Ms Muhl's Formative and Summative Assessment Blog
First things first:
Purpose - student
Design -effective communication & student
Target- student
Lesson One:
Introduction to Formative Instructional Practices
Why use Formative Practices: Video: click here
My reflection on Formative Instructional Practices: Using formative assessment in my classroom has created an environment of openness and clarity. We are all aware of what we need to know and how well we want to do something and want the same progress for our neighbor. We are growing and helping each other and the dialogue about how to reach learning targets is clear and the process is varied for each student depending upon their learning style, abilities and motivation levels. I have enjoyed this process very much because many students have grown in their knowledge of self and acceptance of each others own learning styles and struggles. The students feel safe and willing to try new things and answer all questions regardless of whether they are right or wrong, always wanting the best outcome for themselves and others!
Lesson Two:
Clear Learning Targets
Video about Learning Targets as described by kids, click here
What happens without learning targets! click here try not to laugh too hard!
Video with a teacher using a learning target environment, click here!
My Reflection: A lesson I did last week on the difference between Affect and Effect. I used a story about a cloud raining and then thunder hitting tree and how the thunder affected the tree. The tree died from getting hit by lightening. The effect of lightening was the death of the tree. I drew this story on the Smart Board. I TOLD THEM THE TARGET WAS TO LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO WORDS. The problem I ran into was that the previous learning of the difference between nouns and verbs is still not clear in their own minds.
So I had to back up and go to more generalized words that are nouns and the difference between them and verbs. Parts of Speech really challenges them. We watched a video that did a nice job explaining and giving visuals and then they went back to the target learning goal and worked on a handout I gave them that made them apply this with their group. This ended up taking two day to learn with my homeroom class because many of them are struggling with basic reading skills. I held my small groups to clarify anything that students needed help with for the next two days. :)
We assessed the target goal by asking them to draw a picture that shows the difference and label it to show the difference, then explain it to their neighbor, and have their neighbor rate their understanding with a one, two or three level of understanding of what their partner taught them.
2. Use an appropriate sample size.
3. Write and/or select only high quality assessments, items tasks or scoring rubrics.
4. Control for Bias
Considering the above design requirements, I find my most difficult challenge in writing or selecting high quality assessments every time for every learning target. Time management and resources seem to plague my ability for various reasons. Some of these things are controlled by accessing my colleagues for materials or ideas, using research skills and finding out what others are doing or have done, and making my work more manageable by breaking the standards down to the appropriate sample size. This is sometimes not clear to me how to manage that piece.
My strengths lie in my ability to reasons and gather evidence, analyze it and make decisions about where to go next in the process. I find assessments that I believe are fair and give me information or data about how to move to the next level of learning I know we have to go to. I am not always aware of the language necessary to communicate my knowledge of FIP. I do many things inherently because I know my students very well. Learning new language to adapt to this new content standard is not my strength, but adapting it once I have understood how it relates to what I already do is a strength.
Four Design Requirements Reflection:
1. Select the assessment methods to match the learning target you are teaching.2. Use an appropriate sample size.
3. Write and/or select only high quality assessments, items tasks or scoring rubrics.
4. Control for Bias
Considering the above design requirements, I find my most difficult challenge in writing or selecting high quality assessments every time for every learning target. Time management and resources seem to plague my ability for various reasons. Some of these things are controlled by accessing my colleagues for materials or ideas, using research skills and finding out what others are doing or have done, and making my work more manageable by breaking the standards down to the appropriate sample size. This is sometimes not clear to me how to manage that piece.
My strengths lie in my ability to reasons and gather evidence, analyze it and make decisions about where to go next in the process. I find assessments that I believe are fair and give me information or data about how to move to the next level of learning I know we have to go to. I am not always aware of the language necessary to communicate my knowledge of FIP. I do many things inherently because I know my students very well. Learning new language to adapt to this new content standard is not my strength, but adapting it once I have understood how it relates to what I already do is a strength.
Lesson Three:
Collecting and Documenting Evidence of Student Learning
Video about Collecting Evidence of Learning click here
My reflection on Collecting and Documenting Evidence of Learning:
Currently I am collecting evidence from a variety of places such as classroom work, observations and notes I make on Pensieve and sticky notes about a child as well as checklists for scores and marks for progress. I am also collecting data from Quia quizzes I assign for pre-tests, mid-mark assessments like exit slips and final summative assessments or performance assessments. I also take and collect evidence from writings and dialogue I have with the kids. Another venue for this formative assessment which sometimes turns into Summative Assessments are study island reviews, quizzes and evaluations I assign them either as a class or as individuals if I see needs arise in their other work in class. Collecting work and keeping evidence in a folder or box that I can refer back to with the student to see what they produced from one part of the year to the next. This helps us with dialogue about growth and what they are doing better at that they didn't do well with before! Little celebration of growth make everyone in the class feel better and my non-motivated learners are interested in participating because they want a part of this action. It is a win win, but the downfall is the time, I run out of time to do everything necessary to make my data collection really clear to a substitute. I am hoping to make this part of my work better and more professional from this course.
Reflection on Documenting Evidence for my Students in my Classes:
I have found that this is the most difficult piece to formative assessment versus summative assessment. I have used checklists to keep track of student progress and feedback on a daily basis with work in small or large groups. I use Progress Book to keep track of Summative assessments that I know show the measures for where the students are at today in this moment in time. I use Quia to find out how practices are going, pretests or other data I am collecting. I also find Study Island to be great formative data and sometimes very good at giving me summative data on skills we have targeted.
Reflection on Documenting Evidence for my Students in my Classes:
I have found that this is the most difficult piece to formative assessment versus summative assessment. I have used checklists to keep track of student progress and feedback on a daily basis with work in small or large groups. I use Progress Book to keep track of Summative assessments that I know show the measures for where the students are at today in this moment in time. I use Quia to find out how practices are going, pretests or other data I am collecting. I also find Study Island to be great formative data and sometimes very good at giving me summative data on skills we have targeted.
Lesson Four:
Analyzing Evidence and Providing Effective Feedback
Target Goal for this Lesson:
Target Goal for this Lesson:
1. Know how to use methods of assessment formatively in order to anaylze evidence of student learning.
2. Understand what makes feedback effective.
3. Know how to provide effective feedback.
Reflection: How do I use evidence that I collected from the four different assessment methods. (selected response, written reponse, personal feedback, performance assessment)
I use the evidence from selected response to see if they have the knowledge I was targeting, I sue the written response to see if they internalized this knowledge and can repeat it back to me in a meaningful way and then if this was not clear I re-teach in small group or individually I give feedback about this writing, I use personal feedback through the entire processing time of the target goal, students are in small group with me or see me during IE for clarifications and extra enrichment if they seem to know more than expected. I use performance assessments to grasp whether or not they can synthesize, evaluate and analyze their work, recreating something meaningful that shows their knowledge on the target as well as the evidence they are thinking and able to work with the target by themselves and while interacting with peers and myself.
Reflection:
How do I use evidence from selected response questions to analyze my student's learning?
I use it to find out if they understood the target or not. Then I decide what to reteach or who to pull aside and reteach in more effective way depending on learning needs.
Using evidence from written response is used to analyze where in the process of the learning target the student lies. Mr. Wagner, in the example given, could use his exit slip to decide upon which areas of the standards are still in need of instruction, guidance or any other ideas they may be misguided or incorrect on. Many times I see incorrect ideas or analyses from their writing that I have to correct the next day. :)
Using personal communication is ongoing and daily. It is a part of learning and getting to know the way my students think and feel about learning and the targets I am trying to teach them. I find out what varying needs they have and how to best educate them on the target.
Feedback Reflection in my classroom:
The kind of feedback that usually helps me includes pointing out both the areas I am good at and the things I seem to struggle with. The feedback that critiques or makes me think can be frustrating to me if I don't have clues or the person doesn't understand what I already know. Assuming I know things already makes me angry and then I don't learn well and will give up.
When giving my student's feedback I like to consider this before I begin talking to them and I often ask them what do they already know and what kinds of things do they still wonder about or have questions with. Like, is there a part of this that is confusing you? Then I begin there to get them to open up and we talk about what things they are doing right and what things need to be corrected from the learning target.
The strategies that work best for me in using rubrics or other personal feedback include highlighting their ideas then mine to see where we are off and what things we are congruent in. I like this because it builds confidence in them and helps me figure out where they are and where to go!
Reflection: How do I use evidence that I collected from the four different assessment methods. (selected response, written reponse, personal feedback, performance assessment)
I use the evidence from selected response to see if they have the knowledge I was targeting, I sue the written response to see if they internalized this knowledge and can repeat it back to me in a meaningful way and then if this was not clear I re-teach in small group or individually I give feedback about this writing, I use personal feedback through the entire processing time of the target goal, students are in small group with me or see me during IE for clarifications and extra enrichment if they seem to know more than expected. I use performance assessments to grasp whether or not they can synthesize, evaluate and analyze their work, recreating something meaningful that shows their knowledge on the target as well as the evidence they are thinking and able to work with the target by themselves and while interacting with peers and myself.
Reflection:
How do I use evidence from selected response questions to analyze my student's learning?
I use it to find out if they understood the target or not. Then I decide what to reteach or who to pull aside and reteach in more effective way depending on learning needs.
Using evidence from written response is used to analyze where in the process of the learning target the student lies. Mr. Wagner, in the example given, could use his exit slip to decide upon which areas of the standards are still in need of instruction, guidance or any other ideas they may be misguided or incorrect on. Many times I see incorrect ideas or analyses from their writing that I have to correct the next day. :)
Using personal communication is ongoing and daily. It is a part of learning and getting to know the way my students think and feel about learning and the targets I am trying to teach them. I find out what varying needs they have and how to best educate them on the target.
Feedback Reflection in my classroom:
The kind of feedback that usually helps me includes pointing out both the areas I am good at and the things I seem to struggle with. The feedback that critiques or makes me think can be frustrating to me if I don't have clues or the person doesn't understand what I already know. Assuming I know things already makes me angry and then I don't learn well and will give up.
When giving my student's feedback I like to consider this before I begin talking to them and I often ask them what do they already know and what kinds of things do they still wonder about or have questions with. Like, is there a part of this that is confusing you? Then I begin there to get them to open up and we talk about what things they are doing right and what things need to be corrected from the learning target.
The strategies that work best for me in using rubrics or other personal feedback include highlighting their ideas then mine to see where we are off and what things we are congruent in. I like this because it builds confidence in them and helps me figure out where they are and where to go!
Lesson Five:
Student Ownership of Learning: Peer Feedback, Self-Assessment and More
Part One:
Student Ownership and Peer Feedback
Reflection of Peer Feedback and how I use it in my classroom. It is completely set up at the beginning of the year that all my students are graders and evaluators of themselves and their neighbors in order to grow and get the most out of their learning. At any given moment, I can ask them to turn and share with their group the rubric or the target and check each other to see if they are on target with where we are headed in mastery. They know that we don't leave anyone behind and we celebrate everyone's successes. We peer edit everything, but most recently an example I have been using is peer editing writing and blogs in Moodle. Students upload their work and critique each other's writing giving advice to their peers according to aspects or targets we are working on. This process has helped them be more comfortable with helping each other and showing each other their various skills that they have learned or asking a peer if there is anything more they might add or need to their work. The blog I am working on is also allowing them to dialogue for homework and discuss various classroom target goals in a peer environment monitored by me. It has been good for them to see each other's ideas as well as strengths and weakness in a non threatening fun way. I have experienced a lot of success with this process.
Part Two:
Self Assessment
My reflection on Self Assessment:
I have used a variety to self assessment tools. One tool I used this week was the one with the vocabulary words written in a column and then a checklist of three columns that say: I know this Word!, I think I know this Word, and I really don't Know this word? and they assess their basic knowledge of each word or word part before they start learning and again when they are done. This has been very motivating to them when they see how much they grew after the fact.
Part Three
Setting Goals:
I help my students set goals everyday by planning with them ways they are going to or think they can achieve the target. We discuss how long it will take, what resources they need and who they think will help them make this a reality. I find goal setting to work phenomenally well in group projects during social studies or in Reading Circle activities. I could practice more using goal setting with other things, but I am struggling with some of my scaffolding of materials so students can reach their goals more easily. At time, the work is very difficult for some students in my homeroom and our time frame isn't met, but eventually with perseverence our goals and targets are met.
Part Four:
Tracking their Own Progress:
My students are used to tracking and keeping evidence of their growth. One area they are especially good at doing this is in their writing. Every week we write a speedwrite or a fastwrite. They keep track of their number of words in the timed writing and their number of times they changed topic. They plot this growth on a chart and make decisions about what to change in the next writing and what helped them be successful in the past to include in the future. We use the charts to record and visualize this growth and share them with peers and of course parents and teachers. This process has allowed them to include the same idea in other areas of learning, but I am in need of more ways to include this type of ownership into other parts of their school day. AT this time, I am very pleased with their ability to work this into their learning process and hope to do more with the new standards.
Part One:
Student Ownership and Peer Feedback
Reflection of Peer Feedback and how I use it in my classroom. It is completely set up at the beginning of the year that all my students are graders and evaluators of themselves and their neighbors in order to grow and get the most out of their learning. At any given moment, I can ask them to turn and share with their group the rubric or the target and check each other to see if they are on target with where we are headed in mastery. They know that we don't leave anyone behind and we celebrate everyone's successes. We peer edit everything, but most recently an example I have been using is peer editing writing and blogs in Moodle. Students upload their work and critique each other's writing giving advice to their peers according to aspects or targets we are working on. This process has helped them be more comfortable with helping each other and showing each other their various skills that they have learned or asking a peer if there is anything more they might add or need to their work. The blog I am working on is also allowing them to dialogue for homework and discuss various classroom target goals in a peer environment monitored by me. It has been good for them to see each other's ideas as well as strengths and weakness in a non threatening fun way. I have experienced a lot of success with this process.
Part Two:
Self Assessment
My reflection on Self Assessment:
I have used a variety to self assessment tools. One tool I used this week was the one with the vocabulary words written in a column and then a checklist of three columns that say: I know this Word!, I think I know this Word, and I really don't Know this word? and they assess their basic knowledge of each word or word part before they start learning and again when they are done. This has been very motivating to them when they see how much they grew after the fact.
Part Three
Setting Goals:
I help my students set goals everyday by planning with them ways they are going to or think they can achieve the target. We discuss how long it will take, what resources they need and who they think will help them make this a reality. I find goal setting to work phenomenally well in group projects during social studies or in Reading Circle activities. I could practice more using goal setting with other things, but I am struggling with some of my scaffolding of materials so students can reach their goals more easily. At time, the work is very difficult for some students in my homeroom and our time frame isn't met, but eventually with perseverence our goals and targets are met.
Part Four:
Tracking their Own Progress:
My students are used to tracking and keeping evidence of their growth. One area they are especially good at doing this is in their writing. Every week we write a speedwrite or a fastwrite. They keep track of their number of words in the timed writing and their number of times they changed topic. They plot this growth on a chart and make decisions about what to change in the next writing and what helped them be successful in the past to include in the future. We use the charts to record and visualize this growth and share them with peers and of course parents and teachers. This process has allowed them to include the same idea in other areas of learning, but I am in need of more ways to include this type of ownership into other parts of their school day. AT this time, I am very pleased with their ability to work this into their learning process and hope to do more with the new standards.
Faciliator Training Discussion and Notes
Discussion Begins:
Clear Target Goals: Reviewing the modules and what were the strengths and weaknesses about the standards. One thing that was noticed was that we are expanding on what we already know about Learning Targets. The session/module gave us information that helped us make our targets clear and allows us to make our learning successful. Our analysis of what we are doing right now at CIS is that we need to unpack the standards together and see them through collaboratively rather then trying to do this individually. We need to look at the I can - targets as a group and have time to work through these as a school, or a team of teachers by subject, etc.
A need to organize all this material with an overall process. As a team a target for us to help us give this information to others in a clear way. What is the big picture of this process so that it is clear and understood about where we are headed.
Module Three - How to assess the learning targets and switch from traditional thinking of quizzes and the idea of how to use the data you collect. I am thinking that what helped me most about this is that it is small bits. Doing the learning target, test question numbers, etc... giving a pretest, etc. Teachers across the district are beginning to think this way.
Module Four and Five: Student Ownership - lots of downloads available there. no comments.. my reflection on this was that I felt this module was very helpful and it helped me realize that I am doing this already and it does work. I would like to expand it and do it with more things I do, but I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of prep it takes to organize all these things ahead of time, Language Arts teachers are overwhelmed right now.
How to make this attractive to others: not to make it one more thing, discussions about how to make this strong and help us become efficient about this. Having FIP seem like a help mate rather then another job to do. Sue shared her conversation about FIP and how another teacher noticed after reviewing the FIP site that she found the information helpful. :) Also discussed how the targets are attractive to kids and they look for them. Teachers were asked at CIS to just log in and check it out. Most of the teachers are logged in. :) Knowing the big picture.
Click here for PDF article from Batelle on the Big Picture and Unpacking Standards to Targets
Video about kids unpacking standards: click here
Push back: how to handle this - issue with state exams changing and the actual tests that are being made by the state are not compatible. So the actual state is not in alignment, however, we are expected to manage these materials and take a test that is not in line with targets we are expected to teach.
I don't have time???? this is how I feel.. I found this as an answer from ASCD,
Yes, but... I don't have time to unpack the standards. I am too busy trying to get my students ready for the big test.
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As important as it is, unpacking the standards does take some time. But once you determine whether a standard is asking for content or procedural mastery, you can actually save yourself time because you will only focus on the skills or knowledge that is required by the standard. You will inevitably find that some of the things that you are doing to get your students ready to pass the big test are not actually moving students towards mastery of the standards on which they will be tested. So taking time to unpack the standards will actually help you be more efficient in your preparation for the test.
You don't have to unpack them all at once. Start by going one unit at a time. Even if you don't significantly alter your lesson planning at first, at least by unpacking the standards you can start to think differently and more strategically about how you teach and the learning activities you use. from :
Formative Practices as a Leader
Reflection on the Three Statements:
My first choice:
The leader understands the necessity of clear academic achievement standards, aligned classroom-level
achievement targets, and their relationship to the development of accurate assessments.
I understand that when all these things are in order it is more likely that learning and mastery of student material will occur. At this point in my journey, I am working very hard to make sure that targets are aligned to the common core standards as best as I can. The most daunting thing about this task is that it takes a lot of time and I believe it should be a collaborative effort with staff teaching the same standards. As it is now, we have some like ideas, but need collaborate time to put everything in place. I realize that all three of these necessities will ensure that all students will have the opportunity to learn.
My second choice:
The leader analyzes student assessment information accurately, uses the information to improve curriculum and instruction, and assists teachers in doing the same.
At this point in my understanding of formative assessment practices I am capable of analyzing student data from the various points I am taking evidence from their learning. I can use this information to improve the instruction from the curriculum and guide my students through the targets successfully. Analyzing the data from various points, such as their quia games, their classroom work, the Pensieve work I am doing with the Daily Five data as well as other products or assessments the students are working on. I also am available to assist any teacher with my processes and the analysis of my work and to look at theirs with reasonable success. The Language Arts team has created Redbook hours where we have collaborated on various practices and shared our analysis and what is working and not working. I organized the first Redbook and then attended the next one, assisting teachers with the data I found on the Daily Five procedures. I am also taking a class on the Daily Five Procedures through Iowa State in order to become more knowledgeable.
My third choice:
The leader understands the attributes of a sound, balanced assessment system.
I understand that through balanced assessment my data will be accurate of student learning. If I share these practices, I can lead other teachers to this same understanding. The various types of assessments and which skills match to which type of outcome I am looking for an sometimes be difficult. Sometimes the best possible assessment I choose for a certain target doesn't really get me the results I am looking for, with that finding I realize I have taught the target, but not aligned the assessment to analyze it successfully. I then have to recreate another opportunity to find that right match for learning.The above selections tell me that I am a work in progress when it comes to teacher leadership. I am learning so much in my own classroom, that I am certainly not an expert. However, I am capable of sharing my struggles and successes with others who are wishing to use formative assessment practices along with me. I can address these areas by continuing with Redbooks, working at team meetings and sharing with my colleagues through this blog. Leveraging my strengths with others by offering my blog to the district and teachers from every level to share their ideas or communicate with each other. Also, being open to share my journey with those who are interested and willing to walk this process with me. The book link to purchase this change agent! http://www.amazon.com/Influencer-The-Power-Change-Anything/dp/B000XSAXYW 
Influencer, The Power to
Change Anything
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