Collaborative Data Informed Decision Making: Making the Most of Common Formative Assessments

Overview

In this interactive video presentation, we will explore how teachers can collaboratively work together to create and analyze common formative assessments. More than ever, teachers are asked to collaborate with their peers, and many times, they need to incorporate data analysis into that collaborative time. After first defining what a common formative assessment (CFA) is, special attention will be given to how to collaboratively create these powerful assessments. Then, collaborative data analysis will be reviewed. By the end of this power-up, you will be able to identify the features of a CFA and be able to collaboratively engage with peers to create and analyze these assessments with the ultimate aim of improving student learning.

Essential Questions:

1. What is a common formative assessment (CFA)?

2. How do you collaboratively create a CFA?

3. How do you collaboratively analyze a CFA?

Learning Outcomes

• InTASC Standards:

  • 6(a) The teacher balances the use of formative and summative assessment as appropriate to support, verify, and document learning.

  • 6(c) The teacher works independently and collaboratively to examine test and other performance data to understand each learner’s progress and to guide planning.

Success Criteria

• Submit a reflection on the prompts of the application activity.

  • Describe the CFA you and your team designed. How did the process go?

  • Did you follow similar guidelines as discussed in this power-up? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

  • Describe the conversations around the data, students, and the next steps. What went well and what didn’t? What did you learn about your students and how will you plan for future instruction?

Power-Up Instructions

• Review the learning outcomes and consider how you might be able to collaboratively engage in DIDM with a focus on CFAs.

• Make a copy of the slidedeck for review and notetaking.

• Watch the presentation on Collaborative DIDM: Using Formative Assessment to Advance Student Learning (40 minutes).

• Complete the Application Activity.

Application Activity

Application Activity:

1. Work with a team of teachers or teacher candidates and create a CFA following the practices and protocols outlined in this power-up.

2. Collect and organize this CFA’s data with your team. Identify students by the following categories: mastery, approaching mastery, and developing learner. Try to align the individual items within the assessment by standards. If the assessment is qualitative in nature and you have a rubric, try to do the same thing and align components by standard.

3. Bring your results to a team meeting and discuss your findings and next steps. Use the three guiding questions suggested in this powerup:

   1. What patterns do you see?

   2. What do these patterns show about students and/or learning?

   3. What recommendations are there for students, instruction, and/or learning?

4. Reflect and respond to the following prompts in video or writing:

   1. Describe the CFA you and your team designed. How did the process go? Did you follow similar guidelines as discussed in this power-up? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

   2. Describe the conversations around the data, students, and the next steps. What went well and what didn’t? What did you learn about your students and how will you plan for future instruction?

5. Submit your reflection to the prompts in your submission for this power-up.

References

• Academic standards and resources for educators. (n.d.). Arizona Department of Education. https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices

• Analyze and interpret data. (n.d.). Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning. https://teaching.berkeley.edu/resources/assessment-and-evaluation/analyze-and-interpret-data

• [Common Sense Education]. (2018). Three Tips for Great Formative Assessment [Video].Common Sense Education.. https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/3-tips-for-great-formative-assessment

• [Fairfax Country Public Schools]. (2013, Sept. 11). Best Practices: Creating a Common Assessment [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amipgHiAjh0

• Jakicic, C. (2017, October 31). What are common formative assessments anyway?. All Things Assessment. http://allthingsassessment.info/2017/10/31/what-are-common-formative-assessments/

• Martin, J. and Torres, A. (N.D.). User’s Guide and Toolkit for the Surveys of Student Engagement: The High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) and the Middle Grades Survey of Student Engagement (MGSSE). National Association of Independent Schools. https://www.nais.org/Articles/Documents/Member/2016%20HSSSE-report-full-FINAL.pdf

• New Teachers: Here's How to Build Common Formative Assessments. (2016, October 16). PowerSchool. https://www.powerschool.com/resources/blog/new-teachers-heres-build-common-formative-assessments/

• [Solution Tree]. (2014, May 30). Using Common Formative Assessments to Help Teachers Reflect on Their Practice [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FldnHUgjTcM

• [Solution Tree]. (2014, June 16). Behind the Scenes: Building a Common Formative Assessment - Elementary Math [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqNMmSrE6Ac