I kind of always knew, but had recently reaffirmed, that formative and summative assessments work well together...you know...like pb&j (sorry for the cliche). In all seriousness, that cliche is very applicable. Some teachers only eat peanut butter on their sandwich. If we apply that to assessments, we can say that teachers that only apply peanut butter to their instruction create a learning environment that is too sticky and suffocating for students, meaning they only use a series of summative assessments in their classroom. Teachers really need to add the jelly in order to balance out the stickiness so that students don't feel trapped, unable to move forward.
Let's back up a bit. What is the difference between formative and summative assessments? How teachers use the results from the assessments they give in class determines if the assessment they assigned is formative or summative (Chappius 15). Formative assessments are used to help prepare students for summative assessments; they are used during the instructional process to help all students build knowledge. According to Laura Greenstein, teachers should use formative assessments to adapt instruction, track student achievement, challenge appropriately, promote student improvement, and enable students to self-assess (16). Summative assessments, on the other hand, determine how much learning has occurred and whether or not a student has mastered the material; they help issue a student a grade for which the student will receive on the assignment. You can view summative assessments as an assessment of the learning (Chappius 15).
There is so much value in formative assessments, and they should not be left out of instruction. Formative assessments help convey to students that perfection is not always expected, and it specifically show students where their weaknesses lie so they can map out a plan of action for improvement. Probably the most important element of formative assessments is that it is student centered; they are mostly helpful for students (not just teachers) because students are tracking their progress and reflecting on it so that more learning can take place. If teachers did not build in formative assessments in their instruction, I'm not sure students would be granted the ability to self-reflect and goal set, and don't teachers want our students to do those things?
But what I would like to ask is, does the state of Pennsylvania and its schools use formative and summative assessments correctly? Many districts administer tests, such as benchmarks, to gather data and help students prepare for the Keystone exam, which they consider to be formative assessments. But are they really formative assessments? Are teachers being given the data right away to help drive instruction and help students to create individual goals for improvement? I'm sure some districts can answer yes, but certainly not all. For the districts that answer no, what is the point in administering such a test? Are they using it just to expose students to a test similar to the Keystone test? What is the benefit of that? Since the Keystone tests are not going away, teachers need to use those test prep tests formatively. Students need to see value in those assessments; they need to see that they account for something and really do have a part in their learning process.; they need to ultimately know that those tests are not a waste of their time. The power of correctly using formative assessments with test prep is in the district's hands, so it is up to them to help their teachers use the data from those tests to drive instruction and help our students succeed.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Are We Putting Our Students First?
It is common practice for most teachers to ask themselves the following: What skill(s) do I want to teach my students, how do I want to teach it, and, then, how do I assess it? Answering those questions is part of the planning process, a process in which students should definitely be involved. In a recent article I read called "Knowing Your Learning Target" by Moss, Brookhart, and Long, it suggests that "unless all students see, recognize, and understand the learning target from the very beginning of the lesson, one factor will remain constant: The teacher will always be the one providing the direction, focusing on getting students to meet the instructional objectives" (66). If the teacher is the one always providing direction, then students aren't actively involved, and thus aren't learning, because they are just focusing on the words of their teacher and are too busy figuring out what they are learning and why they are learning it. As I was partaking in discussion this week, it was suggested that to really involve students in their learning, there should be whole class learning targets for which the teacher creates and shares with their students and then student created learning targets that specialize learning even more for them. In order to have students create their own learning targets, they first need to really understand the teachers, so that is where open dialogue is really key. Teachers need to explain to their students why what they are learning is important and how it can help them in the real world.
While I and many others can attest to the fact that no two students are alike and deserve varied learning targets, instruction, and assessment, the state of Pennsylvania does not seem to be on board. The Keystone exam does not embrace students as individuals; rather, it is one form of assessment that assesses the same standards for every student. I have recently learned that, that kind of assessment is an industrial/behaviorist (i/b) model of learning an assessment from the article entitled "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture" by Lorrie Shepard. According to Shepard, with that kind of assessment, students are given specific standards for which they must master at a given level with each student taking the same kind of test. Well, that just seems unrealistic and unproductive, and the results of the assessment would be seriously flawed. In today's society, people engage in discussion, they create and design, they problem-solve. How can the state give our students an assessment that does not (a) align to students individual learning abilities and (b) does not align to the real world?
As a result, education needs to move beyond an i/b form of assessment and, instead, embrace a social-constructivist (s/c) model of learning and assessment. With an s/c model of learning, learning is "authentic and connected to the world outside of school" which makes learning more interesting and applicable for students, as well as motivate them to use the skills they are learning in real world settings (Shepard 7). In order for teachers to impart s/c type of learning in their classroom, they must create assessments in which students are illustrating higher order thinking skills and are problem-solving. And a good way to get students to the point where they are critical thinking and problem-solving is to engage them in discussion. There is tremendous power behind socialization. Students need to "become accustomed to explaining their reasoning and offering and receiving feedback about their developing competence" (Shepard 10). When students socialize with each other, they develop strong convictions due to their critical analyses; they learn how to defend their own beliefs and challenge others; and they learn when challenging others beliefs how to provide solutions to the problems they deem present with their peer's beliefs. This form of learning is authentic and real world applicable, which is nothing like the Keystone assessment. So the question is, how should the Keystone assessment be altered to embrace an s/c model? Should the test be abolished altogether and leave the learning and assessment up to each school and their teachers? To help drive our answers, we need to think about what's best for our students, and I can't help but think that right now, the state of Pennsylvania is not putting our students first.
While I and many others can attest to the fact that no two students are alike and deserve varied learning targets, instruction, and assessment, the state of Pennsylvania does not seem to be on board. The Keystone exam does not embrace students as individuals; rather, it is one form of assessment that assesses the same standards for every student. I have recently learned that, that kind of assessment is an industrial/behaviorist (i/b) model of learning an assessment from the article entitled "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture" by Lorrie Shepard. According to Shepard, with that kind of assessment, students are given specific standards for which they must master at a given level with each student taking the same kind of test. Well, that just seems unrealistic and unproductive, and the results of the assessment would be seriously flawed. In today's society, people engage in discussion, they create and design, they problem-solve. How can the state give our students an assessment that does not (a) align to students individual learning abilities and (b) does not align to the real world?
As a result, education needs to move beyond an i/b form of assessment and, instead, embrace a social-constructivist (s/c) model of learning and assessment. With an s/c model of learning, learning is "authentic and connected to the world outside of school" which makes learning more interesting and applicable for students, as well as motivate them to use the skills they are learning in real world settings (Shepard 7). In order for teachers to impart s/c type of learning in their classroom, they must create assessments in which students are illustrating higher order thinking skills and are problem-solving. And a good way to get students to the point where they are critical thinking and problem-solving is to engage them in discussion. There is tremendous power behind socialization. Students need to "become accustomed to explaining their reasoning and offering and receiving feedback about their developing competence" (Shepard 10). When students socialize with each other, they develop strong convictions due to their critical analyses; they learn how to defend their own beliefs and challenge others; and they learn when challenging others beliefs how to provide solutions to the problems they deem present with their peer's beliefs. This form of learning is authentic and real world applicable, which is nothing like the Keystone assessment. So the question is, how should the Keystone assessment be altered to embrace an s/c model? Should the test be abolished altogether and leave the learning and assessment up to each school and their teachers? To help drive our answers, we need to think about what's best for our students, and I can't help but think that right now, the state of Pennsylvania is not putting our students first.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
This I Believe about Assessments
I was recently asked to produce an NPR "This I Believe" podcast about assessments, and I thought I would post it here to share with everyone.
Enjoy :-)
Enjoy :-)
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
A Formal Introduction
While I have had this blog running for a few months now, I have never formally introduced myself, aside from the information in the "About Me" section and what you could muster about me in my blog posts. So, let me tell you a little more about me:
My name is Laura Wood, and I currently live in Warren, PA and teach at Bradford Area High School; however, I will only be teaching there for two more weeks, as my husband's job has relocated us to the Hermitage/Grove City area. We just closed on a new home in Cortland, OH yesterday, as a matter for fact! The very act of resigning from my job was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life thus far; I loved my job and district, despite the many annoyances (most of which are with public education in general). January 20th is my last day as a Sophomore English and AP Language & Composition teacher at Bradford Area High School, and as of January 24th, I will officially live in Ohio (very close to the PA border). Please bare with me, everyone, as this will be an emotional time for me. The thought of not seeing young people every day, interacting with them, teaching just tears me apart inside. I hope and I pray that I land another teaching job in the near future...or even again (yes, I realize that is me being dramatic!).
To back up a little bit, I started off as an English major at Penn State in 2004 and graduated from that University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. I then moved back home to the Pittsburgh area and enrolled in the PY program for English Education so that I could become certified to teach English. Much to my surprise, I got hired immediately at Bradford High, which was great because my then boyfriend, now husband, had just gotten a job near Bradford. Everything was bliss, fate even. I have been teaching at Bradford Area High School for over four years, and throughout my time as a teacher there, I rewrote the Sophomore English curriculum and created and implemented a new AP course for my school district, AP Language & Composition (as well as direct a few school plays and participate in other various extra curricular activities). Creating that new course was one of the most challenging tasks I endured, but it was all so worth it. I am so proud of my students and myself for what we have accomplished in the two and a half years I have taught that class. I am also proud to say that my students score above the national average overall on the AP exam, especially in writing. My AP students and I become a tight-knit family that really pushes and supports each other to succeed and be/do better, which is why we have done so well in the past. I will truly miss that baby I birthed at Bradford High! I just hope that I can deliver a new AP baby at another school district some day.
I had always wanted to obtain my MEd in English Education, but getting hired as an English teacher right away and then creating a new course at my school district stunted that plan. I rarely had "me" time, and I'm the kind of student that must give 110%. It was not until this fall that I felt like I could pick up and finish my MEd. I will officially have my MEd this summer- yay! I love setting and accomplishing goals; it feels so good! Since I no longer live in Pittsburgh, I will be completing my MEd online, which has been a pleasant experience thus far. I like being able to complete each weekly module at my own time and at my own pace, instead of meeting at a specific time each week. And the dialogue between students is still as rich as what you would find in a real-life classroom. All it takes to create a fruitful discussion are people who care, both professors and students, about being life-long learners.
I value being a life-long learner. Even after I finish my MEd, I will not be done with school. Well, being a teacher means you sign up for a life of life-long learning because you must continuously master content. But, aside from that my future plans my include obtaining another masters or my PhD, or maybe I will just take classes here and there or educate myself. I just really value learning. And because I value learning so much, I read- a lot- and I love to travel.
I also value the small things in life. I am your stereotypical girl that loves fashion: jewelry, shoes, clothes, handbags. It kind of drives my husband nuts. He sees me online shopping often. When I moved from Pittsburgh to Warren, PA, shopping at malls immediately stopped because there just weren't any malls in Warren, PA. If I wanted to shop, I had to drive over an hour to Erie or Buffalo. That just wasn't always practical. As a result, I became a really good online shopper. Seriously. I often wonder if I could make it as a personal shopper. Don't worry, people, there is much more to me than just shopping! I also enjoy many outdoor activities- hiking, biking, kayaking- because staying physically fit is very important to me. My husband and I also love to renovate our home; and since we just bought a new one, that means we have a whole slew of new projects to complete! We envision completely remodeling the deck and kitchen, putting in new floors, adding crown molding, etc. We also love gardening together. My husband's parents were a golf course Superintendent and Master Gardner, so we've picked up those skills from them. I can't wait to redesign the interior and exterior of our new home.
While my husband and I do not have any children yet- we're hoping to be blessed with them some day; it just hasn't happened for us yet- we do have two cats that we absolutely adore and view as our children. Levi is a male ginger, and Abby is a female calico. You will see Levi as my profile picture. He is SO photogenic! I feel bad that most of my pictures consist of Levi and not Abby. Abby moves too much and just doesn't like to pose for the camera. Despite that, she is such a sweet cat. I mean it. She doesn't have a mean bone on her body! To catch a bug, she will calmly lift her paw and gently place it on top of the bug, not even killing it. And she doesn't catch mice either; she plays with them...like hide-and-go-seek kind of playing! Our cats are special creatures. My husband has taught Levi to sing with him and say Mama. We both grew up with dogs, and we never thought we would love our cats as much as we love dogs. Our cats make it easy though, because they are so personable, and, quite frankly, they act like dogs! They always greet us when we get home, they come when called, and they follow us are incessantly. Needless to say, those two cats are the apple of our eyes!
I'm sure you have gained some insight about me from my previous post, and I'm sure you have an even better idea of who I am now. I will continue to share more about me and how I feel with each new blog post. Enjoy! :)
My name is Laura Wood, and I currently live in Warren, PA and teach at Bradford Area High School; however, I will only be teaching there for two more weeks, as my husband's job has relocated us to the Hermitage/Grove City area. We just closed on a new home in Cortland, OH yesterday, as a matter for fact! The very act of resigning from my job was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life thus far; I loved my job and district, despite the many annoyances (most of which are with public education in general). January 20th is my last day as a Sophomore English and AP Language & Composition teacher at Bradford Area High School, and as of January 24th, I will officially live in Ohio (very close to the PA border). Please bare with me, everyone, as this will be an emotional time for me. The thought of not seeing young people every day, interacting with them, teaching just tears me apart inside. I hope and I pray that I land another teaching job in the near future...or even again (yes, I realize that is me being dramatic!).
To back up a little bit, I started off as an English major at Penn State in 2004 and graduated from that University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. I then moved back home to the Pittsburgh area and enrolled in the PY program for English Education so that I could become certified to teach English. Much to my surprise, I got hired immediately at Bradford High, which was great because my then boyfriend, now husband, had just gotten a job near Bradford. Everything was bliss, fate even. I have been teaching at Bradford Area High School for over four years, and throughout my time as a teacher there, I rewrote the Sophomore English curriculum and created and implemented a new AP course for my school district, AP Language & Composition (as well as direct a few school plays and participate in other various extra curricular activities). Creating that new course was one of the most challenging tasks I endured, but it was all so worth it. I am so proud of my students and myself for what we have accomplished in the two and a half years I have taught that class. I am also proud to say that my students score above the national average overall on the AP exam, especially in writing. My AP students and I become a tight-knit family that really pushes and supports each other to succeed and be/do better, which is why we have done so well in the past. I will truly miss that baby I birthed at Bradford High! I just hope that I can deliver a new AP baby at another school district some day.
I had always wanted to obtain my MEd in English Education, but getting hired as an English teacher right away and then creating a new course at my school district stunted that plan. I rarely had "me" time, and I'm the kind of student that must give 110%. It was not until this fall that I felt like I could pick up and finish my MEd. I will officially have my MEd this summer- yay! I love setting and accomplishing goals; it feels so good! Since I no longer live in Pittsburgh, I will be completing my MEd online, which has been a pleasant experience thus far. I like being able to complete each weekly module at my own time and at my own pace, instead of meeting at a specific time each week. And the dialogue between students is still as rich as what you would find in a real-life classroom. All it takes to create a fruitful discussion are people who care, both professors and students, about being life-long learners.
I value being a life-long learner. Even after I finish my MEd, I will not be done with school. Well, being a teacher means you sign up for a life of life-long learning because you must continuously master content. But, aside from that my future plans my include obtaining another masters or my PhD, or maybe I will just take classes here and there or educate myself. I just really value learning. And because I value learning so much, I read- a lot- and I love to travel.
I also value the small things in life. I am your stereotypical girl that loves fashion: jewelry, shoes, clothes, handbags. It kind of drives my husband nuts. He sees me online shopping often. When I moved from Pittsburgh to Warren, PA, shopping at malls immediately stopped because there just weren't any malls in Warren, PA. If I wanted to shop, I had to drive over an hour to Erie or Buffalo. That just wasn't always practical. As a result, I became a really good online shopper. Seriously. I often wonder if I could make it as a personal shopper. Don't worry, people, there is much more to me than just shopping! I also enjoy many outdoor activities- hiking, biking, kayaking- because staying physically fit is very important to me. My husband and I also love to renovate our home; and since we just bought a new one, that means we have a whole slew of new projects to complete! We envision completely remodeling the deck and kitchen, putting in new floors, adding crown molding, etc. We also love gardening together. My husband's parents were a golf course Superintendent and Master Gardner, so we've picked up those skills from them. I can't wait to redesign the interior and exterior of our new home.
While my husband and I do not have any children yet- we're hoping to be blessed with them some day; it just hasn't happened for us yet- we do have two cats that we absolutely adore and view as our children. Levi is a male ginger, and Abby is a female calico. You will see Levi as my profile picture. He is SO photogenic! I feel bad that most of my pictures consist of Levi and not Abby. Abby moves too much and just doesn't like to pose for the camera. Despite that, she is such a sweet cat. I mean it. She doesn't have a mean bone on her body! To catch a bug, she will calmly lift her paw and gently place it on top of the bug, not even killing it. And she doesn't catch mice either; she plays with them...like hide-and-go-seek kind of playing! Our cats are special creatures. My husband has taught Levi to sing with him and say Mama. We both grew up with dogs, and we never thought we would love our cats as much as we love dogs. Our cats make it easy though, because they are so personable, and, quite frankly, they act like dogs! They always greet us when we get home, they come when called, and they follow us are incessantly. Needless to say, those two cats are the apple of our eyes!
I'm sure you have gained some insight about me from my previous post, and I'm sure you have an even better idea of who I am now. I will continue to share more about me and how I feel with each new blog post. Enjoy! :)
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