RSA1: Maximizing the Power of Formative Assessments

RSA #1- Maximizing the Power of Formative Assessments

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RSA #1- Maximizing the Power of Formative Assessments

The Module 2 readings discuss that Professional Learning Communities improve student achievement and teaching by creating a focus on student learning.  “When everyone works collectively to seek and share learning and act on that learning to improve their effectiveness as professional so that students benefit, they are functioning as a professional learning community” (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003). In order for student achievement to take place, it is important for teachers to work together and share a vision of what they expect of their students.  If all teachers share a vision there is a better chance of success and sustainability within the PLC.  The readings from Module 2 also present the main questions to drive instruction.  “The questions “Learn what?” And “How will we know?” are two of the most significant questions a PLC will consider, the very basis of the collective inquiry that drives the work of collaborative teams” (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010, p.62).  It is essential for teachers to create common and formative assessments so that all students are held to same standard.  According to DuFour et al.’s (2010):

Collaborative teams of teachers create multiple common formative assessments and use the results to identify 1. individual students who need additional time and support for learning, 2. the teaching strategies that proved effective in helping students acquire the intended knowledge and skills, 3. program concerns-areas in which students generally are having difficulty achieving the intended standard and 4. improvement goals for individual teachers and teams. (p.63)

When teachers take ownership and are involved in the practice and decision making of the curriculum, student learning will be much more effective.   

Maximizing the Power of Formative Assessments (2009) explains the importance of teachers working together to create assessments.  When teachers do this, the outcomes are positive. The article discusses the importance of formative and common assessments within professional learning communities.  Stiggins and DuFour (2009) say formative assessments can help to:

Identify student understanding, clarify what comes next in their learning, trigger and become part of an effective system of intervention for struggling students, inform and improve the instructional practice of individual teachers or teams, help students track their own progress toward attainment of standards, motivate students by building confidence in themselves as learners, fuel continuous improvement processes across faculties, and, thus, drive a school’s transformation. (p.640)

Stiggins and DuFour (May 2009) continue by explaining the importance of common assessments, “Common assessments — those created collaboratively by teams of teachers who teach the same course or grade level — also represent a powerful tool in effective assessment in professional learning communities communities” (p.640).  When teachers use both of these assessments, school improvement and student achievement will change.

The information presented by Stiggins and DuFour (May 2009) relates to the information that is presented in the assigned readings for module 2.  Chapter 3 in Learning by Doing, stresses the importance of common formative assessments and how they can be used to help teachers, and better assess student work and needs.  The article that I chose to relate our readings to, also shares the same information about assessments.  If teachers work together in a PLC model to create common assessments among the school and district, there will be a huge improvement in student achievement. It is important for teachers to use common assessments as a tool to gauge how students are grasping concepts, but also allows the teachers to share successful teaching strategies with their team on how they taught the concept. 

References

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010). Learning by Doing: A handbook for
professional learning communities at work (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Press.

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).(2003). Sustaining
school improvement: Professional learning community, 1–4. Retrieved from http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/LeadershipOrganizationDevelopment/5031TG_proflrncommfolio.pdf

Stiggins, R., DuFour, R., (May 2009).  Maximizing the Power of Formative Assessments, 90(9), 640-644.