Common Formative Assessment Initiative

1. Common Formative Assessment Initiative

2. Colorado Academic Standards In 2008, Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 08-212 titled Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K) Expand and refine model content standards from preschool through high school.

3. Standards Work Directed by CAP4K • Assumptions: • Begin with the end in mind • Status quo not good enough (change is needed) • Aim is to create healthy tension • Design features = fewer, clearer, higher • The focus is standards, not curriculum • 21st century skills are essential • Competency based matters more than seat time

4. Approaches to Standards Implementation • Identify “power” standards Now Then • “Unpack” standards • Mastery standards • Standards are unpacked by grades and evidence outcomes • Concept connections within and across content areas • Content isolation and checklist of skills/content

5. Areas where Standards Exist Dance Drama and Theatre Arts Comprehensive Health & Physical Education Mathematics Music Reading, Writing, and Communicating Science Social Studies Visual Arts World Languages

6. All Grades & Content Organizedin a similar way … State Standard Prepared Graduate Competencies Concept & Skill Evidence Outcomes Common Core Standard 21st Century Skills

7. So how do we measure mastery? Past assessments (NWEA) has measured broad standards and not evidence outcomes. While TCAP hasn’t assessed the new standards directly, the new PARCC assessment which begins in 2014-15 and the new Colorado exam in Science in Social Studies which begins in 2013-14 will. There has been an inconsistency of assessments between course and grade level assessments across schools and district.

8. New Colorado Assessment Plan 2013-14 • New CO Science Assessments • Grade 5 & 8 – Spring Administration • Grade 12 – Fall Administration • New CO Social Studies Assessment • Grade 4 & 7 – Spring Administration • Grade 12 – Fall Administration • Last year for TCAP Reading, Writing, Math

9. New Colorado Assessment Plan 2014-15 • PARCC Assessment – Reading, Writing, and Math • Grades 3-11 • CO Science & Social Studies Assessment • Gr 5, 8, and 12 • Gr. 4, 7, and 12 • Assessments will be based on student performance of skill – not regurgitation of information

10. Aligning our Assessments By having teachers develop CFA items in collaboration with colleagues, we should have confidence in their quality and fairness. To ensure that teachers can track student mastery, common assessment items will be available to ensure student mastery in advance of any state or national testing. State and national testing should only confirm what we know about student growth, not be a surprise.

11. Common Formative Assessments (CFA) The project has set out to engage teachers in the important work of: Developing a clearly defined bank of assessment tasks/items tied to the evidence outcomes. Teachers are working in collaboration with other content/grade level teachers from around the region. Teachers will be able to have easy access to items to assess student progress throughout the instructional process

12. Types of CFA Items Multiple Choice (Electronically scored) Matching (Electronically scored) Picture Identification (Electronically scored) Short Answer (Electronically or teacher scored) Constructed Response (Teacher scored) Performance Task (Video/Audio)

13. Mastery For the process of tracking mastery, we’ve defined it as: • Correct completion of three of more items consecutively, with at least two different types of items being completed. • For example, accurate completion of one matching, one short answer, and one constructed response in a single evidence outcome.

14. Secure Items for District Assessments • Upon completion of the assessment bank for each evidence outcome, a portion of items will be secured allowing the development of district level assessments to further monitor student progress consistently across classrooms and schools. Evidence Outcome XYZ Item #1 – Multiple Choice Item #2 – Multiple Choice Item #3 – Short Answer Item #4 – Constructed Resp Item #5 – Constructed Resp Item #6 – Short Answer Item #7 – Matching Item #8 – Short Answer Item #9 – Multiple Choice

15. Use of CFA Bank Upon completion of the CFA bank of items in a given subject area and grade level, teachers will be able to use them to: Check progress each day after instruction (i.e., ticket out the door, short probe of 2-3 items, etc.) Check progress on a few evidence outcomes following instruction over a short period of time. (i.e., quiz) Check progress after completion of a series of lessons covering a series of evidence outcomes.

16. SchoolVault – “Under Construction” • Current system being used to develop CFA’s has proven to be challenging. • Currently working to develop a new system called “SchoolVault” • System will allow not only development and administration of CFA’s but also support teachers in sharing resources to help students successfully work toward mastery.

17. Tracking Student Mastery • SchoolVault, through clear pacing guides, will allow continual tracking of student mastery on EOs. • Each box is an EO • When clicked on, information on which mastery level will appear and help identify students and progress.

18. District “Interim” and “Summative” • To provide fair measures to contribute to student achievement data for a teacher evaluation process, secure CFA items will provide a means to measure success outside of the state or national testing data. • A proposed structure might include: • Interim Assessments – End of quarter • Semester Assessments – Summative • Mid-Term or Final Exams

19. Summary Common Formative Assessments will ensure common learning and mastery across classrooms around the district. Since teachers are creating them in collaboration with colleagues from around the region, the quality and effectiveness of these items should be high. Through both providing teachers with formative measures and summative assessments developed by similar items, student growth and progress should be easier to track. The development of SchoolVault will provide teachers one tool for curriculum support, student assessment, and performance tracking.

20. Questions • If you have questions or wish to get involved, speak with your principal or assistant principal … or • Contact Christy Bloomquist, Executive Director of Student Achievement cbloomquist@durango.k12.co.us