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Important
QuestionToBe
Answered
InformationNeededto
AnswertheQuestion
Implicationsforthe
AssessmentSystem
Whatthislookslikeinpractice*
WhatamI
supposedtolearn?
Learningtargets
describedinstudent
friendlylanguageatthe
beginningoflearning
Accurateassessments
mustreflecttherigor
(verbs)andlearning
targets(conceptsand
context)studentsare
given
WhathaveI
learnedalready,
andwhatdoIstill
needtoworkon?
Evidencemustallow
studentstotrack
progressandunderstand
wheretheyarenowin
relationtoexpectations
atanypointintime
Continuoussequenceof
accurateclassroom
assessmentsmust
providedescriptive
feedbackinstudent
friendlytermsduring
learning
HaveImetoramI
progressingtoward
theimportant
achievement
standards?
Statusregardingmastery
ofeachstandardin
studentfriendlylanguage
Assessmentsmust
provideevidenceof
standardsmastered
periodicallythroughout
theyear
HaveImetthe
stateachievement
standards?
Statusregardingmeeting
statestandardsin
studentfriendlylanguage
Annualstateassessments
reportingstandards
masteredandnotyet
mastered
*Thiscolumnwasaddedforreflectionduringsession
AdaptedfromAssessmentforLearning,AKeytoMotivationandAchievement,RickStiggins,Edge,
Volume2,Number2,November/December2006,PhiDeltaKappaInternational.
ComprehensiveAnalysisofAssessmentUsersandUses
Level1:ClassroomAssessmentUser:Teacher
Decision
tobemade
InformationNeeded Implicationsforthe
AssessmentSystem
Whatthislookslikeinpractice**
Whataremystudents
supposedtolearn?
Standardsdeconstructedinto
classroomtargetleading,overtime,
toeachstandard;districtcurriculum
mapsoflearningprogression
Allassessmentsmust
reflectthesetargets;it
mustbeclearwhichtarget
anyassessmentreflects
Whathavethey
learned,andwhatdo
theystillneedtolearn?
Continuousevidencerevealingeach
studentscurrentplaceinthe
learningprogressionsleadingupto
eachstandard
Continuoussequenceof
accurateclassroom
assessmentsusedduring
learningtoprovidepicture
ofprogresstoward
masteryofstandards
*Whatareasof
instructionshouldbe
modifiedinorderto
bettersupport
students?
Ongoingreflectionofclassroom
deliveryofinformationandongoing
adjustmentsduringdeliveryof
instructioninadditiontochangesto
futureplans
Assessmentofsuccessful
deliveryofinstruction
basedonstudentsuccess
Whichstudentsneed
specialservices?
Evidenceofhowstudentsaredoing
inrelationtogradeoragelevel
expectations
Assessmentsmustprovide
evidenceofstudents
relativestatusorprogress
todetermineeligibility
Havemystudentsmet
oraretheyprogressing
ontheimportant
achievement
standards?
Statusofeachstudentsmasteryof
eachstandard
Periodic,interim
benchmarkassessments
reflectingstudentmastery
ofstandardsthroughout
theyear
Didtheymeetstate
achievement
expectations?
Statusregardingeachstudents
masteryofeachstatestandard
Annualassessmentsof
eachstudentsmasteryof
eachstatestandard
*Thislinewasaddedtothechart **Thiscolumnwasaddedforreflectionduringsession
TransformativeAssessment
byW.JamesPopham
Excerptofpages68
Formativeassessmentisaplannedprocessinwhichassessmentelicited
evidenceofstudentsstatusisusedbyteacherstoadjusttheirongoing
instructionalproceduresorbystudentstoadjusttheircurrentlearningtactics.
formativeassessmentisnotatestbutaprocessaplannedprocessinvolvinganumberof
differentactivities.
Oneofthoseactivitiesistheuseofassessments,bothformalandinformal,toelicitevidence
regardingstudentsstatus:thedegreetowhichaparticularstudenthasmasteredaparticular
skillorbodyofknowledge.
Basedonthisevidence,teachersadjusttheirongoinginstructionalactivitiesorstudents
adjusttheprocedurestheyrecurrentlyusingtotrytolearnwhatevertheyretryingtolearn.
Phrasingitmoreterselystill:
Formativeassessmentisaplannedprocessinwhichteachersorstudentsuse
assessmentbasedevidencetoadjustwhattheyrecurrentlydoing.
Now,letstakeaslightlydeeperlookateachofthekeyattributesofthisconceptionof
formativeassessment.
Aplannedprocess.Formativeassessmentinvolvesaseriesofcarefullyconsidered,
distinguishableactsonthepartofteachersorstudentsorboth.Someofthoseactsinvolve
educationalassessments,buttheassessmentsplayaroleintheprocesstheyarenotthe
processitself.Aneducatorwhoreferstoaformativetesthasnotquitegraspedtheconcept,
becausetheresnosuchthing.Thereareteststhatcanbeusedaspartofthemultistep,
formativeassessmentprocess,buteachofthosetestsisonlyapartoftheprocess.
Ifyouacceptthedistinctionbetweentheformativeandsummativeuseoftestresults,thenyou
willrecognizethatstudentsresultsonaparticulartestmightbeusedforeitherasummativeor
aformativepurpose.Itisnotthenatureofthetestthatearnsthelabelformativeorsummative
buttheusetowhichthattestsresultswillbeput.IfthepurposeofTestXistoprovideteachers
andstudentswiththeevidencetheyneedtomakeanywarrantedadjustments,thenTestXis
playingaroleintheformativeassessmentprocess.
Assessmentelicitedevidence.Theadjustmentdecisionsteachersandstudentsmake
duringtheformativeassessmentprocessmustbebasednotonwhimbutonevidenceofthe
studentscurrentlevelofmasterywithrespecttocertainskillsorbodiesofknowledge.
Accordingly,theassessmentproceduresdesignedtogeneratethisevidencearean
indispensableelementoftheprocess.Althoughteachersmaycertainlyemploypaperand
1
penciltestsforthispurpose,theycanalsoobtaintheevidencetheyneedviaawidevarietyof
lesstraditionalandmuchlessformalassessmentploys,manyofwhichIwilldescribelaterin
thisbook.
Teachersinstructionaladjustments.Formativeassessmentsraisondtreistoimprove
studentslearning.Oneofthemostobviouswaystodothisisforteacherstoimprovehow
theyreteaching.Accordingly,onecomponentoftheformativeassessmentprocessisfor
teacherstoadjusttheirongoinginstructionalactivities.Relyingonassessmentbasedevidence
ofstudentscurrentstatus,suchastestresultsshowingthatstudentsareweakintheirmastery
ofaparticularcognitiveskill,ateachermightdecidetoprovideadditionalordifferent
instructionrelatedtothisskill.
Itsworthstressingthatbecausetheformativeassessmentprocessdealswithongoing
instruction,anyteachermademodificationsininstructionalactivitiesmustfocusonstudents
masteryofthecurricularaimscurrentlybeingpursued.Itsnotamatteroflookingattestdata
anddecidingtotryanewapproachnexttime;itsamatterofdoingsomethingdifferent(or
differently)now.
Studentslearningtacticadjustments.Withintheformativeassessmentprocess,students
alsotakealookatassessmentevidenceand,ifneedbe,makechangesinhowtheyretryingto
learn.Consider,forexample,ahighschoolstudentwhoisworkingtowardbecomingabetter
publicspeakerbypracticingaparticularspeechmanytimesbeforeamirror.Thatrepeated,
solomirrorpracticeisthestudentslearningtactic;basedonassessmentevidence,thistactic
mayormaynotneedadjustment.
Iwanttowrapupthisdefinitionoverviewbycirclingbacktosomethingveryimportant.
Oneofthemostdifficulttasksforeducatorswhoacceptthisconceptionofformative
assessmentistograsptheoverarchingideathatitisaprocessratherthanatest.Youmayhave
notedthatinmanyoftheprecedingparagraphsIhavereferredtotheformativeassessment
process.Thattriplewordphrasingwasaploytodrivethepointhome.Fromhereon,
wheneveryouseethephraseformativeassessment,Itrustyoullknowthatitreferstoa
multistepprocessandnottoaparticularassessmenttool.