“If you know why, you’ll figure out how.” –Unknown
“Always share the why before the what.” –Donna Moss, brilliant educator and friend
Always Remember the Why
Topic: Assessment Architecture
Assessment and Behavior: Sharing the Evidence
Following some recent work with a school, I was presented with this question:
How does participation and dressing out for physical education fit into a standards-based grading system?
3Summative Assessment Timing
“The strongest of all warriors are these two – Time and Patience.” Leo Tolstoy
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.” Mahatma Gandhi Read more
1Assessment is Learning
How is the word assessment perceived in the eyes of students? Is it viewed as a tool such as a test, paper, or project, or a process to gather information? Furthermore, how is it perceived in the eyes of teachers? It is critical to get everyone on the same page with regard to the perception and purpose of assessment. Read more
But, I already know which of my students needs help!
When I work with teachers who are writing and using formative assessments in their instructional practices, they will sometimes tell me that while they understand how important formative assessment is, they also feel that they are wasting instructional time because they already know which of their students have learned the targets being assessed. They say that some students always need help, and others have asked questions during the instruction that show they don’t even have a basic understanding of the target being taught. For these students, they wonder why they should even give them the formative assessment. Read more
2Do Your Assessments Pass the ACID Test?
It’s been well-established in the literature around professional learning communities that team-developed common assessments can serve as powerful tools to monitor students’ level of proficiency in the essential standards (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, and Mattos 2016). Read more
The Most Important Three-Letter Word in Assessment Practice
Think of any group of thirty people whose only commonality is their age. Would it be reasonable to expect that each member of that group has the same ability in mathematics? That they all read at the same level with the same fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary? They all have the same writing ability and can produce high-level prose on any topic? Would they all demonstrate the same self-regulation in social situations? I think we can readily agree it would be folly to make those broad assumptions. Read more
Overcoming the Assessment Practices of our Youth
As a classroom teacher I studied, routinely, how to become a better teacher. I constantly questioned how I could improve instruction so that the students I was teaching could learn at high levels. It was important for me to improve my craft so that I could help my students maximize their potential. When I became a campus administrator I began thinking about my teaching in a different way.
Test-Taking Practice? Is it Good Practice?
Since schools and districts transitioned to using the Common Core standards, I’ve been asked a number of times to show teachers how to write questions similar to the new high stakes tests. For example, PARCC has three different types of ELA items: Evidence-based selected response questions, technology-enhanced constructed response items, and prose-constructed response items.
1Mobilization or Debilitation? Discussing Evidence with Grace and Dignity
“Teacher collaboration in strong professional learning communities improves the quality and equity of student learning, promotes discussions that are grounded in evidence and analysis rather than opinion, and fosters collective responsibility for student success.”
McLaughlin & Talbert (2006)