Targets, Assessments, & Grading

What do I do with targets after I have them?

Ken MattinglyB.A. – University of Kentucky

M.A. – Eastern Kentucky UniversityNational Certification in Early Adolescent Science

ken.mattingly@rockcastle.kyschools.us

Group Norms

• Start and end on time

• Put cell phones on silent

• Be respectful of all comments

• Everyone participates

• Exercise the rule of “two feet”

• You may not agree with me

…and I’m okay with that!

Agenda

• 9:00-10:30 Targets and Assessments– Review of Assessment for Learning practices– Overview of process as implemented at Rockcastle

County Middle School• Target generation• Target-activity match• Target-assessment match• Common summative assessments

• 10:45-12:00 Implications for Grading– Linking targets/standards to grades– My experiences with standards-based grading

Acknowledgements

• Southern Regional Education Board• American Association for the

Advancement of Science• Science Leadership Support Network• Leaders in Assessment and Grading:

– Rick Stiggins, Ken O’Connor, Paige Keeley, Dylan Wiliam, Shirley Clark, Robert Marzano, etc.

• RCMS Administration and Faculty

My Job…

1. To show you how my school has taken Assessment for Learning and used it to sharpen our focus on what our students learn, how they learn it, and how they are assessed.

2. To show you how I have taken Assessment for Learning and transformed the way I assess my students and report their successes and shortcomings.

I will do that by…

1. Reviewing how we generate targets.2. Introducing you to ways of linking targets to

activities and summative assessments.3. Sharing examples of formative and summative

assessments that focus on learning targets.4. Presenting a method for using targets as the

structure for a standards-based grading scale.5. Sharing examples of student opportunities to

demonstrate target mastery that allows them to take ownership of their learning.

Rockcastle County Middle School

• 625 students grade 6-8

• 2 teams per grade level

• 70% Free and reduced lunch

• 2007 AI – 95, 2008 AI – 98, 2009 AI – 105

• Science P+D%:– 2007: 70– 2008: 73– 2009: 84

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning

• Assessment of Learning– Summative, documents individual or group

achievement, occurs after learning, sorts students into groups, primary motivator is threat of punishment or promise of rewards

• Assessment for Learning– Formative, promotes increase in achievement, occurs

during learning, help teachers diagnose and respond to student needs, primary motivator is the belief that success in learning is achievable.

» Classroom Assessment for Learning, p. 33

What do we want to assess?

• Start with the end in mind.– What do we want students to know and do?– Sources :POS, CCD

• Turn those documents into manageable chunks of information– Take standard and break into the learning pieces that

when put together form the scaffolding for performance of the standard

– Knowledge, Skills, Reasonings, Products

• These are the pieces that give your instruction direction and you want to assess

Side Note on Deconstruction

• Taking standards and deconstructing them is hard and time consuming.

• Decisions often have to be made on what is essential learning.

• There will be differences of opinion on how standards break out.

• Don’t let this step frustrate you and keep you from implementing AFL.

Now what?

• I’ve broken the standards down into understandable pieces.

• I’ve arranged the pieces into common groups or units.

• I’ve divided the units into manageable pieces of instructional time.

• How do I use them?

Clear, Student-friendly Targets

• Turn knowledge, skill, reasoning, and product pieces into “I can” target statements.

• Targets should use student-friendly language.

• Targets should be attainable.• Provide clear, stationary targets for students

to aim at and they will hit them.• Give students a copy of learning targets for

the unit.

Student Friendly Learning Target Example

• Standard: SC-07-4.6.2 Students will: – describe the transfer and/or

transformations of energy which occur in examples that involve several different forms of energy (e.g., heat, electrical, light, motion of objects and chemical).

– Explain, qualitatively or quantitatively, that heat lost by hot object equals the heat gained by cold object.

Student Friendly Learning Target Example

• 1. I can give examples of energy.• 2. I can give examples of energy transfer. That

means when energy is moved from one object to another.

• 3. I can give examples of energy transformations. That means when energy is changed from one form to another form.

• 4. I can describe the exchange of energy between hot objects and cold objects.

Working Group Discussion

• How would developing learning targets change the instructional environment in your school?

• What challenges do you foresee with developing learning targets?

Using Targets for Pre-Assessment Development

• Targets can easily be turned into questions for a pre-assessment to see where students are at the beginning of a unit.

• Develop questions that give students an indication of what they are to learn.

• Pre-assessment as feedback throughout unit.

Using Targets for Post-Assessment Development

• Matching the assessment method to the type of target.

• Determining adequate sampling size.

• Assessment format considerations: open response vs. multiple-choice, time constraints

• Quality of questions, information value of incorrect answers

Working Group Discussion

• How do you determine the questions that are on your assessments?

• What is the benefit, if any, for common summative assessments?

• How would you have to prepare your faculty for this process?

Students who can identify what they are learning significantly outscore those who cannot.

– Robert Marzano

Linking Lessons to Targets

• Each learning experience should be explicitly linked to a target.

• Students are introduced to the target at the beginning and ending of the experience.

• Each learning experience is evaluated for its effectiveness at moving students toward mastery of the target.

How do I know my instruction is “good”?

• The students seem to enjoy the activities?

• I think they understand it?

• When I get back their unit test results?

• When the state test scores arrive?

• By the number of parent compliments or complaints?

• What my peers/administrator say about me?

Formative Assessments

• Assessments conducted during learning to promote, not merely judge or grade, student success

• Provide information to teacher and student on student performance.

• Supplies opportunities to make mid-course corrections to learning experiences.

Research on Feedback

• Quality of feedback matters. Specifically descriptive ,criterion-based feedback is better than numerical scoring or letter grades.

• Emphasis on the importance of learning leads to greater learning vs. looking good or being compared to others.

• Descriptive feedback that focuses on strengths and weaknesses is most effective

» Classroom Assessment for Learning, p. 40

My Philosophy on Formative Assessments

• FA does not count as a grade• Feedback is generally descriptive or otherwise

informs on attainment of mastery• Blanks, I don’t knows, IDC’s, etc. are

unacceptable• Returned to students and compared to “good

work” to inform them of where they are• Followed by a discussion of how to close the

gap to mastery

Working Group Discussion

• What are your thoughts on not grading formative assessments?

• How would your classroom have to change in order to incorporate it?

• As a learner, what makes you feel an assignment is worth doing?

Summative Feedback

• Before using targets: score 65%– Student knows what questions they got

right/wrong– Kept the score and went on, maybe reviewed,

but still went on– No diagnosis of problems and ways to

address them – perhaps taking a test again but no plan as to what to focus on

– Not idea on student or teacher’s part of strengths and weaknesses

Summative Feedback

• After using targets: score 65%– Get results broken out by target– Students know what they do well and what

they need to work on– Students have opportunities to work on

identified targets and gain understanding before trying again to show mastery

– Diagnostic tool to show strengths and weaknesses by student and class

Re-testing

• Students have received summative assessment results by target

• Identify targets needing improvement

• Work on target practice in preparation for re-testing

• Re-test only over identified targets

• Evaluate results, rinse, and repeat!

Summary of Targets and Assessments

• Learning targets form the backbone of instruction and assessment program

• LT allow for focused development of pre- and post-assessments

• LT give clear direction to selection and development of instructional activities

• LT provide students with clear learning goals and a format for organized feedback on their performance

Standards-based Grading

• How do I make my grading:– Meaningful?– Defensible?– Student motivating?– Teacher friendly?– Infinite Campus

compatible?– Administration

approved?

Guidelines for Grading in Standards-Based Systems

• Relate grading procedures to learning goals (targets)• Use criterion-referenced performance standards as

references points to determine grades• Limit the valued attributes included in grades to individual

achievement• Sample student performance – do not include all scores in

grades• Grade in pencil – keep records so they can be updated

easily• Crunch numbers carefully – if at all• Use quality assessments and properly recorded evidence of

achievement• Discuss and involve students in assessment, including

grading, throughout the teaching/learning process» How to Grade for Learning, p. 44

My Grading Format

• All assessments, formative and summative, are based on learning targets

• Students grades are based on how well they show mastery of learning targets

• Behaviors are not factored into grade unless the behavior is an identified and communicated learning target

• Students are aware of targets being assessed• Students are given multiple opportunities to

demonstrate mastery of targets

No Grades for…

• Homework

• Activities

• Class work

• Behavior

• Quizzes

• Formative assessments

Learning Target Performance Criterion

• Student performance is divided into three categories– Basic– Developing– Mastery

• Students receive a score of 1, 2, or 3 for each target depending on their performance

Assessment

• Formative – Tied to how student is doing on a particular target– Use to identify growth areas and show how to close

the mastery gap– Generally not included in grading of target mastery

• Summative – Includes assessment items for all targets in a unit– Diagnoses strengths and weaknesses of student– Provides road map for attaining target mastery– Determines current performance on targets

Summative Assessment• Provides

itemized feedback on performance per learning target

Why Do We Need a Grade?

• They will be around for a while

• Parents expect and “understand” them

• Students need something to compare their learning to

• Communities are not ready for “no grades”

• Administrators are not ready for “no grades”

So Where’s the Grade?

• Total points possible for each target is 3

• Total points for unit is number of targets times 3

• Students total points earned divided by total unit points gives percentage

• All 2’s (developing) = 67% D

• ½ 2’s and ½ 3’s = 83% low B

• All 3’s (mastery) = 100% A

Re-testing

• Opportunities for re-teaching– Reviewing test results– Learning target practice– Classroom time

• Re-test by target– Targets receiving 1’s must be worked on– Targets receiving 2’s can be worked on

• Results on re-test provide information for further narrowing of mastery gap

Standards-based Grading in a Nutshell

• Focuses on whether students know what you want them to know

• Provides opportunities for variable learning paces

• Rewards students who continue to try mastering the information/concepts

• Gives a clear indication of what students know and don’t know

• Gives a clear picture of where your instruction is being effective/ineffective

Infinite Campus

• Targets are entered as different assignments

• Assignment is given a name “Ecosystem Learning Target #1”

• Assignment description contains the target statement

• Each assignment is worth a maximum of 3 points

Working Group Discussion

• What support needs to be in place for standards-based grading to work for you?

• Would everyone have to grade this way?

• What would your students think about this grading method?

• What about your parents? Administrators?

Summary of Standards-based Grading

• Students are graded on their mastery of standards (learning targets)

• There are communicable levels of performance leading to mastery

• Only mastery of standards is included on grade calculation

• Students receive multiple opportunities to show mastery of standards

Today’s Take Home Message

• Learning targets inform students and teachers specifically what the learning intention is

• They can be used as a basis for instructional design and assessment formulation

• Formative and summative assessments should provide feedback to all parties on how to improve understanding

• Students should be given multiple opportunities to develop and show mastery of learning targets

• Standards-based grading gives students the chance take ownership of their performance