The document discusses developing a coherent assessment system that balances instructional needs with limitations of time, funding, and mandates. It aims to create an assessment matrix using the minimum necessary assessments to inform instruction across grades and subjects. Challenges include balancing teaching time with diagnostic needs, limited funding, identifying an affordable data system, and addressing state requirements. The document provides frameworks and principles for developing a coherent assessment approach focused on student learning.

1. Finding Coherence
Focus, Measure, & Connect
The Measure Sessions!
November, 2014
http://digitallearningforallnow.com
http://www.slideshare.net/jpcostasr
costa@educationconnection.org
Jonathan P. Costa

3. Overall Purpose and Goals
• To create a matrix that reflects the least amount of assessments necessary to
sufficiently inform instructional planning and delivery at all grade levels and in all
content and program areas.
• Challenges – Limitations – Needs:
1. Need to balance the amount of available teaching/learning time with the
need to obtain adequate diagnostic information
2. Limited funding availability
3. Need to identify an affordable data warehousing system that is capable of
running all necessary reports in real time
4. Need to address CSDE assessment mandates
5. Need to reduce the amount of potential confusion with regard to who
needs to do what assessment, when, and why
6. Need to ensure sustainability of assessment protocols over time

4. Coherence Pathways
Mission
To develop in all
children the
knowledge, skills,
attitudes and
values...
Theory of Action
Focus
Measure
Connect
G = Goals P = Practices M= Measures Jonathan P. Costa S= Students A = Adults O = District/Building

5. Student Data
Driving
Instructional
Practices &
Decision
Making
Instruction
Driving
Improved
Measures
Professional
Practice
Driving
Improved
Measures
Systems
Driving
Improved
Measures
Adult Data
Driving
Professional
Learning &
Decision
Making
Organizational
Data
Driving
Systems
Decision
Making

6. Three Principles of Coherence
Measure
what you
value
Value
what you
measure
Priority
Student
Learning
Priority
Adult
Learning
Priority
Systems
Learning
Student
Learning
Adult
Learning
Systems
Learning
Focus Measure Connections

7. Coherence Pathways – Essential Connections
S-G Goals for Student Learning
• What are your most important goals for learning?
S-M
Student Measures
Leadership
Focus
Measure
Connect
How will you know if you
are improving (Measure)?
Using the identified skills, create an
assessment plan that includes; a. existing
standardized data (CAPT/CMT), b. identifies
potential Smarter Balanced/Common Core
assessments, and c. creates local
assessments that can be used for formative
measurement of student performance of
these skills.
Mission
To prepare every
student for
learning, life, and
work in the 21st
century.
Goals
Focus
Practices Measures
G = Goals P = Practices M= Measures Jonathan P. Costa S= Students A = Adults O = District/Building

8. Critical Stance Based on
Evidence
M3/E4
Construct and engage in viable
arguments based on evidence and
critique reasoning of others.
 SMP 3 – Distinguish correct logic in reasoning from that which is flawed.
 SMP3 –Build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth about
conjectures.
 SMP 3 -Use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established
results in constructing arguments.
 SMP 3 - Recognize and use counter examples.
 SMP 3 – Contextualize and decontextualize quantitative relationships
 E4 - Question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and premise
 21 - Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
 21 - Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
 21 - Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
Define and
Solve Problems
M1/M2/M8/21
Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them
 SMP 1 – Explain the meaning of a problem and look for entry points to its
solution.
 SMP 1 – Analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals.
 SMP 1 – Make conjectures about the form and meaning of a solution.
 SMP 8 – Maintain oversight of the process while attending to details.
 SMP 2 – Create a coherent representation of a problem.
 21 -Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view
and lead to better solutions
 21 -Reflect critically on learning experiences and problem solving processes
 21 -Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and
innovative ways

9. Reflections on Assessment…
Before we review your inventory
and next steps, let’s consider…
• Balance factors
– Reliability and value
– Formative vs. summative
– Content/department vs. skills
– Classroom, building, district needs
• Quality factors
– Just because it happens, does not mean
it should or that its good
• Improvement opportunities

10. Coherence Is Supported
by Assessment
Jonathan P. Costa
Value
Reliability

11. Reflections on Assessment…
• To be worth anything, all assessment must do one of these two things….
1. Improve student learning (formative)
2. Create both student and teacher accountability (summative)
• How would you define/characterize these two categories of assessment?
– Formative:
• Why –
• How -
– Summative:
• Why –
• How -

12. Reflections on Assessment…
- Finding the Balance Points -
- Given what we have discussed about the purpose and process of
formative and summative assessments… what do you think is the most
appropriate and productive % time split between these two assessment
purposes (of the total time devoted to assessment – how much for
formative and how much for summative)?
-Form / Sum -
- Given what we have discussed about the purpose and process of
formative and summative assessments… what do you think is the
CURRENT PRACTICE between these two assessment purposes in your
district (of the total time devoted to assessment – how much for
formative and how much for summative)?
-Form / Sum -

13. Align Your Systems With Your Goals for Learning
Type of
Assessment
Required
Subject Area
Responsibilities
Everyone’s
Responsibility
Content
(Declarative)
Facts
Content Skills
(Procedural)
Discrete Skills
CC/21st Cent. Skills
(Contextual)
Applied Understandings
Type of
Knowledge
Desired
Type of
Instruction
Required
Lecture, video,
films, assigned
readings and
memory activities.
Classroom or textbook
problems, experiments,
discussions, practice and
repetition.
Complex projects,
real time explorations,
authentic and relevant
skill applications.
Amount of
Time
Required
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Ongoing, systemic and
without a finite
or predictable end.
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Recall & recognition
based quizzes, tests,
and activities. Multiple
choice, matching, etc.
(SAT/AP/Exams)
Checklists,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(AP/SB/CAPT/Exams)
Holistic and,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
standards of rigor
(Portfolios, Exhibitions, SB)

14. Align Assessments With Goals for Learning
Appropriate
Assessment
Instruments
Recall & recognition
based quizzes, tests,
and activities. Multiple
choice, matching, fill
In the blanks, etc.
(SAT/AP/Exams)
Checklists,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(AP/Smarter B/Exams)
Holistic and,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(Portfolios, Demonstrations,
Exhibitions, Etc)
Content
(Declarative)
Facts
“Define this term”
Content Skills
(Procedural)
Discrete Skills
“Factor this equation”
Meta Skills
(Contextual)
Applied Understandings
“Skilled Information Consumer”
Type of
Knowledge
Desired
Appropriate
Assessment
Standards/Scales
Take this quiz, test,
or other appropriate
content focused
assessment instrument.
Answering/responding to
classroom or text based
problems, experiments, and
writing assignments.
Complex projects,
real time explorations,
authentic problem based
skill applications.
Appropriate
Assessment
Tasks
Percentages of
right and wrong
answers on an agreed
upon numeric or letter
grade scale.
1-100/A-B-C-D
Specific criteria tied
to an agreed upon
numeric or
descriptive scale.
1-100/Pass-Fail
Insufficient-Excellent
Specific criteria tied
to an agreed upon
descriptive scale.
Insufficient-Sufficient
Proficient-Excellent
Overlap between columns can and does occur.

15. Teachers
As
Student
Coaches
Data
Supporting
Reflective
Practice
Data
Supporting
Reflective
Practice
Data
Supporting
Reflective
Practice
Administrators
As
Instructional
Coaches
District
Staff
As
Administrator
Coaches

16. Reflections on Assessment…
• To effective, formative or summative assessments should be:
1. Generally Reliable (as opposed to statistically so)
2. Valid (reflects what it is intended to measure)
3. Helps the learner improve his/her performance (formative mostly)
4. Can be tracked and analyzed over time (summative mostly)
• What is your general sense of the state of quality of these elements in your school/district?
Formative Summative
Warm Cool Warm Cool

17. 1. Philosophy – the role that assessment plays in your system – differences of
formative and summative – thinking about the differences between growth
and accountability and how to balance them in practice.
2. Technical Capacity
• Constructing effective rubrics – measuring what you value
• Designing rubric aligned tasks – connecting it to practice
• Scoring protocols – build capacity to judge student work
• Data collection and analysis tools – how to use the results
3. Systems effectiveness
• Organization of the weight of your assessments – inventory
4. Other?
Building Assessment Capacity

18. The Pareto
Leverage Principle
Vital
Few
Some things
20/80
are more
important
than others.

19. Pareto Is Not a New Idea
I served with General Washington in the Virginia Legislature and with Dr.
Franklin in Congress. I never heard either of them speak to any but the
main point that was to decide the question. They laid their shoulders to the
great points, knowing that the little ones would follow themselves.
Thomas Jefferson

20. The Pareto
Leverage Principle
With these things in
mind, what can you:
Reduce/eliminate
Improve/integrate