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Re-forming Summative Assessments

Re-forming Summative Assessments: Blurring the line between learning and testing

What if we could make that timeless question ‘Will this be on the test’ irrelevant? In today’s mainstream educational system we clearly differentiate between assessment and learning. Even when it comes to assessment meant to inform learning (formative assessment) we tend to distinguish between learning and showing that we learned new content and skills. What if we could bring the two much closer… so close that you can’t distinguish one from the other? In this show we will explore research and development efforts and products that move us closer to this seamless learning environment. We will examine what impact this has on products in development today and how this might change the way you think about your offering in the future.

We will explore the following questions:

  • What does a learning environment look like where learning and assessment are seamlessly integrated?
  • What are the benefits and issues with this approach?
  • Does this require technology or are there strategies that transcend the use of technology?
  • How does this integration fit in a world of high stakes assessment?
  • How can a content developer take advantage of this strategy to improve their existing and new products?

Guests at the table:

  1. Elizabeth Greninger, Ph.D.,  Managing Associate and Teacher Quality Specialist at edCount, LLC
  2. Stuart Kahl, Founding Principal and former CEO of Measured Progress
  3. Shawn Morgan, District Data Coordinator at CNY Regional Information Center

On the Make

WATCH: On the Make: Moving to Active Learning through Design and Creation

Ed Table Talk broadcasted from Follett’s New Worldwide Headquarters!

8:00am PT/11:00am ET Tues. Sept. 16th.

Active learning is hard to leave in the classroom… if compelling, learners recount and rethink what they learned long after the lesson ends. The Maker movement embraces a “hands on, minds on” approach that links the tactile nature of learning with building and knowledge. This episode of Ed Table Talk explores the structure of the maker movement and asks the pivotal question: What is the importance of providing realistic context for students to apply their knowledge and become better learners?

The Maker movement has a long history in how we teach and students learn. The movement helps to change the perception about how best to teach students and how we prepare educators to manage a rich learning environment. Anybody who used pipe cleaners and Popsicle sticks was a member of the Maker movement, so why is it that we often forego this teaching strategy as students get older?

Research shows that kids who apply what they learn create more extensive knowledge that they can then apply in a variety of contexts outside of the classroom. This especially rings true for students who tend to be more visual learners. We will discuss ways that this strategy can be applied in your offerings and how it makes students better learners in their other academic pursuits — writing, math, science, social science, and the arts.

Host Michael Jay and guests discuss the popular Maker movement and its implications for preK-12 teaching and learning.

Guests at the table:

1. Jeff Branson, Educational Outreach at SparkFun

2. Sylvia Martinez, Author and Independent Education Consultant

3. Gary Stager, Publisher and CMFO at Constructing Modern Knowledge Press

 


Privacy, Anonymity, and Instruction

May 2014 — Privacy, Anonymity, and Instruction

Privacy today looks very different than it did 20 years ago… and the drive toward more personalized instruction from students, parents, and educators challenges privacy even further. Is it possible to build barriers to thwart data thieves and support general anonymity while providing educators with access to assessment and more nuanced qualitative information?  The ability to balancing these demands is essential if we are to realize the benefits that personalized learning can offer.

Communities are trying to address the challenge of providing the infrastructure to support quality education, while still adhering to socially acceptable policies around data security and anonymity. With instruction, it’s not simply about assessment but providing substantial feedback that allows students to become masters of their own learning. In order to be effective, educators and educational environments need to know who the learner is, balance the trade offs between complete anonymity and provide access to information that informs instruction.

Join Michael Jay and guests as they take a bite out of the hard questions like:

  1. How is technology outside of education progressing and how can we leverage it to improve our systems?
  2. How can we educate decision makers about the trade offs around privacy/anonymity and also set expectations with parents and the larger community?

Guests at the Table:

  1. Tim Discipio, Founder, ePals
  2. Jeff Patterson, Founder and CEO, Gaggle, Inc.
  3. Francesca Venning, Learning Technology Consultant, Venning and Associates

 

Resource

May’s rumor from You Can’t Handle the Truth can be found, here.

Listen: http://youtu.be/hHds38C7yqQ


Making Assessment Actionable

January 2014 — Don’t just tell us they’re doing poorly, help us do something about it!

With the advent of NCLB, rise of the Common Core, and a focus on quantifying learning, assessment is doing hand-to-hand combat with learning for the educational steering wheel. Schools are under a lot of pressure, students feel stressed to earn high grades, and teachers are faced with increased accountability for student learning. Michael Jay and guests will delve into how data can and is utilized by teachers, students, administrators and learning systems for learning and teaching.

Education Table Talk tackled the big questions like how do we change community expectations about what makes for good evidence in learning? And how do we improve educational legislation to employ a systemic model to educational improvement?

Ed Table Talk provided information on upcoming conferences, guests’ Donor’s Choose projects, highlights from MCH’s Early Childhood Marketing Leadership Council meeting, and “You Can’t Handle the Truth!”

Guests at the Table:

Brian Rick
Research and Assessment Director, Bellingham Public School District
Kathy Dyer
Senior Curriculum Specialist, Northwest Evaluation Association
Helene Duvin
Director, Education and Assessment Solutions, Pacific Metrics

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