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inFormative Assessment

When It's Not About a Grade

By: Robin J. Fogarty, Gene M. Kerns

Use assessment as a powerful tool to inform instruction and learning!

With practical, informed assessment techniques, you can increase your instructional effectiveness and demonstrate improvements in student learning. This research-based book, part of the In A Nutshell series, provides a succinct yet substantive discussion about formative assessments and how they impact the teaching/learning cycle. The authors present results-oriented methods, offer invaluable tips, and examine three types of inFormative assessments:

Routine inFormative Assessments to weave into everyday instruction
Reflective inFormative Assessments to foster self-assessment for students and teachers
Rigorous inFormative Assessments to provide continuous tools that inform teaching practices and student learning

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412975421
Published By: Corwin
Series: In A Nutshell Series
Year: 2009
Page Count: 136
Publication date: November 28, 2012

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Description

Use assessment as a powerful tool to inform instruction and learning!

Routine inFormative Assessments to weave into everyday instruction
Reflective inFormative Assessments to foster self-assessment for students and teachers
Rigorous inFormative Assessments to provide continuous tools that inform teaching practices and student learning

Key features

A research-based, "at-a-glance" guide written in a conversational tone with practical ideas and results-oriented strategies
Organized around 3 levels of assessments: Routine, Reflective, and Rigorous
Each chapter follows the same format and includes:

Teachings: definitions, examples, descriptions and explanations
Tools: tried-and-true, hands-on manipulatives for promoting assessment processes
Techniques: methods for using assessment to inform instructional decisions
Tasks: practical applications
Tips: cues from experts about what, when, and how to use the information successfully

Each chapter features its own spectrum of formative assessment tools and techniques to help teachers assess student work and academic progress in an ongoing, continuous, and consistent manner
The closure discussion is focused on the overriding concept that informative assessment celebrates student success and its relationship to student attitudes and confidence

Author(s)

Robin J. Fogarty

Robin Fogarty is President of RFA: A Robin Fogarty Company, a Chicago-based, minority-owned, educational publishing/consulting company. Robin received her doctorate in curriculum and human resource development from Loyola University of Chicago. A leading proponent of the thoughtful classroom, Robin has trained educators throughout the world in curriculum, instruction and assessment strategies.

She has taught at all levels, from kindergarten to college, served as an administrator, and consulted with state departments and ministries of education in the United States, Puerto Rico, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Great Britain, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Robin has published articles in Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, The Journal of Staff Development and The Middle School Lournal. She is the author of numerous publications, including Brain-Compatible Classrooms, Literacy Matters, Ten Things New Teachers Need, How to Integrate the Curricula, The Adult Learner, A Look at Transfer, Close the Achievement Gap, Twelve Brain Principles, Nine Best Practices, and From Staff Room to Classroom: Planning and Coaching Professional Learning, How to Teach Thinking Skills Within the Common Core: 7 Key Student Proficiencies of the New National Standards, Invite! Excite! Ignite! 13 Principles for Teaching, Learning and Leading K-12 classrooms

Robin received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education at SUNY, Potsdam, NY, and her Masters in Instructional Strategies from National Louis University in Evanston, IL. She is known as the teachers’ teacher and has mentored numerous colleagues in the art and science of working with the adult learner. She brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to all endeavors, has a wealth of knowledge in the field and conducts highly interactive PD sessions.

Gene M. Kerns

A third-generation educator with teaching experience from elementary through the university level, in addition to K-12 administrative experience, Gene Kerns serves as vice president of training and certification for Renaissance Learning, Inc. With more than a decade of experience in leading professional development sessions, as well as taking on the role of presenter at national and international conferences, Kerns has knowledge and know-how of the adult learner. In addition, he has the experience to work across the generations with a genuine quality that is laced with anecdotes, humor, and heartfelt passion. Former clients include the New York State Unified Teachers, New Jersey Principals' Association, Illinois Coalition of Essential Schools, and the Ministry of Education of Singapore. Kerns received his bachelor’s and master's degrees from Longwood College in Virginia. He also holds a doctor of education degree from the University of Delaware, with an emphasis in education leadership. Informative Assessment: When It’s Not About a Grade is Kerns' first publication.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Opening Quote

Introduction

Part I: Purpose/Goals

Part II: "A Suite of Assessments"

Part III: Background/Research

Part IV: Overview of the Book and Chapter Format

1. Routine Formative Assessments: All Day, Everyday-Flow

Teachings

Scene of Scenario (for Reader's Theater Activity)

Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples

Tools

Responders/"2Know!"

Lap Boards

Traffic Light Cards

Color-Coded Multiple Choice Cards

Tongue Depressors

Name Cards

Mr. Parnes' Questions

Mr. Pete's Questions

Techniques

Questioning Procedures

Pose Question

Allow Wait Time

Choose a Respondent Using a Random Method

Provide Some "Save Face" Option

HOT Questions

Delving

Woven Questions

Rhetorical Questions

Hands Up Only to Ask a Question Policy

Cooperative Learning (Informal)

TTYPA

Shoulder

Elbow

TESA

Wait Time

Equal Opportunity to Respond

Unpacking the Language of Standards/Tests/Instructions

Tasks

Tips

2. Reflective Informative Assessments: Many Days-Conversations

Teachings

Scene or Scenario (for Reader's Theater)

Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples

Tools

Agree/Disagree

People Search

Human Graph

Rubrics/Checklists (Criteria in Kid-Friendly Terms)

Journals

Little Book of Reflective Tools

Step Book

Cooperative Learning Roles and Responsibilities

Peer Tutors

PMI

Traffic Light Indicators

Student Portfolios

Blogs

Tear Share

Magic Book

Mrs. Potters' Questions

Ms. Poindexter's Questions

Techniques

Range Finding Questions (Prior Knowledge)

Hinge Point Questions (During Instruction)

Rubric Development With the Class

Use of Benchmark Papers

Descriptive Feedback

Reflective Questions (Metacognition)

Peer Assessment (Peer Editing)

Cooperative Learning

Interactive Conversations

Teacher - Student/Student - Teacher

Student - Student

Student - Self

Email Buddies

Comments That Reference Criteria, Instead of Grades

"There Are _ Wrong. Find Which Ones."

Focused Marking (One Aspect of Element)

Grading: Omit Zeros, Omit Averages, Require Students to Do Missing Assignments

Tasks

Tips

3. Rigorous Informative Assessments: Some Days - Philosophical Shift

Teachings

Scene or Scenario (for Reader's Theater)

Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples

Tools

Performance Tasks

Performance Checklists

Performance Rubrics

Grading Practices

Informative Grading

Informative Grade Book

Gray Area About Grade Books

Standards-Based Grade Books

Color-Coded Grade Books

Electronic Grade Book

Electronic Test Creation Software

Techniques

HOT

Inductive

Deductive

Performance Based

Tests, Test Questions, Test Analysis

Ungraded Practice Test

Developing Test Questions

Test Questions: Fat/Skinny (or Whale/Minnow) Questions

Test and Work Analysis: Examining Student Work

Summative Assessment as Informative Assessment

Philosophical Shift, Between Formative and Summative Assessments

How Can You Use a Summative Assessment in a Formative Manner?

Data

Item Analysis

Robust Distractors

Tasks

Application Activity

Tips

4. Closure

Attribution Theory (Dweck, 2007)

Afterword

Tomlinson Summary Points

References

Index

Reviews

"Fogarty and Kerns provide far more than theory and rhetoric—they have effectively created a treasure trove of tools and ideas that every teacher can and should be using. This is a wonderful resource for mentors, instructional coaches, administrators, and professional development trainers."

Nancy A. Farrell, Staff Development Trainer
Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, VA

"Provides new and veteran educators with clear descriptions of assessment methods and offers a rich array of instructional strategies that can be implemented immediately."

Mary Ellen Kotz, Education Associate for Educator Mentoring and Induction
Delaware Department of Education

"Promotes the kind of reflective practice that energizes teaching, leading, and learning for all. This book is an important resource for professional learning communities dedicated to 1) assessment of students and their achievement, 2) collaborative teams focused on improved teaching and learning, and 3) continuous improvement."

Valerie Hastings Gregory, Assistant Director of Professional Development
Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA

Other Titles in: Formative Assessment | Learning Styles

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