SMCAA 2013 Spring Conference Presentations
The Changing Faces of Assessment
Descriptions for Breakout Sessions for Spring Conference 2013
Monday, April 29
A. Increasing Assessment Rigor, Relevance, and Meaning
Presenter: Mike Szydlowski, K-12 Science Coordinator, Columbia Public Schools
Target Audience: Science emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
Are you worried about the level of rigor that will come with the new assessments in math, language arts, and science? This session will show you interdisciplinary strategies to increase the rigor, relevance, and meaning of your assessments by using science as a base to improve not only science scores but to also improve your language arts and math scores. Participants will also learn about some great, very inexpensive or free, assessment resources that show you that you do not have to spend lots of money on new programs to increase rigor and relevance. Sample assessment items and activities will be provided.
B. Assess for Success
Presenters: Erin Peirce, High School Math Teacher and Cathy Freeman, High School Principal, Hillsboro R-III School District
Target Audience: Math emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
Over the past four years, teachers at Hillsboro High School have seen an increase in student achievement due to the implementation of “Assessment for Learning” practices in their classrooms. In this session, Mrs. Erin Peirce, high school math teacher and Mrs. Cathy Freeman, high school principal will share the changes they have made in daily practice and the effects these changes have made on student summative assessment data.
C. What’s been done & what we are doing just isn’t good enough anymore…
Presenters: Justin Tarte, Director of Curriculum, Union R-XI School District and
Chris McGee, Curriculum Coordinator, Webster Groves School District
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
What your parents experienced in school may have worked for them; what you experienced in school probably worked for you; what most of our kids are experiencing in school just won’t cut it… There is a need to look at the systemic changes that need to be made in the educational setting including instructional and assessment practices, professional development models for educators, and the role students need to play in THEIR own education. As accountability increases and the expected outcomes of schools and students increase, we are being asked to do more with less. Additionally, we are in a brave new world with an unclear and undefined path ahead of us. As a result of these shifts, our educational systems and structures need to change and evolve with the uncertain prevailing winds. This session will provide strategies and ideas on how to address these uncertainties and discuss approaches that have proven effective in the educational setting. The session will pose thought-provoking questions that make even the deepest of lines in the sand difficult to distinguish. If you are ready to be pushed, challenged, and put in an uncomfortable state, we welcome you!
D. Getting Kids to SHOW You the Math! Engaging Students in Critical Thinking Activities. Aiming for Complexity (DOK 2 and 3 Questions)
Presenter: Margaret Hufstedler, Kindergarten Teacher, Alton R-VI
Target Audience: Math emphasis for Primary Grade Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
This Presentation will focus on how using a variety of materials and approaches such as, Materials Management for Math Instruction; Beginning Math with Music and Movement;
Making Math Journaling a Habit; Using Math Work Station Activities to Extend Learning
(lots of resources); and Do It Yourself ideas for the classroom (photos and PinTEreST!) engage students and take them to higher levels of understanding through critical thinking activities. This session is loaded with valuable idea!!!
E. Changing Face of Assessment in ELA
Presenter: Dana Humphrey, Educational Consultant
Targeted Audience: ELA emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
The Common Core Standards for literacy call for increased rigor, including the use of more complex text. What is complex text? How do we teach students to access more complex text? And what role will these texts play in the new assessments? Participants in this session will explore samples of the new ELA assessment from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and determine the implications for classroom assessment and instruction. Text complexity and its role in instruction and assessment will be analyzed, as well as instructional strategies and assessments to scaffold learning for all students.
F. Assessing Enactment of the Common Core: More than a Simple Checklist Presenter: Dr. LeeAnn Sutherland, Faculty, University of Michigan; Chief Academic Officer, Sangari Active Science Targeted Audience: Middle /High School Teachers, Curriculum Leaders/Administrators
While Common Core State Standards are on everyone’s mind, and most agree that the standards are a step in the right direction for our nation’s children, yet to be determined is how those standards will be assessed. This session focuses not on assessing student achievement but on assessing CCSS enactment in classrooms. What might it look like for teachers to address rigorous standards rigorously? What is the role of strategies approaches? What does “integration” across content really mean? What might curriculum leaders do to support the integration of CCSS across content areas? How might administrators adequately assess enactment of CCSS in their buildings? This session, led by Dr. LeeAnn Sutherland, will address these types of questions in a session that focuses on what research tells us, and what common sense tells us, as well!
F.2 Thinking Required (Session III only, both Monday and Tuesday)
Presenter: Paula Young, Education Consultant, Sangri
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
We know that Common Core Standards for ELA and Math, as well Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and those being developed for Social Studies (SSACI) are requiring that high order thinking skills become the norm in our classrooms. If we are to aspire to these new standards, then it only stands to reason that assessments must include more than simple traditional multiple choice questions. This session will explore a variety of ways to assess for true understanding at higher levels.
G. Build Your Own Curriculum (BYOC) (Session III, Monday Only)
Presenters: Chris Trina, BYOC/BYOA School Software Group; and Randy Jennings, Education Technology Partners (ETP)
Targeted Audience: K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
In this session, participants will receive a demonstration of the Build Your Own Curriculum (BYOC) web-based curriculum management tool that allows districts to customize the configuration of their format to follow the philosophy of Understanding by Design or other identified district specific approaches to curriculum and instruction. BYOC staff will show teachers can locate current curriculum requirements and resources to easily update and customize their units and lesson plans in alignment with district/state/national standards and expectations; how administrators can gain instant access to the learning paths in each building, grade, and classroom – and view this information by standard(s), by teaching objective, and key concept. Reports, linkage to classroom websites for curriculum and lesson assignment, student and public access and other useful features of this curriculum management product will be presented.
H. Walkthroughs and the 3 R’s
Presenters: Shawn Riley, Principal, and Megan Sanford, Assistant Principal, Wright City R-II
Targeted Audience: K-12 teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
What’s going on in your classrooms? The power of meaningful walkthroughs and mini-observations in has transformed the culture and conversation at Wright City West Elementary. Administrators are in classrooms everyday looking at the level of instruction through multiple lenses. Learn how walkthroughs and mini-observations save time, create a culture of coaching, and produces results.
Descriptions for Breakout Sessions for Spring Conference 2013
Tuesday, April 30
A. Increasing Assessment Rigor, Relevance, and Meaning
Presenter: Mike Szydlowski, K-12 Science Coordinator, Columbia Public Schools
Target Audience: Science emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
Are you worried about the level of rigor that will come with the new assessments in math, language arts, and science? This session will show you interdisciplinary strategies to increase the rigor, relevance, and meaning of your assessments by using science as a base to improve not only science scores but to also improve your language arts and math scores. Participants will also learn about some great, very cheap or free, assessment resources that show you that you do not have to spend lots of money on new programs to increase rigor and relevance. Sample assessment items and activities will be provided.
B. Assess for Success
Presenters: Erin Peirce, High School Math Teacher and Cathy Freeman, High School Principal, Hillsboro R-III School District
Target Audience: Math emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
Over the past four years, teachers at Hillsboro High School have seen an increase in student achievement due to the implementation of “Assessment for Learning” practices in their classrooms. In this session, Mrs. Erin Peirce, high school math teacher and Mrs. Cathy Freeman, high school principal will share the changes they have made in daily practice and the effects these changes have made on student summative assessment data.
C. What’s been done & what we are doing just isn’t good enough anymore…
Presenters: Justin Tarte, Director of Curriculum, Union R-XI School District and
Chris McGee, Curriculum Coordinator, Webster Groves School District
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Leaders
What your parents experienced in school may have worked for them; what you experienced in school probably worked for you; what most of our kids are experiencing in school just won’t cut it… There is a need to look at the systemic changes that need to be made in the educational setting including instructional and assessment practices, professional development models for educators, and the role students need to play in THEIR own education. As accountability increases and the expected outcomes of schools and students increase, we are being asked to do more with less. Additionally, we are in a brave new world with an unclear and undefined path ahead of us. As a result of these shifts, our educational systems and structures need to change and evolve with the uncertain prevailing winds. This session will provide strategies and ideas on how to address these uncertainties and discuss approaches that have proven effective in the educational setting. The session will pose thought-provoking questions that make even the deepest of lines in the sand difficult to distinguish. If you are ready to be pushed, challenged, and put in an uncomfortable state, we welcome you!
D. Getting Kids to SHOW You the Math! Engaging Students in Critical Thinking Activities. Aiming for Complexity (DOK 2 and 3 Questions)
Presenter: Margaret Hufstedler, Kindergarten Teacher, Alton R-VI
Target Audience: Math emphasis for Primary Grade Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
This Presentation will focus on how using a variety of materials and approaches such as, Materials Management for Math Instruction; Beginning Math with Music and Movement;
Making Math Journaling a Habit; Using Math Work Station Activities to Extend Learning
(lots of resources); and Do It Yourself ideas for the classroom (photos and PinTEreST!) engage students and take them to higher levels of understanding through critical thinking activities. This session is loaded with valuable idea!!!
E. Changing Face of Assessment in ELA
Presenter: Dana Humphrey, Educational Consultant
Targeted Audience: ELA emphasis for K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
The Common Core Standards for literacy call for increased rigor, including the use of more complex text. What is complex text? How do we teach students to access more complex text? And what role will these texts play in the new assessments? Participants in this session will explore samples of the new ELA assessment from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and determine the implications for classroom assessment and instruction. Text complexity and its role in instruction and assessment will be analyzed, as well as instructional strategies and assessments to scaffold learning for all students.
F. Assessing Enactment of the Common Core: More than a Simple Checklist Presenter: Dr. LeeAnn Sutherland, Faculty, University of Michigan; Chief Academic Officer, Sangari Active Science Targeted Audience: Middle /High School Teachers, Curriculum Leaders/Administrators
While Common Core State Standards are on everyone’s mind, and most agree that the standards are a step in the right direction for our nation’s children, yet to be determined is how those standards will be assessed. This session focuses not on assessing student achievement but on assessing CCSS enactment in classrooms. What might it look like for teachers to address rigorous standards rigorously? What is the role of strategies approaches? What does “integration” across content really mean? What might curriculum leaders do to support the integration of CCSS across content areas? How might administrators adequately assess enactment of CCSS in their buildings? This session, led by Dr. LeeAnn Sutherland, will address these types of questions in a session that focuses on what research tells us, and what common sense tells us, as well!
F.2 Thinking Required (Session III only, both Monday and Tuesday)
Presenter: Paula Young, Education Consultant, Sangri
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders
We know that Common Core Standards for ELA and Math, as well Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and those being developed for Social Studies (SSACI) are requiring that high order thinking skills become the norm in our classrooms. If we are to aspire to these new standards, then it only stands to reason that assessments must include more than simple traditional multiple choice questions. This session will explore a variety of ways to assess for true understanding at higher levels.
G.1 Advanced Topics: Build Your Own Curriculum (BYOC) (Session I, Tuesday Only)
Presenters: Chris Trina, BYOC/BYOA School Software Group; and Randy Jennings, Education Technology Partners (ETP)
Targeted Audience: K-12 Teachers, Curriculum Leaders, Administrators
This presentation will focus on Activities, Lesson Plans, Assignments, and the Teacher Portal in BYOC. All of these are powerful components not typically addressed in a district’s initial use of BYOC.
G.2 Build Your Own Assessment (BYOA) (Session II, Tuesday only)
Presenters: Cris Trina, BYOC/BYOA School Software Group; and Randy Jennings, Education Technology Partners (ETP)
Targeted Audience: Current BYOC district users and others interested
BYOA is a companion product for BYOC that many districts look at once they have started making progress on their curriculum. BYOA allows you to create your own assessments and align the questions back to the curriculum developed in BYOC. Students can take the assessments online via a student wizard or via a scan sheet. Reports are immediately available to help the district determine how students are progressing based on the expectations defined in the curriculum. The presenters will share how this product works and its value as we assess where students really are in regard to intended objectives.
H. Walkthroughs and the 3 R’s
Presenters: Shawn Riley, Principal, and Megan Sanford, Assistant Principal, Wright City R-II
Targeted Audience: K-12 teachers, Administrators and Curriculum Leaders
What’s going on in your classrooms? The power of meaningful walkthroughs and mini-observations in has transformed the culture and conversation at Wright City West Elementary. Administrators are in classrooms everyday looking at the level of instruction through multiple lenses. Learn how walkthroughs and mini-observations save time, create a culture of coaching, and produces results.