1. Looking at Student Work

2. Why?
• To gain a greater understanding of what
students know and are able to do
• To develop a common language of
expectations and standards
• To engage in reflective practice
• To drive instruction based on student need

3. Why use a protocol?
• Keeps conversation focused
on student achievement
• Encourages efficient time
management
• Emphasizes results through
focused professional
reflection
• To develop more effective
assignments
• To gather ideas to improve
classroom practice

4. Cautions…
• We are learning one
protocol, many others
exist.
• The focus should be on
the work and the
learning it reveals:
– Not on student’s
personality, motivation
or ability
– NOT on the teacher

5. Collaborative Assessment Conference
Protocol
Getting started: Describing the work
– The group chooses a facilitator The facilitator asks, “What do
who will ensure the group stays
focused on the particular issue you see?”
addressed in each step Group members provide answers
– The presenting teacher puts the without making judgments about
selected work in a place where the quality of the work or their
everyone can see it or provides personal preferences.
copies for the other participants. If a judgment emerges, the
The presenting teacher says facilitator asks for the evidence on
nothing about the work, the which the judgment is based.
context in which it was created, or
the student until Step V.
– The participants observe or read
the work in silence, making brief
notes about aspects of it that
resonate with them.

6. CAS Protocol continued…
Asking questions about the work Speculating about what the
The facilitator asks the group, student is working on
“What questions does this – The facilitator asks the group,
work raise for you?” “What do you think the
student is working on?”
Group members state any
question they have about the – Based on their reading or
observation of the work,
work, the child, the participants make suggestions
assignment, the circumstances about the problems or issues
under which the work was that the student might have
carried out and so on been focused on in carrying out
The presenting teacher may the assignment.
make notes about the
comments and questions, but
does not respond

7. CAS Protocol…
Hearing from the presenting teacher Discussing implications for
– The facilitator invites the teaching and learning
presenting teacher to speak – The facilitator invites all group
– The presenting teacher provides members to share any thoughts
his/ her perspective on the about their own teaching,
student’s work, describing what children’s learning or ways to
he/she sees in it, responding to support this particular child in
one or two questions raised (not future instruction
mandatory), and adding any other
important information to share Reflecting on the CAC
with the group – The group reflects on the
– The presenting teacher also experiences of or reactions to the
comments on anything surprising conference as a whole or particular
or unexpected that he/she heard parts of it
during the describing, questioning THANK the presenting teacher
and speculating phases
– The session concludes with
acknowledgment of and thanks to
the presenting teacher