Moti vati ng the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confi dence for All 1

Monday, July 9, 2012

7:30 am - 8:30 am Registrati on, Conti nental Breakfast, and Opening Remarks

8:30 am - 9:30 am Keynote Presentati on

Douglas Reeves and Rick Sti ggins

Capitalizing on Three Decades of Assessment Research and Development

Over the past 30 years, both Doug and Rick have collaborated on and made major contributi ons to the development of our collecti ve vision of sound assessment practi ce. In this opening presentati on, they will establish the relevance of the conference by identi fying and discussing what they believe have been the biggest assessment breakthroughs during that ti me. They will identi fy what they believe are the breakout ideas, why each was important, and what the implicati ons of each will be in the future, and engage the audience in a discussion of the implicati ons of these ideas for their local practi ce. They will conclude with their opinions of what they believe will be, or need to be, the next important breakthroughs.

Salons EF

9:45 am - 11:15 am Concurrent Sessions

Jan Chappuis Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning: An Overview

Research reviews over the last decade have heightened awareness of formati ve assessment’s power to increase student achievement, but not all that is labeled “formati ve assessment” is equally eff ecti ve. In this session, we will review the Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning, which organize research-based recommendati ons about formati ve classroom assessment practi ces into an instructi onal framework that can improve student achievement.

Mt. Hood

Dansville Schools Thinking About Changing Your Grading and Assessment Practi ces

Parti cipants will learn how our school district has progressed from traditi onal grading and assessment to a student-centered, profi ciency-based approach that is increasing student achievement. Parti cipants will learn how teachers in each content area have applied best practi ce in the area of grading. Learn the step-by-step process of making these signifi cant grading changes, the pitf alls to avoid, and hear stories from students and teachers that will demonstrate why it’s worth it to change your grading and assessment paradigm.

Columbia

Ken Matti ngly A Teacher’s Experiences with Tracking and Reporti ng Formati ve and Summati ve Informati on

Moving toward a student-centered instructi onal model, as promoted in assessment for learning, leads to many logisti cal concerns. Primary among them is, how can I track student performance over ti me while implementi ng formati ve assessment practi ces? Students’ grades should refl ect their understanding of the learning targets presented to them. Yet as teachers, we also want to make clear to students when and how they’ve improved and show that conti nued eff ort is rewarded by increased learning. In this session, Ken will share some methods he uses to track student performance, both formati ve and summati ve, and how he shares that informati on with students and parents.

Eugene

Ken O’Connor Which Fixes Work for You?

This session will provide the opportunity for parti cipants to discuss the issues with grading and reporti ng in their school/district. Come with your questi ons and concerns about the policy and practi cal implicati ons of any of the 15 Fixes for Broken Grades.

Salons CD

Douglas Reeves Keynote Follow-up Q&A and Discussion

Using an extended conversati on and questi on and answer format, this session with Douglas Reeves will provide parti cipants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the keynote presentati on.

Salons GH

19th Annual Assessment Training Institute Summer Conference Program

ASSESSMENT for LEARNING

Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged – Competence and Confi dence for All

JULY 9–11, 2012

2 Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All

Tom Schimmer On Point, On Purpose, Ongoing

With the implementation of any new assessment or feedback strategy, system, structure, process, or routine, leadership matters! Designed for administrators and teacher-leaders, this session will highlight effective leadership strategies, mindsets, and practices that will maximize the potential success of your implementation efforts. Regardless of what new idea is being explored and implemented, leaders must be on point with their focus, be on purpose about their actions, and be ongoing with their support and follow-through to create the optimum conditions for change. In addition, this session will also focus on the natural evolution of a new idea and how to deal with the inevitable challenges and roadblocks every new idea faces before it is truly accepted.

Hawthorne/Belmont

Rick Stiggins Keynote Follow-up Q&A and Discussion

Using an extended conversation and question and answer format, this session with Rick Stiggins will provide participants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the keynote presentation.

Salon AB

Kim Zeidler-Watters, Diane Johnson & Jennifer McDaniel

The Power of Learning Targets

This session is intended for those who want to see an example of what balanced assessment (assessment for and of learning) looks like when it is effectively implemented. We will address these questions: 1) What are the student learning results? 2) How did learning targets drive this transformation? 3) What was the impact on student motivation? 4) How was the capacity for this transformation in teacher practice developed?

Pearl

11:15 am - 12:15 pm Lunch

12:15 pm - 1:05 pm Keynote Presentation

Cassandra Erkens Brighter by Blooper: Leveraging Mistakes to Build Learning Literacy

Learners sometimes become reluctant or discouraged when they consider themselves to be less than perfect and unable to make up the difference. Making mistakes is an inherent part of any learning journey, and honoring those mistakes as a learning tool can help learners develop a strong learning literacy. This keynote offers strategies and tools for exploring the learning opportunities found in mistake making and then responding in a manner that builds competence and confidence for all.

Salons EF

1:20 pm - 3:20 pm Concurrent Sessions

Steven Carney Leading the Collaborative Culture: Overcoming Barriers and FacilitatingProtocols that Focus on Student Learning

Research shows that student learning increases when teacher collaboration and a shared accountability for student learning are cultural norms. This session will guide participants through leadership strategies and protocols that promote and strengthen a collaborative school culture focused on improving student learning. In addition, this session will explore ways to overcome some of the organizational barriers that often interfere with the ability to lead and facilitate a collaborative community of professional learning.

Eugene

Jan Chappuis Offering Effective Feedback and Preparing Students to Self-assess

Research on the impact of formative assessment practices shows that the provision of feedback is one of the keys to improved achievement, yet many studies also reveal negative effects of feedback on learning. In this session, we will examine the characteristics of feedback that make it most conducive to increased student motivation and learning and then look at ways to offer effective feedback efficiently. We will also examine ways to prepare students to self-assess and set goals for further learning.

Mt. Hood

Carol Commodore Seven Actions in Implementing a Balanced, Quality Assessment System that Meets the Needs of All Users of Assessment Information

In their book Assessment Balance and Quality—An Action Guide for School Leaders, Steve Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, and Carol Commodore detail seven actions a district or school must undertake to implement a balanced, quality assessment system that meets the needs of all users of assessment information. In this session, Carol will highlight each of these actions through theoretical and practical lenses and introduce participants to a district/school implementation self-study around these seven actions.

Columbia

General Conference Program

Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All 3

Myron Dueck Implementing Innovative and Effective Assessment Strategies at the Secondary Level

In this session, Myron Dueck will describe his own experiences, and some from his colleagues in SD67 (British Columbia), in implementing non-traditional assessment and grading strategies. Using classroom examples and stories, Myron will address topics such as ‘no zeros’, linking standardized outcomes to in-class assessment, and retesting efficiently and effectively according to tangible data. This session will highlight how changes in grading and assessment can increase the level of accountability and ownership students take regarding their own learning. Myron will also discuss the positive effects that grading changes can have on teacher-student relationships and parent-teacher interviews. This session will be valuable for educators who are convinced of why formative assessment is valuable but could use some examples of how to implement it.

Hawthorne/Belmont

Cassandra Erkens Using Common Assessments to Integrate Common Core State Standards

Common assessments serve many purposes: monitoring for student learning, supporting the development of assessment literacy for teachers, and aligning classroom work to standards. The use of common assessments can serve as a primary vehicle to help schools align to the Common Core State Standards. This session covers the why, what, and how of common assessment accurate design and effective use and provides examples specific to the Common Core State Standards along the way.

Salons GH

Ken O’Connor Introduction to “Good Grades” Using the 15 Fixes for Broken Grades

This session is intended for those who want an introductory overview of how to grade effectively using the 15 Fixes for Broken Grades. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the differences between sound and unsound grading practices and how to make them work in their schools and classrooms.

Salons CD

Rick Stiggins Assessing Academic Self-efficacy and Other Student Dispositions

In this session, we will define important student characteristics of an affective sort with special emphasis on academic self-efficacy or a student’s sense of control over her or his academic success. In addition, we will review the options available for assessing these important characteristics in the classroom.

Salons AB

Kim Zeidler-Watters, Diane Johnson & Jennifer McDaniel

Deconstructing the Mathematics Common Core State Standards

“Standards describe the destination that schools and students are supposed to reach, but by themselves have little power to effect change. Much else needs to happen to successfully journey toward that destination” (Finn & Petrilli, 2010). The journey begins with deconstructing standards in a deliberate and thoughtful way. The deconstruction process helps build ownership and ensure agreement on the intended learning so that everyone responsible for teaching the standard has interpreted it the same way. In this session, we will explore a method for deepening content and pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics standards, practice deconstructing mathematics CCSS, and identify curricular, instructional, and assessment implications.

Pearl

General Conference Program

4 Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

7:30 am - 8:15 am Continental Breakfast

8:15 am - 9:30 am Keynote Presentation

Carole Ames Motivating and Engaging Reluctant and Disengaged Learners

In contrast to students who are motivated to learn and achieve success, many students become disengaged from school, and far too many drop out. How can the policies of schools and the organizational structure of the classroom shape and socialize adaptive motivational patterns? Developing and nurturing a motivation to learn and a willingness to engage involves an understanding of how constructs such as cost-benefit analysis, value and relevance of curriculum content, sense of belonging, self-worth, failure avoidance, reasons for engagement, and culture of responsibility relate to actual classroom practices and instructional strategies. TARGET is presented as one program for organizing the classroom and planning instruction to optimize student motivation and engagement.

Salons EF

9:45 am - 11:15 am Concurrent Sessions

Carole Ames Keynote Follow-up to Motivating and Engaging Reluctant and Disengaged Learners

Using an extended conversation and question and answer format, this session will provide participants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the keynote presentation.

Salons GH

Steven Carney Promoting a Commitment to Student Learning Through Leadership Conversations

Instructional leadership today requires the ability to initiate change while increasing capacity to improve student learning. Leaders can initiate change in a school culture through conversations that engage educators in developing a focused vision for the future of student learning. In this session, we will explore how both leadership language and conversations can inspire and promote a commitment to student learning success. Specifically, this session brings to the fore elements of leading academic success at the most practical level: the leadership language.

Eugene

Carol Commodore Motivation and Quality Assessment Systems—Knowing the “Why”

In their book, Assessment Balance and Quality—An Action Guide for School Leaders, the authors detail seven actions to bring the vision of a balanced, quality assessment system to fruition. Actions Four (Students as Assessors), Five (Balance of Descriptive and Evaluative Feedback), and Six (Motivate with Success) focus on the effective use of assessment. In this session, one of the authors will share with classroom and administrative educators motivational, brain, and best practice research that supports and details this important path to effective use of assessment.

Columbia

Myron Dueck Seven Stories of Success: How and Why Grading and Assessment Changes Altered the Lives of Seven Struggling Learners

Myron has confirmed what research has long suggested: struggling learners stand to gain the most by changing traditional grading and assessment routines. A few years ago, Myron was asked to teach a content-heavy, graduation prerequisite class consisting entirely of at-risk learners. He decided to grade only academic variables and not behaviors. He built a student-monitored retesting system, and the impact this had on fragile learners was incredible. He stopped grading homework as it seemed to be an endless vortex of conflict and inefficiencies. In this session, Myron will introduce you to seven at-risk students whose passion for learning was uncovered once a few barriers were removed. Finally, teachers will see how easy it is to grade unconventional/personalized student projects. Participants can expect to hear real-life accounts of change and how positive relationships were fostered with the seven of the most unlikely students.

Hawthorne/Belmont

General Conference Program

Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All 5

Cassandra Erkens Making Homework Count

We use homework for three primary purposes: practice, preparation, and extension of classroom learning. According to Dr. Robert Marzano’s research, homework is one of the most powerful instructional strategies we can employ to impact student achievement. Yet other research studies indicate that there is little to no correlation between our use of homework and current achievement results. How might we leverage homework to increase student productivity and achievement results? This session will explore the considerations for the design and use of homework as a formative assessment tool that can truly impact student learning in positive ways.

Mt. Hood

Ken Mattingly A Teacher’s Experiences with Tracking and Reporting Formative and Summative Information

Moving toward a student-centered instructional model, as promoted in assessment for learning, leads to many logistical concerns. Primary among them is, how can I track student performance over time, while implementing formative assessment practices? Students’ grades should reflect their understanding of the learning targets presented to them. Yet as teachers, we also want to make clear to students when and how they’ve improved and show that continued effort is rewarded by increased learning. In this session, Ken will share some methods he uses to track student performance, both formative and summative, and how he shares that information with students and parents.

Pearl

Ken O’Conno Which Fixes Work for You?

This session will provide the opportunity for participants to discuss the issues with grading and reporting in their school/district. Come with your questions and concerns about the policy and practical implications of any of the fifteen fixes for broken grades.

Salons CD

Tom Schimmer On Point, On Purpose, Ongoing

With the implementation of any new assessment or feedback strategy, system, structure, process, or routine, leadership matters! Designed for administrators and teacher-leaders, this session will highlight effective leadership strategies, mindsets, and practices that will maximize the potential success of your implementation efforts. Regardless of what new idea is being explored and implemented, leaders must be on point with their focus, be on purpose about their actions, and be ongoing with their support and follow-through to create the optimum conditions for change. In addition, this session will also focus on the natural evolution of a new idea and how to deal with the inevitable challenges and roadblocks every new idea faces before it is truly accepted.

Salons AB

11:15 am - 12:15 pm Lunch

12:15 pm - 1:05 pm Keynote Presentation

Tom Schimmer Confidence Through Competence

This keynote session will focus on creating the necessary conditions for maintaining students’ confidence and willingness to learn. Confidence is not about developing an inflated self-perception. Rather, it’s about students incrementally developing a belief in their ability to succeed based on grounded, authentic evidence of learning. Blending sound research, personal stories, his own practical classroom experience, and his work as a school leader, Tom will make a compelling case that assessment for learning and high-quality feedback directed at enhancing self-efficacy will set students on a positive learning trajectory. As well, Tom will challenge educators to re-examine their assessment, feedback, and grading practices through the confidence lens.

Salons EF

1:20 pm - 3:20 pm Concurrent Sessions

Jan Chappuis Offering Effective Feedback and Preparing Students to Self-assess

Research on the impact of formative assessment practices shows that the provision of feedback is one of the keys to improved achievement, yet many studies also reveal negative effects of feedback on learning. In this session, we will examine the characteristics of feedback that make it most conducive to increased student motivation and learning and then look at ways to offer effective feedback efficiently. We will also examine ways to prepare students to self-assess and set goals for further learning.

Salons AB

General Conference Program

6 Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All

Dansville Schools On Board, but Looking for the HOW?

So you’ve read the research and been inspired by the speakers to change how you grade and assess students…now what?? We have brought a team including three teachers from Dansville Schools to help with the next steps. Participants will hear a brief synopsis of our journey as a district towards standards-based grading and sound assessment practices, but then you’ll actually hear how our teachers have implemented these best practices over the course of the last six years. We will share our templates, rubrics, and handouts. There will be examples from all core content areas and each level of instruction. This is the practical stuff--don’t miss it!

Columbia

Myron Dueck Synergizing AFL: The Organization, Implementation, and Results of a District Assessment Team

School districts across Canada and the US vary in size and structure, but in every case they contain a wide array of talented educators that have new ideas, creative solutions, and questions worthy of investigation. In this session, Myron Dueck will share his experiences in helping to plan, organize, and chair his district assessment team (School District 67, British Columbia). Myron will share the plans and templates used to initiate the conversations. As well, he will speak of the debate, challenges, and incredible results that occur when educators meet to tackle a shared interest in AFL. Anyone interested in hearing of this experience, or who may want to run a similar team at the department, school, or district level should find this session very valuable.

Hawthorne/Belmont

Cassandra Erkens Using Common Assessments to Integrate Common Core State Standards

Common assessments serve many purposes: monitoring for student learning, supporting the development of assessment literacy for teachers, and aligning classroom work to standards. The use of common assessments can serve as a primary vehicle to help schools align to the common core standards. This session covers the why, what, and how of common assessment accurate design and effective use and provides examples specific to the common core standards along the way.

Mt. Hood

Ken Mattingly Implementing Assessment for Learning Practices into the Secondary Classroom

Assessment for learning is built on a series of principles that focus on the student perspective. This session will detail a practitioner’s process for implementing them. Participants will walk through the steps that Ken used to methodically work these principles into his daily practice. We will discuss the challenges encountered and how they were overcome. Finally, an overview of the successes realized from this process will be shared.

Pearl

Ken O’Connor Performance Standards: the Oft-forgotten Part of Standards

Teachers cannot get students to “meet standards” unless they know what the learning goals are and this means both the ‘what’ and the ‘how well.’ There has been a lot of focus on content standards (what) but relatively little on the performance standards (how well) that are what assessment and grading are about. This session will examine, and suggestions will be made about, how overall performance standards and grade level task and subject specific performance standards should be developed, described, and determined.

Salons CD

Tom Schimmer Confidence Builders As a follow-up to the keynote session, participants will focus on the fundamental classroom strategies that lead to improved student confidence and success. Specifically, participants will come to understand how to unpack standards to allow students intimate access to the curriculum. As well, three non-negotiable aspects of effective feedback will be explored and participants will come to know how to maximize the impact of feedback on student performance. In addition, the practical implementation of other specific assessment, feedback, and grading practices and routines will be identified. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to develop student confidence through specific action steps and strategies.

Salons GH

General Conference Program

Motivating the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confidence for All 7

Kim Zeidler-Watters, Diane Johnson & Jennifer McDaniel

Leadership Strategies for Facilitating Implementation of Common Core State Standards and Assessment Literacy Practices

In this session, leaders (teacher leaders, administrators, coaches) will have an opportunity to explore processes that can be used locally to assist teachers with effective implementation of the Common Core State Standards and assessment literacy practices. Come and engage as a learner and leader as we explore structures for classroom-level implementation. Mathematics will be used as the context for this session. However, the process for these structured conversations can be used across content areas as teachers work to implement standards and assessment literacy practices.

Eugene

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

7:30 am - 8:30 am Continental Breakfast

8:30 am - 9:30 am Keynote Presentation

Rick Stiggins I Have a Dream Rick will share his hopes for classroom assessment for the next decade and detail what will need to happen at the local school district, building, and classroom level for his dreams to come true. He also will predict what will happen to student confidence, engagement, and achievement if those dreams are fulfilled.

Salons EF

9:45 am - 11:15 am Concurrent Sessions

Steven Carney Promoting a Commitment to Student Learning Through Leadership Conversations

Instructional leadership today requires the ability to initiate change while increasing capacity to improve student learning. Leaders can initiate change in a school culture through conversations that engage educators in developing a focused vision for the future of student learning. In this session, we will explore how both leadership language and conversations can inspire and promote a commitment to student learning success. Specifically, this session brings to the fore elements of leading academic success at the most practical level: the leadership language.

Pearl

Jan Chappuis Learning Teams: An Introduction to the ATI Model of Professional Development

A major staff development challenge all school districts face is providing the right conditions so that teachers can translate new information into effective classroom practice. ATI’s learning team approach to developing classroom assessment expertise is based on best practice as reflected in professional development literature and research: adults learn best when the experience includes reflection on practice, collaboration, active learning opportunities in the classroom, and a focus on student learning. This session will explain the learning team approach, the rationale for it, learning team structure and facilitation, keys to success, and pitfalls to avoid.

Hawthorne/Belmont

Carol Commodore Real Journeys to Quality, Balanced Assessment Programs

Carol Commodore has worked with a variety of districts over a period of time and has observed the many commonalities and the occasional differences among the districts in bringing systemic change around assessment to their schools and districts. In this session, she will share a composite study of the ongoing journeys of several districts across the US in implementing balanced, quality assessment systems: the steps forward and backward, the role of leaders in removing barriers and providing resources, and some systemic hints in making this vision become a reality.

Columbia

Dansville Schools Thinking About Changing Your Grading and Assessment Practices?

Participants will learn how our school district has progressed from traditional grading and assessment to a student-centered, proficiency-based approach that is increasing student achievement. Participants will learn how teachers in each content area have applied best practice in the area of grading. Learn the step-by-step process of making these significant grading changes, the pitfalls to avoid, and hear stories from students and teachers that will demonstrate why it’s worth it to change your grading and assessment paradigm.

Salons CD

General Conference Program

8 Moti vati ng the Reluctant, Reviving the Discouraged: Competence and Confi dence for All

Myron Dueck Seven Stories of Success: How and Why Grading and Assessment Changes Altered the Lives of Seven Struggling Learners

Myron has confi rmed what research has long suggested: struggling learners stand to gain the most by changing traditi onal grading and assessment routi nes. A few years ago, Myron was asked to teach a content-heavy, graduati on prerequisite class consisti ng enti rely of at-risk learners. He decided to grade only academic variables and not behaviors. He built a student-monitored retesti ng system, and the impact this had on fragile learners was incredible. He stopped grading homework as it seemed to be an endless vortex of confl ict and ineffi ciencies. In this session, Myron will introduce you to seven at-risk students whose passion for learning was uncovered once a few barriers were removed. Finally, teachers will see how easy it is to grade unconventi onal/personalized student projects. Parti cipants can expect to hear real-life accounts of change and how positi ve relati onships were fostered with the seven of the most unlikely students.

Salons GH

Cassandra Erkens Making Homework Count

We use homework for three primary purposes: practi ce, preparati on, and extension of classroom learning. According to Dr. Robert Marzano’s research, homework is one of the most powerful instructi onal strategies we can employ to impact student achievement. Yet other research studies indicate that there is litt le to no correlati on between our use of homework and current achievement results. How might we leverage homework to increase student producti vity and achievement results? This session will explore the considerati ons for the design and use of homework as a formati ve assessment tool that can truly impact student learning in positi ve ways.

Mt. Hood

Kim Zeidler-Watt ers, Diane Johnson & Jennifer McDaniel

The Power of Learning Targets

This session is intended for those who want to see an example of what balanced assessment (assessment for and of learning) looks like when it is eff ecti vely implemented in the classroom. We will address these questi ons: 1) What are the student learning results of implementati on? 2) How did learning targets drive this transformati on? 3) What was the impact on student moti vati on? 4) How was the capacity for this transformati on in teacher practi ce developed?

Salons AB

11:15 am - 12:30 pm Lunch and Closing Acti vity

General Conference Program