Assessment Balance and Quality An Action Guide for School Leaders
, by Chappuis, Steve; Commodore, Carol; Stiggins, Rick J.
- ISBN: 9780132548786 | 013254878X
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 3/2/2010
New from Pearson ATI,Assessment Balance and Quality: An Action Guide for School Leaders,3/e, is chock full of practical activities. Designed to enhance understanding of sound assessment practice; administrators gain a clear vision of what excellence in assessment looks like and the seven essential assessment actions schools and districts can take to realize that vision. Also presented are ten assessment competencies for school leaders, with activities and resources to help them learn and apply the skills. Professional Papers and Recent Staff Articles Chappuis, Stephen & Stiggins, Richard J. (10/10/2008). Finding balance: Assessment in the middle school classroom . Additional Resources Visit http://www.assessmentinst.com/resources/ati-resources/ to read more articles on assessment, download study guides, and more! To check out ATI events and trainings in you area, visit http://www.assessmentinst.com/category/events/ .
Rick Stiggins founded the Assessment Training Institute (ATI) in 1992 to provide much-needed professional development in assessment for teachers and school leaders. ATI can help assessment users at all levels learn how to (a) create high-quality assessments, and (b) use them in the service of student success. The most unique feature of the ATI philosophy remains our advocacy of and professional development in "assessment for learning"; that is, the use of student-involved classroom assessment, record keeping and communication to promote success for all students. The ATI programs, materials and services in classroom assessment for student learning are specifically designed to draw teachers and administrators into local learning teams to master principles of balanced assessment and assessment for learning. Rick is the author of numerous books, articles and papers on assessment practices in the classroom and its impact on students and student success.
Carol Commodore, Ph.D., is the founding member of Leadership, Learning and Assessment, LLC. She is also one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Assessment Consortium and an independent consultant with Pearson Assessment Training Institute of Portland, Oregon. Carol has also served as an assistant superintendent for instruction and a coordinator for assessment and has over twenty years experience as a classroom teacher, having taught students from kindergarten through graduate school. She has facilitated the development and implementation of a district-wide elementary world language program and a district-wide K-12 Standards and Balanced Assessment program for students. Carol’s research interests focus on the impact of assessment and instruction on learners and their learning. Her work with assessment, learning, motivation and leadership takes her across North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She has provided numerous keynote addresses, workshops and consultations for school districts, schools and educational and nonprofit organizations. Carol is also a co-author of three books, The Power of SMART Goals: Using Goals to Improve Student Learning along with Beyond School Improvement: Embracing Innovative Leadership, and Assessment FOR Learning An Action Guide for School Leaders, 3rd edition.
Steve Chappuis brings a strong background in educational administration to ATI. His leadership experiences include serving as a junior high principal, a senior high principal and executive director responsible for supervision of schools and principals. As an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, he implemented a standards-based instructional program that included comprehensive assessment plans with policies and professional development in classroom assessment. At ATI, Steve works with educators to help establish balanced and effective local assessment systems. He is also responsible for our leadership for excellence in assessment program - professional development for school leaders and policy makers, and is the co-author of Assessment Balance and Quality: An Action Guide for School Leaders 3rd. Ed.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................... iii
Foreword.......................................................................................................................... v
PART 1 Laying the Foundation............................................................................ 1
Working at the System Level.........................................................................................................................4
Seven Actions to Ensure Student Success..............................................................................................5
Supporting the Learning of the Leaders......................................................................................................5
Contents of This Action Guide......................................................................................................................6
Part 1: Laying the Foundation..................................................................................................................6
Part 2: Building the Vision........................................................................................................................6
Part 3: The Path to Assessment Balance and Quality.............................................................................7
Part 4: Required Skills for Assessment Balance and Quality..................................................................8
Part 5: Planning for Action.......................................................................................................................8
Additional Content...................................................................................................................................8
PART 2 Building the Vision................................................................................ 11
Vision Part 1: Balanced Assessment Systems...........................................................................................13
Classroom Assessment...........................................................................................................................16
Interim/Benchmark Assessment............................................................................................................18
Annual Testing.......................................................................................................................................18
Vision Part 2: Accurate Assessment...........................................................................................................19
Keys to Accuracy........................................................................................................................................ 19
Keys to Effective Use.............................................................................................................................21
Vision Part 3: Classroom Assessment for Student Learning....................................................................22
Assessment for Learning.......................................................................................................................23
Summary of the Vision................................................................................................................................25
Activity 1: Reflecting on the Vision of Excellence in Assessment........................................................27
Activity 2: Building a Vision of a Quality, Balanced Assessment Program.....................................28
PART 3 The Path to Assessment Balance and Quality..................................... 41
Beginning Your School or District Self-Evaluation...................................................................................44
Action 1: Balance Your Assessment System.............................................................................................44
Is Your Assessment System in Balance?................................................................................................45
Deepening Your Understanding of Balanced Assessment Systems......................................................48
Activity 3: Formative or Summative?......................................................................................................50
Activity 4: Conducting an Assessment Audit.........................................................................................52
Action 2: Refine Achievement Standards....................................................................................................55
What Is the Current State of Your Achievement Standards?................................................................56
Deepening Your Understanding of Refined Standards..........................................................................57
Action 3: Ensure Assessment Quality.......................................................................................................62
Can You Ensure Assessment Quality?....................................................................................................62
Deepening Your Understanding of Assessment Quality........................................................................63
Action 4: Help Learners Become Assessors by Using Assessment for Learning
Strategies in the Classroom..................................................................................................................66
Are Your Learners Involved in Their Own Assessment?.......................................................................68
Deepening Your Understanding of Assessment for Learning Strategies in the Classroom................69
Action 5: Build Communication Systems That Both Support and Report Learning............................73
Do Your Teachers Know How to Communicate Effectively about Student Learning?........................74
Deepening Your Understanding of Balanced Communication Systems...............................................74
Action 6: Motivate Students with Learning Success................................................................................76
Do Your Teachers Use Learning Success to Motivate Students?..........................................................78
Deepening Your Understanding of How to Motivate Students with Learning Success.......................78
Action 7: Promote the Development of Assessment Literacy.................................................................80
Do You Need to Promote the Development of Assessment Literacy?..................................................82
Deepening Your Understanding of How to Promote Assessment Literacy..........................................82
Summarizing the Path to Excellence in Assessment...............................................................................83
Activity 5: School/District Assessment System Self-Evaluation..........................................................84
PART 4 Required Skills for Assessment Balance and Quality.......................... 95
Leading Assessment for Learning..............................................................................................................97
Competency 1: The leader understands the attributes of a sound and balanced
assessment system, and the conditions required to achieve balance in local systems....................100
Success Indicators for Competency 1..................................................................................................101
Practice with Competency 1.................................................................................................................101
Activity 6: Merging Local and State Assessment Systems..................................................................101
Activity 7: Auditing for Balance in Classroom Assessment...............................................................103
Competency 2: The leader understands the necessity of clear academic achievement
standards, aligned classroom-level achievement targets, and their relationship to
the development of accurate assessments............................................................................................ 106
Success Indicators for Competency 2..................................................................................................107
Practice with Competency 2.................................................................................................................108
Activity 8: Embracing the Vision of a Standards-based School........................................................108
Activity 9: Implementing the Written Curriculum..............................................................................109
Activity 10: Deconstructing Standards into Classroom-level Achievement Targets:
Practice for School Leaders..............................................................................................................113
Competency 3: The leader understands the standards of quality for student
assessments, helps teachers learn to assess accurately, and ensures that these
standards are met in all school/district assessments............................................................................ 124
Success Indicators for Competency 3..................................................................................................126
Practice with Competency 3.................................................................................................................126
Activity 11: Indicators of Sound Classroom Assessment Practice....................................................126
Activity 12: Analyze Assessments for Clear Targets............................................................................129
Competency 4: The leader knows assessment for learning practices and works with
staff to integrate them into classroom instruction................................................................................133
Success Indicators for Competency 4..................................................................................................134
Practice with Competency 4.................................................................................................................134
Activity 13: Communicating Learning Targets in Student-friendly Language............................134
Activity 14: Assessment for Learning Self-evaluation........................................................................138
Competency 5: The leader creates the conditions necessary for the appropriate use and
reporting of student achievement information, and can communicate effectively with
all members of the school community about student assessment results, including
report card grades, and their relationship to improving curriculum and instruction......................... 141
Communicating Annual Test Scores to Parents and Community.......................................................141
Grading and Reporting.........................................................................................................................142
Success Indicators for Competency 5..................................................................................................143
Practice with Competency 5.................................................................................................................144
Activity 15: A Rubric for Sound Grading Practice..............................................................................144
Activity 16: When Grades Don’t Match the State Assessment Results..............................................149
Activity 17: A Standard Cover Letter to Parents..................................................................................150
Competency 6: The leader understands the issues related to the unethical and inappropriate
use of student assessment and protects students and staff from such misuse................................153
Success Indicators for Competency 6..................................................................................................154
Practice with Competency 6.................................................................................................................154
Activity 18: “Is This Responsible?”.........................................................................................................155
Activity 19: Guidelines for Test Preparation and Administration..................................................157
Competency 7: The leader can plan, present, and/or secure professional development
activities that contribute to the use of sound assessment practices..................................................160
Success Indicators for Competency 7..................................................................................................161
Practice with Competency 7.................................................................................................................161
Activity 20: Supporting Teacher Learning Teams..............................................................................162
Activity 21: Discussing Key Assessment Concepts with Faculty.......................................................171
Competency 8: The leader knows and can evaluate teachers’ classroom assessment
competencies, and helps teachers learn to assess accurately and use the results to
benefit student learning........................................................................................................................179
Success Indicators for Competency 8..................................................................................................180
Practice with Competency 8.................................................................................................................181
Activity 22: Verifying Teachers’ Content Knowledge and Assessment Competence......................181
Activity 23: Should Teachers Be Held Accountable for Assessment Competence
through Evaluation?.........................................................................................................................183
Competency 9: The leader analyzes student assessment information accurately, uses
the information to improve curriculum and instruction, and assists teachers in doing
the same............................................................................................................................................. 185
Common and Interim/Benchmark Assessments..................................................................................186
Annual Assessments............................................................................................................................186
Success Indicators for Competency 9..................................................................................................188
Practice with Competency 9.................................................................................................................188
Competency 10: The leader develops and implements sound assessment and assessmentrelated
policies......................................................................................................................................189
Success Indicators for Competency 10................................................................................................191
Practice with Competency 10...............................................................................................................191
Activity 24: Using School/District Policies to Support Quality Assessment....................................191
Activity 25: A Self-analysis for School Leaders....................................................................................197
PART 5 Planning for Action............................................................................. 199
Activity 26: Making Connections between Leadership Competencies and the
Seven Actions.....................................................................................................................................202
Activity 27: Making Connections between a District’s Current Direction and
Assessment Literacy..........................................................................................................................204
Activity 28: Linking the Ten Assessment Competencies for School Leaders with
the 2008 ISLLC Educational Leadership Policy Standards and the Twenty-one
Principal Leadership Responsibilities...........................................................................................206
Action Planning for Assessment Balance and Quality...........................................................................209
Where Are We Trying to Go with Our Assessment System?...............................................................209
Where Are We Now?............................................................................................................................209
How Can We Close the Gap between the Two?...................................................................................209
Prioritizing the Actions to Take............................................................................................................210
Action Planning Templates.......................................................................................................................211
Top Section of the Action Planning Template.....................................................................................211
Bottom Section of the Action Planning Template...............................................................................212
Additional Planning Considerations.........................................................................................................216
The Comprehensive Assessment Plan.................................................................................................216
Helping Policy Makers Understand Balance and Quality....................................................................216
Communicating and Monitoring the Plan............................................................................................217
Analysis of Impact.....................................................................................................................................217
Case Study of an Individual Teacher or a Few Teachers....................................................................218
The Study of a Learning Team.............................................................................................................218
In Closing....................................................................................................................................................219
References....................................................................................................................221
About the Authors.........................................................................................................225
CD-ROM/DVD Contents...............................................................................................227
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