Shifting to a StandardsBased Mindset
Through Quality
Assessments and
Backwards Design
LMS Department
Everett High School
October 10, 2014
Backwards Design Model
Identify/Select Course Standards
Common Core, NGSS, WA State, Industry,
National
Scale Standards
Design/Use Common
“Leveled” Assessments
Instructional Plan/Map
Determine
Reporting/Grading
Variables
Develop
Interventions/Enrichment
Session’s Overview
• Analysis of current course design
• What is Backwards Design?
• What makes an assessment “quality”?
• What are some basics for assessment
design?
Intro Activity
Select a class you are currently teaching. How
have you chunked/organized the course for
your students?
• By units-If so what makes up a unit?
• By topic- If so what topics? How do you
organize the topics?
• By performance typesTexts/products/mediums?
Course Organization Template
• Use the course organization template
provided or create your own.
• Develop a big picture overview of how you
currently organize your course.
What is Backwards Design?
• To begin with the end in mind means to
start with a clear understanding of your
destination. It means to know where you're
going so that you better understand where
you are now so that the steps you take are
always in the right direction.
• —Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People
Key Tenants
1. Identify desired results- What are the core
standards for your course?
2. Determine acceptable evidence- How will
you assess student learning?
3. Develop instructional plan- What learning
experiences and instruction will you plan for
your students?
1. Starting with our Standards
• According to the state this is our
curriculum
– Our role is to find materials and organize
our course in a way to best support
students in meeting these standards
Task
• Determine the number of standards to be
met within a semester timeframe.
– What standards are the focus of your class
– Which standards lend themselves to clear
feedback for growth?
– What standards will students be given
multiple opportunities to meet proficiency
during the semester?
Use the course standards template and create a
draft of the essential standards for your course
for a specific timeframe (semester).
2. How can these standards be
assessed?
Assessment Method Continuum
Informal checks
for
understanding
Observation
/Dialogue
Quiz/Test
Academic
Prompt
Performance
task/project
Determine Acceptable Evidence of
Learning
• How will you know that they learned it it?
• How will you assess that they learned it?
– What forms of assessment will demonstrate that the student
acquired the knowledge, understanding, and skill to answer
the questions.
• What counts as understanding in your class?
• What about in your content area?
Assessment Analysis Activity
• What assessment do you currently do
where 1-2 of these standards could be
emphasized and evaluated?
• What revisions would be required?
– Does it need a rubric?
– Does it need to be enhanced to be a quality
assessment (both reliable and providing valid
data)?
– Does the assessment assess varying levels of
proficiency?
Simple Quality Assessment
Checklist
• Reliability and Validity
– Aligned to standard/target
– Sufficient number of items for each standard
– Type of item matches performance expectation
– Items match instruction provided
Increase Assessment Quality
• Sufficient number of items to have evidence of
student’s understanding of a standard
• Sufficient number of items at levels
approaching, meeting and exceeding
proficiency
– Best “type” of assessment item to measure level.
• Strength of item to distinguish both correctness
and misconceptions for instruction
How can we be consistent
in applying DOK for a given
course?
Depth of Knowledge = Cognitive Demand = Rigor
• How much and what kind of “thinking” is called for in
each set of standards (cluster, PE, ELAR)?
• What tasks and contexts will students need to
demonstrate proficiency?
• What kinds of “thinking” is called for approaching
the standard and advancing beyond?
Clarifying Course Standards
Cognitive demand and learning progression
What is a Performance Task?
An assessment activity that requires a student
to demonstrate his or her achievement of a
standard/learning target by producing a
specific product.
Designing A Performance Task
Determine a
Focus
Create a
Context
Write
Directions
Develop a
Scoring Guide
• Target a standard or learning target
• Determine the evidence of learning
• Choose a significant question or an important problem
• Develop a background scenario
• Describe what students are expected to know and do
• Describe the product or performance students are expected to develop
• Develop a Rubric-Write descriptors of a quality performance
• Use anchor papers or exemplars of student work
Schimmer’s Progression
Shifting to a Standards-Based Mindset
Emphasize COMPLETION or STANDARDS?
Is school about ACTIVITIES or LEARNING?
Is school about POINTS or EVIDENCE?
Is learning an EVENT or a PROCESS?
Everett High School
Current Language
Purpose of Grading Statement
End of Course Grades (Semester/End of Year):
To communicate information about student proficiency on
content standards to students, parents, educators and other
stakeholders.
Formative/Summative Grades:
• To provide information to students for self-evaluation
• To provide information to classroom/program to inform
the next steps of the instruction
• Common summative/formative assessments will be used
frequently to inform student progress towards standard
Welcome, Encourage, Inspire
to Build Confident Learners