Rich Classroom Assessment
through
Implementation of
Project Based Learning
Denise White
WVDE Office of Instruction
What is PBL?
Students working in teams to
experience and explore relevant,
real-world problems, questions,
issues, and challenges; then
creating presentations and
products to share what they
have learned.
A Project Learning Classroom is ...
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Project-centered
Open-ended
Real-world
Student-centered
Constructive
Collaborative
Creative
• Communicationfocused
• Research-based
• Technologyenhanced
• 21st Century reformfriendly
• Hard, but fun!
Project Learning is Skill-Based
To learn collaboration –
work in teams
To learn critical thinking –
take on complex problems
To learn oral communication –
present
To learn written communications –
write
Project Learning is Skill-Based
To learn technology –
use technology
To develop citizenship –
take on civic and global issues
To learn about careers –
do internships
To learn content –
research and do all of the above
The Rigor/Relevance Framework
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
E
T
A
X
O
N
O
M
Y
Evaluation
6
Synthesis
C
5 Assimilation
Analysis
4
D
Adaptation
Application 3
Understanding 2
Awareness
A
Acquisition
B
Application
1
1
Knowledge
2
Apply in
discipline
APPLICATION MODEL
International Center for Leadership in Education
3
Apply
across
disciplines
4
Apply to
real world
predictable
situations
5
Apply to realworld
unpredictable
situations
6
In a project learning classroom
The teacher’s role is one of
coach, facilitator, guide,
advisor, mentor…
not directing and managing all
student work.
Rigor/Relevance Framework
Step 1.
C
R
I
G
O
R
D
High
A
Teacher gives
students a realworld question to
answer or problem
to solve.
B
Low
Low
Relevance
High
Rigor/Relevance Framework
Step 2.
C
R
I
G
O
R
D
High
A
Low
Students seek
information to
answer question
or solve
problem.
Low
Relevance
B
High
Rigor/Relevance Framework
Step3.
C
R
I
G
O
R
D
High
A
B
Low
Low
Relevance
Students test the
relevancy of the
information as it
relates to the question
or problem.
High
Rigor/Relevance Framework
Step 4.
C
R
I
G
O
R
High
Students reflect on
the potential use
of the new
information as a
solution
A
D
B
Low
Low
Relevance
High
Rigor/Relevance Framework
Step 5.
R
I
G
O
R
C
D
A
B
High
Students apply the
information learned to
answer the question or to
solve the problem.
Low
Low
Relevance
High
TRADITIONAL ASSIGNMENT
RESEARCH PAPER
Required Elements:
Select a disease to study
 Go to library and do research
 Write ten pages
 Use proper essay form
 Include a bibliography
PBL ASSIGNMENT
HEALTH PROJECT
Required Elements:
 Develop family medical histories
 Write proposal to study health issue of
personal or community interest
 Keep research log, including citations
 Produce a newsletter
 Develop lesson plans and materials for
underserved population
 Present to real audience
TRANSFORMING PRACTICE
Traditional Assignment
PBL Assignment
 Student works alone
 Student works alone and in
 Context is school
teams
 Context is family and
community
 Assessment by real audience
and teacher
 Assessment by teacher only
Pbl vs. projects
Projects
PBL
Teacher directed
Inquiry based
Highly structured
Open-ended
Summative
On-going
Thematic
Driving question/challenge
Fun
Engaging
Answer giving
Problem solving
De-contextualized – School world
Contextualized – Real world
Continuum of Practice
DESIGN FOR ASSESSMENT
Traditional Approach:
CONTENT
PLAN
INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION
PLAN
ASSESSMENT
ASSESS
INSTRUCTION
ASSESS
Outcome-Based Approach:
OUTCOME
PLAN
ASSESSMENT
PLAN
INSTRUCTION
How Do We Assess in PBL?
• Formative Assessment
• Performance Assessment
• Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment
• takes place during the learning
process
• informs both teachers and students
• allows teachers to adjust instruction
• involves students
• cannot be separated from the
instructional process
• is Classroom Assessment for
Learning
Formative Assessment gives
teachers information that they can
use to inform their teaching and
improve learning while it is in
progress and while the outcome of
the race can still be influenced.
Laura Greenstein
What Teachers Really Need to Know
about Formative Assessment
Formative Assessment:
• Focuses instruction on informed
priorities
• Allows for customized learning
• Encourages teachers and students to
work together toward achievement
• Increases student engagement and
motivation
• Increases coherence between
curriculum, instruction and assessment
Student Focused
Formative Assessment helps teachers
 Consider each student’s learning needs
and styles and adapt instruction
 Track individual student achievement
 Provide appropriately challenging
instructional activities
 Design student assessments
 Offer all students opportunities for
improvement through descriptive
feedback
Instructionally Informative
Formative Assessment
 Provides a way to align standards,
content, and assessment
 Allows for purposeful selection of
strategies
 Embeds assessment in instruction
 Guides instructional decisions
Outcomes Based
Formative Assessment
 Emphasizes learning outcomes
 Makes goals and objectives transparent
to students
 Provides clear assessment criteria
 Closes the gap between what students
know and desired outcomes
 Provides feedback that is relevant,
comprehensible, actionable
 Provides valuable diagnostic information
by generating informative data
Formative Assessment
focuses on achieving goals
rather than determining if a
goal was or was not met.
Research
“Formative Assessment shows
an effect size of between .4
and .7, the equivalent of
going from the 50th percentile
to the 65th percentile.”
Paul Black & Dylan Wiliam, 1998
“Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards
Through Classroom Assessment”
Seven Strategies
• Where am I going?
1. Provide clear Learning Target
2. Use exemplars of strong and weak work
• Where am I now?
3. Provide descriptive feedback
4. Teach students to self-assess & set goals
• How can I close the gap?
5. Design lessons to focus on one aspect
6. Teach students focused revision
7. Engage students in self-reflection, let them
keep track of and share their learning
Stiggins, 2006
http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21
Know – Need to Know
• Conducted at the beginning of a PBL
• Helps teacher determine what clinics
or mini-lessons to conduct
• May grow as students work through
their project
• Can be used as a checklist at the end
of the project to determine if needs
were met
Observations in PBL
• Allow teachers to
– Assess how well students work with
others
• Teacher Observation Checklists
– Assess student use of technology
– Assess student understanding of
content
Questioning in PBL
• Allows teachers to
– Determine which content has been
learned
– Determine if students understand the
process as well as the content
– Target individual students during a
presentation to determine if all students
understand the content
Discussion in PBL
• By listening to student
discussions during a PBL a
teacher can
– Determine student depth of
understanding
– Assess student communication
skills
– Evaluate how well students
collaborate
Logs in PBL
• The use of Journals or Learning Logs
can help teachers to
– Assess student skill in communication
through writing
– Assess student depth of understanding
– Assess student ability to present logical
arguments to back up their opinions
– Examine sources used to gather
information
Peer/Self- Assessment
• These assessments help teachers
– Assess what students say they know
– Understand what peers understand
about the assignment
• These assessments help students
– Assess their own learning
– Set goals for their own learning
– Become more metacognitive and selfdirected
Practice Presentations
• These assessments help teachers
– Gauge student progress toward
completion of the project
– Assess what presentation skills need to
be retaught
• These assessments help students
– Practice in a safe environment
– Receive feedback from peers
– Understand what needs to be done
before the final presentation
Quizzes in PBL
• Have a place in PBL
• May be used to determine if the
content knowledge is being
acquired
• Should provide explicit feedback
to students
• May or may not be used for a
grade
Questions
about
Formative
Assessment
and PBL