If you don’t Assess , you have to Assume …and you know what THAT does!

1. If you don’t Assess, you have to Assume…and you know what THAT does! Amanda Eldridge Independent Consultant KIPP Summit 2011

2. ASSESS: To gather data in order to make informed decisions

3. ASSUME: Ass - u - me

4. Assessing v. Evaluating Assessment an ongoing process of data collection and analysis that results in changes to instruction in order to meet the needs of all learners Evaluation a judgment of worthiness of something; a snapshot of a students ability at that moment (Wormeli, Rick. Fair isn’t Always Equal. Stenhouse Publishers, Portland ME. 2006)

5. We don’t teach to the test, We teach and assess!

6. Why assess? • To improve student achievement and level of understanding • To put the student in the drivers seat of their own learning • To improve our instruction and curriculum; makes us ask “Why am I doing this task?” • Accountability and data collection • Nation-wide emphasis on standardized test scores, large scale assessments already in place

7. Assessment Tools • Pre-assessments • Entrance card (pre-assessment) • Exit Card • Labels (anecdotal observations) • Check-for-Understanding • Quizzes • Tests • Rubrics

8. Creating a Rubric • Communication and consistency are important pieces in successfully designing usable assessment tools such as rubrics • Step-by-step directions • Practice activity: Creating a Rubric • Template (create link) • Show CCSU rubric

9. Scoring on a Rubric • Practice various strategies to figure out what works for you and your learning environment; this is not a “one size fits all” model • Step-by-step process • Practice activity: Scoring on the Rubric • Template (Link to word document)

10. Assess or Assume Presentation Rubric • Standard: • Criteria? Let’s unpack! • Rubric template (create link to word document of a rubric to fill in criteria together) • Benchmarks? • Score! How am I doing? Be honest.  • Throughout the remainder of the presentation practice scoring based on the criteria

11. Requirements when Assessing Students • Need to have clear expectations or standards of learning; what do you want students to know? • Needs to be an ongoing process with more than one opportunity to demonstrate proficiency • Students need to be a part of the process • In an ideal world, NO GRADES!

12. I’m Not Puzzled Anymore! • 4 corners: Assessment as the cornerstone of curriculum and instruction • The Edge Pieces: Curriculum and instruction provide the framework that is supported by assessment • Piece-by-Piece: The various assessment tools fit together to create a picture of each student as a learner (profile of achievement). • All we do should connect to those pieces, and the connection should be clear and understandable.

13. No Room to Assume • When putting together the puzzle • How many people guessed correctly what the final picture was based on the envelope? ( • How many guessed after putting together the 4 corner pieces? The edges? • How many guessed correctly when most of the pieces were in place? • How many had to wait until the last piece or two to really see the final picture? • Was it what you expected (assumed) it would be? • Our job as educators is to balance our prior experiences with kids (the “kids will be kids” mentality) with our current experiences with the individuals in our classroom.

14. Resources For a complete list of resources please visit my wiki at http://aesummit2011.wikispaces.com THANK YOU!!