I
used to bemoan the inordinate amount of time spent testing at the beginning of
each year, referencing a favorite quote from one of my science teacher
colleagues: “You can’t fatten a cow while it’s standing on the scale.”
Now
I recognize that you can fatten a cow while it’s standing on the scale – if “weighing”
occurs as part of the "feeding" process and is integral to the “feeding” plan.
If
your school or district is requiring the collection of large quantities of
assessment data this fall, it’s helpful to stop and ask, “Is there a plan for
how this data will be used to guide instruction?” If the data is being
collected simply because there is an assumption that this data might be useful
at some future point and time, then the time spent collecting that data is
probably flying out the window.
Using
data to guide instruction requires asking the right questions at the right time.
Before assessing, we should have a plan of action about what to do with the
evidence that will be collected. Unfortunately, by the time data has been collected,
scored, analyzed, and discussed in a team meeting, the learning has moved on
and the data may no longer be timely.
Dylan Wiliam talks about the “sell-by” date of assessment data,
suggesting that data must be used in a timely manner if it is to be useful. Developing
a plan for how data will be collected and then used, sometimes instantaneously,
to guide instruction ensures that data isn’t used after its expiration date has
passed.
For
example, this week I observed a kindergarten lesson on numbers 1 – 4. Given a
variety of input (oral numbers, written numbers, fingers held up), students
were asked to show the requested number using a string of Unifix cubes. As
students held their “answers” high in the air, the teacher quickly collected
formative assessment data and adjusted instruction based on what he saw. A
student with too few cubes, for example, was asked to compare his tower with
the tower of the friend seated next to him. This teacher had a plan for both
collecting and using formative assessment data. This simple activity
illustrates the principle that any plan for collecting data should include a
plan for using data, so that assessment time is time well spent.
What
kinds of discussions could you lead with teachers to support assessment that
guides instruction?
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Making
use of data:
Talking
in class: Oral Fridays and more
The
“one great idea” promise:
And
to go along with the above, take a look at:
A podcast
about the global read aloud project:
That’s it for this week! Happy Coaching!
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