International Center for Leadership in Education - Using Assessment for Instruction

Using Assessment for Instruction

This resource kit is based on real-life data and tried-and-true models and research. It is designed to demystify the process of assessment and related data gathering for the entire school community.

Numerous examples of data and assessments are provided in all chapters.
The many exercises in the chapters are also on the enclosed CD. Copy them for use during professional development/dialogue sessions and in classrooms.
Some chapters are divided into sections targeted to administrators and teachers for ease of use.
The appendix contains articles, rubrics, exercises, and sample data.

Chapter 1: Understanding Assessment. This chapter introduces learning as an ongoing process, which includes feedback. It connects the new to the old paradigms of assessment and explains how the terms “evaluation” and “assessment” are used. It emphasizes formative assessment and how it fits into the Rigor/Relevance Framework and discusses summative assessment. Normative and criterion-referenced tests are compared.

Chapter 2: The Assessment Process in Districts and Schools. The focus is on the differences between assessment OF learning and assessment FOR learning, as well as informal and formal (or benchmark) assessments. There are several exercises for practice and dialogue.

Chapter 3: Rubrics for Assessment and Evaluation. The chapter is divided into three sections:

Defining the Rubric — definitions, structures, how to write rubrics and their critical use for feedback, examples of program and instructional rubrics, and methods of scoring.
Rubrics for Administrators — the Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners, Components of School Excellence, Charlotte Danielson’s Teacher Evaluation, and the New York State Public Library’s program evaluation rubrics serve as examples.
Rubrics for Teachers — examples from several states of single and cross-content rubrics and feedback; how to convert from one rubric format to another; how one content area can use rubrics from a different area; examples of adult and student rubrics.

Chapter 4: How Rubrics Are Used in Schoolwide Programs. This chapter uses case studies to demonstrate the use of the Components of School Excellence. Two schools are compared, and suggestions are provided for the school with a problem with student performance in terms of gathering information, dealing with low levels of involvement in the collection and use of data, etc.

Chapter 5: The Meaning of Data and Assessment. The chapter is divided into sections:

Overview — what data means to different groups and how to conduct focused conversations with each of them.
For Administrators — basic information about NCLB, action frameworks for obtaining meaning, what results may mean within the Rigor/Relevance Framework, and four levels (the ABCS) of decision-making.
For Teachers — the SMART goals collaborative method of making meaning and taking action based on data: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely; emphasis on standards-based informal and formal (benchmark) assessments.

Chapter 6: Collecting and Sharing Data. Data collection needs to be an explicit, goal-oriented activity. Both OF and FOR learning data should be shared. The chapter provides several scenarios and a template to organize thinking about the data. Teachers should receive data from district and statewide assessments in spreadsheet software for easy sorting.

Chapter 7: Data Presentation and Communication. This chapter is divided into sections and has many practice exercises:

Data Presentation — examples demonstrate that how data is presented can influence and even mislead; a three-step data analysis process and framework is explained in the context of sample data.
For Leaders — communication to and feedback from the many constituent groups, using technology as a support tool, models and scenarios for collaborating with teachers on formative and summative data.
For Teachers — models and examples for focused dialogue with principals, colleagues, parents, and students.

Chapter 8: Applying Assessments for Instruction. This chapter summarizes the many assessments used within a school environment. Planning for a FOR learning standards-based assessment, is emphasized in the context of a standards learning - assessment - standards learning cycle on a frequent basis. A multistep feedback scenario exercise is culminating and is an excellent collaborative professional development activity.

Included is a CD with sample, tools, rubrics, and exercises.

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