This webinar focused on formative assessment strategies for teachers. It discussed five key formative assessment techniques: observations, interviews, show me activities, hinge questions, and exit tasks. These techniques provide evidence of student learning through activities like observing students, asking them questions, having them demonstrate their understanding, and completing culminating tasks. The webinar emphasized that formative assessment should be used flexibly on a daily basis to inform teaching and help students learn.

1. Assessing to Inform Teaching and Learning:
A Guide for Leaders
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Join the Blended Learning community: www.edweb.net/blended
Presented by:
Francis (Skip) Fennell
L. Stanley Bowlsbey Professor of Education
and Graduate and Professional Studies Emeritus,
McDaniel College

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5. Francis (Skip) Fennell, PhD, is emeritus as the L. Stanley Bowlsbey
professor of education and graduate and professional studies at
McDaniel College in Maryland, where he continues to direct the
Brookhill Institute of Mathematics-supported Elementary
Mathematics Specialists & Teacher Leaders Project.
A mathematics educator who has experience as a classroom teacher,
principal, and supervisor, he is a past president of the Association of
Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the Research Council on
Mathematics Learning (RCML), and the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM).
Dr. Fennell served as a writer of the Principles and Standards for
School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), the Curriculum Focal Points
(NCTM, 2006), and the Common Core State Standards for
Mathematics (CCSSO, 2010). He also served on the National
Mathematics Advisory Panel (2006-2008). Dr. Fennell has received
numerous honors and awards, including NCTM’s Lifetime Achievement
Award.

6. Assessing to Inform Teaching and Learning:
A Guide for Leaders
Francis (Skip) Fennell
McDaniel College
March 7, 2017 • 3 PM - EST

7. www.mathspecialists.org

8. Poll:
What is your role in education?

9. Leadership Framework
Fennell, Kobett, & Wray, 2013

10. Leaders and Adult Learners
1. Finding a way to meet with teachers or administrative
colleagues individually and informally, which allows the
mathematics leader to get to know them and understand
their expectations, challenges, and work style.
2. Thinking about how to demonstrate respect for colleagues,
and be consistently mindful of their time, curriculum
stressors, personal lives, and so on.
3. Adults need to know why something may be relevant for
them. Always build this into planning professional learning
opportunities for teachers and others.

11. Coaching, Mentoring, Leading
1. Mentoring of targeted (e.g. new, novice,
challenged) teachers.
2. Providing targeted one-on-one and
professional learning assistance.
3. Co-planning professional learning efforts with
grade-based learning communities.
4. Being readily available just to talk about
particular challenges teachers are facing.

12. Navigating Relationships
1. How might you work differently with a beginning or
novice teacher than one who has spent ten years at
the same grade level in the same school?
2. Your mathematics coaches/specialists/leaders are
seeking your involvement in the establishment of
grade level and building-based learning communities
at their respective schools. How might you respond to
this request?
3. Who should be involved in helping to plan and
implement a district-wide initiative designed to
provide professional learning opportunities which will
focus on formative assessment?

13. Learning Communities
1. Establishing
2. Supporting
3. Sustaining
4. Who’s involved?
5. How are they involved?

14. Assessment Literacy
• What is it?
• Why is it important?
• Assessment of student learning is the
responsibility of every school district, every
school, and every teacher.
• Reality – you do this everyday, pretty much all
day long!

15. Why didn’t I learn about
formative assessment in my
teacher prep program?
First Year Teacher
Assessment Literacy

16. I actually never knew that my end-of-year
and end-of-marking period benchmark
tests were summative assessments.
Thinking about how I can use both
formative and summative assessments has
been an eye-opening experience for me.
AND, I’m in my 5th year of teaching!
Fourth Grade Teacher
Assessment Literacy

17. • Formative assessment includes all activities that
provide information to be used as feedback to
modify and impact planning, teaching and
learning.
• Summative assessments are typically used to
assess student learning at the end of an
experience. This could be a unit assessment,
school district assessment, or the more high-
stakes and high-profile end-of-year state
assessments.

18. What about you?
• Reflect back: did you learn this?
• What about now? How confident are
you with regard to assessment – all
aspects?
• Personal “confession”

19. • Assessment is integral to instructional
practice (planning and teaching)
• Linking assessment to planning and
instruction is used to inform teaching
and learning

20. What about you?
• Think about – how does your school or school
district define Formative Assessment?
• Think about – How do YOU use formative
assessment?

21. We actually know a lot about
formative assessment…

22. • The term formative assessment has been with
us for 60+ years (e.g., Sueltz et al, 1946;
Weaver, 1955)….
• Regular use of classroom formative
assessment would raise student achievement
by 0.4 to 0.7 of a standard deviation – enough
to raise the U.S. into the top five countries in
the international rankings for mathematics
(Natriello, 1987; Crooks, 1998; Black and
Wiliam, 1998).

23. But…
Evidence suggests that actual day-to-
day use of formative assessment is not
as prevalent in classrooms as one
might expect (Stiggins, 2013).

24. This was the beginning…
NCTM News Bulletin, December 2006

25. The classroom is your canvas…

26. I just figured I could Google
formative assessment and buy
whatever formative
assessment I wanted/needed.
Middle School Teacher
Assessment Literacy

27. See: TCM – February 2015

28. See: TCM – February 2015

29. See: TCM – February 2015

30. See: TCM – February 2015

31. What we have done…
• First, we recognized:
– a need to emphasize and enhance the use of
classroom-based formative assessments – to guide
teaching and learning.
– an overload of publications, published assessments
and services promising the quick formative
assessment fix.
• So, we:
– Distilled seemingly endless suggestions and
strategies to a small pallet of formative assessment
techniques.

32. Interviews
Show
Me
Observations
Hinge
Questions
Exit Tasks

33. How is observation assessment? Of
course I observe my students—all day
long every day! I just never considered
the assessment potential of my
observations!
First Grade Teacher
Observations

34. I actually know more about my students
because I am always watching them work
and also seeing how they interact—with
the mathematics they are learning and
with each other. For me, observation is my
everyday formative assessment lifeline!
Fourth Grade Teacher
Observations

35. Observations
• What would you expect to observe?
• How would you know it if you saw it?
• What misconceptions might you observe?
• How might you record and provide feedback
of what you observed?

37. What about You? Observations
• You observe students all day long. What are
you seeing?
• Think about planning a lesson and then
teaching it (ANY topic). Now picture any child
in your class (1 student) as the lesson is being
taught. What would you expect that child to
be doing? What might you do about it?

38. What about You? Observations
• You observe students all day long. What are
you seeing?
• Think about planning a lesson and then
teaching it (ANY topic). Now picture any child
in your class (1 student) as the lesson is being
taught. What would you expect that child to
be doing? What might you do about it?
• Why did you pick THAT child?

39. For some reason I thought that you only
interviewed those students who were
having problems in math class. Now I
regularly interview my algebra students
because I want to assess how they are
transitioning to using equations and
inequalities in a more formal way.
Eighth Grade Teacher
Interviews

40. Interviews
• Long history of use in mathematics and special
education (Weaver, 1955; Ginsburg, 1997;
Fennell, 1972, 1998 .
• Extends the observation.
• Takes some time – focused; 1-on-1 or small group
• Allows you to dig deeper
• Not deficit-based
• Provides a glimpse of what a child is thinking

41. Interviews
• What would make you decide to work 1:1 with a
student or small group?
• What questions might you ask? How might the
questions be different?
• What will you anticipate from students? (Consider
understandings AND possible misconceptions.)
• What follow-up questions might you ask?

42. What about You? Interviews
• Think of a lesson, any lesson, you
have recently taught. What did a
student do (or not) that might have
caused you to have a brief interview
(5 minutes or less) with the student?

44. Can you show me how you would order
76, 54, 47, and 89 using the number line?
How do you know 3/4 < 7/8? Show me.
Show me your graph for that equation.
Show Me

45. Show Me
• A performance-based response to what a teacher
observes.
• Combines elements of the observation and
interview.
• A stop-and-drop activity where a student, small
group of students or perhaps the entire class
might be asked to show how something works, a
problem solved, or a particular representation
used.

47. What about You? Show Me
• Are there particular lessons that you think
would provide opportunity for more Show
Me’s than other lessons? Which? Why do you
think so?
• Think through a lesson topic (ANY level).
Think about planning this lesson – what might
you observe? What would you have your
students show you?

48. Summing Up…
These monitor your teaching…
• Observations – Paying attention, monitoring
• Interviewing – specifics, “I want to know more
about what I just observed.”
• Show Me – This is an explicit performance of
what I would like to see demonstrated.

49. • ”I seriously think that one of the last things I
got “good” at as a teacher was questioning.”
6th & 7th grade teacher
• “It took me a while to realize that sometimes I
needed to change – while I was actually
teaching – the questions that I had planned to
ask.”
4th grade teacher
• “The better I feel about my planning, the
easier it is to frame questions and then
consider responses to help me plan for the
next day.”
2nd grade teacher

50. • The hinge question provides a check for
understanding or proficiency at a particular
hinge point in a lesson. The success of the
lesson hinges on responses to such questions
as an indication of whether students
understand enough to move on (Fennell,
Kobett, & Wray, p. 84).

51. Think of your teachers and their
use of questioning…
What comes to mind?
Can you picture a colleague who is adept at questioning?
Can you think of a colleague who struggles with questioning?

52. My take…
Students need to talk about the mathematics they are
learning…questioning starts that process
No questions asked…how can this be?

53. The Hinge – Focus and Issues
• Hinge Point or Hinge?
• Diagnostic focus – expands the interview…
• Multiple choice or not?
– Student response cards
• 2 minute rule…

54. • Emily has three equally sized apple pies and
wants to divide them into eight equal portions
to give to eight students who want to take
some pie home from a class party.
• Can you draw a picture showing how Emily
might divide the pies into eight equal
portions? Explain how your picture shows
eight equal portions.
Adapted from Illustrative Math, grade 5

55. • Emily has three equally sized apple pies and
wants to divide them into eight equal portions
to give to eight students who want to take
some pie home from a class party. Which
expression represents this problem?
A. 3 x 8
B. 8 ÷ 3
C. 3 ÷ 8
D. 24 ÷ 3
Adapted from Illustrative Math, grade 5

56. It’s 9:30 PM, I’m done…
• Google Forms
• Kahoot
• Padlet
• Plickers
• Today’s Meet
• Resources
• Every pupil response

57. What about You? Hinge Questions
1. How will you use hinge questions as you teach?
2. If you think of the hinge question as a whole class
interview, how will you use the responses?
3. How will you consider student responses to a hinge
question?
4. When you prepare to ask a hinge question, what might
you anticipate?

58. Date:
Mathematics Standard:
Hinge Question:
Location in the Lesson
Anticipated Student
Responses
Possible Next Steps:
Differentiation Strategy
Beginning Review
Middle Extend
End Student Grouping

59. An Exit Task
Is a capstone
problem or task that
captures the major
focus of the lesson
for that day or
perhaps the past
several days
(Fennell, Kobett, &
Wray, 2017).

60. Different than an Exit Ticket…

61. Original Task
Alane has the following
number cards: 4, 9, and
12.
• Make a set for each
number.
• Which set has the
most? Least?
Revised Task
Alane has the following number cards: 4,
9, and 12.
• Show each number with cubes or a
drawing.
• With cubes or a drawing, make a new
group that is between 9 and 12.
• If Alane added 2 to each group, what
are the new numbers?
• Would adding 2 to each number
change the order on the number
line?

63. What about You? Exit Tasks
• Final activity – whole class Show Me Activity
• Time for all students to complete the activity
should be provided (and for you to review
responses)

64. Summing Up…
These are closure-connected…
• Hinge Questions – How did that lesson go?
What’s next?
• Exit Tasks – Performance. Demands feedback.
A real getting at understanding opportunity.

65. Interviews
Show
Me
Observations
Hinge
Questions
Exit Tasks

66. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
Thompson and William, 2007

67. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
• Using evidence of learning,
Thompson and William, 2007

68. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
• Using evidence of learning,
• To adapt teaching and learning,
Thompson and William, 2007

69. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
• Using evidence of learning,
• To adapt teaching and learning,
• To meet immediate learning needs,
Thompson and William, 2007

70. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
• Using evidence of learning,
• To adapt teaching and learning,
• To meet immediate learning needs,
• Minute-to-minute and day-by-day.
Thompson and William, 2007

71. Formative assessment is:
• Students and teachers,
• Using evidence of learning,
• To adapt teaching and learning,
• To meet immediate learning needs,
• Minute-to-minute and day-by-day.
Thompson and William, 2007
Love this…

72. What we know…*
• Everyday use of the Formative 5 works!
• Teachers need time to think about and
seriously connect planning, teaching, and
assessing.
• Support is more than helpful, it’s necessary!
*2-3 years of piloting and data collection

73. How can we make sure that:
• Teachers plan lessons (very seriously stated);
• Classroom based formative assessment is part of that
plan;
• Hinge questions and exit tasks are prepared as part of
the lesson;
• Responses to the Formative 5 impact the next day’s
planning and instruction?

74. Questions?
Thank you!

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80. We value your feedback!
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81. Thank you to our speaker!
Francis (Skip) Fennell
L. Stanley Bowlsbey Professor of Education and
Graduate and Professional Studies Emeritus,
McDaniel College

82. edWeb would like to thank
www.dreambox.com
for sponsoring this webinar!

83. Thanks for Attending This Webinar!
Presented by edWeb.net
___________________________________________________________________________
Name
All requirements for this in-service program have been completed.
Number of clock hours completed: 1
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
You’ll receive a certificate for this webinar within 24 hours!
edWeb.net is a free professional social and learning network.
edWeb.TV is a premium subscription service from edWeb.
If you logged in live with your email address:
Your certificate will be emailed to you the next business day.
If you joined by phone or if you’re watching this as a recording:
Take the CE quiz located in the Webinar Archives.
To get your CE Certificate for this webinar:
To take the CE quiz:
Join the community at www.edweb.net/blended
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84. Join the community!
Blended Learning: Extending Classes Online
 Presenter’s slides
 Quizzes for CE Certificates
 Webinar recordings
 Follow up discussions
 Invitations to upcoming webinars
Join at www.edweb.net/blended
Join the community for all of the webinar resources – it’s free!
Click on this image when you join!