Common Formative Assessment
WSFCS PLC School Facilitators
PLC’s
• Focus on Learning
• Focus on Collaborating
• Focus on Results
Focus On Learning
• What do we want our students to know,
understand and be able to do?
- Unpacking Standards
• How will we know when they have learned it?
– Data Protocols and Common Assessments
• How will we respond when some students have
not learned and how will we respond when some
students have learned?
“Learning by Doing”. Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, Many. Solution Tree.2006
Data: Gather
Evidence of
Student
Learning
Apply New
Knowledge
Analyze
the
Impact
Develop
Strategies
Implement
Strategies
All Teams Engage In An Ongoing Cycle of Continuous Improvement
All Teams Engage In An
Ongoing Cycle of:
• Gathering evidence of current levels of
student learning
• Developing strategies to build on
strengths and address weaknesses in that
learning
All Teams Engage In An
Ongoing Cycle of:
• Implementing the strategies and ideas
• Analyzing the impact of the changes to
discover what was effective and what was
not
• Applying the new knowledge in the next
cycle of continuous improvement
The Basic Picture-PLC
• Analyzing evidence of student learning
Examining Data Protocols
• Clarifying essential student learning
Unpacking Standards
• Developing common formative assessments
• Instructional practices that impact student
learning
• Examining student work
• Standards in Practice
What are Common Formative
Assessments?
• Assessments for learning that are typically
created collaboratively by a team of teachers
responsible for the same grade level or
course on identified “essential” learning.
Why Common Formative
Assessments?
• Gather accurate information about student
achievement across a subject area and grade level
while learning is in process. (Assessment for
learning)
• Use assessment process and results effectively to
promote maximum student learning success
• Identify and evaluate instructional strategies that
are effective in helping students acquire the
intended knowledge.
“The Case for Common
Formative Assessments”
(CFA’s)
Article Breakout
(by 6 groups)
Read (2-3 minutes)
Discuss(3 minutes)
Share with group (1-2 minutes per group)
1. Team developed common assessments
are more efficient.
•Teachers
teaching the same course or grade
level are responsible for ensuring all
students acquire the same knowledge and
skills.
•Teachers
working in isolation work hard.
Creating assessments together is working
smart.
2. Team developed common
assessments are more equitable.
• Increases the likelihood that students will
have access to the same essential
knowledge and skills, will take assessments
of the same rigor, and have their work
judged according to the same criteria.
3. Team developed CFA’s are more
effective in monitoring and improving
student learning
• Proven to be one of the most powerful
strategies available to educators for
improving student achievement.
4.Team-developed CFA’s can inform
and improve the practice of both
individual teachers and teams of
teachers.
• Teachers can benefit from the practice of
others. “Teachers have to feel that there
is some compelling reason for them to
practice differently, with the best direct
evidence being that students learn
better.”
5. Team-developed CFA’s can build the
capacity of the team to achieve at
higher levels.
• The conversations surrounding the
creation of common formative
assessments are a powerful tool for
professional development.
6. Team-developed common formative
assessments are essential to systematic
interventions when students do not
learn.
• The conversations surrounding the results
of common formative assessments are a
powerful tool for targeting students who
are not succeeding and for planning
focused, common remediation strategies.
Common Formative Assessments:
• Assess all students with the same rigor, on the same
targets
• Usually are Not graded. (formative) If teachers feel
they must be used for grades then students should
be given additional opportunities to demonstrate
learning.
• Should identify students who need additional time
and support for learning.
Common Formative Assessments:
• Identify program area concerns where many
students are struggling.
• Can be used with pre/post assessment model.
• Common Formative Assessments can be structured
in ways other than multiple choice tests.
Common Formative Assessments
are NOT:
• Every assessment a teacher gives in the
classroom. Could be a few items identified
as “essential” by the group.
• Mini benchmark or EOC’s/EOQ’s.
• Designed to make teachers teach the same
way, only the same content.
Clear Targets
Sound Design
Effective Communication
Student Involvement
Learning Team Common
Assessment Process
Clear Purpose
Clear Targets
To separate the essential from the peripheral, carefully
apply 2 criteria to each target:
• Endurance – are students expected to retain the
skills/knowledge long after the test is completed?
• Readiness for the Next Level of Learning – is this
skill/knowledge preparing the student for success in
the next grade/course?
Doug Reeves
Target Method Match
Source Adapted from: Stiggins, Richard J, Judith Arter, Jan
Chappuis, and Stephen Chappuis. Classroom Assessment for
Student Learning: Doing it : Right-Uing It Well. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: ETS. 2007. pg. 64.
Assessment Methods
• Selected Response-Multiple choice, true/false, matching,
short answer, fill-in
• Extended Written Response (constructed response)Requires student response that is at least several
sentences in length. Scoring guide.
• Performance assessment-Observation and judgment as to
quality of performance or product. Requires scoring
guide.
• Personal communication-Requires interaction with
students..can be time consuming.
Target-Method Match Chart
Selected Response &
Short Answer
Extended Written
Response
Performance
Assessment
Personal
Communication
Knowledge
Mastry
Good match for
assessing mastery of
elements of
knowledge
Good match for
tapping
understanding of
relationships among
elements of
knowledge
X Not a good
match
Can ask questions
and infer masterytime consuming
Reasoning
Proficiency
Good match only for
assessing understands
of some patterns of
Good match. Can
provide window to
reasoning
proficiency
Can infer some
reasoning
proficiency by
observation
Can ask student to
“think aloud” and
probe with followup questions
Skills
X Not a good match.
X Not a good
match.
Good match. Can
observe and
evaluate skills as
they are being
performed.
Strong match when
skill is oral
communication
proficiency. Not
good otherwise.
Ability to Create
Products
X Not a good match.
Strong Match for
written products.
Not a good match if
not a written
product
Good match. Can
Assess the
attributes of the
product.
X Not a good
match
reasoning
Practice Target Method Match
4.01 – Collect, organize, analyze, and display data
(including line graphs and bar graphs) to solve problems.
Learning Target
I can collect data.
I can sort and organize
data.
I can create a graph to
display data.
I can use charts and graphs
to make predictions.
K/R/S/P
Methods
SR/EWR/P/PC
Practice
Learning Target/Goal/Obj.
C & E Obj. 1.01: Describe how geographic
diversity influenced economic, social and
political life in colonial North America.
C & E Obj. 3.05 Analyze court cases that
illustrate that the N. C. Constitution is the law
of the state.
FL GOAL 3: PRESENTATIONAL
COMMUNICATION - The learner will present
information, concepts, and ideas to an
audience of listeners or readers on a variety of
topics in the target language.
K/R/ Methods
S/P
SR/EWR/P/PC
Clear Targets
Sound Design
Effective Communication
Student Involvement
Learning Team Common
Assessment Process
Clear Purpose
Sound Design
How do we design assessments that cover
our targets and serve our purposes?
• Selected response and short answer
• Extended written response
• Performance assessment
• Personal communication
Exceptional Children Considerations
• Use clear and concise language.
• Use short, common names from various
cultures.
• Consider how words, charts, and other
visuals are arranged.
• Simplify sentence structures and avoid
complex sentences.
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Considerations
 Avoid words or phrases that do not have a
clear translation: "get along"
 Avoid confusing student names: "April,"
"May," "June," "Paris," "Drew," etc.
 Avoid multiple-meaning words: "fair"
(okay, just, light, good weather, State
Fair?), "make" (create, earn, brand of car,
cause to happen, prepare)
Avoid Stereotypes
• Items should avoid portraying anyone in a
stereotypical manner.
• Stereotyping includes activities,
occupations, or emotions.
• Positive stereotypes are still stereotypes.
Items should not assume that all students
come from the same socioeconomic or
family background.
Select the item that does not support a stereotype
OR
1) Megan brought $50 to the mall. She
spent $41. How much money did Megan
have left?
2) Megan’s book has 50 pages. She has read
41 pages. How many more pages does
Megan have left to read?
Content Guidelines
• Each Item should measure a single concept,
principle, procedure, or competency.
• The testing vocabulary must be consistent with
the expected grade level of the students tested.
– On-grade or 1 or 2 grades below
– Maintain content specific words
• Incorrect answer choices must be plausible
choices. Use common student misconceptions
for distractors.
Multiple Choice Item Writing
Item Writing Basic Terminology
 Stem - the question sentence and any other
information
 Foils - the answer choices
 Distractors - incorrect answer choices
 Key - the correct answer
Which is the state bird of
North Carolina?
A Bluebird Distractor
Distractor
B Robin
Foils
C Cardinal Key
D Sparrow Distractor
Stem
Procedural Guidelines
 Items must be written in question format
(not fill-in-the-blank or completion).
 What is being asked must be clear to the
student.
Complete the following using your
George Washington was __________.
See the difference…
Who was the first President of the United
States?
A
B
C
D
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
John Adams
Andrew Jackson
Best Answer Format
one keyed response
distracters must be incorrect but
plausible
In which situation would a person burn the
most calories?
A
B
C
D
cleaning the bathroom
push-mowing the lawn
playing a game of chess
reading an adventure novel
Stem
• Write the items so that the central idea and
any common elements are included in the
stem instead of the foils.
• Place the question as close to the foils as
possible.
Best Answer
Use qualifying words in a stem when needed
to emphasize the “best answer”.
best, most likely, and most appropriate
(bold and italicized)
How is a delta most likely formed?
A
B
C
D
irrigation
glacier movement
precipitation and condensation
deposition of sediment
General Foil Development
Guidelines
 Standard multiple choice items must
contain four foils (A,B,C,D) [NCEXTEND2
items only have three foils: A, B, C].
 Answer choices should be ordered
logically, such as ascending or descending
value for numbers, the order in which the
words appear in a chart, chronological
order, etc.
Answer choices should be ordered logically, such as
ascending or descending value for numbers.
In what year did North Carolina name the emerald its state
gemstone?
A
B
C
D
1776
1973
1893
1941
True – False
This item follows the general foil guidelines.
…
 Distractors (the incorrect answers) should
be plausible and reasonable but not correct
 Foils should be independent and not
overlapping. To the extent possible, foils
for an item should be homogeneous in
content and length.
Foils should be independent and
not overlapping.
How much does a Channel
Bass, the state fish of North
Carolina, usually weigh?
How much does a Channel
Bass usually weigh?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
up to 75 lbs
less than 100 lbs
between 30 and 40 lbs
about the same as a Plott
Hound
over 100 lbs
between 60 and 80 lbs
between 30 and 40 lbs
less than 20 lbs
All of the above, none of the above, I don’t
know are not used as foils.
Word the foils positively, avoid any negative
phrasing.
Avoid providing clues to the correct
response.
Avoid writing items in which phrases in the
stem are repeated in the foils.
…
Avoid specific determiners since they are so
extreme that they are seldom the correct
response. To the extent possible, specific
determiners such as ALWAYS, NEVER,
TOTALLY, and ABSOLUTELY should not
be used when writing items.
Avoid specific determiners.
What colors can the flowers
of a dogwood be?
What colors can the flowers
of a dogwood be?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
pink or yellow
red or yellow
red or white
white or pink
always pink
always red
always white
white or pink
Avoid using a complex multiplechoice item format.
Which affects test score reliability?
1.
2.
3.
A
B
C
D
Test length
Homogenity of the sample examinees being tested
Item length
1 and 2
2 and 3
1 and 3
1, 2, and 3
Clarity and Length (Weak Item)
North Carolina produces 179 million gallons of our state
beverage per year. The annual income from this production
amounts to around $228 million. North Carolinians
consume over 143 million gallons of our state beverage
every year. What is the state beverage of North Carolina?
A soda
B tea
C milk *
D coffee
Remove all words, phrases, or sentences that have nothing to do with
the actual question
Improved Item
What is the state beverage of North
Carolina?
A
B
C
D
soda
tea
milk*
coffee
Correct Voice
First or second person (I or You) can easily
become opinions, preferences, value
judgments, or ethics.
Items should be written in the third person
(he/she/it).
Correct Voice
Why do you think the
author described the setting
as mysterious?
OR
Why did the author most
likely describe the setting as
mysterious?
Positive Wording
Items should be worded positively.
Avoid using negative words such as not
and/or except.
The teacher should chose all of the students
except for each one?
Which of the students did the teacher choose?
No Contractions or Abbreviations
• Contractions and abbreviations limit ESL
and EC accessibility.
• Contractions and abbreviations are not
used in formal writing.
Let’s Assess our Learning
What kind of format is having only one clear
correct answer from a list of options?
A
B
C
D
Question Format
Best Answer Format
General Format
Thinking Skill Format
Why should contractions not be used?
A
B
C
D
Contractions are difficult for English language learners.
Contractions use informal language.
Contractions often carry negative phrasing.
Contractions increase the difficulty of reading.
Why should test questions be constructed in
question format?
A Fill-in-the-blank questions are difficult to score.
B Students are confused by other question formats.
C Question format tends to improve the clarity of
the question.
D Other question formats tend to exhibit higher
order thinking skills.
What is the optimum number of concepts,
principles, procedures, or competencies a test
question should measure?
A
B
C
D
1
2
3
4
Why is the use of third person preferred?
A First or second person can easily become
opinions, preferences, or judgments.
B Use of first person or second person can make
questions more wordy.
C Use of first or second person makes questions
more complex.
D First or second person phrases tend to have
informal language.
Where is the best place to put the central
idea and any common elements?
A
B
C
D
foils
as close to the interrogative as possible
in the stem
along with qualifying words
True / False
The use of qualifying words in a stem
indiscriminately increases the thinking skill.
True / False
It is good practice for stems to contain
content that expresses opinions.
True / False
It is acceptable to overlap ranges in foils.
Pair – Think – Share
Find the “butter to your toast” (your partner)
Once you find your partner, discuss one
reason you personally find value in
common assessments.
Thinking Skills Framework
The thinking skill level describes the cognitive
skills that a student must use to solve
problems.
Thinking Skills Framework
• Each test item is classified by the thinking
skill that best corresponds to the level of
thinking the item requires.
• The goal is to have the majority of items
require higher thinking skills levels.
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Create
Evaluate
Higher Order
GOAL
Analyze
Apply
Understand
Remember
Lower Order
Remember
Observation and recall of information
Recognizing (identifying)
Knowledge of dates, events, places
Knowledge of major idea
Mastery of subject matter
Question Cues: list, define, tell, describe, identify,
show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote,
name, who, when, where
“Remember” Examples
• What is the sum of the angles of a triangle?
• In the beginning of the selection, whom
did the father visit?
• How many planets are in the solar system?
Let’s Practice
Create a remembering question with your
group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample
remembering question.
Understand
Understanding information
Grasp meaning
Translate knowledge into new context
Order, group, infer causes
Predict consequences
Question Cues: summarize, describe, interpret,
contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate,
differentiate, discuss, extend, exemplify, classify,
infer, explain
“Understand” Examples
• What part of the water cycle causes clouds
to form?
• What is the main idea of the first
paragraph?
• Put these fractions in order from least to
greatest: 1/4, 1/3, 2/5, 5/6
Let’s Practice
Create an understanding question with
your group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample
understanding question.
Apply
Use information
Use methods, concepts, theories in new situations
Solve problems using required skills or knowledge
Question Cues: apply, demonstrate, calculate,
complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify,
relate, change, classify, experiment, discover
“Apply” Examples
• What is the area of this rectangle?
• Why does the selection include examples
of farming?
• What causes an object to increase in speed
as it rolls down a hill?
Let’s Practice
Create an applying question with your
group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample appliying
question.
Analyze
Seeing patterns
Organization of parts
Recognition of hidden meanings
Identification of components
Question Cues: analyze, separate, order,
explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide,
compare, select, explain, infer
“Analyze” Examples
• Between which two years was there the greatest
difference in the numbers of TVs sold? (reading
from graph)
• Which factor was a major cause of the stagnant
economy in the United States during the early
1970’s?
• Which human activity most likely damages the
environment?
Let’s Practice
Create an analysis question with your
group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample analysis
question.
Evaluate
Compare and discriminate between ideas
Assess value of theories, presentations
Make choices based on reasoned argument
Verify value of evidence
Recognize subjectivity
Question Cues: assess, decide, rank, grade, test,
measure, recommend, convince, select, judge,
explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare,
summarize
“Evaluation” Examples
• Who is right?
• Why does the speaker argue for a new
way to teach grammar?
• What will happen if housing developments
continue to displace the wildlife
population in national parks?
Let’s Practice
Create an evaluation question with your
group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample
evaluation question.
Create
Put elements together to form a coherent or
functional whole
Reorganize elements into a new pattern or
structure
Cues: assemble, construct, create, design,
develop, formulate, write.
“Create” Examples
• Design a concept and create a proposal for your
own television cooking show.
• Write a jingle to advertise a new product.
• Plan a research paper on a given historical topic.
• Build habitats for certain species for certain
purposes.
Let’s Practice
Create a creating assignment with your
group.
Using the Active Votes, 1 person in the
group should text in your sample creating
assignment.
Sound Assessment Design
•
Design assessments so students can self assess
and set goals based on the results.
•
Assessment items should measure a single
concept, principle, idea, or procedure.
•
Use a test plan that identifies
–
–
–
–
Learning Target and NCSCOS Objective
Type of Target - Knowledge/Reasoning
Type of Thinking
Percentage of Importance on Assessment
Test Plan (ES)
Learning Target
Target Type
Thinking
Skill
% of
Importance
I can collect data.
Knowledge
Understand
15%
I can sort and organize
data.
Reasoning
Analyze
15%
I can create a graph to
display data.
Product
Create
40%
I can use charts and
graphs to make
predictions.
Reasoning
Understand
30%
Target Type= Knowledge, Reasoning, Skills, Products
Test Plan (MS/HS)
Learning Target
Target Type
Thinking Skill
% of Importance
Describe how geographic
diversity influenced
economic, social and
political life in colonial
North America.
Knowledge
Understand
35%
Analyze court cases that
illustrate that the N. C.
Constitution is the law of
the state.
Reasoning
Analyze
45%
I can create a graph to
display data.
Product
Create
Target Type= Knowledge, Reasoning, Skills, Products
The Basic Process-Table Groups
• Read “Creating a Common Formative
Assessment (possible steps in the process)”
handout. (3 min.)
• Use “table go-round” and share your
thoughts on how/where the teachers in
your school might get “hung up” in this
process. (5-7 min.)
• Questions about this process?
Common Formative Assessment
Concerns
• Read/review Dufour’s responses to 3
common concerns…
• Did you have any of these concerns at
your table?
After the Assessment Reflections
•Was the assessment high quality? Do the questions
measure a single concept, principle, idea, or procedure?
•Does the assessment measure student learning that aligned
with NCSCOS Goals and Objectives?
•Was this type of assessment the most appropriate for
what it was measuring?
•Does it assess both lower and higher order thinking skills?
•Will this assessment indicate mastery of the learning
targets?
Common Assessments…Reflections
• Common assessments are live documents to be
reflected upon and changed to better meet the
assessment needs of the students.
• The only way to create effective common
assessments is to DO IT!
• Your skills will increase together over time.
Resources/References
• DuFour, Richard, et al. Learning by Doing:
A Handbook for Professional Learning
Communities at Work. Bloomington, Ind :
Solution Tree, 2006.
• Stiggins, Richard, et al. Classroom
Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it
right – Using it Well. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, 2007.
PLC Facilitators…Next Steps
• EOY Reflection……
• Standards in Practice Training……