APPR, Assessment & RTTT - Ready or not!

As part of the RTTT requirements, states must find a way to evaluate all certified teachers  (and principals) for efficacy.  NYSED just announced the "approved" assessment tools for the 40% local assessment.  We know that part of the 40% will be comprised of formal state assessments for "tested" areas, but for many certified teachers in non-assessed areas, this 40% becomes locally defined.   NYSED just announced the list of approved 40% tools

for local use:   http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers-leaders/assessments/home.html   On the page, please note on part "2. Locally-selected measures of student learning"-- "If a district or BOCES decides to use a district-wide goal-setting process as part of the locally-selected subcomponent, a district or BOCES may use an assessment on the List of Assessments; a State assessment; or a school or teacher-created assessment, provided that the district or BOCES verifies that the goal-setting process is rigorous and comparable across classrooms."

This could very well be what we all see as this is not apt to cost each district money.  Most of the options on the approved list of assessment providers cost considerably.  This might be the time to start thinking about goal setting.  To review a principal of goal-setting: 

 SMART goals = Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

  What does this mean?  Ask yourself the following questions:

• What can I do that will enhance student achievement and meet building goals?
• How can I measure this (2 points of time...specifically defined)
• Are these attainable? Can I reach these students? Are these EQ's on my curriculum maps?
• Is this relevant to the common core (remember, Dewey is no where in the Common Core, but finding information is.  Synthesizing information is.  Fostering information literacy and technology skills is.  Increasing a students ability to evaluate information for credibility is....and more. 
• Can I assess this between two points of time - probably September and June 

You will also want to start day 1 this year building a portfolio of teaching efficacy.  Start by preparing simple folders with the seven areas of NYS teaching standards labeled:

1. Knowledge of Students & Student Learning
2. Knowledge of Content & instructional planning
3. Instruction - teaching for learning
4. Learning Environment
5. Assessing Student Learning
6. Collaboration & professional responsibilities
7. Professional Growth 

These folders will help you archive evidence of student achievement, teaching effectiveness, and provide artifacts for evaluation.   Here are some thoughts to help you figure out what to concentrate on:  What are your building achievement goals and how can you support them?  Can I help certain grade levels achieve better by collaborating?  Are there data analysis reports that you can review to determine whether you can influence student achievement withing your library time?   Are your curriculum topics closely aligned to the curriculum that is tested?  Can I help teachers with inference? Can I begin a boys book club (if stats show that your male readers are falling behind)? Can I communicate with caregivers to insure that they are aware of our resources that are available 24-7 from home?  This list could go on and on.... 

You may want to increase your knowledge of authentic assessment and how to capture assessment to demonstrate student growth.  Traditional focus has kept a focus on "measuring" summatively, student knowledge -- recall.  Truly effective assessment will measure at the beginning (diagnostically) to inform instruction.  We can measure along-the-way, also (as knowledge is forming) to monitor and adjust our instruction.  Or, students can self-assess and re-direct (also formative).  The current shift in summative assessment is to create rubrics for knowledge products that concretely demonstrate that your students have created new knowledge via synthesis of information, ideas, technology, tools, and skills. 

Between the locally chosen methods of assessment, goal-setting and achievement, and portfolios that you may be required to create,  you will be evaluated.  Why not give it your best shot to be a "highly effective" educator?  This is our time to shine.  We  librarians and cybrarians are well-acquainted with Inquiry, Collaboration, and supporting the learning goals of the buildings in which we work.  Never fear... with thought, planning, and determination, we can support the Common Core and our buildings' achievement. 

Innovative Assessment #2

There is no lack of assessment tools, if you use your imagination.   One of the most effective way to capture pre-assessment in a low-tech, or no-tech way is to have students begin your lesson with a "graffitti placemat."  I used to call these graffitti walls and this can be done in a group with bulletin board paper, but a better artifact, down at the student level, would be to use this as a "placemat." (Thanks to Karin in Fort Ann for adding this new twist.)   With an 11 x 14 piece of paper, each student can name & date that placemat. 
In theory, at the beginning of a lesson the placemat might be weak, anemic, sparse, or  blank.   Hopefully after your instruction, in a different color pen or pencil, the student will be able to answer the same question with a deeper level of understanding.    Thus you have your assessment artifact-- name and date.

This can be replicated via Mind Mapping software also.   Mindmeister.net  is a wonderful tool that can be used to mind map knowledge and visibly show student growth.   However, technology like this has a big learning curve, and you might now want to eat up your instructional time teaching "mapping software."
That is when it might be advantageous to use the 'ole pencil and paper trick.   Hit your Staples Easy button... a very successful, visible way to pre and post assess your instruction.   
* Another web 2.0 tool you could use for assessment could be Doodle.com  Most people think of this site as a "scheduler."  However, with innovative creative thought, you can create multiple choice questions that would archive student knowledge.   Next time you log into Doodle.com,  you might want to choose  "make a choice"  rather than "schedule". 
Just think "content" rather than "food."  How's that for food for thought?

Innovative Assessment

Innovative Assessment?  How does that differ from what I've done before?  Well... hopefully it doesn't.  Then, you could consider yourself a master teacher and can help those around you.  However, with the Common Core Standards (CCSS) arriving on July 1st, we should all be ready to archive "Assessment Artifacts."   That is, artifacts that measure students' growth and your efficacy of  instruction.    

At a data conference last week, I presented a session on Innovative Assessment.  This was not rocket science.  This was not anything relatively new.  However, it surprises me that people react to what is presented as though this is novel and noteworthy.  All it really was, is a new way to use old tricks.   I had 10 new uses for older tools.  These 10 tools are high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech ways to pre-assess and post assess your instruction to prove you are impacting student achievement. 
Let's face it: Information Literacy is not a "tested" area.  Therefore, is we want to show our impact, we have to create the data and share or spotlight our impact.  
In a perfect world, we will have our curriculum mapped and will have all our EQ's ready to roll.  Therefore, we could in September, give our students a pre-test with every EQ on a sheet, computer, questioneer, performance based example, etc.   In theory they will flop.   Then in June, we should be able to give the same EQ's on a list-- basically the same test--and they should Ace this test, if we've delivered instruction in such a way for achievement.  
If that seems out of reach, then I would suggest creating "Assessment Artifacts" that can be filed and brought out upon review with any Administrator.   Plan your lessons with an innovative pre & post assessment, and your building administrators will think you have your act together.   The biggest word for next year will be assessment.  Start planning your assessment portfolio now.  Listed below are teo ideas for innovative pre and post assessment.  Stay tuned this week for additional INNOVATIVE ASSESSMENT IDEAS. 

* WORDLE as pre & post assessment  - If I were teaching research skills to a class, I might have my smartboard open to the Wordle.net site.  I could ask the class:  "What do you need for research?"   Assuming they know a little, their responses might look like this:



After instruction, you could ask the same question.  Their responses should visually show growth as above.  This wordle assessment was suggested by Laurie Alden in SGF after she used this with her 3rd graders on their Rainforest project.    If your students did this individually, they could archive their wordle at the beginning and the end of their research projects.  -'Even on their blog, if you are working in a digital research platform.    This is homework they will do! 

*  Polleverywhere.com   - I like to call this "covert assessment."  In schools where children are considered petty criminals if they whip out their cell phone, I would speculate that you would have 1000% participation if you created a  pre-assessment poll in which you allowed them to answer questions via texting.     Polleverwhere will even give you the disclaimer language to read before you open the poll "text messaging fees will apply...blah blah."  However, we all know that most all teens have unlimited texting. 

The simple poll results can be archived  as your pre-assessment.  After the lesson, ask the same question and archive your post lesson results.       Here is what the pre-assessment might look like:

A librarian might choose to ask a question such as, "If you wanted to ascertain whether a website was credible, where should you look?"   or "Which of the following is not important when evaluating whether to use a website?" 

All your archived assessment artifacts will be ready to share with administrators looking for your efficacy of instruction.  

Two more tomorrow....

Fotobabble for Assessment

Here is another web tool which will engage students and assess their understanding and deep learning. If they can tell you about a picture, then you will know they haven't guessed the correct answers on a multiple choice test. Listen to this (slightly lame) sample I created to show you how the First Person narrative could be used to assess whether your students had authentic deep learning regarding the Civil War: