- Goal is to find the balance - Liz Fisk
- Uses assessment to mean many things related to student learning
- It's important to remember the purpose of grades - who we're reporting to - what the grades mean for them
Activity
- Cards distributed to group and asked to place on posters before, during, after, at intervals
- Discovered when we got up to posters that several copies of the same phrase (i.e. classwork, homework, etc.) were given out
- The words on the cards describe different types of assessments - would be interesting to do the activity with specific assessments such as multiple choice test, book report, matching game using algebraic equations, etc.
The purpose of assessment
Before (diagnostic)
During (formative)
After (summative)
At Intervals (i.e. DIBELS)
Wondering what thoughts are on dealing with press, vendors, etc who use the word formative when they mean benchmark? How do we educate the public about the difference in the words?
"There's a difference between mini-summative and benchmark"
"benchmark is used to measure progress"
Group discussion around the intersection between assessment and grading - lots of wiggling and semantic discussion. Participants are working together to clarify their own thinking. It's always fascinating to watch adult learners categorize terms and phrases. For example, if a high school English department writes a common mid-term and final, are they benchmark assessments? Summative? Can they be both?
Analogy: Basketball
Diagnostic: tryout (determining if student goes to modified, JV, varsity)
Formative: practices
Benchmark: scrimmages
Summative: games
Participant: It's a paradigm shift as for many educators it's what gets measured, gets taught.
Participant: You could also say what gets tested gets taught. (I think she works with the presenter). Paradigm
Self-identified teacher: We need to retrain the students in addition to changing our own thinking
Not enough time to see video clip from Stiggins - she mentioned an image from the clip - that formative is the building blocks toward summative
Visual on left was created by BOCES following meeting with principals
Shared recommendations from department of ed regarding homework time (i.e. 10-20 minutes for K-2; 30-60 mins for 3-6)