Assess for Success - IATEFL

Assess for Success Understanding by Design in ELT

Sheri Henderson Ras Al Khaimah Men’s College, UAE

IATEFL  TEA  SIG  with  ETAS  in  Aigle,  Switzerland  28-­‐29  October  2016  

Understanding  by  Design  (1998)  

   Grant  Wiggins  and  Jay  McTighe        

With  Jay  McTighe,  October  2015      Abu  Dhabi  Community  School    

1950  -­‐26  May  2015  

What is Understanding by Design?

A framework to improve student achievement

➔ Aids student understanding Knowledge, skills, abilities

➔ Authentic, performance-based Guide students to the end goal

➔ Formative, reflective Learning is an ongoing process

➔ Uses “Backward Planning” Start with the end in mind

3 STAGES OF BACKWARD DESIGN

Desired  Result  

What  students  will  learn  

Evidence                How  they  will    demonstrate  

learning  

Learning  Activities  &  Instruction  Designed  for    

success    

Understanding by Design, Ch.1: https://www.fitnyc.edu/files/pdfs/Backward_design.pdf  

Start with the end in mind

UbD:  Essential  Questions  

What  knowledge  and  skills  will  students  acquire?    What  performance/product  constitutes  evidence  of  this?    What  activities,  experiences  and  lessons  will  lead  to  the  desired  results  and  success?  

Why Understanding by Design?

Teaching and learning for understanding

➔ Clarifies expectations For both teachers and learners; deeper learning

➔ Rubrics Tools – to guide and grade (formative,

summative, self/peer/teacher)

➔ Engages learners Students take charge of their learning

➔ Assessment & Grading Transparency = fewer grade complaints

UbD because…

The primary purpose of assessment is

to improve student learning. Assessment for the purpose

of improving student learning is seen as both

“assessment for learning” and “assessment as

learning”. – Ontario Ministry of Education, Growing Success, p. 28

Think like an Assessor

Design the assessment first, then plan the path to success!

- Jay McTighe, October 2015

How does UbD work?

Start with the end in mind

➔ Desired Result What must students do/learn/produce?

➔ Evidence How will learners demonstrate their level of

understanding?

➔ Learning & instructional activities What experiences and learning tasks will support student achievement of the desired result?

Bulletin Board Task

Desired  Result:  Bulletin  Board  Evidence:  Criteria  on  rubric  

Learning  plan:        

•  Examine  communicative  purpose  of  bulletin  boards;  conventions  

•  Identify  topic/purpose/audience  •  Start  with  individual  slide  task  (formative)  

•  Design/display/present  slides  •  Self-­‐select  groups  for  bulletin  board  •  Research  topic  

•  Design/display/present  work    

Formative  Task:    Design  slide    to  recommend  a  useful  study  tool,  app  or  website;  display  on  college  televisions    

Briefly    share  work  

“… students need multiple opportunities to be tested on the same information.

A formative assessment does not look backwards…it focuses on the present of

where the student is right now, it looks to the future.”

- Grant Wiggins

Why bother with formative assessment?

Rubrics  •  are  NOT  for  every  task!  

•   take  time,  and  save  time      

•   measure  student  performance  against  identified  criteria  

•   make  learners  accountable  –  can  reduce  plagiarism  

•   used  to  guide  and  grade  •   reduce  grade  complaints  

Whether  holistic  or  analytic,  rubrics  need:      

Criteria      

what  students  must  do,  produce,  learn  

(usually  4-­‐6)    

Levels  of  Achievement  how  well  they  achieve/perform/

demonstrate  learning  

(usually  4)    

 Assessment  

Criteria  Performance  Levels*  

A   B   C   D  and  below  

Exemplary   Proficient   Developing    Beginning  

Exceeding  Expectations  

Meets  Expectations  

Approaching  Expectations    

Below  Expectations  

*Organization  will  vary  

Understanding by Design in ELT

Supports learners

➔ Identifies required skills What do I need to do?

➔ Explains performance expectations How can I demonstrate what I know?

➔ Reflective Better teaching, better learning

➔ Stresses continuous improvement Practise, practise, play the game!

Teach  the  terms    Teach  the  process  

Watch  learners  flourish        

Understanding by Design in ELT

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

What  activities,  experiences  and  

lessons  will  lead  to  the  desired  results  

and  success?  

 What  knowledge  and  skills  will  

students  acquire?  

 What  product  constitutes  

evidence  of  this  learning?  

To design for understanding, ask:

Assessment  Resources            

! Growing Success. (2010). Ontario Ministry of Education. p. 28 Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf

! Secondary ESL/ELD (2007). Ontario Ministry of Education. pp. 36-37. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/esl912currb.pdf

UbD  &  Rubric  Resources      !  Jay McTighe & Associates - Resources http://jaymctighe.com/resources/websites/

!  Authentic Assessment Toolbox by Jon Mueller. http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/

!  Essential Learning Outcomes, from AACU. http://www.aacu.org/leap/essential-learning-outcomes

!  Rubrics at Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/rubrics

And the BEST site to find a rubric for anything:

! Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. Assessment and Rubrics http://www.schrockguide.net/assessment-and-rubrics.html

Rubric  Resources  for  Higher  Education    !  Could  Rubric-­‐Based  Grading  Be  the  Assessment  of  the  Future?  By  Katrina  Schwartz  in  MindShift.  

Retrieved  from  https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/10/14/could-­‐rubric-­‐based-­‐grading-­‐be-­‐the-­‐assessment-­‐of-­‐the-­‐future/  

!  Carnegie  Mellon  University.  https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/rubrics.html  

!  Centre  for  Teaching  and  Learning,  Humber  College.  http://www.humber.ca/centreforteachingandlearning/instructional-­‐strategies/teaching-­‐methods/course-­‐development-­‐tools/creating-­‐assignment-­‐rubrics.html  

!  Cornell  University,  Center  for  Teaching  Excellence.  https://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-­‐ideas/assessing-­‐student-­‐learning/using-­‐rubrics.html  

!  VALUE  Rubrics  from  Association  of  American  Colleges  and  Universities.  https://www.aacu.org/value-­‐rubrics  

!  VALUE  Rubrics  at  Massachusetts  College  of  Liberal  Arts.  http://www.mcla.edu/Academics/assessment/atmcla/VALUE-­‐rubrics/index  

Assess for Success Understanding by Design in ELT

Sheri Henderson – [email protected]

IATEFL  TEA  SIG  with  ETAS  in  Aigle,  Switzerland  28-­‐29  October  2016  

To  get  this  presentation,  go  to  

http://tinyurl.com/UbD-­‐in-­‐ELT