Your Organization
Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1
Let’s Talk Assessment! PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME
Students ma er, teachers ma er, curriculum ma ers. Curriculum Ma ers is a great ini a ve and way of sharing best prac ce for all to see in a large school. It is important to consider a range of ide‐ as that we can transfer into our own classroom context. Let’s all get behind this idea and make it really successful. We could then extend this to include communica on to parents via the school newsle er so that our curriculum is shared with our wider community. The theme of this first issue is assessment. From a parents perspec ve it is good to have clear guidelines for what students are doing in the classroom. Teachers need to be able to present a clear plan for stu‐ dents so they know what work is required ‐ for a short block of me, as well as an overall meline of assessment tasks and due dates. They also need to know the criteria for assessing whether their work standard is below, at or above the expected level. Clear rubrics takes out the con‐ fusion for students. All of this is about clear and accurate communica‐ on that we s ck to consistently. Seeking feedback and reflec ng on learning is part of our learning framework. Assessment is a key part of the feedback process. The most powerful single influence enhancing achievement is feedback. Quality feedback is needed, not more feed‐ back. Students with a growth mindset welcome feedback and are more likely to use it to improve their performance. The most powerful feed‐ back is provided from the student to the teacher.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Dr. A. Fao................................. 2 Assessment for, as & of ............ 3 Using Data ................................ 4 Learning Intentions ................. 5 Assessment Tools ..................... 6 Feedback…………………………….10 Personalised Learning………….12 SUBMIT AN ARTICLE Curriculum Matters will be produced one a term It is produced by members of the Curriculum Committee Curriculum Matters is open to all members of the BHS learning community. If you would like to submit an article or lesson idea please email Sharon Eppingstall.
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK Fellow Assessment Comrades, as a citizen of the world I would like thank the editors of Ballarat High School’s Curriculum Matters for the opportunity to contribute to this august publication. Today I would like to focus on issues related to assessment and feedback.
Dr. A. FAO
There are three phases in the learning and teaching cycle. The three phases are (1) at the start of the cycle; (2) during the learning cycle; (3) at the
end of the cycle. Quality assessment and feedback at all three stages are two crucial components in our efforts to improve the learning outcomes of our students.
Since these three components have different names in different parts of the world, I present the following table to help you understand the differences and improve your Assessment Literacy.
“Quality assessment and feedback at all three stages are two crucial components in our efforts to improve the learning outcomes of our students.” VELS Assessment Stages For Learning
Other names
When occurs
Purpose
Diagnostic Assessment, Formative Assessment
Before the learning cycle begins
As Learning
Formative Assessment, On-going Formative Assessment
During the learning cycle
Of Learning
Summative Assessment
At the end of the learning cycle
Identify what the learner knows and does not know at the start; use information to design and adjust the learning program; to measure learning from start to finish of the learning cycle To provide the learner and the teacher with the ability to monitor progress towards learning goals, differentiate feedback to personalise learning; adjust learning activities as required To measure and identify the learning which has taken place during the learning cycle.
Ideas for assessment Assessment For Learning
Testing for pre-requisite subject specific knowledge
Identifying student misconceptions (see the tools section for several potential tools)
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Testing for pre-requisite literacy skills, numeracy skills, physical skills etc.
Assessment As Learning
Learning intentions and success criteria
Rubrics
Assessment Probes (these are being use in Science and Maths in the U.S. – google Page Keeley Word Walls
Folios of work Quizzes, monitoring of learning tasks 1, 2 or 5 minute feedback Student-teacher conferences Self-evaluation Peer evaluation Word Walls
BHS ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK & REPORTING POLICY What it says about Assessment Ongoing assessment plays an integral role in all stages of the learning and teaching process at Ballarat High School. As such, it is expected that assessment details will be integrated into all course outlines at BHS. This includes (but is not limited to): Assessment For Learning which occurs before or at the start of the learning and teaching process and helps guide the process.
Assessment as Learning—Peer evaluation using specific criteria. In 2012 Jess Kelly introduced us to peer assessment via speed dating.
QUESTIONS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT Several learning areas at Ballarat High School are focusing on improving peer and self assessment as part of their Assessment Action Plans. From the Florida International University comes “Questions for Self-Assessment” . Cognitive Questions What are some new things you have learned? How did you learn them? What new insights have you gained? What examples can you provide of specific learning? Can you identify emerging themes in the material you have learned so far? What are they? Has what you have learned changed the way you think about the subject(s)?
Can you illustrate a relationship between what you have learned so far and other areas of study?
What are items/areas you need to study or explore further for full understanding?
Affective Questions What are some ways in which new learning has changed your beliefs or values? How is what you have learned personally important to you? Are there any parts of what you have learned that concern you in some way? Explain. Reflective Questions If you could re-do your learning so far, would you do it differently? How? Can you identify any developments in your knowledge, skills and attitude as a result of what you have learned? Give examples.
What did you find especially challenging so far?
Skills Development Questions What skills have you developed as a result of this course so far? Are the skills you have learned important in circumstances other than this course? Where? How?
What skills do you believe you still have to learn?
Assessment As Learning which occurs during the learning and teaching process and helps to refine the process to maximise the learning outcomes for the students Assessment Of Learning which occurs at the end of the learning and teaching process and summarises what has been learned during the process. Assessment practices at all 3 stages of the learning process which are based on best practice and available scientific research. All three types of assessment may be designed for students to use in planning and monitoring their own learning and / or the teacher to use to assist in planning, monitoring and adapting the teaching and learning process. The assessment used in each class should employ a range of tools and processes which:
cater for different learning styles and outcomes;
are relevant to the learning processes used in the class;
provide each student with the opportunity to display his / her relevant knowledge, skills and abilities, and;
enables the teacher to make sound, knowledgeable and consistent judgements about student learning.
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ASSESSMENT LITERACY Assessment Literacy is a relatively new idea. Assessment literacy is related to the understanding we, as educators, have about assessment in relation to.
the terms
how to effectively use assessment and provide feedback
how to understand and use the data which is generated by assessments
knowledge of and ability to effectively use a variety of assessment methods
the ethical components of assessment
the ability to interpret standards, set criteria etc and develop appropriate assessment tasks (eg. do the VCE SACs match the stated outcomes, skills and assessment criteria; do the assessment tasks at 7-10 actually measure the appropriate VELS?)
justify decisions made about assessment tools, practices, etc.
use ICT and other technology based assessment tools and alternatives
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USING DATA—ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING There are many ways to collect data on students. Assessment for learning is generally conducted prior to teaching and during a learning activity – to inform our teaching. Three main areas of data collection include:
Student achievement data including formative and summative testing, reports, teachers’ observations, student work samples. Contextual data such as linguistic background, gender, socioeconomic factors. Other student data including mobility, attendance, behavioural, work ethic.
have here - On Demand, VCE data, Carmel Richardson, Student Performance Analyser and the Student Mapping Tool. When using these data programs it is important to think of the following questions to help interpret the data.
What do you want to know?
How are you going to achieve this?
How do you access the data? What are the results showing? What goals can you set in relation to the data?
So next time you check out the data on the TARDIS can you please keep these questions in mind. Stay tuned for further updates throughout the year. Deb Hutchinson
At Ballarat High School we continually collect data on students. Throughout Term 1 we have been looking at some different data analyses programs that we
We welcome letters to the editor and other contributions for future editions of Curriculum Matters.
LEARNING INTENTIONS Learning Inten ons are presented to the students at the beginning of a lesson and are referred throughout. The presenta‐ on of the Learning Inten ons may oc‐ cur in a variety of ways – on the white board in a specific area, Powerpoint Presenta on and verbally. Teachers may ask students to record the Learning In‐ ten on in their diary or exercise book and become part of their learning proto‐ col. The design of learning inten ons starts with the answers to these ques ons.
What do I want students to know? What do I want students to under‐ stand? What do I want students to be able to do? A certain challenge exists for teachers in transla ng the knowledge, understand‐ ing and skills of a published curriculum into learning inten ons whose language is accessible to their students. This is the journey currently being taken by English/ Humani es teachers at BHS. Several staff are involved in trialling learning inten‐ ons and success criteria in their class‐ rooms.
‘When students know the learning intention of a lesson, they are helped to focus on the pur-
pose of the activity, rather than simply completing the activity; know where to focus their efforts - ie which part of the activity actually encompasses the learning; are more likely to stay 'on task' and less likely to be confused or distracted; can take more responsibility for learning.’ Professor David Hopkins
EXAMPLES OF LEARNING INTENTIONS Learning inten ons that focus on knowledge Thinking about the different kinds of knowledge, and being specific about the kind of knowledge that is required in a par cular situa on, will help teachers design their learning inten‐ ons. They consider, for instance, knowledge about a par cular topic (know about different types of energy) knowledge of how something is done, of the steps involved in producing something (know how to construct a pie graph) knowledge of why something happens (know why rabbits are an ecological disaster) knowledge of what causes something to happen (know what causes thunderstorms)
Learning inten ons that focus on skills Learning inten ons that focus on skills always start with the words 'to be able to' followed by a verb. For example, to be able to write a recount to be able to solve a problem using more than one strategy to be able to work as part of a team
to be able to iden fy persuasive strategies used by the author or an argument to be able to experiment with a variety of media in order to achieve a stated effect O en learning inten ons that fo‐ cus on skills will also imply the ac‐ quisi on of certain knowledge or understandings. For instance, to be able to write a recount, students must have knowledge of the struc‐ tures and features of a recount.
Learning inten ons that focus on understanding Understanding builds on knowledge and requires some kind of processing. For instance, a student might be able to list the causes of an histori‐ cal event ‐ thereby showing knowledge of them ‐ but under‐ standing requires analysis and, perhaps, interpreta on. Understanding, then, is of a higher cogni ve order than knowledge and, in designing learning inten‐ ons; teachers ensure that stu‐ dents are exposed to learning which makes those higher de‐ mands as well as demands of a lesser nature. understand the causes of an historical event understand the effects of diet on health
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TOOLS
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Every great artisan and professional requires high quality, effective tools to fully utilise his or her abilities.
These tools are designed to assist students in organising and or mapping concepts, the relationship between concepts etc. They also have other uses such as for revision, developing an argument, analysing a text and so on. There are many mapping and organising tools in existence such as Mind Maps, Semantic Maps, Word Walls, Fishbone Diagrams, Interrelationship Digraphs, Spider Diagrams, and so on. These tools generally fall under the heading of Graphic Organisers
Each issue of Curriculum Matters will include a Tools Section. The Tools Section will present a variety of tools related to the theme of the particular issue. In many cases, as with this issue, the tools presented have a variety of other uses as well as the ones presented. Templates for all of the following tools will located in the Curriculum Matters folder on Tardis
Mapping and Organising Tools
This section introduces two – Concept Maps and Lotus Diagrams. In each case these could be used at the start of a topic (Assessment For), asking students to complete one only using their prior knowledge. This gives us, the teachers, an understanding of where the students are coming from, what they already know, what misconceptions they have etc. During the topic the students could then be given the opportunity, at different times, to update their map or diagram to show their new understandings (Assessment As). This gives us the opportunity to see if the students are learning what we want them to, what we might need to re-teach and so on. Concept Maps Concept maps serve a similar purpose to mind maps. The main difference is concept maps concentrate on concepts, the connections between concepts, and how one concept affects another. To develop a concept map you should: (1) Choose a focus area (2) Choose what you believe are six/ seven main concepts Write each concept on a separate piece of paper, post -it note etc. We, as the teachers, could give the students the concepts already written so that they can focus on the relationships, not the preparation.
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(3) Place all concepts around a large sheet of plain paper. (4) Choose two concepts you believe are related, place them on the paper and, in pencil, draw an arrow showing the direction of the relationship and write a brief description of how the concepts are connected. The description usually completes a sentence or semi-sentence linking the concepts. (5) Choose a 3rd concept which you believe is somehow connected to the other two. Place this on the paper and write your new connections. This may require you to rearrange the other two so all three fit on in what you believe is a logical set of connections. (6) Continue adding your concepts, each time indicating new connections between your concepts, re-arranging your concepts as appropriate, etc. (7) Once you have placed your six/ seven main concepts on the paper, you can gradually add more until you have a map which includes all the main concepts of the focus area and how you think they are related. Lotus Diagrams A Lotus Diagram is constructed by drawing a 3 x 3 grid with each cell of the grid then split into another, smaller 3 x 3 grid. The 8 cells around the small central cell of the central section are numbered 1 to 8. The central cell in each of the 8 sections around the centre section are then numbered 1 to 8 respectively. Completing a Lotus Diagram Step 1: Decide on the central issue / topic. This is then placed in the very central cell. Step 2: Identify up to 8 major aspects of the central issue. These are placed in the 8 cells around the central issue. Step 3: Each major aspect is then transferred to the equivalent numbered cell in the surrounding sections. Step 4: Up to 8 concepts related to
Example of a Concept Map on Assessment (Add your own ideas) Assessment For Learning
Learning & Teaching Programs
Informs
Measures
Reflects Intended Outcomes Impacts on effectiveness of
Assessment Of Learning
Informs
Measur Student Prior Knowledge
Student Demonstrated Learning Starting point for
Assessment As Learning
Monitors Student Developing Knowledge
All templates are on Tardis in the Curriculum Matters folder. Start of a Lotus Diagram on Assessment (What else can you fill in?) At start of learning 8
Prior knowledge
Assumed knowledge
1
Assumed skills
For
Pre‐test 2 Tools For
Forma ve
7
Tests
Essays
Rubrics
8
1
2
For
Tools For
7
Assess‐ ment
3
3
As
As
6
5
4
Tools Of
Of
Tools As
Finish of learning
During learn‐ ing
Forma ve Assessment Rubrics
Checklist
6
5
4
Tools Of
Of
Tools As
Capacity Matrix
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Comparing and Contrasting Tools for Assessing For Learning and Assessing As Learning
Each of the following tools are designed for Comparing and Contrasting two or more concepts.
As such, they are useful to assist, at the start of a unit of work, in determining the students’ currently knowledge of and understanding of the relationship between different concepts, any misunderstandings the students have etc. (Assessment For Learning)
VENN DIAGRAM A Venn Diagram is a graphical or pictorial method for demonstrating the relationship between one, two, or three sets and the “universe” from which the sets were taken. Recently many non-traditional uses for Venn Diagrams have been developed including as a thinking tool for visually / graphically sorting or demonstrating similarities and differences. Venn Diagrams can be drawn on paper, constructed using a variety of available software programs (including Word) or physically constructed with hoops, string etc.
As well they are useful tools during the learning process to help you, the teacher, see what learning is taking place by giving the students the opportunity to return to and edit their first efforts.
Steps for using a Venn Diagram 1. Determine the two or three categories of items / concepts / ideas etc. to be compared. 2. List the main characteristics of each category. 3. All characteristics common to the two (or three) are placed in the overlapping area. 4. All characteristics which are only found in the first category are placed in the part of the first circle which does not overlap the second. 5. All characteristics which are only found in the second are placed in the part of the second circle which does not overlap with the first. 6. If a third circle and category are being considered, a similar process is applied to the third.
DOUBLE CELL DIAGRAM A Double Cell Diagram is an alternative to a Venn Diagram. To develop a Double Cell Diagram the two things being compared are placed in ellipses with room for shared characteristic ellipses between them and non-shared characteristics to the left and right respectively. As can be seen in the example to the left, the final layout of the comparison looks very similar to the way it would look in a Venn Diagram. The example shows that both Fred and Sue like to Run, Fish, and Read while only Fred likes to Bike ride and Cook and only Sue likes to Swim and Build.
Bike
Run
Fred
Cook
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Fish
Read
Swim
Sue
Build
T-CHARTS Similarities Differences between Earth between Earth and Mars and Mars
A T-Chart has many uses including for comparing and contrasting purposes. In its simplest form it can be used to list similarities and differences between two objects. For example: when studying astronomy students could be asked to complete the table to the left.
Every great artisan and professional requires high quality, effective tools to fully utilise his or her abilities.
COMPARISON MATRIX/TABLE Characteristics Findings
Where
Cook Compare
Tasman
with specific information included in each cell. More explorers and more characteristics could be included by adding more rows or columns as appropriate. A Comparison Matrix might also be constructed and / or used in a manner similar to the way information about new cars, appliances, etc is presented, using ticks, crosses, etc to indicate which features are true for each item being compared.
Flinders Dampier
A Comparison Matrix or Table is, in one sense, an extension of a T-chart which allows for more comparisons / contrasts of characteristics to be made. The Comparison Matrix or Table is also a very good way to summarise a significant quantity of information on a single page. The example above is designed to illustrate how a comparison matrix might be used
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BHS ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK & REPORTING POLICY What it says about Feedback Feedback is an integral component of effective assessment techniques and processes at BHS.
WHY THE FUSS ABOUT FEEDBACK? Last year we began looking at the power of good feedback to improve student outcomes. Several researchers have made the point that the quickest and most effective way to improve student outcomes is to provide students with good quality feedback. John Hattie is the educational guru most commonly cited as an advocate for providing quality feedback. Andrew Fuller on his visit to Ballarat High School last year talked about the value of continually moving around the room and talking to students individually.
However, the trick is to make sure that we are not providing personal praise but we are commenting on the way the student has gone about completing the task in relation to what was expected. For Hattie, this means that feedback, goals and learning intentions are clearly related. Teachers need to make their learning intentions clear at the beginning of the lesson and then provide feedback to students based around the learning intentions and the goals that have been set for that student.
Therefore, it is expected that: staff will provide feedback on assessment tasks on a timely and useful basis; when moderation between classes is not required this would normally be expected to occur within 5 school days when moderation between classes is required this would normally be expected to occur within 10 school days. any Assessment For or As Learning which is intended to assist students with planning for and / or monitoring of their own learning should be designed to provide fairly immediate feedback for the students.
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FEEDBACK COMES IN AT 0.75 ON HATTIE’S BAROMETER Good Feedback
Bad Feedback
Encourages, focuses on improvements – achieved or possible; creates trust and cooperation
De-motivates, focuses on blame; creates defensiveness and confrontation
Solution-oriented; improves skills
Problem-oriented; does not improve skill
Increases confidence in ability and potential
Undermines confidence and self-esteem
Clarifies the current position and what to do next
Leaves person guessing
Leaves person feeling 'helped' and inspired
Leaves person feeling 'judged'
MODEL OF FEEDBACK
JOHN HATTIE
“Feedback is among the most common features of successful teaching and learning.” - John Hattie
The no. 1 enhancer of student performance is feedback — Andrew Fuller 11
To finish our first issue is Jack Marshall’s graphical interpretation of PESONALISED LEARNING
YOUR ORGANIZATION
BACK PAGE STORY HEADLINE
This would be a good place to insert a short paragraph about your organization. It might include the purpose of the organization, its mission, founding date, and a brief history. You could also include a brief list of the types of products, services, or programs your organization offers, the geographic area covered (for example, western U.S. or European markets), and a profile of the types of customers or members served. It would also be useful to include a contact name for readers who want more information about the organization.
PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE
Your Organization Primary Business Address Your Address Line 2 Your Address Line 3 Your Address Line 4 Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax: 555-555-5555 E-mail: someone@example.com
Mailing Address Line 1 Mailing Address Line 2 Mailing Address Line 3 Mailing Address Line 4 Mailing Address Line 5
YOUR LOGO HERE