Soar with the Common CoreCreating Successful Learners and Teachers Through Assessment

Presented by Melissa S. Houck

Before the Core

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In an attempt to prepare students for college or a career, as well as “fly higher” than our international competition, we must rethink how we assess our students.

We must align our curriculum to the Common Core Learning Standards.

We must evaluate the progress of reaching these standards by creating rigorous forms of summative and formative assessments.

We must use the assessment and data from the assessments to continue to plan instruction.

So How Can We Help Students Soar?

-Assessments that are given periodically to gauge how well students are achieving Common Core Learning Standards.

-Tells districts and teachers what students have learned over a period of time and measures the effectiveness of school programs.

-Data from these assessments can be used to drive curriculum to meet Common Core Learning Standards.

-Becomes an indicator of student performance in future assessments.

Summative Assessment

What are some examples of summative assessments?

-Frequent classroom level assessment to adjust teaching strategies and evaluate student progression towards the standards.

-Allows for students to practice and be involved.

-Most formative assessment is informal with prompt and constructive feedback.

Formative Assessment

-With a partner next to you, please share a type of formative assessment you have used or have observed in a classroom environment.

-How did you use this assessment to improve teaching and learning?

Share and Compare

Even though we have shared many ideas, here are a few more we may have missed:

The most important of all formative assessment is DETAILED FEEDBACK.

CONCEPT MAPS PEER/SELF REVIEW PORTFOLIOS RUBRICS GOAL SETTING/ CRITERIA QUESTIONING STRATEGIES OBSERVATIONS DISCUSSION

More On Formative Assessment

In your opinion, which assessment has the greatest impact on teaching and learning? Please explain.

Show growth in students’ work Align to the Common Core Promote creative, and independent thinkers and problem

solvers Give insights to progress toward our target goals Enable students to manage their own learning Help determine student grades Better communicate with parents and teachers across

curriculum Provide information to improve instruction Provide a benchmark for students and teachers toward

achieving excellence Help us evaluate our school programs and their effectiveness Provide variety in assessment to enable students to show

what they know and can do in a variety of ways

Overall, Good Assessment Will…

Create assessment before unit design. Look at already created assessments and

determine what can be used, what should be changed.

Assessment should align to Common Core. Questions on assessment should be

scaffolded to determine gaps in learning. Questions should be rigorous.

Assessment and Unit Design

Both formative and summative assessments are crucial in a balanced curriculum.

We cannot rely heavily on one or the other, each is a “wing” of the educator and school systems. Rely too heavily on one, and the bird will dive, but in balance, it will soar with ease.

Assessment and analysis of that assessment should help our instruction soar.

Balancing the Bird