Session 4 Facilitator’s Guide: Critiquing
Assessment Tasks
Goals and Outcomes
High-Level Purpose of this Session

Participants will be led through a process of working with standards to determine an appropriate assessment task and will
analyze model assessment tasks for common core alignment and rigor.
Related Learning Experiences

Prior March NTI principal sessions from Day 1
Key Points


Leaders have to provide time and space for these conversations in their buildings if teachers are going to really learn the
standards and the rigor of the standards.
Leaders are responsible for ensuring that curriculum offered to students is Common Core aligned.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of
this session?
1. I can effectively critique a curriculum designer’s
assessment tasks.
How will we know that they are able to do this?


Cooking with standards completion
Self-assessment
1
Session Overview
Section
Time
Overview
Prepared Resources
Assessment
Design:
Standards
30
Deep analysis of standards with
connection to ELA state test
samples.



Facilitator’s Preparation
Work through each activity
ELA Assessment Design_011014
2014_ela_sample_annotated_item_gr_6 while employing the lens
of a school leader.
_final_rev102014
CookingwithStandards.pdf
Assessment
Design:
Cooking with
Standards
65
Deep analysis of standards with 
multiple manipulations and ways
to bundle standards.
Strips of an entire grade’s standards cut
Download PPT
up
presentation.
Assessment
Design:
Alignment
40
Assessment alignment protocol 
that can be used back at school. 
Assessment Alignment Protocol
1_EL_G7M4AU3_Unit_Overview_03281
4
Rubric for position paper
EQuIP Feedback Development of the
Adolescent Brain.pdf


Carousel
Brainstorm
35
Participants engage in

brainstorming and solution finding
for implementation issues.
Carousel brainstorm protocol
2
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Assessment design: Knowing the
standards
Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
1-4
9:15-9:20
Time: 30 min.
Script/Activity directions
Welcome participants back to day 2. Ask participants to review the
norms for collaboration and lift up some examples of the norms in
action yesterday. Ask them to be specific and provide evidence for
how a norm was actualized.
Grouping
whole
Remind them that we will continue to use these to support our
learning environment.
Introduce the learning target for the session:
1. I can critique a curriculum designer’s assessment tasks.
9:20-9:25
5
Ask participants to review ELA Assessment Design document, but
to only SKIM for the steps in the process. They read look for
number 1, read brief description, move onto number 2, read brief
description, etc. There are 8 steps to the assessment design
process that EL has used for the modules and believes is best
practice in curriculum design.
whole
3
Ask leaders to make some predictions: where would teachers
excel, where would they need mores support, and how do you
know?
9:25-9:45
6-7
Remind them about the theme of leaders being prepared to support
and remove obstacles. If leaders become more familiar with
assessment design practices, they can be both supportive and
remove obstacles, but without professional learning on assessment
design, this would be challenging.
Tell participants before we do some assessment design work
whole
ourselves, we are digging into step #2 a little bit more: Thoroughly
read, analyze, and understand specific grade level standards and
what they require of students.
Point out that yes, analyzing the standard itself is important, but
that we would add looking at sample assessment items is also
critical – it helps shed light on the question of rigor for each grade
level.
Participants will review the ELA 6th grade annotated sample items:
2014_ela_sample_annotated_item_gr_6_final_rev102014
Have participants review the two standards below on the PPT
before reading the text:
RI.6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed
through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct
from personal opinions or judgments.
RI.6.5: Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or
section fits into the overall structure of a text and
contributes to the development of the ideas.
4
Participants should work solo first, then discuss in small groups:
required of students? Why?
requiring of students?
Then participants will read the text and corresponding assessment
questions. They will record what they notice and what they wonder
while reviewing. (pg. 87-93)
Facilitator makes sure to address key point:
Leaders have to provide time and space for these conversations in
their buildings if teachers are going to really learn the standards
and the rigor of the standards.
5
Section 2: Assessment Design: Cooking with
standards
Time
9:45-9:55
Slide #/Pic of Slide
8-11
Time: 65 min.
Script/Activity directions
Have participants turn to the 6th grade RL/RI standards in the
their notebook that they looked at on day 1.
Grouping
whole
English Language Arts Standards » Reading_ Literature »
Grade 6 _ Common Core State Standards Initiative
& English Language Arts Standards » Reading_ Informational
Text » Grade 6 _ Common Core State Standards Initiative
Ask participants to examine the standards that fall under RL
and RI for 6th grade.
With the idea of bundling (step 3) in mind, what do they notice
about the standards? Which ones can stand on their own, and
which would benefit from being bundled with others?
(note – you will dig more deeply into this but just want to get
participants thinking deeply about the manipulation of
standards and thought processes curriculum designers need
to employ).
9:55-10:50
12
Participants will follow the Cooking with Standards protocol.
triads
Facilitator will stop the group at sort #4, because this is a
challenging task and facilitator support will be important.
6
Section 3: Assessment Design: Alignment
Time
10:5011:00
Slide #/Pic of Slide
13
Script/Activity directions
Participants will thoroughly review the assessment alignment
protocol, and locate accompanying materials in 10 minutes.




11:0011:20
11:2011:30
Time: 40 min.
Grouping
triads
assessment alignment protocol
Grade 7 Module 4 Unit 3 overview
Equip EL feedback
7 4 3 rubric
13
Participants will follow the first step of the protocol: calibration.
triads
13
Participants will then skim the rest of the protocol and turn and triads
talk to their partners about potential uses for the protocol back
at their school sites.
The facilitator should answer any questions related to the
protocol and also let participants know that they are about the
transition the group to discussing the professional
development necessary and this protocol can be deeply
considered at that time if needed.
11:30-11:45 BREAK
7
Section 4: Curriculum Carousel
Time
11:4512:20
Slide #/Pic of Slide
14
Time: 35 min.
Script/Activity directions
Facilitator introduces the carousel brainstorm protocol to
participants. This is an opportunity for leaders to brainstorm
implementation challenges and solutions to those challenges
regarding common core aligned curriculum design at their
schools.
Grouping
Spend 5 minutes setting up the protocol and organizing the
small groups. This will be based on the number of people you
have and issues that have surfaced during the prior PD
sessions.
If there are 3 major topics, you might have 3 groups spend 8
minutes with each topic before they switch, then 6 minutes as
a whole group synthesis.
Turnkey Materials Provided


CookingwithStandards.pdf
Strips of an entire grade’s standards cut up
8





Assessment Alignment Protocol
1_EL_G7M4AU3_Unit_Overview_032814
Rubric for position paper
EQuIP Feedback Development of the Adolescent Brain.pdf
Carousel brainstorm protocol
9