Defining Learner Success in the Digital Age

Thompson, Ayana

CA-Formative and Summative Assessments

Broekhuizen, L.V. (2013). Defining Learner Success in the Digital Age. AdvancED. Retrieved from http://www.advanc-ed.org/source/defining-learner-success-digital-age

Summary: Findings suggest that assessment mirror the innovative thought process that we are seeking to instill in our children, that the learning process should guide educators in finding new ways to assess students.

Rating: Article provides possible areas of research for interested MLIS students.

The Challenge and an Invitation - Kohn - 2009

Jeselyn Templin

CA

Kohn, A. (2009). The challenge and an invitation. Knowledge Quest, 38(2), 12-13.

Summary: Kohn likens the techniques of standardized testing to the concept of reading being "more than decoding." The article explains that many school programs decontextualize their materials and only teach to the test, instead of putting curriculum into a real-world context that students will be able to retain and use later in life.

Evaluation: I would have liked this article to be longer than two pages because I feel Kohn has a lot of valuable insight on the subject. Well-researched and interesting. The article explains why standardized testing is not effective as a basis for widespread education in a succinct way that anyone can understand.

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.

How do we do PBL - Project Based Learning?

Gabrielle Thormann 

CO, ET, CU

Weyers, M. (2014). PBL Project Planning: Matching Projects to Standards.  Edutopia, retrieved from:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-pilot-project-planning-standards-matt-weyers-jen-dole

This article is the third article of a series of articles about how to implement project-based learning (PBL) in a middle school.  Before discussing this article, it’s useful to mention the two previous articles and beyond:  a stream of articles comprises a journal of implementing PBL.  In Minnesota a group of educators started with a reflection on current teaching practices that developed into a District Strategic Plan.  The teachers took the plan to their administrator with their mission statements with one being: "Byron Public Schools will leverage real-world tools and skills to develop in students a passion for learning."  This particular public school is its own small district, and thus as part of a state mandate this public school partnered/”integrated” with other public schools.  It took time and steps to create the Project Based Learning program.  When they were ready, teachers introduced the program to parents and students.  Key points of the philosophy behind the program were presented.

This third article is useful in that failures are pointed to and rethinking begins. The success of a project based on kiva.org is noted, as two PBL sites and resources were used, and parent involvement and collaboration is spoken of.  Taking a glance at the next article, the focus is primarily on the development of real-world projects:  one again based on The Kiva Project, one on a local environmental nature center, and one entrepreneurial project based on a TV show format. 

By following the next arrows on the bottom of this article, one can continue seeing the development of their program.  I appreciate this series of articles as a journal and reflection of how teachers created and implemented a program they had never done before.

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.   

CA-Formative and Summative Assessments

Rebecca Robinowitz

CA

Marsha Lovette PhD, director of Carnegie Mellon University and Psychology professor (2009) What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? Retrieved from: http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

Summary

According to Marsha Lovette PhD, director of Carnegie Mellon University and Psychology professor (2009), summative assessment appears to be in contrast with formative assessment. Formative assessment evaluates student development and progress and summative assessment evaluates a learner’s knowledge of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. Examples of summative assessments include a midterm exam, final project, paper, or standardized tests. Summative assessments provide education stakeholders tangible information about future curriculum needs. However, summative needs can be used in a formative way if it is used to guide educator efforts and activities in subsequent course.

Calling for a United Front on Assessment FOR Learning

Maricar Laudato

CA-Formative and Summative Assessments

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.

Summary:
In this article, Malcolm Dixon makes the case for the important distinction between Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning. In Assessment of Learning, administrative and governmental entities call for the collection of information that assess and compare the performance of students against a set of academic standards. Examples of Assessment of Learning would be the annual standardized tests that students would be required to take under the new Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). Dixon argues that the nature of Assessment of Learning does not enhance student understanding or improve the quality of learning. This is when Dixon proposes a simple switch in words from "of" to "for" causes a revolution when educators start moving towards Assessment for Learning. In this situation, teachers put the focus on asking students questions about what and how they learn and supports the developmental needs of a more Constructivist learning approach.

Evaluation:
I really liked reading Dixon's article; so much so that I searched Twitter to see if he had an account so that I could follow him but I couldn't find any (I try and follow library professionals that I admire and other organizations that align with my professional goals). His theories on formative assessment is probably the one I read that come closest to The Big Think theories. I liked how he was able to pack in some large theoretical ideas in relatively easy to understand language that was engaging. Plus, he used bullet-points throughout his article to underline major points and to visually break up the article in discernible chunks, which I thought was another great strategy to make his article more accessible to readers.

Going Gradeless: Student Self-assessment in PBL

 Leslie Fox

CA

Weyers, M. Going gradeless: Student self-assessment in PBL. (2016). Edutopia. Retreived from:

 http://www.edutopia.org/blog/going-gradeless-student-self-assessment-matt-weyers

Summary:

In this short article Matt Meyer explains his positive experience with going "gradeless" in his 6th grade PBL class.  Meyer's was inspired to try this new method after reading about Mark Barnes' ideas of using narrative feedback rather than grades to affect mastery of specific learning targets within a larger project context. Meyers describes his intention to promote learning, increase student's ability to metacognitively assess their own work against a set of standards. He details the plan to keep parents and administration in the loop as well as using Mastery Connect for formative assessments on a weekly basis.  Results include students asking in a continuous flood of emails "what can I do better?"

Review:

While at the time of writing this article, Meyers had only been trying this method for less than a quarter but his enthusiasm at his student's engagement in the process is definitely exciting and contagious. This article lays out a simple, but powerfully effective plan to begin getting students more engaged in learning. It also offers a breakdown of conferencing with students to find out what they believe they did well or need to do better. This system encourages deeper metacognitive thinking than doing work for a grade. While the idea of "gradeless" classes seems extreme and makes most teachers, administrators and parents extremely nervous, this article shows how incorporating self-assessment into larger units can benefit learning in the classroom. 

Experts Lay Out a Vision for Future Assessments

Leslie Fox

CA

Gewertz, C. (2010). Experts lay out a vision for future assessments. Education Week. Retrieved 

from: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/02/23/23assessment.h29.htmltkn=YWSFjb7lP0Ul6RKoCAcO2bcgAdhvfr8s6u2D&cmp=clpedweek&rint=1

Summary:

This article reflects the discussion of assessment changes by policy makers and educators.  A vision for a new way of assessing that calls for more analytical thinking and problem solving rather than rote memorization and would function as both summative and formative assessment. The panel was led by by Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University.

Evaluation:

This article is helpful in better understanding how summative and formative assessments relate to the bigger picture and Common Core standards, which are discussed as "inadequate" yet "essential." Gewertz asserts that the future vision is to move away from multiple-choice tests toward "deeper, more analytical questions and projects that ask student to solve and discuss complex problems." Other topics touched on are the need for instructor preparedness and professional development, the price tag of improving assessment, and the idea that improved assessments play a better role in informing learning. 

An Interview with Grant Wiggins: The Power of Backwards Design

Leslie Fox

CA

Johnson, B. (Nov 19, 2013). An interview with Grant Wiggins: The power of backwards design.

Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/interview-grant-wiggins-power-backwards-design-ben-johnson

Summary:

In this interview Ben Johnson talks with Dr. Wiggins, president of Authentic Education, about his thoughts on assessment. Grant Wiggins who co-wrote Understanding by Design with Jay McTighe, asserts that assessment should be central to instruction not an afterthought. The interview focuses on problems teachers face, especially in upper grades, of providing individual feedback  to guide instruction. Formative assessments are key, not just teaching to prepare students for the State tests. Wiggins points out that many teachers are still confused about summative and formative assessments. He claims that formative assessments "do not have to be elaborate." For example, focusing on the present, not looking back at what was taught, but where the student is now and that not everything needs to be graded to be formative assessment. When administrators are looking for evidence of learning success when they observe teachers. Preparing the evaluation first (backward design) may not be as easy for teachers as Wiggins had hoped, apparently, it’s not instinctual, however, teachers can be more effective in planning lessons when they at least think about the evaluation as they plan the lesson. Wiggins offers some examples of ways for teachers to perform simple summative assessment on a daily basis.

Evaluation:

This interview gives a refreshing and practical clarification of formative assessment. It also helped me understand more about an administrator’s role in assessing teachers when they observe. Assessments are necessary but can be seen as a tool used to teach, not just an end. Assessment does not have to be the enemy.

Assessments for University-Level Teacher Librarians

Johnson, Meghan

CA

Sobel, K., & Wolf, K. (2011). Updating your tool belt: Redesigning assessments of learning in the library. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(3). Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org

Summary:

Academic librarians face unique difficulties in assessing the effectiveness of their teaching strategies. Unlike most primary school librarians who may have weekly scheduled meetings with students, academic librarians may only have a single 75-minute instructional session with a class in an entire quarter. An appropriate assessment of these one-shot sessions, though, can be crucial in encouraging collaboration with other faculty members on campus.

As far as assessments in academic are concerned, Karen Sobel and Kenneth Wolf are proponents of group assessments to illustrate knowledge of information literacy. While this will not necessarily gage the competence of individual students at the end of a library session, it will illustrate the knowledge gathered by the group, and individuals will benefit from this group knowledge. When comparing 3 different types of assessment (pretest and posttest combos, posttest only, and activities), they found that students responded best to activities. While it was not always easy to fit the “activity” assessment into library instruction, students responded positively to this kind of participatory learning. The only downside to this type of assessment was that it would take time for instructors to develop a rubric for assessment. Ultimately, Sobel and Wolf encourage academic librarians to experiment with all 3 core assessment types discussed and find what works best for them.

Evaluation:

I worry that Sobel and Wolf are too accepting that these “one-off” interactions for academic librarians are the norm. In this article about updating tools for academic librarians, they don’t provide any tools that might encourage more lasting and strong collaborations between instructors and academic librarians. Additionally, Sobel and Wolf seem hesitant to take a stance on which assessment type is most successful. Despite all of the positives that are associated with activity-based assessment, Sobel and Wolf choose to focus on the time commitment it will require from faculty and teacher librarians to successfully practice this assessment. This would be another fantastic opportunity for Sobel and Wolf to discuss the ways that librarians can encourage collaboration between themselves and faculty.

One thing that I am optimistic about in this article is the acknowledgement of Sobel and Wolf of the importance group learning can play. They acknowledge that there are benefits to gauging not only what the individual learns, but what the group learns as well. I am also encouraged by their encouragement for librarians to experiment with Web 2.0 tools as far as assessment is concerned. They want librarians to begin experimenting with these online tools.

Overall, though, I feel that Sobel and Wolf are too accepting of the divide that exists between faculty and librarians as far as student literacy assessment is concerned.