Using Assessment to Promote Learning

     

Job89

Opening a Discussion About 

Assessment Literacy

@JoeTaylorDHS

At least in remote learning situations, assessment has become a hot topic. It just doesn't make sense to test students in a traditional, high stakes way when they are learning online. What would a traditional test measure right now? It is impossible to ensure any kind of test security, and if we add layers and layers of hoops for students to jump through in order to take a test, I think we have to ask ourselves if we are measuring knowledge and skill development, or are we measuring a student's ability to navigate technology and deal with added stress?

So, we have to do something different this year. The question is, are we going to fill the gap with some sort of emergency measure and hope that we return to normal next year, or is this the time to take a step back and reassess our assessments? What is our ultimate goal in the classroom, and does our current testing model move us towards that goal or does it actually build barriers to success?

Consider the following experiment from Mark Rober, NASA engineer and inventor of the package glitter bomb:

If you apply this experiment to the classroom, what does it say about students who don't score well on your very first exam? If you grade based on an average of scores, one bad score at the beginning can put you behind the 8-ball for a long time. Maybe for the entire term. What might that do to a student's motivation? Even if you think that the test is a valid and reliable tool to measure a student's academic achievement, is it possible that there were outside factors that impact student success? Especially if it is the first test of the year?

A few years ago, in another district, I was working with an AP science teacher who decided he was going to take a different approach to technology and assessment. His class was 1:1 with iPads (it's not about the device). He decided to fully implement a model of technology-enhanced formative assessment. Every day, he would have the students complete a formative assessment quiz on something they learned that day, based on standards that would ultimately lead to a summative assessment. Utilizing some simple programming, students could take the formative assessment as many times until they got all of the questions right. They were fighting for understanding, not for points, but they knew they'd see these questions again on their summative assessments.

The results were fantastic. Even with significantly higher enrollment (some kids took the class so they could have the iPad), his AP scores skyrocketed. They were the highest AP Environmental Science scores the district had ever seen. 

It is backed up in research. This particular teacher's plan was based on a methodology researched by instructional technology researchers Beatty and Gerace in 2009. The basic idea is that assessment can and should be used to promote learning in the classroom, not simply measure a moment in time. High stakes summative assessments makes everything about a grade, takes the focus off of learning, and may even prevent students from taking academic risks.

Of course, we are all pressed for time, but this seems like the perfect moment in history to reevaluate what we are doing. In my opinion, that all starts with assessment. I've decided to take a PD class from our friends in D207 on Assessment Literacy. In the course, teachers and administrators are going to talk about assessment practices and policies that promote learning, and our study is centered around Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by Jan Chappuis and Rick Stiggins. 

COVID-19 forced us all to adjust. It will be worth it if we can reassess the assessments. 

Keep Calm and Teach - We Are More Prepared Than You Think

 

Image by Murray Rudd from Pixabay 

So, Distance Learning Isn't Really New. You Got This!

@JoeTaylorDHS

First Glance at "The Distance Learning Playbook"

(Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020)

As long as I can remember, my passion has been about teaching and learning. That is the primary reason I focus my work and study on Instructional Technology and Design. It’s really never been about the tech tools. It’s about creating effective and innovative learning opportunities for people. 

As an assistant principal, though, a lot of my time is taken up by things that are important but have almost nothing to do with teaching and learning. I don’t know about you, but especially right now, I need to find space for the things I love and the areas of education that I’m passionate about. 

I’ve settled on this. I blogged about innovative technology in the classroom for a long time. When I became an AP, I handed that blog over to my successor, and I think I miss the focus of writing. So, I’d like to end every week with a little piece of research, some examples of practice, or a discussion around teaching and learning. I don’t want to end the week with grade issues, logistics, or complaints. Just the part of the job I love - C&I.

Today I want to talk a little bit about “distance learning,” which feels new, but it isn’t. We’ve been studying distance learning in education since it was done through the mail. The most important thing that we know is that it is still just teaching and learning. You have to think about the platform, but you are still an expert teacher. It is still about helping kids grow. Here’s a great little pick me up video from The Distance Learning Playbook (Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020). It’s worth a few minutes to watch it:

Nancy Frey’s Message to Educators - You Got This

We also know some things about teaching with technology. I’ve been studying that at a pretty high level for several years, and it wasn’t new when I started. Mobile, 1:1 classrooms are still pretty new. But teaching with technology isn’t new. Here’s some of the research about what we know works well (all from John Hattie’s research - you can find more at :

• Teaching with interactive videos has high effect size (.54)
• Intelligent tutoring systems also has a high effect size (.51)
• Just having a laptop has a small effect size (.16)

The lesson here is that it isn’t about the technology. It is about the task. Interactive videos and intelligent tutoring systems require students to be actively engaged, instead of passively listening. In both cases, kids get rapid feedback to their thinking. In the case of intelligent tutoring, instruction is differentiated instruction for individual learners and is focused on mastery of skills, not memorization of content.

So, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel with distance learning. We can choose tasks that leverage technology and moves students forward:

• Use technology for great diagnosis of what students need to learn
• Share scoring rubrics and success criteria up front with students before they get too involved in the task
• Be Clear. Teacher clarity matters more when students are not in front of you to correct, cajole, and to give instant feedback.
• Build formative evaluation into the tasks (informing us about their learning and our teaching)
• Optimize the social interaction aspects of class
• Check for understanding
• Make sure there is a balance between the precious knowledge and the deep thinking (too often online favors the former over the latter).    (Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2020, P. 5-6)

Focus more on the learning than on the teaching. If the kids aren’t learning, it doesn’t matter how much content we teach. If kids are learning - even through a global pandemic - it will all be all right.