Balanced Assessment: A Gifted Learner Support System

Balanced Assessment:Balanced Assessment:A Gifted Learner Support A Gifted Learner Support

SystemSystem

Office of Gifted EducationHigh School Teacher Training Module

A thought to consider-- A thought to consider-- "Whether I liked it or not, informative assessment always demonstrated to me that my students' knowledge, understanding, and skill were emerging along different time continuums and at different depths. It became excruciatingly clear that my brilliant teaching was not equally brilliant for everyone in my classes. In other words, informative assessment helped me solidify a need for differentiation. “ (Tomlinson, 2007)

Office of Gifted Education 2011 2

Session GoalsSession Goals

To explore the importance of creating a balanced assessment system to enhance and support gifted learner outcomes.

To identify the pieces of a balanced assessment system within a unit of study.

To consider the use of data in determining best practices for

differentiated instruction.3Office of Gifted Education 2011

KUDs – Know , Understand, and DoKUDs – Know , Understand, and Do

Enduring Understandings:

A balanced assessment system leads to high-quality teaching and deeper student understanding.

Balanced assessment insures that instruction meets the intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.

Essential Questions: How can pre, formative, and summative assessment be used to

shape the learning opportunities presented to students and promote rigor?

To what extent does a teacher use formative assessment as a measure of student understanding and to plan or modify learning opportunities presented to students?

How will I know the degree to which my students have gained understanding of unit goals and objectives?

4Office of Gifted Education 2011

KUD – Know , Understand, and DoKUD – Know , Understand, and Do

Know: The 3 types of assessment and the value

of their use; Preassessment can be used to gauge

learning style, prior knowledge, and interest;

The importance of using data from a balanced assessment to monitor student understanding and to refine their stage 3 sequence of learning.

Do: Consider ways to refine a unit to reflect

the principles of balanced assessment. 5Office of Gifted Education 2011

Thinking Like an Assessor

Ask yourself these questions:

• What kinds of evidence do we need?

• What specific characteristics in student responses, products, or performances should we examine?

• Does the proposed evidence enable us to infer a student’s knowledge, skill, or understanding?


Pieces of a Balanced Assessment System


Here’s What!Here’s What!





How does formative assessment inform instruction and provide students reflective opportunities about their own learning?

Important considerations:VarietyFeedback Alignment Self-evaluation


So What?So What?Let’s consider Stage One like an

assessor.

What preassessment data will you need for this unit?

How will you use the data?

What formative assessments will provide you and the students with the feedback needed prior to summative performance?

How will your formative assessments complement the summative performance task to come?

How can the formative assessment provide both descriptive feedback and the opportunity for student reflection?


Putting the Pieces Together


Now What? Now What?

Content Exploration: Unit design and reflection

1. Review stage one2. Consider your summative performance piece3. Outline the data you will need at the beginning of the

unit.4. What formative assessment tools can provide

opportunities for assessor feedback and student reflection?


Return to Balanced Assessment Return to Balanced Assessment InventoryInventory

Post-Session Reflection:Reflect on perspectiveContemplate the big ideas of

module

Self-Assess:Set a SMART goal


Final ThoughtFinal Thought “Our success in teaching for

understanding depends on our design skills—our ability to design assessments that naturally raise questions and new ideas instead of telling students what we know, and assuming that they understand.”

~Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins


Work ConsultedWork ConsultedMcTighe, J. And Wiggins, G.(2011). The

Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High Quality Units. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

Tomlinson, C. (2008). “Learning to Love Assessment.” Informative Assessment. Web.


Teacher Workshop Teacher Workshop Date: ___________Date: ___________Balanced Assessment:Balanced Assessment:A Gifted Learner Support SystemA Gifted Learner Support System

Name: _________________School: __________________Name: _________________School: __________________

Questions Comments, Suggestions, Ideas, & Questions

In what ways did your participation in today’s workshop enhance your understanding of balanced assessment?

In what ways might this information help to inform your work with regard to curriculum, instruction, and assessment?

What questions do you have as a result of today’s workshop?

This professional development was effective in helping me understand the academic needs of gifted learners.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

This professional development was effective in helping me understand the social/emotional needs of gifted learners.

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Balanced Assessment: A Gifted Learner Support System