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5013Q Final Thoughts (10 Principles of Formative Assessment (Provide…
5013Q Final Thoughts
10 Principles of Formative Assessment
Provide instructive feedback.
Make feedback user-friendly.
Make room for student differences.
Assess persistently.
Engage students with formative assessment.
Look for patterns.
Begin with clear knowledge, understanding and dos.
Help students understand the role of formative assessment
Plan instruction around content requirements and student needs.
Repeat the process.
Formative assessment is essential in teaching students to become independent self-reflective learners. In my grade 6 placement, when creating a writing piece, they submitted multiple drafts through google docs for their teacher to read over and give feedback. Through this persistent back and forth between teacher and student, they would track their learning and learn from their mistakes. Students need to know that they will make mistakes, and instead of stressing about them learn from them instead.
Grading DON'Ts
DON'T give marks for homework
DON'T use zero's
DON'T use all accumulated evidence over time
DON'T combine attitude and effort with achievement
DON'T apply late mark penalties
DON'T give bonus marks
DON'T base grades on unclear targets
DON'T base grades on a bell curve
The way that I was taught and the ways that my teachers assessed may not necessarily have been as useful to me as it could have been. Knowing what NOT to do when assessing student working is the first step in becoming an effective teacher for my students.
When recording feedback, you can do so through:
Conversations
conferences, notes, journal, blogs, moderated online, forums, student feedback, focused conversations, portfolio conferencing
Observations
running record, observational checklist, processfolio, anecdotal observations, questioning, presentations, listening, speaking, problem solving, group skills
Product
performance tasks, assignments, tests, portfolios, checklists, videos, journals, projects, graphs
Not everything needs a rubric!
In my teaching practice, I would use a consistent combination of different recording tools to assess student understanding. Students learn through different ways. Various forms of data collection collect different types of information. Students don't necessarily communicate their understanding universally, so you have to differentiate your assessment strategies and data collection to reach them and give them a chance to show you how brilliant they are, or where there may be gaps in their understanding.
Achievement Chart
The purpose is to:
help teachers to plan instruction for learning
provide a basis for consistent and meaningful feedback to students in relation to provincial content and performance standards
guide the development of high-quality assessment tasks and tools (including rubrics)
establish categories and criteria with which to assess and evaluate students' learning (OME, 2010, p. 16)
provide a common framework that encompasses all curriculum expectations for all subjects/courses across grades
Criterion-Referenced Assessment
We evaluate through four criteria: knowledge, application, communication and thinking
"The goal of using a criterion-based approach is to make the assessment and evaluation of student achievement fair, reliable, and transparent as possible." (OME, 2016, p. 19)
Can support my teaching practice through its framework for all grades and courses that provides a structure for giving consistency feedback.
Knowing what to assess for a teacher in the beginning of their career can be stressful. The achievement chart is effective in summarizing what qualities to look for in student work.
Kindergarten Assessment and Learning
Assessment is different in the kindergarten program. Assessment of student work DIRECTS teaching; teachers document student work and let that determine next steps to take.
"The introduction of a full day of learning for four- and five-year-olds in Ontario called for transformational changes in the pedagogical approaches used in Kindergarten, moving from a traditional pedagogy to one centred on the child and informed by evidence from research and practice about how young children learn." (Kindergarten Program, 2016, p. 4)
The primary goals of the Kindergarten program are:
• to establish a strong foundation for learning in the early years;
• to help children make a smooth transition from home, child care, or preschool settings to school settings;
• to allow children to reap the many proven benefits of learning through relationships, and through play and inquiry;
• to set children on a path of lifelong learning and nurture competencies that they will need to thrive in the world of today and tomorrow. (Kindergarten Program, 2016, p. 8)
The Kindergarten Program Document Link
Although I don't see myself teaching kindergarten in the future, the practice of student lead teaching is a concept that I would use in teaching older grades. It is a way to motivate and engage students.
Assessment Types and Uses
Rubrics: a scale that uses brief statements to to describe the level of achievement of a product.
Checklists: used to insure consistency is completing a task.
Anecdotal Notes: used to record specific behaviour or skills of individual students.
Peer and Self-Assessment: used to identify strengths and weaknesses to reach learning targets.
Data Collection: used to establish patterns in class and individual learning achievements.
How does assessment support student learning?
Scaffolding
Success criteria and feedback provide support for student learning
The Growing Success document gives teachers supports on how to effectively assess student learning.
Growing Sucess Document Link
Why do we assess?
Is it about the learning of the score?
"Grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless."
For my own teaching practice, assessment is a tool that I can use to further my student's understanding through filling in the blanks in their knowledge and as a checking in point for my teaching. It is also a skill that I must foster in my students; when they are able to effectively self-assess, they become to pilots of their own learning.
Single-Point Rubric
If you give a grade to students, they won't read the feedback. Give students feedback WITHOUT the grade number!
Single Point Rubrics at Trailblazer Video
In my own education, I rarely read a whole rubric. Oftentimes, I would hand in an assignment and get my mark back on a rubric that was never shown to me before. If traditional rubrics are not useful in the classroom, why should I waste all of my time creating them? Single-point rubrics are especially useful because there is designated space to write feedback to students, which helps to move forward their learning.
FAQs
How do you asses without bias?
You can't; teachers are human, and bias sometimes inadvertently comes into play. A top to mitigate bias would be to have students write their names on the back of work.
How do you put a grade on an anecdotal note?
Create a rubric through which to analyze your anecdotal notes.
What can teachers do for students whose families ask for additional homework?
In a monthly newsletter or classroom website, have additional sources, websites or books, that parents can refer to if they want their child to do more educational work at home.
Educational Data
Every time you collect data from your students can be used to inform your teaching practice, not simply data collected from tests. Data should be examined and analyzed for individual and class trends to guide your teaching. Otherwise, why collect educational data at all?
Why do you use and collect data?
How do you do this?
Analyze the data
Figure out what you are going to do with the data
Find out how to collect the data
Put a plan in motion
Think about what it is you really want to know
Know when the plan is successful or needs to be changed
You collect educational data to support student learning.
Word Tennis
Can play as low as grade 3 all the way to the end of high school
Can tailor to specific subjects or data you want to collect from your students.
Diagnostic word association game
An Open Letter to Students Returning to School Video Link
The purpose of education is to help "make people less stupid"
Education is about investing in humanity's future.
A Shift from Grades?
Alfie Kohn
Just because it's better than nothing doesn't make it great
Just because it makes it fast doesn't make it great
When things are made efficient, you sacrifice other things
