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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,299
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I came across this today and it's an interesting read. Unfortunately the authors take the attitude that high scorers "rode winning streaks to the top." It doesn't address the problems that can occur when high scorers aren't given challenging work. On the other hand, there were a number of things that may be useful for advocacy. I included some excerpts: http://www.assessmentinst.com/forms/AssessManifesto-08.pdfFor instance, the assessment
results must go beyond merely providing judgments about
to providing rich descriptions of student performance. In
other words, if assessments are to support improvements
in student learning, their results must inform students how
to do better the next time.
Assessments become far more than merely
one-time events attached to the end of the teaching.
They become part of the learning process by keeping
students posted on their progress and confident enough
to continue striving.
We assess for two reasons: (1) to gather evidence to
inform instructional decisions and (2) to encourage
students to try to learn. Both purposes must be well
served for schools to be effective.
If assessment is to support learning as students
ascend the progressions, then, it must serve as follows:
� Decision to be made:
What comes next in the learning?
� Made by:
Students, teachers, and sometimes parents
� Information needed:
Continuous evidence of each student�s current
location on the scaffolding leading to each standard
And, note that the question is not: Who is mastering
standards? Rather, it is: How is each student doing on
her or his journey up the scaffolding leading to each
standard?
Assessments become far more than merely
one-time events attached to the end of the teaching.
They become part of the learning process by keeping
students posted on their progress and confident enough
to continue striving.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,207
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Posts: 7,207 |
Hi Inky -
Thanks for the quote. I think that this person is talking about tests that teachers give at the end of units. Wow - I just got a great idea. What if with every Math Test, there was an optional section that tested knowledge that is planned to be taught in the next segment, so that the teacher would know where each child stands.
I also like how directly the writer states her preconceptions: 'how is each student doig on her or his journey up the scaffolding leading to each standard?'
This is exactly the kind of thinking that messes our kids up sometime, although sometimes it's exactly what is needed. but, too often, by the time the knowledge is pinned to a scaffold, it's sliced and diced too small to have any joy left to help a child learn. Or our dear Gifties are taking an alternate developmental path again, and are 'ready' to learn algebra before they are developmentally ready to memorize Math Facts.
Just some thoughts....
Now, give me an achievement test that can accurately assess what a child knows and what a child is ready to learn - and then we have a really useful tool.
Smiles,
Grinity
Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I like the term scaffolding because it implies a temporary framework that's secondary instead of being a primary permanent edifice. It involves shifting responsibility to the student when they're ready and recognizing not all students need the same type of assistance. I agree that in practice it can be confining and should only be used for helping a student with something they can't accomplish without assistance. It ties in nicely with Vygotsky�s Zone of Proximal Development. Now, give me an achievement test that can accurately assess what a child knows and what a child is ready to learn - and then we have a really useful tool. Setting aside the problems with the Preliminary Norms, the MAP test seems to be useful for this. There are individual reports which show skills and concepts to enhance; skills and concepts to develop; and skills and concepts to introduce. For Math, the skills are broken down by Goals: Algebra; Computation; Measurement and Geometry; Number sense; Problem solving; Statistics and Probability. Each of the Goals is broken down even further. Under Algebra there's Application of Algebraic concepts; Attributes, patterns and functions; and Understanding Algebraic Concepts. My problem is not that it's being sliced and diced into pieces too small to learn. Instead, this information is available for what skills DD6 is ready to enhance, develop and introduce, but she's stuck doing the 1st grade curriculum because she's in 1st grade. 
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,167
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Posts: 1,167 |
Or our dear Gifties are taking an alternate developmental path again, and are 'ready' to learn algebra before they are developmentally ready to memorize Math Facts. This is something I've run into more than once, DS6 is taking Algebra but doesn't know his 7 times tables. As if one has anything to do with the other. Just another example of how i'm "pushing" my child...LOL
Shari
Mom to DS 10, DS 11, DS 13
Ability doesn't make us, Choices do!
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Joined: Oct 2008
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How timely. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd28-2009jan28,0,5869383.story?page=1 The Los Angeles teachers union and the city's school district are battling over a district practice that, a Times' analysis suggests, contributes to higher scores on state tests.
The practice is "periodic assessments," a bureaucratic name for exams administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The goal is to give teachers insight into what students need to learn while there remains time in the current school year to adjust instruction.The union Tuesday directed teachers to refuse to give them to students on the grounds that the tests are costly and counterproductive.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 303
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This is an amazing read (your comments) I have had a hard time understanding why my DD5 always skips around learning stuff and not in what is considered in order (maybe she didn't get the memo on what's next?). She gets caught up in the end fills in the gaps if there were any, but her learning style has always confused me. I just go with it and see what she can do and wants to do. It's all a journey for me 
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,840
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How timely. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd28-2009jan28,0,5869383.story?page=1 The Los Angeles teachers union and the city's school district are battling over a district practice that, a Times' analysis suggests, contributes to higher scores on state tests.
The practice is "periodic assessments," a bureaucratic name for exams administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The goal is to give teachers insight into what students need to learn while there remains time in the current school year to adjust instruction.The union Tuesday directed teachers to refuse to give them to students on the grounds that the tests are costly and counterproductive. Why would someone not want feedback on their job performance?
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Joined: Oct 2008
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From the LAUSD web site. Standards-Aligned Assessments
In Core Subject Areas
The Los Angeles Unified School District has developed a
consistent process for periodically measuring students�
progress toward achieving the California State K-12
Content Standards. These measures evaluate students�
skill levels in the core subjects as shown below and
show student learning progress on a continuous basis:
English/Language Arts: Grades K-10; Grades K-5
use Open Court assessments
Mathematics: Grades K-7, Algebra Readiness and
Algebra 1
Science: Grades 4-8, Biology, Chemistry and Integrated
Coordinated Science
History/Social Science: Grade 8 U.S. History
Teachers can obtain performance data reports three or
four times a year following administration of Periodic
Assessments. These reports give teachers a
comprehensive and consistent way to identify areas of
student strength and need in a timely manner and guide
changes in the instructional program to support future
student learning. If they're giving each core subject test separately 3 or 4 times a year, it looks like an eighth grader might have 9-12 assessments a year. I helped with shuttling ESL students back & forth from their classrooms for the recent winter testing at DD's school. Each assessment had to be given individually because of language issues, and the teachers seemed pretty harried trying to get all the assessments done. If the data isn't used as intended, that's a lot of wasted time and money. At least with DD6, I'm using the data to help shape her afterschooling and to advocate for the appropriate level in class.
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