Assessment Professional Development

Liberty Public Schools (LPS) recognizes that comprehensive, ongoing professional development is fundamental to school improvement and student success. The district's professional learning initiatives are designed to promote continuous growth in a supportive environment by enhancing the knowledge and skills of all staff members, with the ultimate goal of elevating student performance.

The district's professional learning offerings related to state and district-wide assessments address the following key areas:

1. Data analysis techniques for identifying strengths and weaknesses

2. Utilization of data analysis results to inform changes in programs, instruction, curriculum, and assessment

3. Application of disaggregated achievement data to address performance gaps among subgroups

4. Effective test-taking strategies for students

5. Identification of learner skills and differentiation needs to inform instructional strategies

6. Development of classroom assessments, performance-based activities, and scoring guides

7. Strategies for ongoing student performance monitoring and instructional adjustment

8. Methods for assessing Missouri Learning Standards not covered by MAP, and local monitoring of performance standards

9. Legal requirements for data reporting as mandated by IDEA (for administrators)

10. Techniques for student involvement in the assessment process, including goal setting and progress monitoring

11. Provision of specific, performance-enhancing feedback to students

LPS operates on the principle that high-quality professional development in student assessment will lead to improved learning outcomes for all students. This is achieved by ensuring that instructional decisions are informed by thorough analysis and assessment of student achievement data. The district's overarching goal is to cultivate an assessment-literate culture of educators who consistently implement assessment for learning in their daily practice.