Moderation P-12

Loddon Mallee Region

‘Breakthrough Framework’

• Assessment FormativeSummative

• Moderation• Planning

Outline

Assessment

…comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do with and for students and not to students.

Green, 1998

John Hattie. University of Auckland

• The most powerful single moderator that enhances achievement is feedback.

• The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops of feedback.’

In particular, this should be about:• how and why the student understands and

misunderstands• what directions the student must take to improve.

Professor David Pearson. Berkeley University, California.• “It could be fun…..if we could get this assessment problem on

its ear, get it right, make it an ally of teaching and learning rather than an enemy.”

• “Assessment is something you do to and for yourself because it helps you outgrow your current self.”

• “Tests are a means to an end… their value is measured by the degree to which they allow us to make good decisions and provide good instruction. They are not the ends themselves. They are NOT curriculum.”

International Reading Association Conference. Auckland. 2010

Richard Elmore. Instructional Core

TEACHER STUDENT

CONTENTPoints of entry for improvement of instruction.

The culture is present in the academic tasks that students are asked to do.

The Task

The task predicts performance

Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment.• In 1998 Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam of Kings College

London published their wide-ranging analysis of research into classroom-based assessment:

Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment

http://www.collegenet.co.uk/admin/download/inside%20the%20black%20box_23_doc.pdf

The value of formative assessment Activity• Read the article• Highlight 3 key statements• So What

Inside the Black Box Black and Wiliam’s research indicates that improving

learning through assessment depends on five deceptively simple factors:

– Providing effective feedback to students. – Students’ active involvement in their own learning.– Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of

assessment.– Recognising the profound influence of assessment on

students’ motivation and self-esteem … both crucial influences on learning.

– Ensuring pupils assess themselves and understand how to improve.

Inside the Black Box

Implications for Classroom Practice.

• Sharing learning goals with students

• Involving students in self-assessment

• Providing feedback that helps students recognise their next steps and how to take them

• Being confident that every student can improve

IS THERE STILL WORK TO BE DONE AROUND THIS TODAY, 10 YEARS LATER?

Black & Wiliam 2009Key Strategies of FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT• Engineering effective classroom discussion, questions

& tasks that elicit evidence of learning• Providing feedback that moves learners forward• Clarifying and sharing learning intentions & criteria for

success• Activating students as owners of their own learning• Activating students as instructional resources for one

another

What are Summative and Formative Assessments?

The garden analogyIf we think of our children as plants …

Summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply measuring them. It might be interesting to compare and analyse measurements but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of the plants.

Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the equivalent of feeding and watering the plants appropriate to their needs - directly affecting their growth.

Shirley Clarke “Unlocking Formative Assessment” ( 2001)

Formative Assessment

“… often means no more than that the assessment is carried out frequently and is planned at the same time as teaching.” (Black and Wiliam, 1999)

“… provides feedback which leads to students recognising the (learning) gap and closing it … it is forward looking …” (Harlen, 1998)

“ … includes both feedback and self-monitoring.” (Sadler)

“… is used essentially to feed back into the teaching and learning process.” (Tunstall and Gipps, 1996)

Summative Assessment

“… assessment (that) has increasingly been used to sum up learning” (Black and Wiliam, 1999)

“… looks at past achievements

“… adds procedures or tests to existing work

“... involves only marking and feedback grades to student

“… is separated from teaching

“… is carried out at intervals when achievement has to be summarised and reported.” (Harlen, 1998)

Web resources

It is widely and empirically argued that formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement.

http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/default.aspShow sample on this site... Feature Article

http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Assessment-for-learning

ModerationTeaching conversations• Teachers learn from each other so curriculum and

pedagogical content knowledge improves. • Professional learning needs can be identified when

analysing the achievement data through the moderation.

• Classroom teaching and learning programmes can be adjusted to meet student learning needs.

• Individual and collective student achievement trends become clearer.

Moderation • http://assessment.tki.org.nz/ModerationWhat is moderation?

Moderation is the process of teachers sharing their expectations and understanding of standards with each other in order to improve the consistency of their decisions about student learning.The moderation process helps teachers make dependable decisions about student progress and achievement. It improves decisions at one point in time, as well as over time.Schools use moderation processes to increase assessment dependability.

• The moderation process• The moderation process begins with the planning of teaching, learning and assessment. • Moderation involves a group of teachers discussing evidence of student learning. • Assessments of the evidence are made using specific shared criteria. • The criteria may be exemplified through annotated examples and other national/state/ resources• Moderation may involve teachers within a group, within a school or from different schools.

Schools design their moderation processes to suit their situation and needs. They consider factors such as:• the purpose, learning area and context of the moderation • the size of the school • the number of student samples to be included • how the moderation will occur over time • how the school will document their moderation processes as part of their assessment procedure.

Key Characteristics of Effective Literacy Instruction P-6

http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/keycharliteracyp6.pdf

Assessment.Regularly collect and analyse student writing samples.

Protocol for Moderation.

When Listening to Others’ Thinking:

• Listen without judging • Tune in to differences in perspective• Use controversy as an opportunity to explore and

understand each other's perspectives. • Focus on understanding where different

interpretations come from• Make your own thinking clear to others• Be patient and persistent.

Process

Groups of 3Samples of Persuasive Text are (vaguely)• Early Stage of Schooling• Middle Years• Later YearsPackage: Samples of several students, VELS Standard Statements, Progression Points, ADAPTED Naplan Persuasive

Criteria, VCE Criteria,

Process• Group select one student’s text• Read carefully, looking for strengths and weaknesses• Which VELS standard do you think is best fit at this

early stage?• Use the adapted Naplan Persuasive Criteria and look for evidence of criteria (purple record sheet)• Best fit with Progression Point/VELS Standard• Indicate on the sample where the teaching needs to

go for this student (student unknown! One sample! Not like this in your schools)

• Choose another sample…

Process contPlace moderated samples on continuum P-12

Browse/ponder continuum

• REFLECTION: Spend 10 minutes thinking re your school writing assessment and develop an action plan to support rich conversations/moderation of writing

Now What?

Discussion re process

Examples of annotated expositions• http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/

School Literacy PlanYour school Literacy Plan will need adjustment for 2011.

Now is the time to reflect, using all sources of information to ensure PRECISE data: individual students, cohorts, teams, whole school , staff, individual teachers.

What are we going to do in the first 6 weeks?

What are we going to do around literacy leadership?

ReferencesKey Characteristics of Effective Literacy DEECDhttp://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/keycharliteracyp6.pdf

Inside The Black Box. Black & Wiliamhttp://www.collegenet.co.uk/admin/download/inside%20the%20black%20box_23_doc.pdf

TKI. New Zealand Ministry of Education websitehttp://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Assessment-for-learning

Assessment for Learning. Australian Curriculum Corporation websitehttp://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/default.asp