Feedback A Powerful Tool for Raising Student Achievement In Mathematics Science Mary Doran Brown

1. FeedbackA Powerful Tool for Raising Student Achievement In Mathematics & ScienceMary Doran Brown Activator: The sum of the digits in a two-digit number is 12. If the digits are reversed, the new number is 18 greater than the original number. What is the number?Activator: The sum of the digits in a two-digit number is 12. If the digits are reversed, the new number is 18 greater than the original number. What is the number?

2. Enduring Understanding All students can learn rigorous academic material at high standards Jon Saphier and Robert Gower: The Skillful Teacher To make sure that we are all have the same understanding, when we discuss feedback, we are talking about the messages we send to students about their work. And the driving force that brings us together today is the set of beliefs that all children can learn given the time, belief, support, and effort. -- This is the heart and soul of NCLB and I have seen and I have lived it! Let me share with you my school’s data: For the past few years I’ve worked at a very challenging school – one of the lowest academic performing schools in the state of Maryland as measured by state and national assessments. However, with county initiatives and a school-based plan improvement (including differentiation) the test schools significantly improved. We met AYP for 2003. For those of you who do not know, Montgomery County is a relatively affluent suburb of Washington, DC. Historically it has been comprised of highly educated families. However, over the past decade the demographics of the county have begun to change. Broad Acres is a Title I school with an enrollment of approximately 480 children in Pre-K through grade five. It is a diverse community with its population being 63% Hispanic, 24% African/West Indian/African American, 12% Asian and less than 1% White. Its mobility is approximately 30% and almost 90% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Children come to Broad Acres from more than 31 different countries and speak 28 languages. While 30% of our students receive English Language Learner support, we estimate that over 75% of our families speak a language other than English in their homes. All these demographics combined make Broad Acres unique not only in Montgomery County but in the whole state of Maryland. As an active member of the school improvement team and the school reform effort, I can tell you that in the past three years this school has gone from one of the lowest performing schools in the county to a school performing at or above the State average for standardized testing.To make sure that we are all have the same understanding, when we discuss feedback, we are talking about the messages we send to students about their work. And the driving force that brings us together today is the set of beliefs that all children can learn given the time, belief, support, and effort. -- This is the heart and soul of NCLB and I have seen and I have lived it! Let me share with you my school’s data: For the past few years I’ve worked at a very challenging school – one of the lowest academic performing schools in the state of Maryland as measured by state and national assessments. However, with county initiatives and a school-based plan improvement (including differentiation) the test schools significantly improved. We met AYP for 2003. For those of you who do not know, Montgomery County is a relatively affluent suburb of Washington, DC. Historically it has been comprised of highly educated families. However, over the past decade the demographics of the county have begun to change. Broad Acres is a Title I school with an enrollment of approximately 480 children in Pre-K through grade five. It is a diverse community with its population being 63% Hispanic, 24% African/West Indian/African American, 12% Asian and less than 1% White. Its mobility is approximately 30% and almost 90% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Children come to Broad Acres from more than 31 different countries and speak 28 languages. While 30% of our students receive English Language Learner support, we estimate that over 75% of our families speak a language other than English in their homes. All these demographics combined make Broad Acres unique not only in Montgomery County but in the whole state of Maryland. As an active member of the school improvement team and the school reform effort, I can tell you that in the past three years this school has gone from one of the lowest performing schools in the county to a school performing at or above the State average for standardized testing.

3. Essential Question How can we provide specific and timely feedback to learners in order to improve performance?

4. Outcomes: By the end of the session, participants will have: Identified two types of feedback—evaluative and descriptive Reviewed research related to feedback and student achievement Practiced creating descriptive feedback matched to standards Reflected on newly acquired knowledge and identified next steps for classroom applications

5. Engage Five Words / Three Words Activator On your own, list five words that come to your mind when you hear the word “feedback.” Share your individual list with your table group Agree upon three words your team believes best describe feedback Record each of the three words on three index cards found on your table Be prepared to share your three words with the group

6. Two Types of Feedback Descriptive Evaluative

7. What Is Descriptive Feedback?

8. Why Descriptive Feedback? The purpose of descriptive feedback is to provide opportunities for the learner to make adjustments and improvements toward mastery of a specified standard

9. Feedback Card Sort Work with your table group to create categories for the feedback statements that you will find in the envelope. Make as many categories as your team determines appropriate and use the sticky notes to label each category.

10. Descriptive Feedback These “L”s look like “V”s I don’t see supporting details in the thesis The pianissimo was louder than the forte The first sentence tells the reader the main idea The two adjectives don’t have gender agreements with the noun Your back foot is not coming up high enough to clear the hurdle The lab report is missing the explanation of the chemical reactions

11. Non-Descriptive Feedback B+ Messy! You can do better! Excellent Watch your “p”s and “f”s Add a conclusion Reread the assignment Think about the position of your body You aren’t using what you know about adjectives

12. What Does the Research Say? Clear, concise feedback matched to standards will promote student achievement (O’Connor, 2002)

13. What Does the Research Say? Feedback generally produces positive results if teachers manage the form the feedback takes (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollack, 2001)

14. What Does the Research Say? Specific, descriptive feedback that focuses on success and points the way to improvement has a positive effect (Davies, 2002)

15. What Does the Research Say? Students must be given the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again. (Black & Wiliam, 1998)

16. Implications of Descriptive Feedback If descriptive feedback helps students make adjustments to learning in order to improve, what are the implications for instruction and assessment?

17. Key Implication Students must be given the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again (Black & Wiliam, 1998) Assessments are formative when teachers compare students’ actual and reference levels and then use the information to help students move closer to the standard Provide students with opportunities to practice getting closer to the target Provide teachers with opportunities to give descriptive feedbackAssessments are formative when teachers compare students’ actual and reference levels and then use the information to help students move closer to the standard Provide students with opportunities to practice getting closer to the target Provide teachers with opportunities to give descriptive feedback

18. Where to begin? What do we want students to know and be able to do? How will we know if students have learned ? What will we do when students haven’t learned it? What will we do when students already know it? (Richard DuFour) Begin at the end! What are the grade level standards? What product are you looking for? Where are your students in relation to the standard? Will re-teaching be necessary or can you move on? Begin at the end! What are the grade level standards? What product are you looking for? Where are your students in relation to the standard? Will re-teaching be necessary or can you move on?

19. Begin with the Standard National Counsel of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Number and Operations Standard for Grades 3-5 Instructional programs from Pre-K through grade 12 should enable all students to understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems Maryland State Department of Education Voluntary State Curriculum Standards Standard 6.0 Knowledge of Number Relationships or Computation – Students will describe, represent, or apply numbers or their relationships or will estimate or compute using mental strategies, paper/pencil or technology Standard 7.0 Processes of Mathematics – Students demonstrate the processes of mathematics by making connections and applying reasoning to solve and communicate their findings

20. Scoring Guide Brief Constructed Mathematical Responses 0 The response is completely incorrect, irrelevant to the problem, or missing 1 The response demonstrates a minimal understanding and analysis of a problem 2 The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of a problem Maryland State Department of Education

21. Student Work Samples Complete Response Applies reasonable strategy to demonstrate understanding of equivalent fractions and is able to compare and order fractions Uses mathematical concepts to demonstrate why the response is correct Minimal Response Partially applies reasonable strategy to demonstrate understanding of equivalent fractions and is able to compare and order fractions Explanation is partially developed and missing important information about expressing all fractions with the same denominator Irrelevant Response Response is irrelevant to the problem

22. Your Turn! Work with your group: Read the task Determine and discuss which of the three student work samples would be a complete response Provide descriptive feedback on student work

23. Reflection What did you learn? How will it change your current practice? How will you continue the conversation?

24. References Black, P., Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2), 139-149 Davies, A. (2000). Making Classroom Assessment Work. Courtenay: Connections Publishing DuFour, R. (1998). Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement. National Educational Service Marzano, R., Pickering, J., Pollock, D. (2001). Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD O’Connor, K. (2002). How to Grade for Learning. Glenview: Pearson Saphier, J., Gower, R. (1997). The Skillful Teacher. Acton: Research for Better Teaching, Inc.