Connecting Assessments
to Instruction- ELA
Kasey Dunlap
Clermont County Educational Service Center
Learning Targets
Participants will
• recognize the shifts necessary for teaching and
thinking
• understand the claims driving the assessment
design
• have a working knowledge of the resources
and tools available
Next Generation Assessments
PARCC-Developed
Assessments
English language artsEnd of Year
-
English I
English II
English III
Mathematics –
End of Course
-
Math I
Math II
Math III
Or
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
State-Developed
Assessments
Science – End of
Course
- Biology
- Physical Science
Social Studies – End of
Course
- American History
- American
Government
Assessment Design
English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3-11
2 Optional Assessments/Flexible
Administration
Diagnostic Assessment
• Early indicator of
student knowledge
and skills to inform
instruction, supports,
and PD
• Non-summative
Mid-Year Assessment
• Performance-based
• Emphasis on hardto-measure
standards
• Potentially
summative
Performance-Based
Assessment (PBA)
• Extended tasks
• Applications of
concepts and skills
• Required
Speaking And Listening Assessment
• Locally scored
• Non-summative, required
End-of-Year
Assessment
• Innovative,
computer-based
items
• Required
Next Generation Assessments
Two – Part Summative Assessment
Includes a performance-based assessment and
an end of year or end of course exam
Administered at the elementary, middle school
and high school level
Applies to PARCC (math and ELA) and statedeveloped assessments(science and social
studies)
PARCC
Test Specifications
Blue Prints
Evidence Tables
http://www.parcconline.org/assessmentblueprints-test-specs
Assessment Blueprints vs Evidence Statements
Assessment Blueprints/
Test Specifications
Evidence Statements /
Tables
• Blueprints are a series of documents • Evidence tables and evidence
that together describe the content
statements describe the knowledge
and structure of an assessment.
and skills that an assessment item or
These documents define the total
a task elicits from students.
number of tasks and/or items for
any given assessment component, the
standards measured, the item types,
and the point values for each.
Performance Based Assessment Form Specifications for Grades 3
End of Year Form Specifications for Grades 3
Integral pieces to the ELA assessments….
What you need to know
The ELA assessments are rooted in text.
Additional specifications are necessary…
Clear guidelines on selection of passages/texts
Relationship of reading to writing
How to assemble passages/texts with questions
together to form cogent performance-based tasks
Evidence Centered Design: Claims
12
Key Shifts of the New Assessments
1.Writing always connected to reading.
2.Vocabulary in context.
3.Evidence, evidence, evidence!
Evidence Centered Design: Evidence
What are ELA Evidence tables?
• The tables contain the Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Major
claims and the evidences to be measured on the Next Generation
Assessments.
• Evidences are attached to the Reading, Writing and Vocabulary
claims.
• Evidences describe what students might say or do to
demonstrate mastery of the standards.
• An item on the assessment may measure multiple standards
and multiple evidences.
Reading an Evidence Table
Grade
Claim
Standards:
RL –Reading
Literary
RI – Reading
Information
Evidences
Instructional uses of the evidence
statements/tables for teachers
• To help determine alignment of a complex text with
standards for instructional passage selection
• To develop the stem for questions/tasks for
instruction aligned with the standards
• To determine and create instructional scaffolding (to
think through which individual, simpler skills can be
taught first to build to more complex skills)
• To develop rubrics and scoring tools for classroom use
Key Points to Remember
• In all Evidence Tables for Grades 3 – 11 Standard 1 is always
combined with the teaching of any of the other standards.
• More than one evidence may be combined with Standard 1.
• Texts need to be complex literary or informational text (s)that
students will use as a basis for their answers.
• Effective text dependent questions require students to draw
evidence from a text to support their answers.
• Careful and close reading is required in order to determine
meaning and answer questions.
• Written tasks should require writing to sources rather than to a decontextualized or generalized prompt and should require students to
apply the knowledge of language and conventions.
Standard 1 on the Evidence Tables
Reading: Anchor Standard 1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to
make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence
when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from
the text.
All items measuring this claim require students to read a text
prior to responding to the items (i.e. the item is text dependent)
This standard is always combined with other standards.
All questions are text dependent.
Evidence Centered Design: Tasks
Item Types
• EBSR = Evidence-Based Selected Response
(on PBA and EOY)
• TECR = Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response
(on PBA and EOY)
• PCR = Prose Constructed Response
(on PBA only)
Text Dependent Questions
• Good text dependent questions will often linger over specific
phrases and sentences to ensure careful comprehension of
the text—they help students see something worthwhile that they
would not have seen on a more cursory reading.
• An effective set of text dependent questions delves
systematically into a text to guide students in extracting the
key meanings or ideas found there.
• They typically begin by exploring specific words, details, and
arguments and then moves on to examine the impact of
those specifics on the text as a whole.
• Along the way they target academic vocabulary and specific
sentence structures as critical focus points for gaining
comprehension.
Grade 3 EBSR from EOY
Read all parts of the question before responding
Part A
What is one main idea of “How Animals Live?”
a. There are many types of animals on the planet.
b. Animals need water to live.
c. There are many ways to sort different animals.
d. Animals begin their life cycles in different forms.
Grade 3 EBSR from EOY
Part B
Which detail from the article best supports the answer to Part A?
a. “Animals get oxygen from air or water."
b. "Animals can be grouped by their traits."
c. "Worms are invertebrates."
d. "All animals grow and change over time."
e. "Almost all animals need water, food, oxygen, and shelter to live."
Technology-Enhanced Constructed-Response Grade 3
Grade 6 Technology-Enhanced Constructed-Response
Part A
Choose one word that describes Miyax based on evidence from the text.
There is more than one correct choice listed below.
A. reckless
B. lively
C. imaginative*
D. observant*
E. impatient
F. confident
Grade 6 Technology-Enhanced Constructed-Response
Part B
Find a sentence in the passage with details that support your response to Part
A. Click on that sentence and drag and drop it into the box below.
Part C
Find a second sentence in the passage with details that support your response
to Part A. Click on that sentence and drag and drop it into the box below.
TECR – Grade 5 (multiple select)
Question: Choose the two main ideas and drag them to the empty box labeled
“Main Ideas.” Then choose one detail that best supports each main idea. Drag
each detail into the empty box labeled “Supporting Details.”
Possible Main Ideas
Possible Supporting Details
Jonathan has his own 1000-yard zipline.
“In fact, as a tree house architect…”*
Johnathan is an experienced tree house
builder.
“Jonathan’s love of tree-house living began
when he was a kid.”
Johnathan works carefully so that tree
houses do not hurt the trees.
“It was the most fun I ever had.”
Johnathan lived in a tree house when….*
“I build a tree house so it helps the
tree’…”*
Prose Constructed Response Questions
Questions that require a written response:
• Allow students to elicit evidence demonstrating that
they have understood a text or texts read
• Allow students to demonstrate that they can
communicate that understanding well both in
terms of written expression and knowledge of
language and conventions
• Allow teachers the opportunity to provide feedback
on how individual pieces of writing meet or do not
meet the criteria for quality writing
Prose Constructed Response
Sample Grade 4
• Question: You have read two stories where one family member saves
another. Write an essay describing the mosquito from “Cricket and Cougar”
and one of the main characters from “Kira-Kira.” For each character
described,
• Explain how the thoughts, words, and/or actions of the character help you understand
what the character is like.
• Explain why the character chooses to save his or her family member.
• Be sure to include specific details from each story* to support your ideas.
Prose Constructed Response
Narrative Writing Task, Grade 6
• In the passage the author developed a strong character named Miyax. Think
about Miyax and the details the author used to create that character. The
passage ends with Miyax waiting for the black wolf to look at her.
• Write an original story to continue where the passage ended. In your story,
be sure to use what you have learned about the character Miyax as you tell
what happens to her next.
Prose Constructed Response
Research Simulation Task, Grade 7
Question: You have read a website entry and an article and watched a video
describing Amelia Earhart. All three include information that supports the claim
that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are: “The Biography
of Amelia Earhart” “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found” “Amelia
Earhart’s Life and Disappearance”(video)
Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery.
Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments related to Earhart’s
bravery in at least two of the three supporting materials. Remember to use textual
evidence to support your ideas.
Prose Constructed Response
Literary Analysis Task, Grade 10
Student Directions:
• Use what you have learned from reading “Daedalus and Icarus” by Ovid and “To a
Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” by Anne Sexton to write an essay that
provides an analysis of how Sexton transforms “Daedalus and Icarus.”
• As a starting point, you may want to consider what is emphasized, absent, or
different in the two texts, but feel free to develop your own focus for analysis.
• Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow
the conventions of standard English.
Putting it all Together
Instructional Considerations
Key Elements of the ELA
Model Content Frameworks
Note...the newest version of the Framework is interactive - and searchable.
Sample Model Content Framework Chart ELA
Content Framework Planning Tool
http://clermontcountyela.wordpress.com/
Writing Standards Progression
Instructional Uses of Standards Progressions
•
•
•
•
Understand where your grade fits into the continuum of skills
Focus unit and lesson planning on progressions
Writing expectations for students
Grammar calendars
http://www.parcconline.org/
parcc-model-content-frameworks
Text Complexity
for assessment and instruction
Text Selections for Assessment and Instruction
It is important when selecting texts that:
•
Texts stem from across the disciplines (e.g. ELA, history, science and technical
subjects), are written by authors with diverse backgrounds, reflect the CCSS
prescribed balances of literature and informational text, and appeal to a wide range
of student audiences.
• Texts are authentic works of
of ideas and information
exceptional craft and/or rich repositories
Text Selections for Assessment and Instruction
• Text pairings, where required by the CCSS, have meaningful and significant
points of comparison that invite questions beyond superficial observations
• Texts appeal to student interest and appeal to a wide audience
• Texts avoid highly controversial topics that may be troublesome to students
• Refer to Passage Selection Guidelines for Assessing CCSS and the Bias and Sensitivity Guidelines for
more detailed information about the selecting of passages for students.
PARCC - Literary Complexity Analysis Worksheet
Text Complexity
Proposed Writing Rubrics
Three primary components to the rubrics:
• A reading assessment component
• A written expression component (which has several subcomponents)
• A knowledge of language and conventions component.
The use of this single rubric—regardless of task purpose
• Allows for the focus of evaluation of the quality of a written
response to be on key traits of quality of reading comprehension
(including providing strong evidence from texts)
• Allows for focus on quality writing rather than on any single, discrete
criterion
• Reinforces student preparation for prose to be written in college and
careers, where quality is defined by addressing the demands of a task,
rather than on an isolated skill
http://www.parcconline.org
Then search “rubrics”
What are Performance Level Descriptors?
Performance Level
Descriptors or PLDs
describe what students at
each performance level
know and can do relative
to grade-level or course
content standards assessed.
Performance Descriptor Levels
PARCC will report students achievement using PLDs and scaled scores.
In October 2012 PARCC established 5 performance levels
• Level 5: Students performing at this level demonstrate a distinguished
command of the knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the
Common Core State Standards assessed at their grade level.
• Level 4: Solid command…
• Level 3: Moderate command…
• Level 2: Partial command…
• Level 1: Minimal command…
• Cut Scores will be determined in the Summer of 2015 using multiple
stakeholders in the decision making process.
Performance Level Descriptor Grade 3 Reading
Grade 11 ELA PLD
Teaching to the Depth of the New
Learning Standards/Next Generation
Assessments
Depth of Knowledge
Cognitive Rigor – Hess Matrix
Rigor Redefined
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Collaboration and Leadership
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
Effective Oral and Written Communication
Accessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination
Top Ten Guiding Principles
for ELA Instruction…
• READING
1. Make close reading of texts central to lessons.
2. Ask text-dependent questions.
3. Structure majority of instruction so all students read complex texts;
scaffold instruction not texts.
4. Balance non-fiction with fiction. Balance short and long texts.
Top Ten Guiding Principles
for ELA Instruction…
• WRITING
5. Write! Write! Write!
Focus on types not genres
Writing is always connected to reading
Top Ten Guiding Principles
for ELA Instruction…
• SPEAKING AND LISTENING
6. Talk it out. Facilitate academic conversations.
Top Ten Guiding Principles
for ELA Instruction…
• LANGUAGE
7. Teach vocabulary acquisition, not just words.
8. Embed grammar instruction in writing AND reading.
Top Ten Guiding Principles
for ELA Instruction…
• PLANNING
9. Design units backwards from the writing task. Use mentor texts to
anchor reading lessons.
10. Choose wisely – both materials and activities.
.
http://www.parcconline.org/
“
No instruction manual can teach as much
as careful attention to the sounds in even
one great poem.
”
Robert Pinsky
Kasey Dunlap, ELA/School Improvement Consultant
Clermont County Educational Service Center
Dunlap_k@ccesc.org
www.ccesc.org
clermontcountyELA@
wordpress.com
@clermontELA