Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 1 Elementary School

SEOUL FOREIGN SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SESSION 18 October 8-9:30 AM Requests:

Planning for change

Standards based assessment

Rubrics, skills

Who?

WHAT CHANGES ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT?

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

ASSESSMENT IS…

Fundamentally…

Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 2 Elementary School

STANDARDS-BASED ASSESSMENT FEATURES

Each assessment task is designed to collect evidence of one or more specific standards and benchmarks.

Every assessment task is ‘tagged’ with the standards it assesses.

Feedback is given to the learner on each standard.

If a score or grade is required, one is given and recorded for each standard.

Learning experiences following assessment are driven by the result for each standards and therefore differentiated.

Assessment tasks are designed before teaching begins.

Learning results are recorded and reported by standard rather than as a holistic grade for a subject

A bank of ‘anchor samples’, representing ‘meeting the standard’ are maintained and used for grade level moderation and continuously shared vertically.

Strategies are in place both for those who are struggling to meet standards as well as for those who have already met them

RUBRICS

A rubric is:

Two purposes:

Holistic Analytic

A rubric should: Myth Truth 1. Always have an even number of performance levels.

2. Be written using real work samples as a guide.

3. Describe the most essential features of the task

4. Describe genuine excellence.

5. Use educational language as understood by teachers.

6. Be used for self-assessment after the teacher has evaluated the work.

http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/ http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 3 Elementary School

ELEMENTARY CRITERIA FOR EXCELLENT WRITING

1. I used many interesting words. • • • • • •

2. Every sentence starts with a different word. • • • • • •

3. When people read my writing, they are interested and don’t seem bored.

• • • • • •

4. I know I was clear because when I ask the reader questions, he can answer them correctly.

• • • • • •

5. My spelling made it easy for the reader to read my work. • • • • • •

Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 4 Elementary School

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TOOL BOX

DEVELOPING THE CURRICULUM How do I best lead the development of the curriculum in my team?

CAN I: Yes Not yet

1. Lead the process of writing or confirming what learning outcomes will form the curriculum in my department/grade level?

2. Provide guidance and advice on how to write each part of a unit plan or scheme of work?

3. Lead and advise on the process of aligning assessments with curricular intended learnings?

IMPLEMENTING CURRICULUM How do I best lead the process of implementing the curriculum?

CAN I: Yes Not Yet

1. Lead the process of helping team members establish a shared understanding of what ‘meeting standards’ looks like?

2. Provide team members guidance on differentiating instruction so all can achieve the intended learning outcomes?

3. Lead the process of defining and monitoring essential instructional strategies for our department or grade level?

4. Lead the process of creating common assessments across our department or grade level?

5. Ensure the team always has access to the latest research on teaching and learning in our subject/grade level?

6. Model teaching strategies relevant to the curricular areas our team is responsible for?

MONITORING THE CURRICULUM How do I best lead the process of ensuring that students are achieving curricular standards?

Can I: Yes Not yet

1. Lead the process of adopting and using protocols for regularly looking at student work within our department/grade level?

2. Lead and advise on the process of analyzing learning results, including classroom and common assessments and making decisions about what to do with the data, including how to modify the curriculum?

3. Provide meaningful feedback to team members on specific teaching and assessment strategies?

Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 5 Elementary School

ASSESSMENT PRACTICES RUBRIC

SUPPORT LEARNING FOR FEW STUDENTS SUPPORT LEARNING FOR SOME STUDENTS SUPPORT LEARNING FOR MOST STUDENTS

COLLECTING EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

1. The majority of assessments are a poor match for the learning being assessed.

2. There is rarely reference to specific intended learning on chunk assessment tasks.

3. Written tests are the norm even for learnings which are not readily assessed this way.

4. Assessment tasks are rarely differentiated. 5. Assessments tasks are misaligned with what

was taught in the classroom. 6. Common assessments are non-existent. 7. Assessment takes are often design only after

a unit has been taught. 8. Pre-assessment is non-existent. 9. There is little or no ongoing-assessment.

1. There is a general sense that assessment should align with learning but the practice is random.

2. While not a required practice, most teachers list the learning standards to be assessed on each ‘chunk’ assessment.

3. Assessments may occasionally assess learning that was not taught...

4. There is a wide range of assessment in use, but more for the sake of variety than alignment.

5. Differentiated tasks are evident in some classrooms. 6. Some grade level teams and departments are using

common assessments, but there are few guidelines. 7. Contextual tasks are in use only sparingly. 8. Pre-assessment is administered only very occasionally –

no policy requires it. 9. On-going assessment is in place by some teachers, but

the deeper understanding that it is an enabler for learning is not widespread.

1. All assessments are aligned with the intended learning (standards/benchmarks).

2. Tasks routinely collect evidence of the most important learning.

3. Assessments tasks are routinely designed ahead of teaching.

4. Many tasks assess ‘in context’. 5. Curriculum documents include a full repertoire of on-going

assessment tasks for teacher to select from. 6. All ‘chunk’ assessments are clearly tagged with the

intended learning, drawn from the school wide set of intended leaning (standards/benchmarks).

7. Assessment tasks are regularly differentiated. 8. There is a clear ‘map’ of common assessment tasks. 9. Pre-assessment is routine. 10. Most teachers use on-going assessment strategies ( no

hands up, exit cards, one minute essay. etc) routinely and show from their practice that they understand it essential role; policy is in place and monitored that commits all to routine use.

FEEDBACK TO LEARNERS

1. There are no protocols guiding the timing, type of required use of feedback.

2. Assessment is viewed largely as a way to audit learning, not as an improvement process.

3. Grades are viewed as adequate feedback for most learning.

1. The role of feedback is understood by some. 2. Some protocols are in place to guide its use. 3. A suggested time frame for the return of work may be in

place. 4. Some teachers may be recording anecdotal evidence from

their informal feedback. 5. There may be a list of suggested ways of offering

feedback. 6. Grades are often a preferred form of feedback, with other

forms used at teacher discretion.

1. There are clear protocols guiding the timing and type of required feedback.

2. Clear guidelines for the return of work are in place. 3. Teachers fully understand that learning cannot happen

without feedback. 4. Learners are consistently given feedback they can act on

and are permitted by policy to do so WITHOUT PENALTY. 5. Feedback is at the center of the discussions about

improving assessment.

Seoul Foreign School Oct. 2012 6 Elementary School

EVALUATING EVIDENCE 1. Learners typically are unaware of learning

expectations. 2. Learners are heavily reliant on teachers to know

if and to what extent they are learning. 3. Teachers use their own criteria to determine

‘grades’. 4. Grade averaging and the use of zeros are

widespread. 5. Although there is a school-wide grading scheme,

there is no common understanding of what each grade represents

6. Only academic, easy to assess learning is evaluated.

7. 'No second chances' is the predominant theme. 8. ‘Penalty’ is a strong part of the assessment ethos.

1. Many teachers use criteria and rubrics, but there are no school wide guidelines.

2. Self assessment is occasionally a feature on tasks. 3. Exemplars are inn use but there is disagreement about

whether they stifle creativity. 4. Department and grade level teams have established some

guidelines for what grades mean. 5. Individual teaches may give learners ‘second chances’ but

there are no guidelines, 6. Many learners would say that teachers are pretty much in

charge of the evaluation process. 7. Most of the learning evaluated is based in the curricular

standards. 8. Learners occasionally have second opportunities to show

their learning, but it is not routine. 9. There is a sense that learning is less successful in a culture

of penalty, but practice is random.

1. Learners are fully aware of what is expected of them. 2. Learners are full participants in the evaluation process. 3. Exemplars, rubrics and criteria are in routine use and given

to students ahead of teaching. 4. There are shared rubrics for trans disciplinary outcomes. 5. There are clear guidelines on what is meant by each ‘grade’

and continual examination of work products and processes to refresh understanding.

6. There is no grade averaging or use of zeros in grading. 7. There is as much emphasis student dispositions as on

academic learning. 8. Self-assessment is a standard, required feature for all

assessment. 9. Evaluation is ALWAYS criteria-based – comparing learning

to the curricular standards. 10. Learners routinely, by policy, have second and third

opportunities to show evidence of their learning WITHOUT PENALTY.

RECORDING EVIDENCE

1. There is no systematic process for recording evidence of learning. Teachers feel they need to generate grades just to have something to report on.

2. Records are kept according to types of tasks rather than types of learning.

3. Records are often sparse. 4. Records are often just mechanical. 5. Assignments are often considered full assessments

1. Grade levels/departments have agreed on similar ways to record learning.

2. Many teachers may keep anecdotal records. 3. Teacher may still be struggling with how much to record. 4. Teachers are recording evidence of learning primarily by

task type, not specific learning. 5. Records of dispositions and big understandings are sparse

but attempted.

1. There is a full, systematic, shared process for recording evidence of learning.

2. Teachers record only the evidence which fully supports progress.

3. Records are kept according to learning standards. 4. There are a variety of forms of record keeping addressing

the four types of learning. 5. There is a clear distinction between work that is strong

evidence of learning and work that is practice.

COMMUNICATING EVIDENCE

1. Results of learning are given on single subjects. 2. Reports are frequently made when it is too late

to make adjustments 3. Results of assessment are commonly misused. 4. Learning results are typically not used to adjust

teaching,

1. Traditional reporting processes are in place (report cards at set time, progress reports, parent conferences.)

2. Set report times, rather than learner needs, drive the reporting practice.

3. Most reporting processes are aimed at parents, possibly next schools.

1. All forms of reporting are based on specific learning. 2. Learning results are communicated when then is still time

to act on them. 3. Learning results are consistently used to modify teaching. 4. All reports are’ action’ oriented, suggesting next steps for

learners and teachers.