. youtube video
2More

Using Formative Assessments to Meet Student Needs - ASCD Express 5.09 - 0 views

www.ascd.org/...509_video.aspx formative assessment culture
shared by Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10
     
    Classroom culture + cards + formative assessment = success
  • Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10
     
    Some great commentary on formative assessment here.
5More

Iowa Department of Education 21st Century Skills - 0 views

www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov/ContentArea.aspx Iowa_Core Curriculum Home pln_course
shared by anonymous on 31 May 09 - Cached
  • Friedman
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Have you read Friedman? I have a little...there's also plenty of push-back on this guy's ideas.
  • (1) critical thinking and problem solving; (2) collaboration and leadership; (3) agility and adaptability; (4) initiative and entrepreneurialism; (5) effective oral and written communication; (6) accessing and analyzing information; and (7) curiosity and imagination.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I think these are all great...but think back to the '5 essential characteristics' and formative assessment, etc. How will we be able to "assess" these skills? It's tough to assess these soft skills, in my opinion.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 01 Jun 09
       
      Yes, these are definitely broad topics. What underlying, assessable skills make up these survival skills?
13More

The Changing Face of Education in Iowa: Call for Action: Get Rid of Grades - 5 views

eabbey.blogspot.com/...-action-get-rid-of-grades.html
shared by Russell A on 17 Jun 09 - Cached
  • We never get a chance to have students compare themselves to... themselves. Never to look at how much they have grown, or what they have left to do.
    • Gina Martin
      Gina Martin on 07 Apr 10
       
      This is so true.
    • Lacy Kolpin
      Lacy Kolpin on 07 Apr 10
       
      I find this very interesting and it's such a great point that I took some time to reflect on. As a teacher, I can see how this may benefit some students. Some of them would really enjoying seeing how far they've come or what they don't know yet. Not all of them look at their ITEDs scores and really understand them. I guess this would be a good reason for some form of pre/post testing. I really like the idea of having students take pride in seeing what they've gotten out of the classroom since so many of them degrade themselves and what they're learning anyway....thanks for the food for thought.
    • Karen Waid
      Karen Waid on 08 Apr 10
       
      I teach special education and I compare my students to themselves all the time. The skill areas we work on are charted and monitored twice a month at a minimum. I think it is an extremely valuable tool to have them see a visual of how they have grown (hopefully!) through the year. I agree that grading is subjective in many areas and can be inconsistent. Grades are most important in high school for getting into college and scholarships.
    • Russell A
      Russell A on 10 Apr 10
       
      The way textbooks and goals are set up normally, the tendency would be that students assess themselves against a pre-concieved standard. This will take a lot of re-thinking.
    • Gene McCracken
      Gene McCracken on 09 Apr 10
       
      Many college drop outs have substantial debt - yes kid's expense in more than one way!
    • Susan Sandholm-Petersen
      Susan Sandholm-Petersen on 10 Apr 10
       
      The Iowa World Language Association is working on the materials for a language passport or portfolio which could be used to document what a student knows and can do. This language passport can be used by universities and future employers to attest to a student's competence with a particular language--something that grades don't always show. Perhaps other areas could develop similar tools to showcase a student's competence in that area.
  • K Wolf on 17 Jun 09
     
    Wow...well written. I have been of the same school of thought for some time, but it seems like such an 'out there' concept for so many people.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Julie Schendel on 18 Jun 09
     
    I heard Doug Reeves speak on Monday and he spoke to the very same issue. He offered an activity in which he provided a set of five different grades and asked each individual in the room to "average" them in some fashion and then decide on a final grade. In a room of around 75 educators, individuals took the same grades and came up with As, Bs, Cs and Fs for the same set of five posted grades. Doug's point was that grading is so subjective, inconsistent and doesn't provide useful information to students, parents or others.
  • anonymous on 31 Mar 10
     
    I have never thought of grading being so subjective and inconsistent, but this is very interesting school of thought.
  • Gene McCracken on 09 Apr 10
     
    Pretty far out; I like it. Thinking about the depth to which grades are in the system - credits, transcripts, GPA - both as a sign of progress and or understanding. Also thinking about assessment and grading - assessment of learning versus assessment for learning...... Great post!
  • Julie Schwertley on 14 Apr 10
     
    I often think of how valuable this has been for my own children. They have had a Montesouri education and have been graded on challenging themselves and not compared to the other students. We have now switched back to traditional school and I find that my children are becoming a bit lazy. They now say things like who cares I always get A's. Is this what learning is about? I try to make sure to stress challenging yourself to my own students and I downplay grades.
  • Renee Harmon on 19 Apr 10
     
    Great piece and the discussions we must be having as an education community. AND the discussion we should have with students and parents. Often we have this belief that the status quo is just fine, but often do nothing about challenging our system and how it supports learning as a journey. This concept and discussion should be kept alive and I believe we need to keep this discussion open.
6More

Video: Margaret Heritage - Formative Assessment » Iowa Public Television - 0 views

www.iptv.org/...hss2008_margaretheritage
shared by Brenda McKone on 01 Jun 09 - Cached
  • Formative assessment has been described as the systematic process of gathering student evidence and providing feedback about how learning is progressing while instruction is underway
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      good definition of formative asseseement.
  • This keynote will provide a framework for the rationale and development of formative assessment practices that will make instruction in Iowa secondary settings more focused and effective.
    • Brenda McKone
      Brenda McKone on 09 Jun 09
       
      Got to hear this in person. Lots of good information.
  • Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
     
    The Iowa DE will be contracting with Margaret Heritage for formative assessment as the Iowa Core Curriculum is rolled out. This is a video of a keynote she gave at the 2008 Iowa HS Summit.
  • Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
     
    Margaret Heritage keynote (video) from 2008 Iowa HS Summit
5More

Progress or Procrastination? | AllThingsPLC - 3 views

www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress plc commonassessments
shared by Matt Townsley on 28 Sep 11 - No Cached
  • There is a law in organizational theory called Parkinson’s law which says that work will expand to fill the amount of time we are willing to devote to it.
    • Julie Taylor
      Julie Taylor on 06 Oct 11
       
      Sometimes we work better under pressure and get more done in a shorter amount of time if we know where we are going.
  • Which of my students is still struggling with this essential skill? Which of my students has mastered the essential skill? What is an area in which my students excelled, what strategies led to their success, and how might I share those strategies with my colleagues, and conversely what is an area of weakness where I might seek help from my colleagues? Is there an area where students struggled regardless of the teacher to whom they were assigned and if so, what steps can our team take to address our own professional learning regarding teaching that skill?
  • Teams should create their own assessments rather than using textbooks or commercial assessments and should use performance-based assessments when the skill or concepts requires such an assessment.
  • Matt Townsley on 28 Sep 11
     
    challenging thoughts by Rick DuFour on implementing the PLC philosophy.
1 - 20 of 42 Next › Last »
Showing 20▼ items per page