2015-2016 Featured Books
Common Formative Assessments: How to Connect Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment
By: Larry Ainsworth and Donald Viegut
Target Audience: K-12, Teachers and School Leaders
Overview: This book provides practical strategies to align school-based common formative assessments to learning standards. It describes the purpose of formative assessments, how to unwrap the standards and identify the core power standards for each grade level.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Common Formative Assessments: How to Connect Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment and then complete the module on the Teaching Channel website which includes watching two videos. Check out the Module Handout section and try to take the formative assessment inventory. Then using the text and the video examples, write a 300-400 word reflection about the following questions:
1. What capacities do teachers need to effectively use common formative assessments?
2. What stage is your school, department, or grade level in the identified steps to using common formative assessments?
3. In what ways can leadership teams support teachers to help grow capacity for creating formative assessments?
Option 2: Book Group Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. At the end of the last session, write a 300-400 word reflection about the above questions and provide specific examples from the text to support the reflection.
By: Larry Ainsworth and Donald Viegut
Target Audience: K-12, Teachers and School Leaders
Overview: This book provides practical strategies to align school-based common formative assessments to learning standards. It describes the purpose of formative assessments, how to unwrap the standards and identify the core power standards for each grade level.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Common Formative Assessments: How to Connect Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment and then complete the module on the Teaching Channel website which includes watching two videos. Check out the Module Handout section and try to take the formative assessment inventory. Then using the text and the video examples, write a 300-400 word reflection about the following questions:
1. What capacities do teachers need to effectively use common formative assessments?
2. What stage is your school, department, or grade level in the identified steps to using common formative assessments?
3. In what ways can leadership teams support teachers to help grow capacity for creating formative assessments?
Option 2: Book Group Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. At the end of the last session, write a 300-400 word reflection about the above questions and provide specific examples from the text to support the reflection.
Quality Performance Assessment: A Guide for Schools and Districts
By: The Center for Collaborative Education
Target Audience: K-12, Teachers and School Leaders
Overview: The Guide looks at the process for making assessment rigorous, valid and reliable; and, at the same time, relevant and engaging for students by providing strong linkages to curriculum and instruction, building a shared understanding of expectations and interpretation of standards. Employing a framework created and field tested in collaboration with 20 diverse schools and mapped to the Common Core State Standards and other important education standards and goals, users explore the process of developing assessments, with tools, protocols and case studies that showcase various entry points and experiences of the schools.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Quality Performance Assessment: A Guide for Schools and Districts. Apply what you have learned by using the Assessment Validation Protocol (Tool #3) to tune 2 current assessments. Submit a reflection or summary of your experience with using the assessment validation protocol tool.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. It is recommended for at least one of the chapters, use the Text-based Discussion Protocol (Tool #36) for discussion. Final Product: Analyze a current performance assessment together using the Looking at Assessment Work Protocol (Tool #14) and submit summary of this analysis as final product.
By: The Center for Collaborative Education
Target Audience: K-12, Teachers and School Leaders
Overview: The Guide looks at the process for making assessment rigorous, valid and reliable; and, at the same time, relevant and engaging for students by providing strong linkages to curriculum and instruction, building a shared understanding of expectations and interpretation of standards. Employing a framework created and field tested in collaboration with 20 diverse schools and mapped to the Common Core State Standards and other important education standards and goals, users explore the process of developing assessments, with tools, protocols and case studies that showcase various entry points and experiences of the schools.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Quality Performance Assessment: A Guide for Schools and Districts. Apply what you have learned by using the Assessment Validation Protocol (Tool #3) to tune 2 current assessments. Submit a reflection or summary of your experience with using the assessment validation protocol tool.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. It is recommended for at least one of the chapters, use the Text-based Discussion Protocol (Tool #36) for discussion. Final Product: Analyze a current performance assessment together using the Looking at Assessment Work Protocol (Tool #14) and submit summary of this analysis as final product.