Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment Troy Area Junior/Senior High School Sue Shipman, Principal

1.2 Clear Learning objectives • In student language • Exit Ticket • LEQ

1.3 What are the students learning? • Mini White Boards (1.3.2) • No Hands Up (1.3.2) • LFS • Graphic Organizers • Extended Thinking: • Comparing/Contrasting • Classifying/Categorizing • Constructing Support • Abstracting

1.3 No Hands up • By putting each student’s name on a popsicle stick, I was able to randomly call on students when I asked a question during a lesson. Students were only allowed to raise their hands if they had a question. This technique helps the teacher find out what students are learning.

1.4 Feedback techniques • Find and Fix • Margin Marking • Mastery Marking • LFS: • Error Analysis

1.4.1 Find and Fix • We used the “Find and Fix” strategy for a unit assessment in our General Keystone Science class. We used this strategy with approximately 50 students. After students completed their test, the test was graded with no markings on each page. The number of incorrect answers were listed on the bottom of each page. Students were then given their test back for the find and fix portion of their exam. When completed the test were graded on their new answers.

1.4.1 Find and Fix Implementation Students were given an opportunity to find and fix each page of the exam. Adaptations: Some questions were read to learning support students by learning support teacher.

1.4.1 Find and Fix Pros Cons Better prepared students were able to recognize their mistakes easier. Most students were engaged in the learning process. In some cases, students seemed more interested in finding their mistakes than they were in taking the initial test. About 80% of students increased their grade. Lower level students were less likely to try and fix answers. Some students were satisfied with initial results and didn’t fix answers. A hand full of students scored less on corrected test.

1.4.1 Find and Fix Positive Impact of Student Learning Student Feedback 80% of the students had improved test scores. A few students improved their scores significantly, up to as much as 20% in some cases. When asked, most of the students found the strategy to be beneficial. Most grades improved. It was agreed that it allowed them an opportunity to review and correct some “silly” mistakes. They took it more serious because it allowed them an opportunity to improve their grade.

1.4.1 Find and Fix • Yes! • An effective way for students to incorporate self-assessment strategies along with incorporating successful feedback strategies.

1.5 Student responsibility of learning • Recognize where students are in acquisition • Decide where students need to go • Close the gap • Carousels • Pre-flight Checklist • Homework Help Board • Best Composite Answers • Two Stars and a Wish • LFS: • KWL • Think Pair Share • Ink Pair Share

1.6 Hinge Question • Critical Understanding • Midway Through Lesson • Quick Q and A • Exit Ticket, (Gots and Needs) • LFS • LEQ • Assessment Prompts

1.8 Action Plan for Students • Concept List • Gots and Needs (1.8.1) • Homework Help Board (1.5.2, 1.8.1) • LFS • Activating Strategies • Vocabulary

Gots and Needs Used in Spanish Class – Entiendo y No Entiendo Students are allowed to identify what concepts are understood and what are not with the simple use of post-it notes. This technique allows the teacher to know what information was grasped by the students and what information still needs further explanation for student comprehension. Teacher – at the end of instruction – provides students with 2 post-it notes (one for “gots” and one for “needs.” Two different colors is recommended and helpful. The teacher should write on side of the board “Gots” and on the other “needs.” Students are asked to write 1 to 3 pieces of information that was absolutely understood in the lesson and stick them to the board marked “Gots.” The other post-it note (a different color is recommended) is for the students to identify what they still do not understand. This is posted to the board under the category marked “needs.”

Gots and Needs • Implementation • Lesson: the first category of stem-changing verbs and the first stage of reflexive verbs. • First, students were taught through lecture, utilizing traditional graphic organizers for Spanish verb conjugations. • Students practice in pairs conjugation verb worksheets, as they talk out the process of verb conjugations. • For the end of the lesson review, I made use of Gots and Needs: • I used this technique as an exit ticket. Students were given 2 Post-it notes. – one for “Entiendo” = Gots and one for “No Entiendo” = Needs. On the green Post-it, students wrote what they understood 100% and stuck it to the board under “Entiendo.” Students wrote down what they didn’t understand on a blue Post-it note and placed it under “No Entiendo.” • As I checked what they wrote, I categorized the student’s comments according to like areas of understanding or needs. This allowed me to determine where I needed to reteach specific content concepts.

Gots and needs Gots (Entiendo) Needs (No Entiendo)

Gots and needs Pros Cons Allows students to self-assess Allows students to communicate with the teacher anonymously and privately Provides teachers with specific information as to what is learned and what still needs practice, further instruction, or differentiated instruction. EASY TO USE Best with last period or a period where the teacher does not have students immediately entering the classroom. Teacher needs time to collect the “data” from the post-its and narrow results to summarize information.

Gots and needs • Adaptations • What adaptations did you have to make to the strategy in order for it to work within your classroom (i.e. content, grade level) • Used for grammar and sentence structure concepts. No major adaptations were made. The technique was easy to use as was explained on Handout 1.8.1.

Gots and Needs Evidence of Effectiveness (i.e., tests, quizzes, etc.) The only evidence is that students increased speed in conjugating stem-changing verbs and improved sentence writing. This was assessed with casual checks around the room made by the teacher using worksheets and text book exercises.

Gots and Needs • Students were excited to share what they definitely knew and were happy to have a second chance at relearning the concept that was not learned from initial instruction. • Recommended Technique! This technique is quick and easy – as long as you have a few minutes to collect the post-its, read them, gather and summarize information and evaluate what the next step is based on the results of what was understood and what is still needed.

1.5 Homework Help Board Students marked a tally next to the number of the problem from the homework assignment that they needed help with as they walked in. This allowed me to see where the issues with the homework were.

Formative Assessment