Free Online Tools for Formative Assessments Presentation by

Free Online Tools for Formative Assessments Presentation by Steven Payne, Ed. S. English, Reading, & Title 1 Supervisor Fauquier County Public Schools

Disclaimer Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or noncommercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.

Framing this Presentation: Objective & Culminating Activity We will identify characteristics of online tools or resources that helpfully assist with authentic, formative assessment of student learning. You will create and publish an annotated bibliography of appropriate online tools or resources formative assessments.

Warm-up Activity: https: //kahoot. it/#/ 4 -question survey: Who plays the most significant role in student achievement? How important are the teacher’s personal beliefs about learning to his or her students’ achievement? Do you believe that there are simple changes that ANY teacher can make to be more effective? How important are formative assessments in advancing student achievement?

Instructors play the key role in achievement. “. . . the single greatest determinate of learning is not socio-economic factors or funding levels. It is instruction. ” Mike Schmoker (as cited in Cain & Laird, 2011)

Beliefs about education create achievement realities (Dweck, 2007). Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset Skills are in-born and fixed Challenges are something to avoid because they could reveal a lack of skill; fosters a tendency to give up Skills come from hard work and can always improve Challenges should be embraced as opportunities for growth; fosters persistence Efforts are unnecessary as something you do when you are not “good enough” Efforts are essential as the path to mastery Feedback viewed as useful learning tool for identifying areas for improvement Setbacks viewed as wake-up calls to work harder next time. Feedback causes defensiveness and is taken personally Setbacks lead to discouragement and blaming others

A simple plan for dramatically improving the effectiveness of classroom instruction? The Fundamental Five: The Formula for Quality Instruction (Cain & Laird, 2011) Frame the lesson Work in the Power Zone Frequent, Small-Group, Purposeful Talk about the Learning Recognize and Reinforce Write Critically

Stop and Chat (Think-Pair-Share) Activity: Why are we discussing beliefs about achievement in a workshop about online tools formative assessments? Post your answer at Today’s Meet.

Essential questions about formative assessment tools: Truly “inform” teachers’ practices, support students, and improve learning? Provide immediate, useful feedback to students and teachers? Focus on progress and growth? Answer questions the teacher has about students’ learning? Focus on responsibility and care (rather than accountability)? Inform immediate next steps in the instructional process?

NCTE Position Statement (2013) “In whatever shape it takes, formative assessment is the lived, daily embodiment of a teacher’s desire to refine [her or his] practice. . . ”

NCTE Position Statement, 2013 “Teachers are very aware that frequent, in-process checks for understanding are what allow them to teach better and improve student achievement. . . ”

NCTE Position Statement, 2013 “. . . while many recently released commercial products advertised as formative assessment suggest that their main use is to prepare students for summative assessment, most educators recognize formative assessment as ‘a systematic process to continually gather evidence about student learning’ (Heritage as cited in NCTE Position Statement, 2013). ”

NCTE Position Statement, 2013 “As knowledgeable inquirers, teachers are able to choose among a variety of tools and strategies that best suit the context of their own classrooms. ”

Mike Schmoker (as cited in Cain & Laird, 2011) “Generous amounts of close purposeful reading, writing, and talking. . . are the essence of authentic literacy. These simple activities are the foundation of a trained, powerful mind—and a promising future. ”

Culminating Activity: Work with a small group of 3 -4 people to create an annotated bibliography of online formative assessment tools that the presenter will share collectively. Consider Heritage’s (qtd. in NCTE Position Statement, 2013) three types: “on-the-fly” (those that happen during a lesson) “planned-for-interaction” (those decided before instruction) “curriculum-embedded” (used at significant points throughout the learning process)

Publishing Your Bibliographies Please paste your suggestions into this Google Doc for me to share with all participants: http: //tinyurl. com/nmevvfp Be sure to complete the Google Form exit slip to communicate your contact information and to evaluate the workshop: http: //goo. gl/forms/GSXt 4 tj. HVI

Sample Annotated Bibliography of Tools Kahoot! is a game-based, digital learning platform that stimulates collaboration and social learning. It requires minimal setup time, no player accounts, and simple one-click gameplay. Create your own in minutes or choose from millions of public ones. Works on any device with an internet connection. Tutorial available. Todays. Meet is a backchannel chat platform that allows students to join fast, easy-to-start rooms with no sign up, and immediately facilitates powerful conversations alongside the primary activity, presentation, or discussion. It gives all students a voice, extends conversations beyond the classroom, and enables instant formative assessment. number 2. com free vocabulary builder and SAT/ACT tutorial. The teacher can serve as a “coach” and create a report that shows students’ developing mastery of individualized SAT-type vocabulary. noredink. com free grammar tutorial. The teacher can set up an account, create a pre-test, and differentiate on-going assignments based on students’ strengths and weaknesses.

References Cain, S. , & Laird, M. (2011). The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction. Printed by Create. Space Independent Publishing Platform. Dweck, C. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books. National Council of Teachers of English (2013). Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction. Retrieved from http: //www. ncte. org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/formativeassessment_single. pdf

Contact Steven D. Payne steve. payne@fcps 1. org