Descriptive Feedback:
Moving to the Next
Level . . .
The Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP), an initiative of the Milwaukee Partnership Academy
(MPA), is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EHR-0314898.
Presented by:
The Milwaukee Math Partnership
Cynthia Cuellar
Milwaukee Public Schools
Math Teaching Specialist
Karen Corlyn
Teacher-in-Residence, UW-Milwaukee
Milwaukee Public Schools
Carmen Reyes
Teacher, Wedgewood International Middle School
Milwaukee Public Schools
School Self-Assessment and Guide
Learning Teams Continuum of Work for Mathematics
Stage 1:
Learning Targets
Stage 2:
Unpack & Align
Targets with State
Framework
Stage 3:
CABS Level 1:
Select/Design CABS
Stage 4:
CABS Level 2
Student work
Stage 5:
CABS Level 3
Formative
Feedback
Understand
importance of
identifying and
articulating big ideas
in mathematics to
bring consistency to a
school’s math
program.
Develop meaning for
the math embedded in
the targets and the
alignment to state
standards/descriptors
school’s math program.
Provide a measure of
consistency around
student achievement
based on the targets.
Examine student
work to monitor
achievement and
progress toward the
targets.
Use student work for
instructional
decisions, and
appropriate.
continuous, feedback
to students.
Tools
• Grade level lists of
9-11 big ideas per
grade
• Horizontal list of
targets by content
across grades
Tools
• Target-descriptor
alignment worksheets
• WKCE Depths of
Knowledge Framework
• Pacing Guides
Tools
• WKCE data on
student achievement
Assessing the
Assessment Guide
• District Model CABS
• WKCE Depths of
Knowledge
Framework
Tools
• MMP Protocol for
analysis of student
work
• DVD of the MMP
protocol in use
• Descriptive
Feedback
Tools
• Descriptive
Feedback
• Class and Student
Feedback Summary
• CABS Class
Summary Report
Stage 4. Level 2 CABS—Student Work
Goal: To collaboratively examine student work from CABS in order to
monitor student achievement and progress toward Learning Targets.
1. Do grade level teachers regularly (e.g., monthly) examine students’
mathematics work and identify strengths and weaknesses of
individual students, of a class of students, or a grade level?
2. Have teachers used the district protocol for collaboratively looking at
student’s mathematics work from CABS?
3. Do teachers have opportunities to share student work from CABS
across grade levels?
4. Do grade level groups have opportunities to discuss with the Learning
Team both summaries of student achievement on CABS and a
range of student work samples (e.g., low, middle, and high benchmark
papers)?
5. How does the Learning Team monitor students’ progress toward
meeting the Learning Targets and report this to the school staff?
6. Do teachers use the “Descriptive Feedback (Everyday) Rubric” in
classroom practice and when examining student work samples?
Stage 5. Level 3 CABS—Formative Feedback
Goal: To use student work from common classroom assessments (CABS)
to drive instructional decisions on “what do we do next” in the
classroom and to provide appropriate and continuous feedback to
students.
1. Can teachers give a specific example of a way they have used results
from CABS to inform and modify classroom practice?
2. How do teachers use the “CABS Class Summary Report” to share the
successes, challenges, and next steps for student learning?
3. How do teachers give students descriptive feedback that prompts
them to self-reflect on ways to improve their work?
4. How do teachers use the “Class Student Feedback Summary” to
make instructional decisions based on descriptive feedback to
students?
Purpose: Participants will . . .
•Examine what research says about the effects
of feedback.
•Deepen their understanding of different types
of feedback.
•Analyze student work in mathematics while
writing effective feedback.
•Discuss ways to use feedback in the classroom
to guide student learning of mathematics. . .
Research by: Richard Stiggins
“Achievement
gains are maximized in context
where educators increase the accuracy of
classroom assessments, provide students with
frequent informative feedback (versus
infrequent judgmental feedback), and involve
students deeply in the classroom assessment,
record keeping, and communication process. In
short, these gains are maximized where
teachers apply the principles of assessment for
learning.”
Research by: John Hattie 1992
“The most powerful single
modification that enhances
achievement is feedback. The
simplest prescription for
improving education must be
‘dollops of feedback’.”
Type of Feedback: Motivational




Goal is to make the learner feel good.
Feedback that is intended to encourage and support
the learner.
It does not give guidance on how to improve the
learner’s reasoning.
Since it is not intended to move students forward
in the learning process, it can be given on
summative assessments.
Type of Feedback: Evaluative




Goal is to measure student achievement with a
score or a grade.
Feedback that is intended to summarize student
achievement.
It does not give guidance on how to improve the
learner’s reasoning.
Since it is not intended to move students forward
in the learning process, it can be given on
summative assessments.
Type of Feedback: Descriptive



Goal is to improve student achievement by telling
the learner how to move forward in the learning
process.
Feedback that is intended to tell the learner
what needs to be improved.
Feedback isn’t as effective in getting students to
move forward in the learning process.
Type of Feedback: Effective





Goal is to get student to internalize the effective feedback
to use the suggested strategies independently on future
work.
Feedback that is intended to be used by the learner to
independently move their reasoning to the next level.
Criteria-based phrases are used to describe the strengths
and weaknesses of the learner’s work.
Limits feedback to one or two traits/aspect of quality at a
time.
Students should have an opportunity to “redo” their work
based on the effective feedback.
Examples of Feedback
A. I agree with the pattern that you have
Descriptive
identified in the table. I am not convinced
& Effective
that the rule you wrote works for all the
values in the table. How could you prove this?
Motivational
B. I like how you completed the assignment.
C. You accurately found the number of students in
4th grade who said chocolate ice-cream was
their favorite. You now need to divide this
number by the total number of students to
get the percent who said chocolate ice-cream
was their favorite.”
D. Your explanation of your work is the best that
you have done. Nice use of sequence words in
your explanation.
Descriptive
Evaluative
What Does Effective Feedback
Look Like?
Effective Feedback Should:
 Describe and inform, not judge
 Be specific, not general
 Be clear to students
 Suggest what students should do to
improve
Adapted from Formative Assessment Strategies for Every Classroom,
Susan M. Brookhart, ASCD
Type of Feedback Activity
Motivational
Evaluative
Descriptive
Effective
Feedback is
primarily
motivational
Feedback is
primarily
evaluative
Descriptive
feedback primarily
tells the student
how to correct their
reasoning.
Descriptive
feedback asks the
student what to do
to move their
reasoning to the
next level.
Purpose: to
encourage and
support the learner
Purpose: to
measure student
achievement with a
score or a grade
Purpose: to
improve learning
by indicating to the
student what needs
to be improved
Purpose: to
improve learning,
by moving student
reasoning to the
next level
More Summative
More Formative
CABS: Number Patterns
Study this sequence:
5, 7, 2, 4, -1, 1, -4 . . .
What is the 10th term in this sequence?
Answer: ______
How did you determine what this number is?
Mathematics Grade 8
Classroom Assessment Based on Standards
Power CABS Identifier: “Number Pattern”
MPS Learning Target: Algebraic Relationships
• MPS Learning Target #6: Analyze, describe, and generalize
mathematical and real-world patterns of change and functional
relationships with emphasis on the role of variable quantities.
• MPS Learning Target #7: Model, justify, and solve linear
equations and relationships using translations among tables,
graphs/grids, and symbolic forms.
• MPS Learning Target #8: Explain use of properties (e.g.,
commutative, associative, distributive) to evaluate expressions and
solve linear equations.
Mathematics Grade 8
Classroom Assessment Based on Standards
Power CABS Identifier: “Number Pattern”
Wisconsin Assessment Framework for Mathematics
Objective: F. Algebraic Relationships
Subskill: Patterns, Relations, and Functions
Descriptor:
Analyze, generalize and represent patterns of change, e.g. direct and inverse variations,
including numerical sequences,, patterns to a given term, algebraic expressions and
equations.
Objective: A. Mathematical Processes
Descriptors:
• Use reasoning and logic to perceive patterns, identify relationships, formulate
questions, pose problems, make conjectures, justify strategies, and test reasonableness of
results
• Communicate mathematical ideas and reasoning using the vocabulary of mathematics
in a variety of ways (e.g. using words, numbers, symbols, pictures, charts, tables,
diagrams, graphs, and models).
• Solve and analyze routine and non-routine problems.
What Mathematics Am I Assessing?
Description of Assessment:
School:
Grade Level:
CABS Assessment Overview
After working through the assessment, reflect on what you expect students to do. Complete the
following table before developing your descriptive feedback.
Identify appropriate Key Mathematics
Features students may develop as a
response to this assessment:
Connections to the
Comprehensive
Mathematics
Framework
o
o
o
o
o
Understanding
Reasoning
Computing
Engagement
Problem-solving
o
o
o
o
o
Understanding
Reasoning
Computing
Engagement
Problem-solving
o
o
o
o
o
Understanding
Reasoning
Computing
Engagement
Problem-solving
Identify misconceptions you anticipate students will
demonstrate:
Identify misconceptions identified after analyzing
student work:
How to Manage the Use of
Feedback in the Classroom
 When
should I use feedback?
 A success story.
 The Gail Burrill Strategy
Research by: Richard Stiggins
“Achievement gains are maximized in context
where educators increase the accuracy of
classroom assessments, provide students with
frequent informative feedback (versus
infrequent judgmental feedback), and involve
students deeply in the classroom assessment,
record keeping, and communication process.
In short, these gains are maximized where
teachers apply the principles of assessment
for learning.”
Reflections
An idea that squares with my beliefs. . .
A point I would like to make. . .
A question or concern going around my
head. . .
Forecast
www.mmp.uwm.edu
This material was developed by the Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP) with
support by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0314898. Any opinions,
findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.