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A Balanced Assessment System with Standards-Based Grading: Practical Examples and Research. Leadership Academy January 23, 2014 Presenters: Amber Knapp and Amy Hodgson Dansville Schools. Outcomes:. *Participants will learn: how to link CLTs to assessments
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A Balanced Assessment System with Standards-Based Grading: Practical Examples and Research Leadership Academy January 23, 2014 Presenters: Amber Knapp and Amy Hodgson Dansville Schools
Outcomes: *Participants will learn: • how to link CLTs to assessments • how to evaluate student performance on a summative assessment using rubrics • what a balanced assessment system looks like overall • what new grading practices have been implemented in Dansville
Important Questions That Require Attention and Answers: • What does/should a grade mean? • What does it communicate to students? To staff? To parents? To colleges?
Assessment Dilemma Consider the following example:
Who Do You Want Packing Your Parachute? 3 students are taking a course in how to pack a parachute. • A. Davies, Making Classroom Assessment Work, 2000
Packing a Parachute… • The class average is the dotted line. • Student #1: Started well, but didn’t finish well.
Packing a Parachute… • Student #2’s scores are erratic. • It’s hard to predict how he will perform.
Packing a Parachute… • When scores are averaged in the traditional fashion, students 1 & 2 passed the course, and student 3 failed. • But……
Packing a Parachute… • Only Student 3 demonstrated consistent & reliable success in packing his parachute by the end.
Packing a Parachute… • Again.... Who Do You Want Packing Your Parachute?
“What we know today doesn’t make yesterday wrong; it only makes tomorrow better.”
PROCESS *STEP ONE: ESTABLISH CLEAR LEARNING TARGETS. • Teachers developed student-friendly learning targets based on the Common Core Standards.
Clear Learning Targets • Must be written in student-friendly language (“I can” statements). • Must be attainable. • Must share what it looks like when a standard is reached.
Impact of Clear Learning Targets • Learning is focused on the most enduring standards. • No secrets- students know EXACTLY what they are expected to learn. • Increased transparency and improved communication to focus parent support.
Impact of Clear Learning Targets • Students report that they LOVE that every assignment/task is linked to a learning target. • This has eliminated busy work in standards-based classes, which has increased student motivation.
Teacher’s Practical Example • Clear targets come in three parts in many of our classes: 1) Students receive the “Unit Plan.” • List of guaranteed assignments connected to the clear learning target (CLT), which is listed on the back. • Students see the CLTs several times throughout the unit to self-assess their understanding on a 0-4 scale.
Teacher’s Practical Example 2) For formative assessments, students “grade”(often in colored ink)their own and ask questions. The teacher either gives a rubric score on the 0-4 scale to ensure that students know their standing on the CLTs OR they get descriptive feedback and then the student marks their own score.
Teacher’s Practical Example 3) Students track formative assessments on their “tracking sheet” and keep a running record of the scores. • If students don’t see improvement on their tracking sheets, they know exactly which CLTs to study before the summative assessment.
PROCESS *STEP TWO: DEVELOP COMMON ASSESSMENTS BASED ON CLEAR LEARNING TARGETS. • Teachers who teach the same classes must work together to develop QUALITY common assessments linked to CLTs.
PROCESS *STEP THREE: CREATE RUBRICS TO ACCOMPANY CLEAR LEARNING TARGETS Clear Learning Target = “3”
Benefits of Rubrics • Seen as part of a progression rather than a judgment. • Creates the expectation that everyone can progress.
Scoring Rubric for Math Assigning a Final Grade Summative Assessments – 90% Work Habits – 10%
PROCESS *STEP FOUR: INCORPORATE STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT AND TRACKING WITH FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (for CLTs and Work Habits).
Self-Assessment • Self-assess progress on clear targets based on formative assessments. • Gives the students a way to reassess their status on the CLTs and helps them develop goals to improve. • Students use scoring charts and writing assignments for goal setting.
Work Habits Feedback • Students self-assess regularly using a common work habits rubric developed by the staff. • Students track their progress and teachers record scores; comprises no more than 10% of students’ grades.
Impact of Self-Assessing and Tracking • Students start to own their learning when they are asked to reflect on how well they know the CLTs, along with tracking the descriptive feedback from the teacher. • Students can track formative feedback, which helps prove to themselves what they can do/shows where to focus.
Research to Support Self-Tracking In Dec/Jan 2010 Educational Leadership article “When Students Track Their Progress”, Robert Marzano shared that having students record their scores on a chart after taking each interim assessment and following their progress over time brings about 32 percentile-point gains in achievement.
PROCESS *STEP FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION OF A BALANCED ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (FA/SA) • Cannot take for granted a common language of assessment . Ongoing training is provided for all staff.
Formative Assessments • It is CRUCIAL to set up an atmosphere where failure is seen as part of the learning process and isn’t “judged” (graded). • “It’s a great day to be wrong” (Ken Mattingly, ATI)
Benefits of Formative Assessments • Formative assessments don’t “count” in the grade, so students can often correct their own work and immediately recognize and fix their mistakes.
Common Formative Assessments • Whiteboards/Clickers, Learning logs, Journals, Quizzes • Quick visual checks – fist to 5 on chest, thumbs up/down/sideways • Anything can be formative– depends on how it’s used. The info from formatives shows students their gaps and informs instruction.
PROCESS STEP SIX: EVALUATE GRADING PRACTICES From the work of Rick Stiggins and ATI: -If we use grades to threaten to fail students, it leads to hopelessness. -It takes 30-50 encounters of positive engagement with learning to turn around a student with a negative attitude toward learning.
Changing Grading Practices • The entire staff agreed on policies regarding: retakes, extra credit, late work and cheating. **Changing grading systems has never been mandated.
New Grading Practices School-Wide • Zeros:Not used for late work, cheating, missing work. Instead, viewed as incomplete or not enough information. • Late work:not penalized by a reduction in score. Viewed as incomplete until turned in.
New Grading Practices School-Wide • Cheating: affects work habits, but not achievement scores; disciplinary consequences. • Extra Credit:used as extra learning opportunities ; counted as extra assignments. • Grades:based primarily on summative assessments.
New Grading Practices School-Wide • Retake Guidelines: *Available on any summative assessment except for final exams *Retakes only for the learning targets that were missed *Several teachers use interviews for retakes.
New Grading Practices School-Wide • Retake Guidelines: Before being eligible to retake, students must do “target practice” (demonstrate preparation by getting tutoring, doing extra practice problems, redoing homework, etc.).
New Grading Practices School-Wide *Students must make an appointment with the teacher within one week of getting the summative assessment back in order to retake. *The student’s new score replaces the old one.
Impact of Retakes • Students report decreased test anxiety, which results in a more accurate reflection of proficiency. • Students report an expectation of proficiency. • Changing the culture so that getting a “D” on a test isn’t good enough- need to be proficient on all targets. • Post-secondary students- stories
Next Steps in Changing Grading Practices • Agreed upon our grading policies school-wide. All but the ELA core content area teachers counted summative assessments as 90% of the final grade and work habits as 10% of the final grade. (ELA = 80/20)
Next Steps in Changing Grading Practices • All students self-assess regularly in all classes using a common work habits rubric developed by the staff. Students tracked their progress and teachers record scores in grade book; comprises 10% of students’ grades.
Impactfrom Administrative Perspective - Anecdotal • Great for the overall culture of our school. • Students are more hopeful overall, leading to a decrease in discipline referrals related to academic engagement and an increase in graduation rate. • Many teachers have felt rejuvenated by the change.
