Formative assessment practice, formative leadership practice, formative teaching practice, assessment of learning, assessment for learning, assessment as learning

Lopez, Carrie

CA

Dixon, M. (2009). Formative assessment practice, formative leadership practice, formative teaching practice, assessment of learning, assessment for learning, assessment as learning. New Zealand Principals' Federation Magazine, 15-17.

Article on the idea of assessing FOR learning, rather than the traditional 'of' learning. Huge difference, for learning would be much for informative for students and teachers. The article also does a good job of emphasizing the importance of effective feedback for both teachers and students, in order for assessments to be as effective as they can be.

Stanford FabLearn's Paulo Blikstein on the Efficacy of Maker Ed: It's about Process Not Products

Paslay, Juliana

IL

Gomes, Patricia. (2016) Stanford FabLearn’s Paulo Blikstein on the Efficacy of Maker Ed: It’s about Process Not Products. Edsurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-26-stanford-fablearn-s-paulo-blikstein-on-the-efficacy-of-maker-ed-it-s-about-process-not-products?mc_uid=24373520d43ce16a4903e62f8bf5a5a5&utm_source=EdsurgeLive&utm_campaign=610b7870f0-2016-06-08-EdSurge+Newsletter+Ver+278&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0f1ec25b60-610b7870f0-291804001 I really appreciated this article and its point of view! It’s on how assessment needs to be different when using makerspaces in education. I think it has some good points on both maker education and assessment.

CA-What Educators NEED TO KNOW about ESSA

Emily Ratica

CA

Fennell, M. (2016). What educators NEED TO KNOW about ESSA. Educational Leadership, 73(9), 62-65.

The new "Every Student Succeeds Act" replaces the previously frustrating and often baffling "No Child Left Behind." Many educators are honestly excited about this new legislation, as it removes items like the necessity of each school to meet their AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress), specific federal teacher requirements (in addition to state requirements), and changes to teacher evaluation. It also adds in items, like how schools will implement new standards that gear students toward college and career readiness, more funding toward professional development and teacher-led professional growth, and, most importantly for librarians, actual funding for school library programs.

This article provides a good overview of the new legislation and how all professionals can become involved it its interpretation and implementation. It is essential for all educators involved in every level of education to get to know and fully understand ESSA, as we must be the ones actively advocating for our programs within our sites and districts.

How we can assess in a 21st century learning environment

Ramos, Tara

CA

Barnes, M. (2016). SE2R can revolutionize how we assess learning.  Retrieved from

http://www.advanc-ed.org/source/se2r-can-revolutionize-how-we-assess-learning

Summary: This article gives an idea of how assessment can work in a 21st century learning atmosphere.  Mark Barnes, author of the book Assessment 3.0 proposes that narrative feedback is most useful to student learning and he suggests teachers use his SE2R model for providing that feedback.  The SE2R model can be summarized as follows:

• Summarize- the evaluator gives a short statement about what was accomplished with the work
• Explain- the evaluator explains what learning was demonstrated and/or what was missing  
• Redirect- when learning outcomes are not demonstrated, the evaluator redirects students to prior learning, to resources or to seek help from teachers or peers.   
• Resubmit- Students are asked to resubmit their work after making changes.  

Evaluation: I found the SE2R model to be very helpful and I feel that it aligns very well with the type of learning experiences and environments that we are building in the INFO 250 course.  We must not let assessment fall by the wayside as we create 21st century learning experiences.  Narrative feedback and the chance to resubmit goes hand-in-hand with the growth mindset that we are trying to foment.  It views learning as continuous and makes the point of learning learning, not a letter grade.  It also allows for each student to start at their unique starting point and grow as much as possible.  Lastly the SE2R model need not be only limited to teacher use, but students could also learn to use it as a tool to evaluate their own and their peers' work.  I highly recommend this article and this author to others in the INFO 250 course.  

New Assessments Help Teachers Innovate in Classrooms

Eric Sanderson

CA / IL

Jayson, S. (2016, October 13). New assessments help teachers innovate in classrooms [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/new-assessments-help-teachers-innovate-in-classrooms/

Summary. In this post on the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation education website, Jayson reports on contemporary models of formative assessment associated with emerging best practices of 21st century learning and teaching. First, Jayson provides a snapshot of formative assessment using digital badges at Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California. Second, Jayson sketches out the development and introduction of periodic “performance-based tasks that can be done in an hour or less” at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC. Finally, Jayson summarizes the efforts of Henry County Schools outside Atlanta, Georgia, to follow a “personalized learning model” in which “feedback is the focus.”

Evaluation. While this post does not provide detailed information about any of the formative assessment concepts described above, it is a useful introduction to 21st century curriculum and assessment models and to the variety of schools and districts implementing them. This post also provides a generalized overview of the need for reevaluating formative and summative assessment models during this time of transition in primary and secondary education.

Leadership: School Librarian Evaluation

CA

Moreillon, J. (2013). Leadership: school librarian evaluation. School Library Monthly, 30(2), 24-25, 59. Retrieved from: http://www.abc-clio.com/Portals/0/PDF/FeaturedArticles/LU/SLMFreeArticles/1113_v30n2p24_Leadership_Moreillon.pdf

Summary:

The implementation of Common Core influenced a review of teacher evaluations.  Teachers are evaluated on many aspects of their teaching including student achievement on standardized tests.  While school librarians are not specifically evaluated based on student assessment, they should be concerned about student success and how it can be achieved.  This article suggests that with the use of formal and informal assessments, such as pre- and post-tests, reflections, graphic organizers, and checklists, school librarians can accurately assess student learning and achievement.  It is also important for school librarians to practice self-assessment.  Some suggestions in the article for self-assessment include reflection on teaching, collaboration with teachers, professional development, outreach, collection access, leadership, and planning and evaluation.  The article even provides an example of a self-assessment, “School Librarian Self-Assessment: Five Roles of the School Librarian” as a resource for teacher librarians and school administrators.

Evaluation:

This article provides a guide to school librarians with specific standards that should be met based on the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 21st-Century Approach to School Librarian Evaluation.  An emphasis in the standards is placed on the collaboration and co-teaching of school librarians with other teachers and faculty members.  Self-assessment and self-evaluation are important tools for any person to reflect upon if they want to become better.  The resource provided at the end of this article is a great tool to help school librarians initially self-assess themselves so that they can set goals for future improvement.

Social Studies Concepts: An Analysis of the NAEP and States’ Standards

Social Studies Concepts: An Analysis of the NAEP and States’ Standards

Binh Tran

Lord, Kathleen M., Andrea M. Noel, and Bridgette Slevin. "Social Studies Concepts: An Analysis of the NAEP and States’ Standards." Journal of Research in Childhood Education 30.3 (2016): 389-405. Web.

Summary

In response to the apparent achievement gap in 4^th grade Social Studies results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, Lord, Noel and Slevin conducted the following study. The researchers examined the state standards of nine different states and compared them to the contents of the NAEP to determine whether or not what students were being taught were actually being addressed in the NAEP. Focus was placed upon three “global concepts” (conflict, movement, discovery) to see how standards in these states were shaped. Findings revealed that the concepts were each covered inconsistently across each of the nine states examined. Much of the time, concepts were covered in standards largely along lines of direct effect on the state’s history, if it was covered at all. Many of the mission critical concepts assessed on the NAEP are covered during the 4^th grade; the exact year they are first introduced to students. Lord, Noel, and Slevin recommend that contents and concepts be split up and introduced as early as 3^rd grade in order to better improve student performance and close achievement gaps.

Evaluation

This paper features a very impressive and extensive review of data collected regarding its topic. Writing style tends to be fairly easy to follow and isn’t too bogged down by excessive jargon common to most academic papers. The greater theme that this paper touches on is something that most people struggle with understanding: education does not simply emerge from a vacuum. It is a path that must be carefully charted with a clear understanding the topography of the area covered, as well as the larger goals and concepts that must be used to hold everything together. Assessments are not simply something that should be used to end a lesson, but rather a encapsulation of the process of learning itself.

A win for all

Bradshaw, Trina

CA

Z

Miller, R.T. 2016. A win for all. Library Journal, 141(1), p. 8. Retrieved from: http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=112018047&site=ehost-live

Summary:

In this article, Miller describes the transformation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) into the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These important pieces of legislation guide how schools operate and in some cases can determine funding and staffing. One extremely important addition is the inclusion of libraries, validating the important contribution they make to student learning and enabling funding to support their development. The article also discusses how this could have a positive impact on public and academic libraries as well. Public librarians are often left attempting to aid students when their is no school librarian on staff to help them. They often don’t have the necessary skills and resources needed to truly help. This support of school librarians will help lessen this burden. In addition, academic librarians will benefit from having more students that are well trained in library use in the lower grades. Finally, the author acknowledges the hard work by stakeholder groups in making sure that libraries were adequately represented in this important legislation, including the American Library Association (ALA), the American Library Association Washington (ALAWASH), and library advocates at all levels. This success truly shows what can be attained through the political process when there is the patience required to move something forward over time and maintain commitment.

Review:

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was a hovering threat that caused many changes in many schools across the nation. After years of backlash, it is satisfying to know that the call for change has finally been answered. Though this article talks about many of the benefits and successes, it does not go into detail about the language of the actual legislation or how it may affect accountability measures. It would be beneficial to include some of those details so that librarians can spread the information to the decision makers in their schools and districts.  

A look at the new SAT

Bradshaw, Trina

CA

IL

Long, Rosemary. 2016. A look at the new SAT. Booklist, p. 19. Retrieved from: http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=116167865&site=ehost-live

Summary:

Long describes the recent changes to the SAT test, an important assessment tool for students that are planning on going to college. The first observation is that the SAT has adopted some of the popular feature of the ACT test, the SAT competitor for measuring student readiness for college. The first is that test takers are not penalized for wrong answers as they were previously, making it less likely that students will leave answers blank. Additionally, they reduced the number of answer choices from five to four. To accommodate for these changes, the testing time has also been reduced, with an optional essay question making up the change in time. The material being tested has been adjusted so that it focuses on real knowledge that connects to learning in school and the real world, rather than on a student’s mastery of test-taking tricks. There has also been an increase in the use of vocabulary in context rather than in isolation. The writing section has been shifted so that students are asked to analyze a provided text rather than write on a self-selected topic. In addition, the scale has been minimized, with a report being provided on subcategories as well as an overall score. The article ends by giving valuable resources that have been updated to address the changes in the SAT including practice exams, databases of college admission requirements, financial aid support, career exploration tools, and resources for students with special needs.     

Review:

Knowledge of the new SAT is essential for educators and librarians since it is the primary tool used to measure college readiness. With the impending announcement of how the state will calculate the Academic Performance Index (API), and the suggestion that SAT scores will be an important qualifier, we want to prepare our students to be able to meet these new demands and succeed. As a classroom teacher, I have yet to receive any training or information on the new SAT. Thus, the resources mentioned at the end will be invaluable for my own edification and for sharing with colleagues.   

SC Study Shows Link Between School Librarians and Higher Test Scores

SC Study Shows Link Between School Librarians and Higher Test Scores

Alison Dinicola

IL CA

Gavigan, K. & Lance, K.C. (2016). SC study shows link between school librarians and higher test
scores. School Library Journal.  http://www.slj.com/2016/03/literacy/sc-study-shows-link-between-school-librarians-and-higher-test-scores/#_

Summary:
This article discusses the importance of school librarians and libraries on student success on tests. South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) worked with RSL Research Group, in 2013, on a study showing the importance of school librarians and library programs. This study documented how school libraries have added to the success of students on test for English language arts (ELA) and writing standards. Data was taken from results of the South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) for elementary and middle schools, and South Carolina High School Assessment Program (HSAP). Schools, with full-time librarians and at least one assistant, either full-time or part-time, had students that showed more strength and less weakness on PASS writing standards. Higher spending on libraries showed significant strengths on student test achievements. This study showed that collaboration between librarians and teachers help students develop "information literacy skills." The schools that excelled had 20 or more hours of librarian instruction. Study, also, found that this successful schools had an overall checkout of 20,00 items or 36 checkouts per student. Other areas of data were on collection size for both books and ebooks, access to computers, and frequency of library visits. School administrators found that library visits that were based on needs as compared to fixed times were more effective on students' success. High achieving schools had 4 or more library visit per week in elementary and middle schools, and 15 or more visits in high schools. Administrators valued the library policies and practices and saw school librarians as having a leadership role at their schools.

Review:
I found this article up-lifting in that it showed how important school libraries and librarians are to the success of any type of school, elementary, middle, or high school. Many districts and states feel that a school library can be run by anyone on the staff. However, this article showed that professional librarians are essential to a high achieving school. In the school district I work at, library assistant have been cut back due to the budget and one librarian could be working at several schools within one week. In fact, I work at 3 different schools over 3 1/2 days of a week. This article showed how important a library and an assistant is to each school. Having a librarian onsite all week, working along side the teachers, gives students the structure and support they need to meet today's 21st Century Skills. This article reinforces the concepts Dr. Loertscher teaches of coteaching and collaborating between librarians and teachers. The more we work together the more our students will succeed. I appreciated the administrators that felt their librarians were the center of their schools success. This article is a great resource in support of school libraries and librarians for successful schools, teachers, and students.